Posts by Mark Hughes36

Update:

It happened again. I can't access the Reddit
This time I actually went through the trouble of formatting my PC and reinstalling Windows
And wouldn't you know it—even after all that, I still couldn't get onto the Reddit for a couple of days

Which just goes to show there isn't an issue on the end-user side (so cleaning your drive or clearing cookies is a waste of time)
Clearly, the problem lies with the Reddit itself🤷

It wouldn't let me in directly via www.reddit.com, and even trying to click the activation link sent to my email was a bust
. I didn't have the forum's IP address handy, nor would I have known where on earth I was supposed to type it in😁

Unbelievable
Just walked through the door and everything is running perfectly fine, as if there was never even an issue to begin with.
I didn't even touch anything after booting up the PC. 😕

Doesn't matter. The important thing is we're back to normal without needing new browsers or any other technical theatrics. 🙂
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'll keep it in mind if this happens again.

I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the advice. 🙂

It’s bothering me that I can't figure out how this happened. I ran scans and found nothing; I was sticking to safe sites, staying far away from cracks or those sketchy action movie streaming sites. 😁
To be fair, I was downloading some local indie tracks from an obscure forum and a few other odd corners of the web, but this is still quite a shock.

Well, I guess after all these years 😁, I'll have to get used to a new browser.
People have been calling Safari a joke for ages, but I was just too lazy to ditch what I knew worked perfectly fine without any issues.

I suspect the issue lies with my PC
but the bottom line is that this happened out of nowhere—something I’ve never dealt with before. It hit right in the middle of a session, without any new software being installed or settings being tweaked (my firewall and antivirus have been rock solid for years).
it caught me off guard 😁

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I’m still using Internet Explorer.

The cookie fix isn't working. I even tried creating a new user profile on the machine, which should have reset everything to default, but nothing changed.

If you don't mind, could you suggest a decent free browser? I think I've heard people mention Opera.

Thanks 🙂

I haven't seen anyone else bringing up this issue lately (apologies if there’s already an existing thread buried in the archives)

A few days ago, I suddenly lost access to Reddit
from my home computer. Initially, I assumed the site's servers were just down, which we all know happens from time to time 😁.
However, over the last couple of days, I realized the site works perfectly fine at my office; it's just my home connection that won't load the page. I even tried creating a new user profile on the machine to see if that would help, but no luck. I was advised to clear my cookies first, so I tried both methods, yet nothing works.

I called my ISP, and they're insisting the problem isn't on their end, especially since the block seems specific to this one site.😕

If anyone has any insight into what might be causing this, I'd appreciate the help.🙂

I'm looking for some clarity on a few things here:

Someone mentioned that profiles get automatically deleted if you don't log in for six months. Is there any truth to that?
If a profile actually gets wiped, what happens to their old posts or the quotes they left behind?

Also, I’d appreciate an explanation from someone in charge about why we aren't allowed to request account deletion. It seems nonsensical to me, though I suppose it might just be a way to save the admins from extra paperwork.

This is my only account. I've never been banned, even though most of my activity was in that messy "Politics" subforum. I haven't caused any trouble, and frankly, I’d just like my profile gone. Ideally, I'd like my posts deleted too—I don't feel like anything I wrote in that political section deserves to remain online.

I'm waiting for a rational reason why I don't have the freedom to make that choice for myself.

Not that anyone else can't jump in and crack jokes like "no regrets after the act." 🤣

"Quote:"

Samuel Phillips2 said:I realized while working in the molecular biology lab that this field just isn't for me—but I’ve been white-knuckling it this far. Everyone kept telling me to just finish what I started... So many years wasted, when my heart was always pulling me toward painting, sculpting, and all those "childish" pursuits. I ended up enrolling in a PhD program just because everyone else was doing it—it felt like the only way to avoid being stuck as a high school teacher forever.😢
Even when I manage to scrape by on an exam or a term paper, the whole thing just crushes me. I feel like I'm going to snap.

I'm drifting further and further away from what actually matters to me. What kills me most is knowing I actually have talent—some of my amateur sculptures have even gotten praise—but I'm past thirty now. I've got a wife and kids to think about, so I need a paycheck. I hate my job, and honestly, I hate myself for being such a coward. Now I don't even have the time to take a class, and I definitely don't have the expertise required for AT&T 🤷

I want to switch careers, but I'm terrified it's too late and that I've already blown my shot at life.
Sometimes I think about just running away... but then I think about being broke... and about my kids, who'll end up being teased by their classmates for having a "starving artist" dad.

I was always the star student, and my parents are so proud of their future PhD, but underneath it all, I'm just filled with self-loathing. I know deep down that as a scientist, I'm a total zero and just lazy. I read research papers without understanding them and without any passion. I loathe it. I hate the lab. Even the people there—the ones who are actually upbeat and hardworking—aren't bad people. But I despise them; I subconsciously resent them for my own failures. It drives me crazy seeing them do better than me.

I want to work, and I have the energy and the drive, just not for pipettes and microscopes. Not for writing abstracts or running statistical tests.

Please—give me some advice, because if I keep going like this, this frustration is going to permanently kill my spirit and my will to live.

Writing a PhD is a massive undertaking. Since everything is strictly deadline-driven, it’s common for that kind of pressure to trigger intrusive thoughts or sudden shifts in perspective. It's entirely possible you're going through something similar.

They already gave you a pretty good answer about not being lonely. I highly doubt most people actually do what they love. It’s common to pick a major based on a passing interest, only to realize later it was a mistake—it's pointless to commit to something that won't hold your attention long-term. People often just drift through grad school or PhD programs out of sheer momentum, finishing degrees they don't even care about simply because they're already stuck in the system. I went through all of that myself. Eventually, I had to draw the line; I realized I couldn't spend my entire life in this role without feeling miserable. I'm planning to start looking for something new in a year and see where life takes me. That was always the plan, even before I started my post-grad studies.

Once you finally shake off the weight of a PhD—which tends to sit heavy on your shoulders and warp your entire worldview—and the kids are older, you'll actually have breathing room for your art. It can be a great hobby. For most people, not just the lucky few, a job is simply a means to maintain a decent standard of living. No one is forcing you to stay in academia; if that life doesn't suit you, you can always jump into the private sector once the doctorate is out of the way. It might even be a better fit.

There's a fair amount of people out there without any real hobbies, or their entire existence revolves around hitting up the local pub. Instead of wallowing because you might have missed your true calling, you could just do your job and find some actual happiness through a creative outlet that actually fulfills you.

An outstanding performance
Bravo, guys. 🙏

Yeah, that's basically trip-hop 😁

Right off the bat, Daniel Craig’s physique doesn't exactly scream "convincing ultra-smooth operator."
I've seen maybe one or two full James Bond movies in my lifetime.
They were always a decent enough distraction.
I don't quite get how James Bond became such a massive staple of pop culture.

Jose Chase2 said:🙄 Give me a break. What does some wealthy Jew from Hollywood have to do with the Holocaust?

It’s not about whether I think he’s involved; it's about how the world treats them like they're untouchable because of that collective guilt over the Holocaust.

Jose Chase2 said:And regarding Thompson—look, just as Thompson could inspire some idiot to start attacking Mexicans, Manson could inspire someone to go after Catholics. There's no difference. It doesn't matter if he never explicitly says "let's kill Catholics"; those obsessed with Satanism will take his line about "tearing down Catholicism" as an implicit call to violence.

I don't see how you can miss that this is the exact same thing.

You're tripping
hard.
I already laid it all out above and I'm not repeating myself.

Jose Chase2 said:And yeah, as a Catholic, Satanism feels to me the same way Chetniks feel to an American.

I bet you're just as worked up about the Masons, too. 😁
Though your knowledge of them is likely as shallow as your grasp on Satanism.
You've picked up a few terms tossed at you by whatever ideology shaped you, and now you jump whenever certain institutions or groups command it through the media.

Think for yourself and you won't have any problems. Distinguishing good from evil isn't so difficult that you need someone else's manual to do it.
A clear conscience is the only guide you need. 😉

Jose Chase2 said:One more thing: how is it that nobody cares when he mocks Catholicism, yet if he did the same to Jews, he’d be branded the most intolerant man on earth?

Don't you think this walking on eggshells regarding certain groups is just a byproduct of Holocaust guilt?

Jose Chase2 said:Look, I don't mind people making fun of the Church, but I have an issue with Satanism in any form. Honestly, how could you not be offended when someone takes the cross—the core symbol of a Catholic's faith—and uses it for god knows what?

Treat Satanism as just another religion and you shouldn't have any issues left.
It's obvious Manson does all this just to build his shock-rock persona.
So, everything should be taken with a grain of salt.

Besides, the Church is an easy target, much like Manson himself.
One has to learn to live with it.

Jose Chase2 said:By that logic, the KKK is fine too, since they don't have any Black people at their rallies.👎

I view these things a bit differently.

On one hand, you have Thompson, who openly glorified massacres and historical atrocities.
Under American law, he should be held criminally liable for that—not just a misdemeanor, but actual criminal charges.

Thompson sang what people actually think. I can't say if he personally believes it, but as a public figure, he's responsible for inciting those views.
And some people really did murder others simply because of their background,
whether it was fifty years ago or back in the nineties.

That is where the danger becomes incredibly real.

In contrast, Marilyn Manson mocks religion and the church, calling them hypocrites.
He goes too far sometimes just to shock people, and I agree that someone, if they aren't paying attention, might feel their religious feelings were insulted.

However, there is a vital distinction: Manson's mockery and provocation cannot lead to physical harm.
At most, someone might walk away thinking religious people are being screwed over.
But nobody actually gets hurt by that.

It’s more of a philosophical question.

On one side we have bloodshed, and on the other, philosophy. I don't believe you can compare the two.

Though, obviously, you can stretch a comparison if you really want to.

The film deserves an 🙏

Brenda Rodriguez17 said:Something tells me this is the first Mike Leigh movie you’ve actually sat through; otherwise, you wouldn't be complaining about the pacing or the acting being over the top.🙂

Could be true.😁
Maybe I’ve seen one before, but I don't exactly have a photographic memory (if anything, my memory is 😁 worse).
The rest of the cast wasn't dragging or overacting—it was just the lead actress in the second half. Maybe there's something to your point after all.🙂
Regardless, I'm not convinced her performance warrants an Oscar, and I won't be losing any sleep if she doesn't get one.

There were maybe 30 of us in the theater 🙂

The film is decent
I get why the director is up for all those awards
and probably even took home a few

For me, the weakest link was the lead actress
She was great through the first half (as was everyone else)
but from that point on, she just stopped being believable
It felt overacted to me—too slow, somehow
Hard to put my finger on it; maybe the simplest way to say it is that I just couldn't connect with her
And that means her performance created a certain disconnect for me, regardless of the whole abortion subplot

brighthawk20 said:...and Anne Good...

A pretty rare surname to run into😁

In my opinion, three stars... it was pretty underwhelming

But that halftime show was actually worth watching 😁

Mr. Darcy said:Well, at the end of the day, that crazy old woman had no choice but to change her ways. Now she just hides her feelings, suffering quietly so no one notices. That’s exactly why Mr. Darcy sabotaged her relationship in the first place—he thought his friend didn't care for him. So much for being "modest" and "reserved." 😁
But look at her sister, Elizabeth Bennet. She wasn't modest or reserved at all; she actually stepped up, helped her sister land the guy, and ended up snagging someone even wealthier herself. 😁

In the end, everything worked out, and that’s what matters. 🙂

By the way, how does Mr. Darcy even factor into a conversation about modesty and reserve?