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[-] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 10 points 4 days ago

...when they had fuck all to do they sat down and wrote (books, letters) for fun.

Just for the record, before the invention of radio, TV and the mass production of goods, they also had a variety of real-world crafts they could do and things they could make for fun & profit.

[-] phonics@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago

Before the mechanical loom. The whole world was basically creating thread and weaving full time. It would take just as long to hand make a sail for a viking ship as it would to make the whole rest of the ship.

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 4 points 4 days ago

The whole world was basically creating thread and weaving full time.

That's an underrated point, and (seems to me) severally under-emphasized in various historical fiction and such. Also could be kind of minimized / hand-waved away by many because it was (I'm guessing) seen as 'poor persons and womens' work,' with the rights of both of such groups commonly dismissed across history, going back ages...

[-] phonics@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Exactly. However if you were weaving silk, you were making bank.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

that also has disappeared?

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 2 points 4 days ago

I'd say that's on a case-by-case basis. Hobbyists still weave on looms, even though there's not strict need. People still build radio sets from scratch, and yadda-yadda...

One of the things that always interested me about living in a commune is that there'd be a need to do stuff like this to some extent, on an ongoing basis.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

i mean, now people are building the craziest shit with 3d printers. the crafts have just gotten cooler i'd argue

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 2 points 4 days ago

If you say so. But hobbyists are still doing crafts & stuff that mankind was doing thousands of years ago.

Or, look at mini-painting, par exemple. That's something artists and tacticians were involved in since near the dawn of civilisation, and today, it's kind of a super-hobby.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

i think we're arguing the same point but with different words. we keep having the same hobbies, just the medium might change over the years. like, first people were singing and beating animal hide drums, and now we've got dwarfcore, but it's all music (and fun, if you're into it).

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 2 points 4 days ago

Your shower thought is amusing, but I fundamentally disagree with it in real-world terms. That's my overall point here.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

oh, you're saying that they had other stuff to do besides reading.

i fucking wish i had more characters to fill in the thought in the title. this one had tangents and appendices and shit.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

yeah sorry for the wording i was running into character limits

[-] freeman@feddit.org 3 points 4 days ago

there is a textbox as well, besides the title

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

Rule 2. The entire showerthought must be in the title

[-] Fleur_@aussie.zone 2 points 4 days ago

Well, I'm sure in the past they didn't publicly humiliate themselves online like I do on the reg

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Online? nah, but like my great grandsomething was a notorious town drunk. every day i hope to live up to his example

this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2026
37 points (84.9% liked)

Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS

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Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.

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