First off, I’m so sorry you had that much pressure put on you in school. Your father should have helped you and instead he needlessly made things harder. One thing you should keep in mind is a saying I see every now and again: “Comparison is the thief of joy”. You’re not your brothers or your sisters and that’s okay! You may have the same parents, but that doesn’t mean you have to be clones.

Distancing yourself from your abusive father was a good move and I applaud you for that! Parents who don’t accept their own children, especially including their quirks and flaws, don’t deserve them. It sounds like he wants you to be someone else, but tough shit: you’re not them, you’re you. And you have zero obligation to become this perfect person in your dad’s head.

And to answer your question: yes, there is hope. You got out of a bad situation and it sounds like you’re still recovering. For now, forget math, grades and employment and just focus on getting better. Good grades and a stable job don’t mean jack shit if you’re miserable anyway.

There’s another possibility: they didn’t stay home, but there’s just more of the other guys.

It sounds like an interesting project, actually. So, no, I don’t think you are.

I would probably tell myself not to bother with college and suggest I go to a technical school instead. Apparently degrees aren’t worth jack shit around here.

“Please stop asking me if everything’s OK. Everything is fine and your concern is appreciated, but I prefer to work in silence and I’m not getting any right now.”

I’m not good around kids, so I made a decision to be without children pretty early on. So, to answer your question, I guess it feels… normal? It’s hard to describe in more detail, because I don’t have a reference to compare it to.

That said, I’ve seen what kind of struggles - emotional, financial or otherwise - my kid-having friends and family have been going through and I would be a liar if I said I never thought “I’m glad I don’t have to go through this shit” more than on one occasion.

Android: no clue, F-Droid started updating my apps automatically after an OS update, which is nice. My phone isn’t rooted either. Linux: About once a week.

An astute observation for a dumbass.

Agreed. First-past-the-post voting system has to go.

Is the statement that the dog is chicken?

GRIP Combat Racing. It’s one of those racing games where you have to restart a lot, because recovering from a mistake isn’t really an option, but it’s still super fun.

Yes, I am and before you ask: no, I will not help you fix your grandma’s PC.

reeSilva is correct, but for the sake of everyone’s sanity: AVOID LINKEDIN AT ALL COSTS. That’s where all the self-important and out of touch people hang out and they’re the absolute worst.

I haven’t read a whole lot, but so far: Madame Bovary. We had to read it in high school, because it was culturally significant and because it caused a large amount of controversy when it came out due to its subject matter. When I was reading it though, it felt like I was reading a literary version of every TV soap opera ever. It was a slog to get through and I was bored and annoyed throughout.

Seriously. Didn’t they make billions last year? That number should be much, much higher for Zuck & Co. to actually start giving a fuck.

Not really sure. Somebody wire me an obscene amount of money and I’ll report back. Probably.

Exactly. There’s no moral dillema here. I’m keeping the switch in the “left” position and welding it in place, just in case.

“It has a gradient so you know it’s AI.” <- Uh, what does this mean?

omg, how is this scene still being taken out of context after 10+ years? In the scene mentioned, Tidus, the protagonist of the story, is feeling depressed and Yuna, the summoner who Tidus is guarding, tries to cheer him up. One of her methods is forcing(!) yourself to laugh. It looks ridiculous, it sounds ridiculous, heck, the other characters watching the scene think it’s ridiculous and even Yuna herself at some point tells Tidus he should probably stop. The laugh sounds forced, because it is. And intentionally, at that.

How about a pet rock?