this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2026
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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:

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In trying to figure out how to warn our descendants about nuclear waste, even through a possible societal collapse, one of the more fun ideas is using cats that show a visible difference in the presence of nuclear radiation along with nursery rhymes/mythology that tell you to get the fuck out of dodge after your cat turns blue.

Similarly, our mythology about the fae lines up alright with current generative AI: it will tell you what you want to hear, but can’t be trusted; it looks like a person, but might have too many fingers or its eyes are made of stone; something’s just off.

To be clear: I don’t actually believe humans destroyed a previous society with “AI” at a similar sophistication level and coded cultural warnings against it into us, but it’s fun to think about.

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[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

That or I’m cherry picking :P

The most important thing about the fae for me is first: they’re likely to try and blend in poorly as a person; but also untrustworthy in a demon/fine print way; entrancing; subject to their own (unknown) rules; dangerous to give your true name to; and dangerous to accept gifts from. The rest of them aren’t inapplicable to modern ai, but they’re not as easy to explain, I guess.

Do you have different associations with the fae when I list them all out?