this post was submitted on 30 May 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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    • 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
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What about a tornado?

I'm pretty high right now.

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[–] farmgineer@nord.pub 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (4 children)

Materials like stone in some of the US (I'm specifically thinking places with very little airflow like in parts of the deep swampy south) would be deadly without constant, properly-running mechanical ventilation, for one. In a power outage in the south, people would die without it as stone buildings spend all day getting heat and radiating it back out. That type of house suits some cold climates fine, but is very bad in 35 degrees with 80% humidity. Likewise, in high-humidity environments, mold becomes a real issue without that mechanical ventilation (opening windows does nothing when outside is that humid and particularly when there is no wind).

In earthquake zones, you WANT flexibility; stone and brick are deadly as mortar joints fail and the structure collapses.

I think you underestimate how strong properly-built wooden-construction homes can be. There are also materials and cost issues to building with other things. Finally, as I started with, home construction should be appropriate to the climate in which the house is built with consideration for the local materials and safety.

Here in Japan, we have wood and steel-reinforced concrete. Rarely, you'll find reinforced block, but I think that was a fad that passed. Anything brick-and-motor now has all kinds of steel bracing added for earthquake protection. The house I'm in is not far from Fukushima and survived the 2011-03-11 earthquake and tsunami with only a minor thing to be fixed (and some cosmetic damage to wallpaper). It's made of wood.

Edit: fixed an "a lot of the US" that was left from a previous wording and further clarified what I had in mind. A lot of the US was indeed wrong and not what I meant to post.

[–] bufalo1973@piefed.social 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

That's BS. In the Mediterranean we are used to be at nearly 40°C and 90% and houses are made of bricks and concrete. Even the cheaper ones. And no need for mechanical ventilation if the house is built the right way.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

"the right way" is like "a basement", right? Because that seems to be something too many American houses lack.

[–] bufalo1973@piefed.social 1 points 15 hours ago

Double wall with insulation in the middle.

[–] farmgineer@nord.pub 2 points 22 hours ago

Depends on the area of the US. In the south, the water table is high enough that it's usually not worth all the trouble trying to keep it dry. Same for most of Japan here.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 1 points 1 day ago

Bricks breathe. Not sure about concrete.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 5 points 1 day ago

As an example, I once lived in a brick house in the southwest. A true brick house, built in the 1930's so EVERY wall was 3 or 4 courses of brick - 18".

The west-facing wall would bake all afternoon and then radiate that heat all night long. During the summer months that wall never cooled off, it was always warm (80°+).

Winter it was nice, but summer it was a bitch cooling that place at all.

[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 0 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Materials like stone in a lot of the US would be deadly without constant, properly-running mechanical ventilation, for one. In a power outage in the south, people would die without it as stone buildings spend all day getting heat and radiating it back out. That type of house suits some cold climates fine, but is very bad in 35 degrees with 80% humidity.

What nonsense is this? I grew up in concrete houses on the equator.

[–] farmgineer@nord.pub 2 points 2 hours ago

I re-arranged some of my post and did not proofread properly. I was specifically thinking about some areas that are stagnant around bayous and swamps in parts of the US south. I definitely didn't mean to say 'most of the US'. If a place gets enough wind and airflow naturally, it's fine.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

Does wood still catch fire? I'm fine if I never have another house fire.

Thus, concrete and steel for me.