The feed

Why grounded?

Replies kept circling the same right-to-know claims with insults aimed at the poster.

Grounded

A post from a developer calls Steam's AI disclosure rule a magnet for review bombs. Replies argue players have a right to know what they buy.

Sides

• Unfair target: Nobody must disclose their engine, assets or plugins, so singling out AI exists only to punish developers.
• Right to know: Many players genuinely want to avoid AI-made games, so a label lets them choose before they buy.
• Inconsistent rule: Steam does not require disclosing AI-generated code, only art, which makes the rule look arbitrary.
• Hiding backfires: Players who dislike AI will find out anyway, and an undisclosed game draws an even worse review bomb.

Why grounded?

Replies shifted into venting about outages and insults rather than the license decision.

Grounded

A post shows Haryana's power minister saying the state opposed a regulator's private electricity license. Replies split on whether privatization would fix outages.

Sides

• Privatize power: State power utilities give poor service without accountability, so private players should be let in.
• Right call: Government jobs matter to many Haryana households, so opposing privatization early avoids a serious backlash.
• Mixed signals: The state and central governments are the same party, so the license could not have moved without their consent.

Why grounded?

Most replies turned into personal insults about the mayor instead of the water question.

Grounded

A post says Mayor Olivia Chow falsely claimed Brad Bradford would privatize Toronto water. Replies split on whether Ontario law actually rules that out.

Sides

• Fear tactic: Privatizing water is not possible in Ontario, and Bradford said he would resign if it ever happened.
• Legal loophole: Provincial law allows an agent to run water services, so saying privatization is impossible is misleading.
• Private delivery: Private companies with oversight deliver better work, on budget and on time, than government does.

Why grounded?

The same repaid-or-not claim cycled through replies alongside insults aimed at the poster.

Grounded

A post says Bill Ackman's Fannie and Freddie relisting plan would surrender taxpayer rights. Replies argue over whether past payments already repaid Treasury.

Sides

• Taxpayer value: Past payments were dividends, so deeming the preferred stake repaid gives up rights without compensation.
• Already repaid: The companies paid back far more than the bailout, so Treasury taking all profits forever is unfair.
• Paper gains: A higher value on shares the government still holds is not cash, and selling them gives up future income.

Why grounded?

Replies call TDs traitors and shills while disagreeing on what the triple lock actually does.

Grounded

A post urges TDs to vote against a bill ending Ireland's triple lock. Replies split on whether the lock protects neutrality at all.

Sides

• Keep the lock: Ending the lock gives neutrality away and risks sending Irish troops into wars that serve other agendas.
• Separate issue: The triple lock only governs approval for deployments, so removing it does not touch Ireland's neutrality.
• Overdue change: Letting outsiders decide when Irish troops deploy is no fit arrangement for a sovereign country.
• Ask the people: A change this large should go to a referendum or the courts, not just a Dáil vote.

Why grounded?

Replies trade charges of treason and tyranny instead of weighing each president's record.

Grounded

A post ranks Cleveland, Harding and Tyler best and Lincoln, Wilson and FDR worst for growing federal power. Replies fight over Lincoln and FDR.

Sides

• Limited government: The best presidents restrained Washington, vetoing spending and letting the economy recover on its own.
• Union and war: Lincoln preserved the Union and FDR fought fascism, so both belong among the greats, not the worst.
• Cost of war: Lincoln's war cost hundreds of thousands of lives and opened the door to later growth in federal power.
• Missing names: The list leaves people out: Coolidge belongs among the best and Lyndon Johnson among the worst.

Why grounded?

Replies talked past each other on earnings, debt and valuation.

Grounded

An investor notes SpaceX beat revenue forecasts and guided capex far above consensus, and argues rallies are likely even if the AI trade has peaked. Replies split.

Sides

• Real earnings: Unlike 1999, today's AI leaders have large earnings, so the internet bubble comparison does not fit.
• Debt warning: Off-balance-sheet debt, costly bond issues and unhappy credit markets point to trouble ahead.
• Demand is early: Agentic and physical AI have barely started, so compute demand could grow faster than expected.
• Valuations stretched: SpaceX at around 100 times revenue and trillion-dollar projections look unjustified, and early beats are easy to arrange.

Why grounded?

Replies swung between party loyalty and personal attacks on candidates instead of weighing the offices.

Grounded

A Texas voter says he will back Democrat Nathan Johnson for Attorney General on competence and is undecided on the Senate race. Replies argue over crossing over.

Sides

• Cross over: A qualified, sane candidate deserves the vote, and backing Democrats sends a message about Republican candidate quality and corruption.
• Never Democrat: Democrats at any level harm Texas, and protest votes only hurt the state.
• Stop Talarico: Whatever Paxton's flaws, the Senate vote should go to him to keep Talarico out.
• Third option: A voter who rejects both Senate candidates can back Libertarian Ted Brown.

Why grounded?

Replies mixed price guesses and broker tips without separating the timing and premium questions.

Grounded

A Tesla shareholder lays out a plan to survey retail investors and prepare them for votes on a possible SpaceX merger. Replies split on timing, price and whether it will happen.

Sides

• Merge soon: SpaceX's revenue is growing faster, so Tesla holders get more SpaceX by merging before its value climbs further.
• Price it right: The vote only passes with a big enough premium for Tesla holders, roughly 600 dollars a share or more.
• May never happen: A merger looks unlikely, or will only come once Tesla's stock falls far enough to suit SpaceX.
• Organise retail: Retail holders must fix their voting problems and make their voice heard, though some say the special committee already knows.

Why grounded?

Replies drifted into insults and poll speculation instead of the bill itself.

Grounded

A news post reports that a proposed break at the pump was stripped from a $2.35 billion spending bill before a key vote. Replies split on who is responsible and whether it was worth much.

Sides

• Election ploy: The governor proposed the gas tax holiday for votes, knowing the legislature would never pass it.
• Lawmakers' choice: Legislators stripped the break, and they should have helped drivers the way other states have.
• Too small to matter: About 25 cents a gallon for 60 days works out to a few dollars a week, so little is lost.
• Challenger's idea: The holiday was first the Republican challenger's proposal, and it is his to deliver if he wins.

Why grounded?

Replies traded accusations that the other side's posts came from bots.

Grounded

Amanita Design condemned a fan's AI animations made from Machinarium art. Replies split on whether it is a tribute or copying.

Sides

• Copied art: Feeding hand drawn art into AI copies it without consent, and calling it a love letter hides that.
• Fan tribute: It is fan art made with a different tool, and the studio should thank fans instead of attacking them.
• Shared ideas: Once a work is out in the world, others will build on it, and creators should get used to that.

Why grounded?

Replies cycled through the same objection and personal jabs.

Grounded

Citrini says it used Anthropic's internal research model to design an experimental scorpion antivenom. Replies argue whether a binding result justifies the cost.

Sides

• Binding only: The design binds the toxin but has not been shown to neutralize it, so it is an early result.
• Costly compute: 10,000 H100 hours is a lot for a binding result that a funded postdoc could reach.
• Faster design: Preclinical design is far faster than five years ago and is now 40 to 100 times cheaper than when this began.
• Trials bottleneck: Fast design moves the bottleneck to lab validation and human trials, which still cost millions.

Why grounded?

Replies piled up personal anecdotes without engaging the post's challenge.

Grounded

A game developer says no AI supporter could name one way AI helps make games. Replies argue over automation, prototyping and game feel.

Sides

• Empty hype: Asked for one concrete way AI helps make games, its supporters give none, which makes the hype bizarre.
• Tedium relief: AI handles debugging, testing, porting and tool building, freeing developers to focus on design and fun.
• Faster prototyping: Building rough versions in days lets developers test more ideas and drop the bad ones sooner.
• Feel by hand: Tuning how a game feels to play still takes slow manual work that AI cannot skip.

Why grounded?

Insults about immigrants and party slogans crowded out the replies on the deal itself.

Grounded

Prime Minister Chris Luxon hails the India trade deal coming into force as a win for exporters. Replies argue over its tariff terms and migration.

Sides

• Export gains: Lower tariffs open one of the fastest growing economies to Kiwi goods, bringing more orders, jobs and higher wages.
• Lopsided deal: India keeps tariffs on some New Zealand goods while New Zealand drops all of its own, so India won more.
• Migration terms: The government has not said how many Indian workers can move to New Zealand under the deal, and voters want that answered.

Why grounded?

Insults and slogans crowded out the few replies that engaged the clip's arguments.

Grounded

A clip shows George Monbiot arguing the UK should rejoin the EU fully. Replies split on whether the EU, Brexit or Westminster is the real problem.

Sides

• Full membership: Only full membership restores a vote, MEPs and a Council seat; single market access alone makes Britain a rule taker.
• EU in decline: The EU is a failing, corrupt bloc, and countries such as Iceland do fine outside it, so closer links beat rejoining.
• Unrealistic terms: Rejoining is not Britain's call alone, and the EU's likely conditions would rule out a return to the old membership deal.
• Government, not Brexit: Poor UK government explains the damage more than leaving did, and Britain was a large net contributor to the EU budget.

Why grounded?

The polling question kept getting buried under fraud claims and name-calling.

Grounded

A post cites a CNN analyst saying a 2 to 4 point polling miss would give Republicans both chambers. Replies argue whether past misses apply to midterms.

Sides

• Hidden GOP vote: Polls underestimated Republicans in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and herding suggests a bias near four points.
• Midterms differ: Those were presidential years; midterm polls in 2018 and 2022 did not underestimate Republicans.
• Coin flip: If a two-point error decides control, the race is a toss-up, and polls are only snapshots.
• Prices cut against GOP: Grocery and gas prices make even Trump supporters doubt Republicans will win the House.

Why grounded?

Replies kept drifting into unrelated market predictions instead of engaging the argument.

Grounded

A post says CoreWeave's slide shows the AI build-out bubble has found its pin. Replies split on whether one firm's debt signals a wider downturn.

Sides

• Bubble found its pin: CoreWeave carries $51 billion of debt with negative cash flow, so bankruptcy and a downturn are coming.
• Contained overbuild: Demand for chips and power is real, and this looks like the 2000 overbuild, not 2008.
• Build-out continues: CoreWeave is noise and TSMC earnings are the signal; hyperscaler cash flow recovers within two or three years.
• Rates are the threat: Accelerating inflation and high interest rates are what could undermine the AI growth engine.

Why grounded?

Personal attacks and repeated accusations pushed the exchange into a hostile pile-on.

Grounded

Jason Clare backed Australia's Digital Duty of Care Bill as child protection. Replies dispute government powers and its relationship with existing age restrictions.

Sides

• Child protection: Social media and online gaming need stronger safeguards to protect children from harmful online environments.
• Parental authority: Parents can protect their children without granting the government greater control over online information and speech.
• Existing safeguards: Existing under-16 social media restrictions make the need for an additional child-protection bill unclear.

Why grounded?

Personal attacks repeatedly turned the exchange into arguments about other people's motives.

Grounded

A post criticizes AI-heavy production for Epic's Disney game. Replies dispute what matters for players and whether Fortnite's core modes face changes.

Sides

• Quality concerns: AI-heavy production could erode Fortnite's distinctive appeal and drive players back toward older games.
• Finished game: Players should judge whether the Disney game is fun rather than how its code and art were made.
• Scope limits: The Disney project should be judged separately from Battle Royale and live events until changes are announced.
• Consumer refusal: Players should avoid the Disney mode to demonstrate that they do not want AI-heavy production.

Why grounded?

Personal putdowns repeatedly turned replies into arguments about who deserved to be heard.

Grounded

A post defends AI tools for making games. Replies dispute whether easier production opens creative doors or sidesteps the work good games require.

Sides

• Open access: Removing industry gatekeeping and entrenched cliques could open a new era for people making games.
• Creative effort: Good games still require learned skills and sustained effort; AI may hinder that process rather than replace it.
• Human direction: AI cannot yet produce complex game concepts by itself; a person still needs to direct the work.

Why grounded?

Personal insults and repeated partisan accusations crowded out the practical questions in replies.

Grounded

Steve Hilton proposes new water infrastructure to halve bills. Replies question water availability and how his plans would reach households.

Sides

• Storm capture: California should invest in capturing stormwater rather than letting heavy rainfall go to waste.
• Supply limits: Building more dams and reservoirs cannot increase supplies without identifying enough water to fill them.
• Legislative strategy: A water plan needs a strategy for getting projects through an opposing state legislature.
• Agency costs: High household bills call for closer scrutiny of how water agencies manage distribution costs.

Why grounded?

Partisan labels and sweeping accusations displaced direct engagement with the qualifications raised in the replies.

Grounded

Long Beach voted to consolidate most council comments upfront. Replies dispute how far the policy limits residents' ability to speak on specific agenda items.

Sides

• Public accountability: Moving comments before staff presentations cuts residents' chance to respond to the council's proposals and challenge its decisions.
• Policy exceptions: Public hearings keep separate comment periods, and the chair can extend the opening 90-minute window.

Why grounded?

Repeated accusations of dishonesty displaced direct engagement with the distinctions raised in the replies.

Grounded

Jason Kenney cites the UCP's merger commitment to a united Canada. Replies dispute whether that history should determine the party's current independence stance.

Sides

• Founding mandate: The UCP's merger commitment to a united Canada should still guide its stance on Alberta independence.
• Adopted principles: A merger proposal does not bind today's party when its adopted principles omit loyalty to Canada.
• Changed circumstances: Canada's changed political circumstances justify revisiting the UCP's original commitment to remain in the federation.

Why grounded?

Repeated dismissals sent the exchange into side arguments instead of addressing the original concern.

Grounded

A post objects to using artwork for AI training without consent. Replies dispute creators' control, prompting skills and what IP laws protect.

Sides

• Creator consent: Artists should control whether their work is used to train AI, regardless of technological convenience.
• Prompting skills: Prompting involves choices about composition, poses, subject and style, so it requires creative skill.
• Corporate monopolies: Abolishing IP protections could loosen corporate control of shared culture and give smaller creators more freedom.
• Protective rules: Removing legal protections could strengthen corporations rather than give smaller creators a fairer position.

Why grounded?

Repeated product complaints drifted into technical detours instead of engaging with the different expectations.

Grounded

A user describes leaving ChatGPT for Claude over usage limits. Replies dispute service expectations, regional releases and the practical costs of switching.

Sides

• Reliable usage: Paid users need dependable access to capable models rather than planning their work around occasional allowance resets.
• Staged releases: Releases should proceed where permitted rather than wait until every region can access the same service.
• Memory friction: Moving services means rebuilding accumulated preferences and project context, making switching costlier than changing a subscription.
• Portable context: Keeping working rules and project context outside a model makes changing providers much less disruptive.

Why grounded?

Repeated corrections left participants arguing past each other's narrower points instead of engaging directly.

Grounded

Kris Patel compares AI investment risks with the dot-com bubble. Replies dispute whether continued demand can protect companies from slower growth and falling valuations.

Sides

• Cyclical risk: Profitable AI suppliers still face falling valuations if customers buy less compute or demand lower prices.
• Continued demand: Growing hardware needs can sustain AI infrastructure investment even as models become cheaper and more widely available.
• Spending relief: Lower capital spending could improve Amazon's and Microsoft's free cash flow even if chip suppliers suffer.
• Historical parallels: Established technology companies also dominated the dot-com era, so today's profitable leaders do not establish a decisive difference.

Why grounded?

Repeated political taunts crowded out the replies addressing the original post more directly.

Grounded

Britain's rejoin-EU petition is due for debate on Monday. Replies argue over the mandate for membership and what another parliamentary discussion can achieve.

Sides

• Rejoin urgency: Rejoining the EU should move quickly to end uncertainty rather than leave Britain in prolonged economic limbo.
• Limited mandate: The petition's small share of the population cannot justify reversing Britain's earlier decision to leave the EU.
• Membership terms: Rejoining cannot be judged without knowing the membership terms Britain would be required to accept.
• Procedural limits: Westminster Hall debates lack a final vote, so another petition discussion offers no assurance of change.