this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2025
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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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At least 68.8% of the time, I'm right the first time, despite the universe telling me otherwise.

Seriously. how often do you try to plug something into a USB port, find it doesn't fit, switch the orientation, still doesn't fit, switch back to the original orientation, now it fits? 🤷‍

Have more faith in yourselves!

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 3 points 13 hours ago

I always get it right the first time because I know the orientation of the ports in my PC so I can just look at the end of the cable and orient the connector properly the first time.

[–] skvlp@lemmy.wtf 3 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

USB A plugs exists in a superposition until a) you try to plug it in 3 times with alternating orientations, or b) you observe the orientation.

http://schroedingers-usb.urbanup.com/14452503

[–] turboshadowcool@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

So.. we do all know that USB ports tend to have a default orientation, right? Like we're all aware that plugging in a USB cable correctly is aided by the fact that electronics companies generally use the same orientation on most orientable devices and the whole "USB rotation disorientation" bit is just a big inside joke, correct? Are there actually people out there not paying attention to the orientation of their cables before they plug them in so it's just an eternal try and error for them? Maybe other countries have different standards or something because this age old bit is not making sense to me.

[–] 667@lemmy.radio 10 points 18 hours ago

Are there actually people out there not paying attention

Have you ever been to a Costco?

[–] MigratingApe@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

People probably do this instinctively not even realizing this is how to determine which way is the correct way:

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20201006-00/?p=104336

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 2 points 13 hours ago

ok, but this does not help when the connector is vertical, like on the back of a PC, and often the front too. which side is "up", left or right? on this particular product, of course.

and then comes when you cant see the connector while trying to plug it in.

Thanks to USB C it's always the right orientation. But good fucking luck getting it in without looking or scratching the shit out of your device.

The one thing I liked better about Lightning over USB C was the rounded corner which makes it easier to slide the plug in without doing damage to the device.

[–] Diddlydee@feddit.uk 3 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

I mark all my USBs with a dot of tippex / whiteout or a tiny sticker on the top side, so my success percentage is fantastic

[–] CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social 5 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I always just look at the cable/device and the port to see which half of the connector is empty and which has that plastic bit

[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 1 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

Actually paying attention to what you're doing and where you're sticking things is too hard for some people.

[–] leftzero@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

The USB-A connector has spin ½.

You have to rotate it 360⁰ before it'll fit (and 360⁰ more to get it back to the original orientation).

[–] TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip 3 points 16 hours ago

I like to think of it this way. Plugging in a USB-A connector is like observing a qubit in superposition—once you attempt it, the superposition collapses, and you instantly know if you were in the right orientation or if you need to flip to the opposite one!

And just like conditional probabilities in quantum mechanics, the first try has a 30% chance of being right and a 70% chance of being wrong. But here's the kicker: when the connector isn't touching the port, it resets to a superposition, and the probabilities shift to 60% right and 30% wrong. That's why even the third try isn't guaranteed to be correct. As the number of attempts increases, the cumulative probability of eventually getting it right approaches 100%

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 3 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)