Gmail’s “Mute” Feature

I’ve always personally been fairly ambivalent about Gmail (and web-based email in general), but a new “minor” feature they rolled out (not even warranting mention in their official “What’s new” post) is absolutely brilliant.
Officially, the new feature is called Mute Thread, or “Mute” for short. Here’s how it works:
THE OLD WAY:
1) You’re reading some [...]