It’s a 32 year old format that makes pictures worse in order to save space. A lot changes in the tech works in 30 years. While there may be nothing inherently wrong with it, there’s far better image encoding algorithms these days that can store images in less space without reducing the quality as much.

Prime video survives because it’s bundled in with free shipping and several other included services. I couldn’t imagine paying for prime video in its current form if I had to pay extra for it.

1996 and 2020 are the only times AZ swung blue in presidential elections, and even those were pretty slim. There were a couple that were just barely red: 1992 and 2016 were within 3%. But yeah, everything else within most of our lifetimes AZ was decisively GOP

The economy concern is straight up the issue, but the twist is that it has to be the economy as seen by people who don’t understand or don’t care about macro economics. GDP, inflation suppression, and all the other measures Biden did to help the economy wasn’t helping families buy groceries. And you can forget that trip to Disneyland. Buying power was still fucked. Now the carryover of those measures combined with the long-term bad but short term positive jolts of the next trump administration is going to increase buying power for just long enough for Donnie boy to take credit.

If you find yourself with extra money in the next 4 years, remember it’s borrowed against your future. Better to save it, or heavily reduce your debts than to get that new car it take that family trip.

Places that are abandoned, even for just a few hours. Old home that was just walked away from years ago. Mall or airport that’s just closed for the night. Chernobyl. They all have a vibe of once having life, but no longer that makes me feel like an archeologist or something.

Misogyny likely played a small factor. AZ for example has trump up by a couple percent, but also Kari Lake down a couple percent. And her whole platform was “whatever helps trump”. The numbers aren’t huge, but it’s likely at least part of that gap.

It’s pretty simple to start at the fact you have a species that can read the thoughts of other people, even outside their species, and even inject thoughts into those other beings minds. So there must be something detectable that sentient species emit that can be detected and understood, and can also be pushed at them. Once that mechanism’s understood, a machine can be developed to apply that to language. Sato is really good at using that machine.

Of course “magic box” works too.

I’ve watched plenty of their videos. Despite how you took my message, I’m actually very excited and hope they make it to full production. But if you think that thing is going to be safe enough when some a-hole in a Tahoe t-bones you, you’re going to be very disappointed. The problem isn’t the Aptera, it’s the ridiculous sized SUVs already on the road.

They are skirting the “street legal” and safety stuff by making an electric motorcycle instead of a car. Months (years?) ago I read something about how they are planning to tackle helmet laws in court because of this. Accident safety features are heavy, this thing is going to be a death trap on US roads in order to be as light as possible.

Overall I think that’s the right move, but I wouldn’t get in rush hour traffic in this thing.

Watch the movie “death becomes her” for great ways to fuck with characters that can’t die.

Cheapest oil runs out in x years. Mid cost in y years. Expensive in z years. Then we get into “manufactured” oils.

Oil isn’t going to run out, it’s just going to get more expensive.

Paraphrasing my doctor: infections have evolved to the point the fever isn’t effectively contributing to fighting the infection, but we never evolved to stop making the fever. Since it doesn’t do us any good, we might as well be as comfortable as possible while our immune system does it’s part.

If it is, it’s based heavily off of the ttrpg mage: the ascension. The symbols and the technocratic union organization are from that game, the technocrats being one of the main villain groups. Though I don’t remember them ever going full “kill all humans” at any point.

There’s one in town with a black wrap with reflective blue 2 inch stripes on all the edges. Looks wonderfully Tron styled. But for me nothing will hide the god awful shape of it. Looks like a 6yo drew a Pontiac Aztec on graph paper. One thing I really do like is the style of the tires. Apparently the rubber is shit and they only last a few thousand miles, but I dig the blocky knobs around the outside. I wonder the CTs will look with a normal tire since I doubt owners are going to pay a premium for those POSs

This completely glosses over the periods of times, in some cases decades, where none of those things happened. The Cold War was winding down when I started school and we never did a duck and cover. I graduated the year Columbine occurred so they didn’t institute active shooter drills till after. I’m in one of the lucky few age ranges where my biggest anxiety at school was bullies. This period of school my kids are in is very much worse than when I was in their equivalent grades.

This is effectively how “On a Pale Horse” by Piers Anthony starts.

History? Sounds like something they teach at them librul brain washing institutions we call colleges. No way I trust those “experts” more than I trust my own feelings.

What would power these implants?

Replacing Alara didn’t help, and her PTSD aspect was really the most compelling per of her character. What really turned me off about her was how she could do everything. Need someone who can play 5 dimensional squidgyball? She’s already got her racket. The character was forced with poor writing to complete an arc too quickly. I like what the writers and show runners were trying and all, but the short seasons and long episode format weren’t great for telling that story.

I get the criticism of the cyber truck, and the hummer EV is ridiculous, but why do the R1T and Silverado EV not count as trucks? R1T is an expensive but great midsize go anywhere truck. Silverado EV is a range king and a little flat looking, but still 100% “truck”. Lightning is just the all around best value of a truck. I say this as a lightning owner, there are options in this market.