“it would have been quicker too had the victim not resisted so much.”

I agree that’s it’s a “hate the game, not the player”. The issue is how much influence he could have to steer the market to favor his product vs. the competition. It’s happened so many times in history where the better product fails because they can’t play the game like the inferior company.

To quote “Pirates of Silicon Valley”:

Steve Jobs: We’re better than you are! We have better stuff.

Bill Gates: You don’t get it, Steve. That doesn’t matter!

So is it fair for the consumer for big companies to be able to influence the game itself and not just play within the same rules? I’d say no.

Sam started this. The comparisons would have come up anyway, but it’s a lot harder to dismiss the claims from users when your CEO didn’t tweet “her” before the release. I don’t myself think the voice in the demos sounded exactly like her, just closer in seamlessness and attitude, which is a problem itself down the road for easily convinced users.

AI companions will be both great and dangerous for those with issues. Wow, it’s another AI safety path that apparently no company is bothering exploring.

Cabin in the Woods

Irony, since Scarlet had dubbed over the original voice actor Samantha Morton because in post Spike Jonze realized the voice needed something “different”. So in the movie they needed to turn the dial up a bit, while in reality they started at 11 and had to dial it back.

Oil change, had to drop the round metal filter with I think 6 nuts. Don’t forget to get a new gasket. Valve clearance adjustment, a constant regular thing with these. Not hard, just tedious and sometimes the spring holding each valve cover on could be a pain to pop loose. Transmission level check (that was fun). I loved my Beetles, learned a lot about car maintenance (by necessity lol) but I wouldn’t have another at my age now.

It’s people from the North driving in the South, with the sudden realization that the snow that fell and started to melt yesterday refroze and isn’t snow anymore. Anyone can drive on snow…but snow doesn’t stay snow in the South.

This also applies to any Jeep/4x4 drivers who seem to think physics works different for them.

Hang on. I misplaced my surprised face…oh, here it is.

Huh, who would have guessed?

I did comment that enforcement seemed to be part of the problem here, yes. Do the laws need to be more strict? I doubt that will fix any enforcement, since that’s the failure.

Guns are regulated. How much regulation, who gets allowed, what types of guns, and if the regulations are being enforced, those are the real questions. This warrant and shooting is a result of a law that wasn’t enforced well, as they had already broken the law once and yet someone sold/gave them guns again.

Languages change over time. As long as the intent is clear, don’t get hung up on what is and isn’t “correct”. “You’re welcome” probably was seen as extreme at some point itself.

The variety of actual polls on each President is very odd. Apples, oranges, and fish?

That feels like a privacy issue, maybe related to the topic of whether or not they can force you to unlock your phone? I don’t know where the current law is on that.

Solar panels (PV) degrade over time and use and have to be replaced and disposed of. A better case would be for things like solar furnaces that are simpler, but most of the time solar implies PV panels.

In the spirit of the comic - how is the solar panel made?

States’ rights, unless it’s inconvenient.

A very good “normal” example of body modification, just not as permanent. And there are degrees to that as well…I’ve seen lipstick colors that just enhance the lip color and give a sheen that I don’t think twice about, but even my favorite celebrities look off putting to me when made up “heavily”. I’m a bit on OP’s side as far as preferring the natural look, although minor studs or a small tattoo somewhere don’t catch my attention in a negative way, if I even notice.

Absolutely, although isn’t a major job for the VP to handle international affairs, which this definitely is one?

I just wish we had other choices out there. I’ll vote blue and persuade others also because the choice given the voters is bad politics as usual, or insanity. I can vote for Biden/Harris and still hope (with much doubt) for more progressive actions from underneath.

That would only get more support for him from those who blindly worship him. There’s no legal restriction.

Except for one thing. Unless that society is also a lot different than ours, it would still require the product these companies produce to survive. So maybe a much stronger slap of the hand, but it wouldn’t eliminate them.