sturger

Last time we went to a movie theater (few years back) it was over $100 for 4 people + a shared popcorn and a few drinks. That was a matinee. Haven’t been back. I’ll dump that cash into TV upgrades, thanks.

All for the price of 4 movie tickets.

/s

I am definitely not an outgoing or social person, but a big “Thank You” to all those pro-self-checkout folks ITT for making me feel like a social butterfly. I’m gonna brag and annouce I can say, “Hi.” and “Thanks” to a cashier like a goddamn boss.

That is if the cashier isn’t even more socially awkward/angry at their boss than I am and refuses to talk at all.

Woot! I’m gonna run for office!

Reporter: “Sturger, how are your policies going to improve life for the average voter?”
Me: “Get these goddamn cameras and microphones out of my fucking face. Thanks.”

Camera pans as I push my shopping cart out the door like a pro.

Sounds like something my mom would have said. She was a bit of a card. One time the family attended a social event and a lady tried to break the ice with my mom:

Lady: “So, are those your kids?”
My Mom: “oh, those are Bob’s kids from his first wife.”
Lady: Awkwardness, followed by finding an excuse to leave.

We were Bob’s kids and my mom was Bob’s first wife.

I suspect it’s unbridled psychopathic greed that’s the problem.

Ah. That explains it. Conservative pols are extorting porn sites for donations.

Ironically ew music has never been more accessible, but few people take advantage because of the noise we have to wade through.

Also remember that Torvalds invented Git and gave it away for free. The Corps are stealing the free software and leveraging it to force everyone to give them money instead.

Your point about music is a great analogy. Basically:

1. People play music and people enjoy listening to music.
2. Businessman inserts himself between the musician and the audience to “deliver the music”.
3. Businessman charges listeners huge money to deliver music, gives no money to musicians.
4. Businessman the decides to replace the musician with a robot (e.g. “AI”)
5. Businessman explodes market. Listeners leave. Businessman gets bailout from government.

From Java beans™ to Magic Beans.

You don’t have to influence a populace. Just purchase a subgroup willing to do violence on the populace.

“How did I make my first million dollars? I started a business selling all of my parents’ expensive artwork. Now I’m going to teach you how you can start your own million-dollar business, just like I did!”

5 years ago voice assistants were being promoted with all the breathless excitement that “AI” is receiving today. I imagine in 5 year’s more time Google will be giving the same listless attention to their AI products that they are giving to their voice assistants now. Well, actually to just about every product they’ve ever made, except maybe for Google Mail.

My how things have changed over the years! Why, when I was a young girl, we didn’t have the internet. When we wanted to turn a light on, we had to write a letter to Ford Motor Co. (They were the tech of the day.) I’d write, “Dear Mr. Ford, please give us permission to turn on our light in the dining room.” Of course then we’d have to find a stamp, then walk the letter down to the nearest post office. (That was faster than waiting for the mailman to pick it up from the neighborhood mail box.) Sure enough, 6 weeks later we’d receive a reply saying, “Fine, turn on the light in the dining room.” The postman delivered mail in the morning, so we had to wait until dark to all gather around in the dining room and turn on the light with great ceremony.

We never understood why we needed to get permission from a company far away to turn on a light switch, but we were patriotic Americans, so we knew better than to question the process.

Welcome to America where you’re free to fuck off and die

Technically, you’re only free to die if it’s slow and painful. If you try to hurry it along they’ll imprison you for attempting suicide. :-/

/s

it’s not safe to use sarcasm

Learning this myself the hard way.

We Americans have that hammered into our heads every day of our lives. Along with “God loves us but doesn’t want us to have sex.” and “America is the greatest, freeest [intentional mis-spelling] country on Earth”.

Takes a while to realize all of this is bunk. Many never realize it.

Yup.

The only way I can lose is if I’m caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy.

– Edwin Edwards

I’m not sure which is worse:

• greedy, irresponsible tech bros trying to convince everyone that their pinball machine can fly an airplane.
• people desperate to let the same pinball machine tell them what to do with their lives.