Posts by allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

Re: Optional

I see your rationalization¹⁾ mechanisms are alive and well.

¹⁾ Rationalization is an attempt to logically justify immoral, deviant, or generally unacceptable behavior. In Freud’s classic psychoanalytic theory, rationalization is a defense mechanism, an unconscious attempt to avoid addressing the underlying reasons for a behavior.

Rationalizing an event may help individuals maintain self-respect or avoid guilt over something they have done wrong. In many cases, rationalization is not harmful, but continuous self-deception, when a person consistently makes excuses for destructive behavior, can become dangerous. (Source, more here.)

In my limited layman's experience, usually the key element that keeps people from getting out of abusive and/or co-dependant relationships. Generic quote: "It's just about tolerable right now because [reason]. But if [whatever] changes/happens, I'm outta here." Nope, you'll probably won't.

This one is buzzing around our neigbourhood. Not at all unpleasant, in fact kind of soothing.

Not a proper airship, though.

Re: Try setting up a bank like Uber

"Uber gets away with its business models -- slightly different according to location -- because it rarely faces a big foe. Uber runs away when they see that courts are against them. Uber attacks when it sees opportunity."

Classic mob tactics. Llewelyn Morris "Curly" Humphreys would be proud.

Recommended reading: The Outfit: The Role of Chicago's Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America by Gus Russo.

Re: Who is going to pay for all this?

"To boost the British economy, I would tax all foreigners living abroad."

Re: SOFORT VERBIETEN!

Es ist verboten zu verbieten!

Re: Open the 'fridge door Hal ...

Also known as the 'Elvis remote'.

Re: generations away

"There have been massive promises from AI since the early 80's."

1960ies. But, yeah.

In this administration? Par for the course.

On a tangent: I do wonder when Nixon's nickname will be retrospectively changed to "Respectable Richard".

Re: "That's a huge pod. In a day when cellphones are a couple of ounces, why is that so big?"

"One thing I've never understood. [...] Why they don't have at least one hard point for mounting a pod above the wing for upward looking "stuff"?"

Dunno... because fighter jocks are used to looking down on anything else?

Re: Astonishing what you can do when you take humans out of the loop.

Well, any fuel cells would be inside the fuselage...

Also, I don't see how humans are out of the loop as such, as they design, build and operate the thing.

Re: Remote Brick...?

You'll be lucky if it's just the US remotely bricking any F35s...

Ah, way to much effort... all an adversary has to do is to mess up the module in the integrated, interconnected, all-singing, all-dancing software that orders the right spare parts. Boom, done.

Re: "wanted a way to keep our friends informed while we were on our vacation"

I still write postcards.

Okay, I always take along a sheaf of address labels* because having to write the address is the part that bothers me. And having legible adresses on them virtually guarantees that they reach their destination.

People usually like finding a nice postcard in their mail, everything else these days is stuff like bills or junk mail.

* Using a mailing list that started as a SuperBase database on a C64 way back when and went through several reincarnations since.

Re: Ned Ludd is dead

"And that's assuming the 1% don't simply respond with Terminators or automated massacre machines."

No need for those, and too complicated and too expensive anyway. It's much cheaper to hire a private army. And the 1% will always be able to hire some assholes to do the dirty work for them.

Re: @Ian Bush

The clue is in the name: Formula translator.

And yes, IMO still the go-to for anything involving matricies. (FEM, anyone?)

Skynet?

Re: This is trickier than it looks.

I think I see the motive(s) behind your reasoning and can't fault you for them.

However, this is a bit like reasoning that the devices used in a torture chamber should be FDA compliant.

Re: The Gods are at war again...

Relationship status: it's... complicated.

Re: Oh God

Man Flu