Pat @Pat@qoto.org

@icedquinn

Anti-legalization of drugs and increased enforcement have been primary planks in the GOP platform since forever. So a politician who opposes legalization is closely following the Republican party line. A member of the GOP who supports legalization would be a “name only” Republican (taking only that issue into account).

@lucifargundam

re boost of "Technology is too powerful"

That "virus" would require humans with awfully weak immune systems in order to procreate.

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This morning I was awoken by a spider crawling on my shoulder.

I hate when that happens...

**** SPOILER *****

I just watched a youtube video review of this film and the reviewer also noticed that the Sonmi character was speaking about the film itself, except they saw it in another scene. When the interrogator asks, “And what if no one believes this ‘truth’.”

Sonmi replies, “Someone already does.”

In the narrative, she is referring to the interrogator believing her truth. But the youtube reviewer saw this as also referring to the audience believing what the film is offering, with the Sonmi character again speaking for the film.

Now I wonder if there are more instances of that character being a metaphor for the film. Obviously the presentation of her philosophy is the overarching message of the film, so it makes sense. I guess I’ll have to watch it again…

@freemo

If the court makes a mistake, then they should correct it immediately. And if the mistake is a long-stand precident, then it should be corrected by the people via Congress enacting law or by constitutional amendment, not arbitrarilly by scotus.

@bonifartius

I noticed that, too.

It's ironic because I use it more often here on qoto because it seems that that is the norm here.

"F*ck" seems like a reasonable compromise.

@lupyuen

#2that

@PawelK

I don't think you should eat something unless you know what it is.

However, just for reference, in an emergency/survival situation without any other tools or method of analysis, the stages for testing for edibility are:

1. look at it
2. smell it
3. cut it open and rub it on your skin
4. touch it to your tongue
5. eat a very small portion
6. gradually eat larger portions

Try each stage then wait to see if there's a bad reaction. If it's ok, then try the next stage, wait, etc...

It's very risky to do that, but if the choice is to starve or take a chance, I guess you take a chance.

But as I said, I don't think you should eat that thing unless you know for sure that it won't harm you.

@chimicron

欢迎

@trinsec

There are actually a significant number of Americans who won't get this one.

@trinsec

Poor Ben...

@icedquinn

Also...
Please read your own post before you post it.

(Pat forgets that one one all the time.)

#proof #read

#TruthBeTold #independence #US
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It’s surprising that Benjamin Franklin didn’t even make it into the top ten of historians’ list of the rankings of the best presidents of United States.

- - -
#TruthBeTold = A statement that is logically or literally true (or partly true), but seems to imply something that isn’t true or is just plain weird. (for rhetoric, logic or propaganda studies… or just for fun)

(Image of portion of table from Wikipedia, CC-BY-SA-3.0)

@mc

I haven't seen those -- I'll put them on my list. Thanks.

@mc

Those were very good -- lots of cool special effects. I was not familiar with the comics before I saw Ghost in the Shell, so I didn't totally understand it, but the special effects and acting were great.

If you like Johansson, I highly recommend The Island (2005). Not really about transhumanism, per se, but a very well written and produced film.

That whole subgenre about improving/altering the mind traces its roots all the way back to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the19th century. I think my next Film of the Week will have a pivotal film in that subgenre's family tree.

@lupyuen

Oh well. So much for my new hashtag...

#bluetoot

scotus: "Abortion isn't in the Constitution."

senate: "Neither is the filibuster."

roe, roe, roe your boat, gently down the stream...

#gameTheory #psychology #society

If I was narcissistic, I would go around and try to convince everyone that they are narcissistic. And perhaps even perpetuate the idea that narcissists are not self-aware, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the ploy. Then the ones who are gullible and not narcissistic, would give up more of what they got to me. Other narcissists would not change even if they were gullible enough to believe me. In fact, they would likely help with the deception. (It may be that people who have clinical narcissistic personality disorder may actually lack self-awareness, but I’m not sure about that. The orange guy appears to lack that self-awareness.)

Is there any doubt at all, that much of society’s problems are the result of too much self-interest, and not enough compassion? Too much brain-fucking, and not enough genuine communication?

@icedquinn

Yeah, your OP is more about sneaky companies -- kind of like the guys who sell antivirus software with trojans.

@icedquinn

"Everybody else is doing it, it must be ok."

Yeah, that literally kills millions of people every year.

"Half a pack a day isn't so much."
"No one else is wearing a respirator."
"McDonald's is convenient."
"I don't need a vax."
"Helmets are for wusses."
"If it wasn't safe, they wouldn't be allowed to sell it."
etc. etc....

@mc

* * * SPOILER * * *

Yes – not to be confused with humanism – transhumanism is a major part of this film, and many other works of science fiction. I remember a TV series called “The Six-Million Dollar Man” back in the mid-70s which I think was an early attempt at transhumanist science fiction. (I had no idea what transhumanism was back then.) Current thinking is more about improving the brain or making a better brain or hive-minds, that kind of stuff. I think they’re still missing it though.

This film, “AI: Artificial Intelligence” is kind of in the middle. It’s about creating an AI, but it still depicts those minds attached to human-looking machines. Even the far-future AI robots at the end of this film are stuck in bodies that look kind of like the original, with arms and legs and brains in their heads and they fly around in ships and physically do archeology. I guess that’s how they were thinking about transhumanism 20 years ago when this film came out.

A more realistic (or more current) depiction is the film “Her (2013)”, which features a disembodied AI.