I mean, just think about it. For the rest of your life you will never be able to communicate with another entity and be sure if it’s person or machine based on what it says. Until 2022 this was practically inconceivable. This is not a trivial change. It is not a big trick.

Precisely. 10 years ago - 5 years ago, really - it was possible to interact with an entity and be nearly 100% sure it was fully conscious and human. (Obviously you could never be sure something WASN’T, but that’s a different question.) Now we can’t. That’s a big, big change in our place on earth.

I agree with the 2026 Vancouver Police Department that you need to centre data when talking about crime and perceptions, and do it through long-term trends instead of short term fluctuations or individual stats. But that’s not how the 2020-2022 VPD talked about crime and perceptions.

Tying the first seven skates was fine, but my back did not like that eighth one today.

It's pretty remarkable that the most famous guy in the world, the richest guy in the world and the most powerful guy in the world are all the exact same kind of pathetic loser

Electrification! Walkable urbanism! Trade among allies! There's a story to be told about a better future, and everyone seems to afraid to tell it lest they be thought cringe or woke or neolib or whatever. Anyways, I'm embracing my cringe-era.

IMO, really speaks to the need for a positive vision. I know optimism is cringe, but, jesus. Cringe is a lot better than this shit. I know a lot of people are skeptical of abundance. But something like that is a pretty good starting point. People want stuff. How to we make is sustainable?

Some of those the dooming has been rooted in real stuff. Yeah, climate change is a big problem! But persistent dooming over a quarter century really darkens people's views. Many seem to adopt all of it. Well, all institutions are corrupt and we're all fucked anyways just leads to dark places.

I think we underrated how corrosive constant dooming for this entire century has been. We literally started it with a widespread meme that computers were all going to melt down. Then we had 9/11, the Iraq war, global financial crisis, covid, climate change, etc. Just constant negative news flow.

I am sort of constantly baffled by critics (which I am, more than not!) who don't feel like they have to stay apprised of what these things can actually do. not least you're going to come off like a fool, but also it's not at all like knowing what they can do obviates the criticisms of them?

Have used the pole saw a bit now and I love just the fact that you don't have to bend over to saw ground branches or climb trees at precarious angles.

(Inherited, big, great gas Stihl; inherited shitty Ryobi electric; little; amazing Black and Decker alligator that even my son can use; new Milwaukee pole saw)

Local hospital ER closed tomorrow. Which is frequent, but particularly untimely because I'm taking down a big, dying tree tomorrow.

Ok but if you do exercise you definitely get to eat a hot dog.

Kid is downstairs loudly (yelling out so the whole house can hear) narrating his first half hour playing cities: skylines "Oh! The pump station needs electricity!" "Industry! They need industry." "Agggh! They need electricity"

You had me until you started slandering hot dogs