Beamer wrote on Aug 6, 2024, 11:05:

Prez wrote on Aug 6, 2024, 10:40:
It was a long time ago now, but I sailed around the world when I was a Navy man. Everywhere we went, the people were delightful. Generally I like my countrymen as well, but I have to scratch my head even now when I hear someone say "America is the best country in the world" and they have never been outside of the tri-state area. I mean, how would you know? Maybe travel a bit and actually see the world first.

Agreed. As you were sailing, you probably saw more than I did, and differently than I did, but I can't think of a single country I've been to that I haven't encountered wonderful people, wonderful food, great sights, and reason for people to be very proud to live there.

My wife and I are currently really struggling to decide if we want to have kids. I've talked about my vacations here before, but we tend to do big ones. Next year, we have snorkeling with whales on a 5 passenger sailboat in Tonga booked. If we have a kid, we need to cancel that, because I don't want to wait another 12 months to even start trying because, well, I'm old and it doesn't get easier. We'd probably also have to give up Nepal, and Antarctica (the final continent for us), and Mongolia, and Madagascar, etc. And earlier retirement. A major lifestyle shift that would stop us from seeing so much of the world because you can't do it with very young kids, then it's wasted on moderately young kids, and then I'm really an old. The desire to really be able to experience so much of what the world offers is huge.

I'm going to resist the urge to emphatically tell you what I would advise, but if you know my history even a little I am betting that you can guess what it would be pretty easily.

Riahderymnmaddog wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 14:28:
...

Alos, it's bullshit that that you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. It's just that maybe nobody wants to try a fucking vegan omelet over of a delicious omelet with cheese, sausage, and shit. If you want next level, well some shit has to die for that.. That's why omelets are made with murder.

I make egg white omelets all the time. My egg whites come from a carton. Toss in some veg and cheese and bam, idiom beat.

Prez wrote on Aug 6, 2024, 10:40:
It was a long time ago now, but I sailed around the world when I was a Navy man. Everywhere we went, the people were delightful. Generally I like my countrymen as well, but I have to scratch my head even now when I hear someone say "America is the best country in the world" and they have never been outside of the tri-state area. I mean, how would you know? Maybe travel a bit and actually see the world first.

Agreed. As you were sailing, you probably saw more than I did, and differently than I did, but I can't think of a single country I've been to that I haven't encountered wonderful people, wonderful food, great sights, and reason for people to be very proud to live there.

My wife and I are currently really struggling to decide if we want to have kids. I've talked about my vacations here before, but we tend to do big ones. Next year, we have snorkeling with whales on a 5 passenger sailboat in Tonga booked. If we have a kid, we need to cancel that, because I don't want to wait another 12 months to even start trying because, well, I'm old and it doesn't get easier. We'd probably also have to give up Nepal, and Antarctica (the final continent for us), and Mongolia, and Madagascar, etc. And earlier retirement. A major lifestyle shift that would stop us from seeing so much of the world because you can't do it with very young kids, then it's wasted on moderately young kids, and then I'm really an old. The desire to really be able to experience so much of what the world offers is huge.

It was a long time ago now, but I sailed around the world when I was a Navy man. Everywhere we went, the people were delightful. Generally I like my countrymen as well, but I have to scratch my head even now when I hear someone say "America is the best country in the world" and they have never been outside of the tri-state area. I mean, how would you know? Maybe travel a bit and actually see the world first.

Prez wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 20:50:
So Beamer you are saying that you like everyone except us dumb Americans?! To that I say "MURICA, FUCK YEAH!!". For a complete mental image I would suggest that you picture me having a barbecue in my nice little suburban backyard while wearing an American flag t-shirt with an eagle in the foreground while drinking a beer and watching wrestling as I say it.

In fairness, we often do suck in a lot of ways as a traveler. So many of the people you encounter doing their jobs aren't nearly as lovely. But, whereas people my parents' age (like my parents) love to complain about young people being rude, the reality is that those jobs are careers in other nations, and support families, but here they're minimum wage shitjobs that require second or third jobs on top of. So of course the person working it has less pride.

And I think there's also a bit more of the US having designated tourist places or designated living places, whereas a lot of other countries have things a bit more intermingled. In general, I think people tend to be pretty great when they're feeling like being pretty great, but if you bump into a local in Times Square, they're just trying to get through the tourists and get to work and probably not as thrilled as a guy coming out of his local bar in Havana and seeing an American walk in and wanting to show off how great he feels his home is.

RedEye9 wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 21:26:

Riahderymnmaddog wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 20:45:
Tucker Carlson just posted his CyberTruck Review!

There is a special place in h311 for you.

Did i mention I use to do Army, so like, All I do is win.

Riahderymnmaddog wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 20:45:
Tucker Carlson just posted his CyberTruck Review!

There is a special place in h311 for you.

Prez wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 20:50:
So Beamer you are saying that you like everyone except us dumb Americans?! To that I say "MURICA, FUCK YEAH!!". For a complete mental image I would suggest that you picture me having a barbecue in my nice little suburban backyard while wearing an American flag t-shirt with an eagle in the foreground while drinking a beer and watching wrestling as I say it.

Fuck yeah Prez... I can imagine you just as you describe! MURICA, FUCK YEAH!!!!

So Beamer you are saying that you like everyone except us dumb Americans?! To that I say "MURICA, FUCK YEAH!!". For a complete mental image I would suggest that you picture me having a barbecue in my nice little suburban backyard while wearing an American flag t-shirt with an eagle in the foreground while drinking a beer and watching wrestling as I say it.

RedEye9 wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 22:31:

Sheik Rattle Enroll wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 22:23:

RedEye9 wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 22:02:

Sheik Rattle Enroll wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 21:59:
Can you help me understand if you are for or against him unbanning someone for posting pornography of a child who was later killed just because they were popular with the right wing?

What with Elon's hourly shuttles to Mars, those things can be easily overlooked.

But seriously, you need to provide sourcing for who posted what and who was killed. Because that sounds beyond bizarre.

bRUH, Tucker Carlson just posted his CyberTruck Review!

Thank you. That qualifies as despicable, but we've come to expect nothing less from a troll like you RiAHdERyMNdDOG!

This comment was edited on Aug 5, 2024, 21:22.

Sheik Rattle Enroll wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 14:09:

Beamer wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 14:05:
By the way, the guy calling us "bots" is claiming that the first neuralink patient could play chess "faster than people could see the pieces move."

For the record, here is the video. I will let you decide if the guy calling people bots has actually watched it himself and seen that the cursor moves at a normal pace and all the patient is capable of is simply playing like a normal human, as it gave him the ability to control the cursor, not to think faster, or if he simply is parroting bad information he was too lazy to look into himself.

People can also control a mouse cursor like that with non-invasive headsets that monitor brain electrical activity. I bought one 10 years ago for a couple hundred dollars.

There's a lot of promise in brain implants, but you're right, it isn't perhaps earth shattering to do for surgery+millions what failed to sell through at best buy at the $200 level.

Being able to do something isn't the same as being able to do something well.

For example, I bought a pair of stereoscopic glasses for games a LONG time before VR or 3DTVs were a thing, and while they did in fact provide a 3D view of games I played, they didn't do it anywhere as well as when 3DTV's broke out. And regardless of whatever you think of that tech, I'd never claim that the newer tech wasn't better.

Beamer wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 14:05:
By the way, the guy calling us "bots" is claiming that the first neuralink patient could play chess "faster than people could see the pieces move."

For the record, here is the video. I will let you decide if the guy calling people bots has actually watched it himself and seen that the cursor moves at a normal pace and all the patient is capable of is simply playing like a normal human, as it gave him the ability to control the cursor, not to think faster, or if he simply is parroting bad information he was too lazy to look into himself.

I'm sure it's not at that level yet, think something and have it instantly translated into a particular action without the latency of it having to travel down your nervous system, trigger a muscle to move to the right key, trigger another to press your finger down on a physical button which finally sends the signal to the game to do whatever you want to do, would be a pretty sizable advantage in a competitive setting. Assuming of course it can reach a level of accuracy and reliability that it doesn't pick up false positives and the like.

Well technically I was there when I was 1 year old, but remember nothing. Last time my folks visited before they closed the country off. My Dad drove us to Mexico, where there used to be a ferry to Cuba, and then back on the ferry to Key West.

My Dad tells me that the family that was still there at the time (they have all since gotten out) were warning him that things were real bad, and he really shouldn't have visited. Keep in mind while not wealthy, his family owned a farm and they were comfortable for Cubans at that time. They all lost practically everything, and had to sell everything they had left, just to pay their way to immigrate to the US via other countries (once Castro cut off ties, there was no legal way immigrate to the US directly at that time).

The closest I got as an adult was 2 miles off shore on a cruise ship. Lovely mountains on the south side.

I would like to visit someday. I hold no real attachment to the country, but I am curious to see where my parents grew up.

The Flying Penguin wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 16:55:
Since I'm Cuban, my 2 cents:

Cubans born after 1950 have tended to lean heavily Independent or Democrat. I am an Independent. Almost all of my cousins in the same age group are Democrats. We tend to be practicing Catholics as well, and we're mostly pretty sick of Evangelical MAGA types claiming they're 'the real Christians' and distorting Christ's message.

Older Cubans tended to be Republican. My father and mother were Republicans most of their lives here in the states. They came over, on a work Visa, in the 40s, and became naturalized citizens several years later. They met here in NYC on a blind date (sorry, no one in my large extended family left Cuba on a boat).

Despite that, older Cubans have been turned off by the new Republican party. My older aunts and uncles, and even my 101 year old Dad are now Independents. They may not totally trust Democrats, and they prefer moderate Dems, but they are disgusted with Donald Trump. He and his cronies have made it very clear they consider us second class citizens and trash, except when he needs our votes. It actually also badly backfires on them, with Cubans, when they trash talk about Puerto Ricans. Most older Cubans identify with Puerto Rico, as they hope that Cuba may some day become a US Territory like Puerto Rico.

Older Cubans are very anti-communism. They know communism. They lived under it. They know the smell of it. Most don't go around calling Democrats Communists or Socialist. They know what it actually means. It's not a glib sound byte to Cubans. Most still consider Russia a communist state - my father does. They do not trust Putin - they consider him to be no better, and far worse, than Castro. Cubans know all about strong men dictators. They are, in general, very disturbed about Trump and the MAGA right cozying up with, and apologizing for Putin. Most older Cubans, and a substantial number of younger ones, are very supportive of Ukraine, and are very concerned that Trump will hand Ukraine over to Putin on a silver platter.

Many Cubans support NATO as our major defense against Russian aggression. The possibility that Trump will throw NATO under the bus to satisfy his 'America First' sycophants has them deeply concerned.

Yes there are many Cubans who want a moderate conservative President, but that is not what Trump is. They all have to work around the bad taste in their mouth if they vote for Trump. A lot of them voted for him the first time, and they have come to regret it. What they want from Republicans is another Ronald Reagan. Trump is no Ronald Reagan. Trump has also driven anyone in the Reagan mold out of his new MAGA Republican party.

I can't think of anyone in my very large, extended family, who is voting for Trump.

Ignore us at your peril. Cubans know racist shitholes when we see one.

BTW: Both my parents are Cuban. My birth certificate lists me as Caucasian, not Hispanic. Fuck you Laura Loomer, Donald Trump, and anyone else who wants to define our ethnicity. Those 'she ain't black' attacks on Kamala Harris are the kind of stupid shit that will chip away at Trump's dwindling support among the remaining undecided, especially those who've been told themselves that they aren't white enough, black enough, hispanic enough, or American enough. We grew up with that racist shit. The only people that scores points with is other racist assholes, and they're already voting for Trump, so I don't know what he thinks he's accomplishing. I'm sure his campaign manager has tried to tell him that, but...

That is all.

Have you been?
I was fortunate enough back when Americans could go fairly freely, and just some of the best people I met. In fairness, I find that people tend to be outstanding everywhere I go, but Cuba was just phenomenal.

Since I'm Cuban, my 2 cents:

Cubans born after 1950 have tended to lean heavily Independent or Democrat. I am an Independent. Almost all of my cousins in the same age group are Democrats. We tend to be practicing Catholics as well, and we're mostly pretty sick of Evangelical MAGA types claiming they're 'the real Christians' and distorting Christ's message.

Older Cubans tended to be Republican. My father and mother were Republicans most of their lives here in the states. They came over, on a work Visa, in the 40s, and became naturalized citizens several years later. They met here in NYC on a blind date (sorry, no one in my large extended family left Cuba on a boat).

Despite that, older Cubans have been turned off by the new Republican party. My older aunts and uncles, and even my 101 year old Dad are now Independents. They may not totally trust Democrats, and they prefer moderate Dems, but they are disgusted with Donald Trump. He and his cronies have made it very clear they consider us second class citizens and trash, except when he needs our votes. It actually also badly backfires on them, with Cubans, when they trash talk about Puerto Ricans. Most older Cubans identify with Puerto Rico, as they hope that Cuba may some day become a US Territory like Puerto Rico.

Older Cubans are very anti-communism. They know communism. They lived under it. They know the smell of it. Most don't go around calling Democrats Communists or Socialist. They know what it actually means. It's not a glib sound byte to Cubans. Most still consider Russia a communist state - my father does. They do not trust Putin - they consider him to be no better, and far worse, than Castro. Cubans know all about strong men dictators. They are, in general, very disturbed about Trump and the MAGA right cozying up with, and apologizing for Putin. Most older Cubans, and a substantial number of younger ones, are very supportive of Ukraine, and are very concerned that Trump will hand Ukraine over to Putin on a silver platter.

Many Cubans support NATO as our major defense against Russian aggression. The possibility that Trump will throw NATO under the bus to satisfy his 'America First' sycophants has them deeply concerned.

Yes there are many Cubans who want a moderate conservative President, but that is not what Trump is. They all have to work around the bad taste in their mouth if they vote for Trump. A lot of them voted for him the first time, and they have come to regret it. What they want from Republicans is another Ronald Reagan. Trump is no Ronald Reagan. Trump has also driven anyone in the Reagan mold out of his new MAGA Republican party.

I can't think of anyone in my very large, extended family, who is voting for Trump.

Ignore us at your peril. Cubans know racist shitholes when we see one.

BTW: Both my parents are Cuban. My birth certificate lists me as Caucasian, not Hispanic. Fuck you Laura Loomer, Donald Trump, and anyone else who wants to define our ethnicity. Those 'she ain't black' attacks on Kamala Harris are the kind of stupid shit that will chip away at Trump's dwindling support among the remaining undecided, especially those who've been told themselves that they aren't white enough, black enough, hispanic enough, or American enough. We grew up with that racist shit. The only people that scores points with is other racist assholes, and they're already voting for Trump, so I don't know what he thinks he's accomplishing. I'm sure his campaign manager has tried to tell him that, but...

That is all.

This comment was edited on Aug 5, 2024, 17:30.

I have so much trouble identifying with a group, but can I be a lefty bot too? Or is anyone who doesn't think Musk is a deific genius as his worshipers evidently believe automatically enrolled by default?

Beamer wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 14:05:
By the way, the guy calling us "bots" is claiming that the first neuralink patient could play chess "faster than people could see the pieces move."

For the record, here is the video. I will let you decide if the guy calling people bots has actually watched it himself and seen that the cursor moves at a normal pace and all the patient is capable of is simply playing like a normal human, as it gave him the ability to control the cursor, not to think faster, or if he simply is parroting bad information he was too lazy to look into himself.

People can also control a mouse cursor like that with non-invasive headsets that monitor brain electrical activity. I bought one 10 years ago for a couple hundred dollars.

There's a lot of promise in brain implants, but you're right, it isn't perhaps earth shattering to do for surgery+millions what failed to sell through at best buy at the $200 level.

Xero wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 14:02:

Beamer wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 06:40:

Xero wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 00:16:

Prez wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 23:08:

The Watcher wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 18:50:

Overon wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 14 e:04:
Elmo is the Peter Molyneux, the Todd Howard, the Chris Roberts of over-promising and under-delivering. Except when Howard, Molyneux, and Roberts lie and mislead, they do so on more trivial matters like video games. When Elmo lies and misleads its usually more serious. If you look at the actual research, Neuralink is behind other companies with the same technology. Elmo likes to come upon on the scene and pretend he's innovating or he invented some technology when in reality he's just a money guy. It's the actual engineers and technicians, the do-ers of his company that are doing the work and others have gotten there first, he's following their footsteps.

Unfortunately people don't spend the time to find out what the scene was like before Elmo said "me too" and they think that Musk is doing something innovative and a lot of the media laps it up because they know Elmo will get their articles attention. Meanwhile there smaller less known companies toiling away in Elmo's media shadow that are actually innovating and pushing the boundaries, doing the actual science and technology work.

Are you ok? The guy sends rockets into space daily, has his own global internet service, car company, AI, grid battery system, and brain implant program for paralyzed people. That is not overpromising. What did you do today? Did you at least trim your neckbeard?

Musk has done literally none of that. The people who he has given money to are who have done that. That certainly is a function that he provides that I cannot, bankrolling smarter and more creative people to do amazing things, so credit where it's due for sure. But to say that he did anything beyond bankroll all of it is vastly overstating his value. He is an annoying loudmouth and an attention whore with a large bank account who pays to make cool stuff happen. That is literally it, and ostensibly the sole thing that separates him from myself (aside from his exceedingly high yet dubious opinion of himself and his abilities) is that he is richer than almost anyone on the planet. Almost any random person whom I have seen on this website certainly appears at the very least just as intelligent as he is and often significantly moreso. I'm willing to bet that you are.

It should not matter, but I would point out that I don't hate him. I don't really have much of an opinion of him at all beyond being amused at how stupid some of the stuff he proclaims is. I wouldn't care even that much but the media can't help shoving microphones in his face and reporting on everything he says and does and a large segment of society can't help having insane obsessions with him, be it inexplicable hero worship or inexplicable hatred when it seems to me that he warrants neither. He just isn't that exciting to me. Admittedly some of the stuff he is bankrolling is but I am dumbfounded as to why people (both his worshippers and his haters) think that he has done any of that.

He is a unique persona. Someone at my job whose a hardcore right did a full piece on him for his college paper. It makes me wonder how he clicks with the right when he appears to be doing the left's biding with the whole EV and saving the planet. He's a very unique individual. You think you know who he's for and then you don't. Deep down inside I wonder if he doesn't give a sh!t about the planet but knows that EV was the future and went in that direction which made him rich, but deep down inside, he's a hardcore right. Needs those tax breaks after all right? He can't buy with 10 billion that he earns with 20 billion.

Imagine that, helping the planet, but hating doing that at the same time, lol.

Oh and something I'll mention just to put you in some immigrants mindset coming from someone who knows them well. Cubans for example. They come to this country and immediately identify themselves as Republicans. Not for any of the policies, but because when they're growing up, they're advised that this was the most patriotic party you can be part of. I'm not sure how much that also might be part of Elon's views, but it's worth stating that immigrants come to this country and they come already with a belief of which side you should be apart of to identify yourself as being more American...

Per Brookings, that's actually incorrect. Cuban immigrants post 1980 are more likely to be liberal but are only 1 in 8 Cuban voters.
Exile politics are usually cited for the Republican support.

I'm not sure whose the Brookings, but,
2014Article

Granted, this is an older article (2014), though still within reasonable time.

Which says the same thing I do:

The shift is also partly explained by the different waves of Cuban immigrants who have arrived in the U.S.—more than half of Cuban immigrants arrived after 1990. Between 2000 and 2010, the annual average growth of the Cuban immigrant population was 17,300, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data.

The impact of younger Cubans is reflected in those figures. Over half (56%) of Cubans ages 18 to 49 identified with or leaned toward the Democratic Party compared with 39% of those 50 years and older. Conversely, older Cubans tend to identify with or lean toward the Republican Party more than younger Cubans, by 44% to 23%. Even so, the share of older Cubans who are Republican has declined over time. In 2002, among all Cubans, some 68% who were 50 and older said they identified with or leaned toward the Republican Party.

Exile politics played a big role. The initial exodus was rich Cubans chased out by the Castros, so they were exceptionally against anything "socialist" and incredibly for anything anti-Castro. Newer Cubans are negating that.

By the way, the guy calling us "bots" is claiming that the first neuralink patient could play chess "faster than people could see the pieces move."

For the record, here is the video. I will let you decide if the guy calling people bots has actually watched it himself and seen that the cursor moves at a normal pace and all the patient is capable of is simply playing like a normal human, as it gave him the ability to control the cursor, not to think faster, or if he simply is parroting bad information he was too lazy to look into himself.

Beamer wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 06:40:

Xero wrote on Aug 5, 2024, 00:16:

Prez wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 23:08:

The Watcher wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 18:50:

Overon wrote on Aug 4, 2024, 14 e:04:
Elmo is the Peter Molyneux, the Todd Howard, the Chris Roberts of over-promising and under-delivering. Except when Howard, Molyneux, and Roberts lie and mislead, they do so on more trivial matters like video games. When Elmo lies and misleads its usually more serious. If you look at the actual research, Neuralink is behind other companies with the same technology. Elmo likes to come upon on the scene and pretend he's innovating or he invented some technology when in reality he's just a money guy. It's the actual engineers and technicians, the do-ers of his company that are doing the work and others have gotten there first, he's following their footsteps.

Unfortunately people don't spend the time to find out what the scene was like before Elmo said "me too" and they think that Musk is doing something innovative and a lot of the media laps it up because they know Elmo will get their articles attention. Meanwhile there smaller less known companies toiling away in Elmo's media shadow that are actually innovating and pushing the boundaries, doing the actual science and technology work.

Are you ok? The guy sends rockets into space daily, has his own global internet service, car company, AI, grid battery system, and brain implant program for paralyzed people. That is not overpromising. What did you do today? Did you at least trim your neckbeard?

Musk has done literally none of that. The people who he has given money to are who have done that. That certainly is a function that he provides that I cannot, bankrolling smarter and more creative people to do amazing things, so credit where it's due for sure. But to say that he did anything beyond bankroll all of it is vastly overstating his value. He is an annoying loudmouth and an attention whore with a large bank account who pays to make cool stuff happen. That is literally it, and ostensibly the sole thing that separates him from myself (aside from his exceedingly high yet dubious opinion of himself and his abilities) is that he is richer than almost anyone on the planet. Almost any random person whom I have seen on this website certainly appears at the very least just as intelligent as he is and often significantly moreso. I'm willing to bet that you are.

It should not matter, but I would point out that I don't hate him. I don't really have much of an opinion of him at all beyond being amused at how stupid some of the stuff he proclaims is. I wouldn't care even that much but the media can't help shoving microphones in his face and reporting on everything he says and does and a large segment of society can't help having insane obsessions with him, be it inexplicable hero worship or inexplicable hatred when it seems to me that he warrants neither. He just isn't that exciting to me. Admittedly some of the stuff he is bankrolling is but I am dumbfounded as to why people (both his worshippers and his haters) think that he has done any of that.

He is a unique persona. Someone at my job whose a hardcore right did a full piece on him for his college paper. It makes me wonder how he clicks with the right when he appears to be doing the left's biding with the whole EV and saving the planet. He's a very unique individual. You think you know who he's for and then you don't. Deep down inside I wonder if he doesn't give a sh!t about the planet but knows that EV was the future and went in that direction which made him rich, but deep down inside, he's a hardcore right. Needs those tax breaks after all right? He can't buy with 10 billion that he earns with 20 billion.

Imagine that, helping the planet, but hating doing that at the same time, lol.

Oh and something I'll mention just to put you in some immigrants mindset coming from someone who knows them well. Cubans for example. They come to this country and immediately identify themselves as Republicans. Not for any of the policies, but because when they're growing up, they're advised that this was the most patriotic party you can be part of. I'm not sure how much that also might be part of Elon's views, but it's worth stating that immigrants come to this country and they come already with a belief of which side you should be apart of to identify yourself as being more American...

Per Brookings, that's actually incorrect. Cuban immigrants post 1980 are more likely to be liberal but are only 1 in 8 Cuban voters.
Exile politics are usually cited for the Republican support.

I'm not sure whose the Brookings, but,
2014Article

Granted, this is an older article (2014), though still within reasonable time.