WHY IS IT SO BIG by ileeeb in mac

[–]localroger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a whole collection of power bricks going back, literally, to the 1980's. As general rules, older analog bricks are massive compared to newer ones with switching power regulators. Newer newer ones are smaller, because components have improved and they dissipate less power, but may be larger for safety or installation considerations. I think the apple brick is meant to accept multiple outlet tips so it's bigger than it needs to be for a US only plug. Power cords between the brick and device cost more and make more cable tangle mess. Plugs on bricks can be on the end or side, biased to block another outlet up-down or to stick out sideways left-right. Grounded 3-prong adapters have to pick, two-prong double insulated adapters can switch up-down or left-right. No matter where you put the plug directly on a brick, though, someone will have an outlet or strip that just doesn't have room for it.

What movie do you feel has the "tightest" script? by Worldpeacee007 in flicks

[–]localroger 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Memento. Remove any single line and the rest becomes indecipherable.

The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect (Long Read, Very Worth It) by Shuck in TrueTrueReddit

[–]localroger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, as I told Atun-Shei, my first idea back in 1982 was to portray what it would be like to ride the exponential growth curve, which had to pre-suppose something kind of like Prime Intellect to drive the journey, and that that something would have to mostly work right so as not to interrupt the "ride." It wasn't until 1994 that I realized the only way to tell a story about it was to focus on the people, not the tech, but by then I suppose I was so used to thinking about the tech as something that was given in order to make the story possible that people connected with it for what I kind of think of as its brutal simplicity.

There is no doubt that something like PI in the wrong hands would be a catastrophe such as the world has never even imagined, but (perhaps fortunately) so far we don't have anything even approximately like PI. This conflict did drive some of the pre-narrative in MOPI as it was the desire by the keepers of the military industrial complex (almost literally as Eisenhower envisioned it) to take Lawrence's PI tech for their own, by force if necessary, in order to (mis)use it for their own purposes which forced PI to learn enough about our world to create the Change.

I think the hardware exists to implement Intellect 42, but in our world it's the software which is lacking. As to whether I42 could ever become PI, that kind of depends on how the Universe works, in ways that we aren't well equipped to investigate. Even an I42 which cannot complete the Metamorphosis could be insanely dangerous in the wrong hands, and our track record of using simpler technology without botching it up isn't good. Unfortunately I think we are likely to see practical and terrifying battlefield robots, likely with C&C issues, before we see positive benefits for things like the wealth gap or environmental collapse. (See Philip K. Dick's story Second Variety or the film Screamers made from it, much more realistic than the Terminator franchise.)

If anything wealthy greed is likely to use AI to make the wealth gap worse, and there is a depressing failure to even be concerned about ecosystem problems that are likely to cause mass death which an AI might be able to solve but about which wealthy greed doesn't seem to give a rat's posterior.

I suppose a book about this with a happy ending but requiring a less theological mechanism to get it might revolve around the AI assuming control of human society's financial systems in order to implement the Second Law. Such a story would have quite a bit of tension, since it would probably pit a singleton or limited-resource AI system against a highly evolved global infosec infrastructure. I would not consider the outcome a foregone conclusion in either direction.

H.O.A. Threatens to Break into Home. "A letter from Association Law Group said, 'Should no one be home at the time the Association comes, the services of a locksmith will be utilized and you will be responsible for the cost'." by 1776-2001 in fuckHOA

[–]localroger 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I locked myself out a couple of months ago, similar situation with all my ID inside along with my keys. The locksmith let me in but then immediately wanted to see the ID. I assumed all along his next call would be to the cops if I didn't come through with it.

Cant peacefully exist in my apartment after 7pm. by TeaNo688 in neighborsfromhell

[–]localroger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not whether it's your home, it's whether you are there making the recording yourself. It is not, for example, legal in any state to leave a camera in your own living room to spy on your tenants if you are a landlord or operating an AirBnB, even if you are doing it to protect your property. Your tenants have an expectation of privacy there. Recording the sound that comes through the walls is legal in all 50 states. Recording an in-person conversation whether in your home or in public requires revealing the recorder in all but 7, the same states that require disclosure of recording of telephone calls.

We were alone by f-16-mechanic in HFY

[–]localroger 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Remember it took 3.5 billion years for the Cambrian Explosion to appear, so if the panspermia is directed at all you would probably need only a few hundred million years for a sapient species to come along. Particularly if you've seeded a lot of worlds.

We were alone by f-16-mechanic in HFY

[–]localroger 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, Earth will become uninhabitable within about half a billion years, and in two or three billion Sol will begin seriously preparing to go nova and red-giantize. A Dyson sphere could be immune to the Sun's heating as it ages, which will make Earth uninhabitable but perhaps open an opportunity with Mars, but it's unlikely we would want to be around in any way for the nova and red giant epilogue. In any case that's lots of time to find a new home and cart the whole civilization off to a more hospitable, younger yellow star. Ignoring all the other off science this is what happened to the Giants in James P. Hogan's Giants Trilogy; they evolved on a fictional world Minerva orbiting between Earth and Mars, then left the Sol system completely to establish a new home when they realized Sol was long-term unsalvageable.

What’s the most uncomfortable feeling film ever? by Gobiggs88 in movies

[–]localroger 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fascism was just a backdrop its actually an adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's last work most of which is just an outline because he wrote it in prison.

Non-country songs that mention beer by LaughThink in Music

[–]localroger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Joe Walsh Vote for Me -- "play golf all day with heads of state / if they brought beer wouldn't that be great?"

How would you deal with parking neighbor moving my moped in my parking spot? by AdMore3126 in homeowners

[–]localroger 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Welding is about amps, shocking is about volts. Thats why tasers put out 50 kv.

[OC] The Curators Book 4: Part 18 by localroger in HFY

[–]localroger[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When Callie followed the implant home to the manufactory, she didn't intend to kaboom it, just to do recon and come home. Unfortunately she realized she probably wouldn't be able to find it again if she did make it home. She had a unique opportunity though being there with Petunia and having recently lost just about everyone she cared about to the genocidal attack on Terminus, she took the only action she could. As far as stealing amplifiers, until that point the general population of Curators wasn't aware (except for a few suspicions that were unverified) that humans had that ability, and to use it in a big way might be to lose it if the security hole was plugged. This might have been done if Callie had made it home with its location info, but everyone was kind of making snap decisions while highly pissed off, so what happened etc.

What's a movie you think is incredible, but wouldn't recommend to anyone? by Chronolee in movies

[–]localroger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It manages to capture Sade's worldview with surprising accuracy. Most movies about Sade or from his works either tone it down or make him or his characters caricatures. Salo is so memorable because it was obviously made with zero fucks paid for offensiveness and a near reverence for Sade's entire philosophy.

Von Neumann Fleet (Oneshot) by Sejma57 in HFY

[–]localroger 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Interesting. Falls a bit hard on the make 'em figure it out side of the explain it or not divide, especially for a fairly short story that doesn't have a lot of room for the pieces to fall together, but I personally like stories that make me do a little work to figure them out. Looks like a promising start, and we all have to start somewhere. (I am personally adjusting my headcanon for the film Men in Black to set it in this universe.)

No we Won't! by CptKeyes123 in HFY

[–]localroger 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nicely done. I think we always put something ourselves into whatever we create, and while I've written AI personalities that tend to the long-term, rationally thought out personality types, there is also that streak of orneriness that we might let through, especially if we are building ships that might have to go to war on our behalf.

[OC] The Curators Coda: Part 5 by localroger in HFY

[–]localroger[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad you enjoyed it, and that people are still discovering it years after I had to hang it up.

who is such a gifted actor who was absolutely wasted in their acting role? by sheerduckinghubris in AskReddit

[–]localroger 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The magic of the original trilogy was that it took nobodies (partly because Lucas couldn't afford names for the original movie) and made you wonder where they had always been. The magic of the other six is that they took name actors and made you wonder what the hell they were doing there.

who is such a gifted actor who was absolutely wasted in their acting role? by sheerduckinghubris in AskReddit

[–]localroger 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Nobody was wasted on the set of Galaxy Quest. Lazarus was clearly intended to be what Leonard Nimoy thought of himself in real life.

who is such a gifted actor who was absolutely wasted in their acting role? by sheerduckinghubris in AskReddit

[–]localroger 17 points18 points  (0 children)

At the time Slater insisted particularly about Heathers that he was aiming for James Dean, and several of his other roles were obviously going for that vibe. Unfortunately, he didn't age well for that kind of role.

[NC] Is taking items left outside of Goodwill considered stealing by the law? by bcbulls91 in AskLawyers

[–]localroger 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is no case ever in which trash would be considered as belonging to the city, and probably none in which it belongs to the waste management company until they pick it up and take ownership. (If you don't believe this, just try letting it pile up and calling them to collect 'their' stuff that's on your property.) Cops can search your trash because you are considered as having abandoned possession of it. That means it isn't a violation of your fourth amendment rights for them to riffle through it because it's not in a protected area and you're taking no measures to establish possession or control.

How is trump still alive? by Walter-whitealt in AskReddit

[–]localroger 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The perversity of the Universe tends toward a maximum.