I'm sure most people can learn the syntax of a programming language - it is not very hard. It's certainly easier than learning a spoken language.

But Software Development is not about being able to write in some language. It is about problem solving, good design, constantly learning new patterns, sdks and languages; and shedding old anti-patterns. Not everyone has the desire to take it to that level and stay current. Unless you have that desire, you will not make it as a software developer.

Whether some can do something and whether someone has the will to do something are very different things.

Not passing the Java compatibility test would just prevent the implementation from being called a Java implementation. Did Google ever call Android a Java implementation?

I concur.
There is also the question of reliability. Will that camera & screen keep operating without problems for at least 10 years while operating in a wide variety of temperatures?
There is no comparison to a real mirror, which can also be inexpensively replaced if it ever becomes damaged.

You just described everyone in the USA who votes exclusively Republican or Democrat. Both parties are full of lemmings who parrot what their anointed masters say.

I concur. Any places that regularly receive rainfall or snow won't be reachable by self-driving cars for a *long* time. I doubt they can handle tree pollen in Spring or falling leaves in Autumn, let alone an actual thunderstorm or blizzard.

In places with regularly changing weather, you will still need a driver-piloted vehicle to go somewhere and be confident you can return home on your own schedule.

I agree. Digital tickets are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. All it does is increase long lines because the scans simply don't work well (the screen isn't bright enough; oops I just locked my phone; etc.

What is does do is give the ticket seller and/or venue detailed knowledge of who bought tickets and/or is at the event. IMHO, that is the *only* reason they are pushing this so hard.

And we also now have some events requiring people to put their phones in "lockdown" cases so they can't record the concert, take photos, etc. So you don't want me to bring my phone, but I *have* to bring my phone to get in. WTF?

Actually, the various tribes were not necessarily warring with each other, at least not the ones in the western part of what is now the U.S. That notion was propaganda to help the conquerors rationalize their cause to be "just". The books "Thunder Over the Ochoco" go into this in great detail - a very interesting read.

There is a certain percentage of people that are assholes. It is roughly the same across all income levels.
Congratulations, you are now just as much of an asshole as the assholes who bullied you before.

The roku was built by netflix for netflix, but they had the foresight to spin it off as a separate company so that the roku could be neutral from the point-of-view of content providers.

Were these guys really "hackers"? It sounded to me that they would make prank calls on their customers behalf. If that is hacking, then so was having a fax machine call your co-workers phone back in the 90s.

Fucking over Americans? Hardly - more like freeing ourselves up to work on the cool stuff while shedding the legacy projects.

IMHO, the right thing to do is to be a professional instead of an emotional child. That means doing your best to educate the folks taking over the project so the transition is as smooth as possible.

When you are done you move on to the next project.

I agree with most of your post, but would add :

One of the biggest reasons automtive grade electronics in cars are so much more expensive than commerical grade electronics is the wider range of operating conditions. For instance, the autos need components than work just as reliably in Georgia summers as Montana winters.

I'm calling BS on those numbers. The problem with including "alcohol-related events, like car accidents" in the numbers is because an accident will be considered "alcohol related" if there were empty beer cans in the trunk, regardless of whether or not the driver was under the influence. This makes the numbers look much worse than they are in order to server the MADD agenda, which is a return to prohibition.

Actually, the more "fit" to survive folks hire people who are good at stomping on the people who try to steal from them.