Make it a reward, rather than a punishment.

I worked for a sales organization that offered that, if the teams' total sales for a month exceeded 120% of the previous month's total, the Sales VP volunteered to sit in a chair (outside) and let the top performers push pies into his face. (Disclaimer: they were just pie tins with whipped cream in them and he wore large sunglasses)

I still have pictures of the (very messy) results. A totally different kind of motivation that can work.

Exactly that - how meaningful is the grade, and, ultimately, the degree, if an A is easy to get with minimal effort?

If all employers conclude that BA degrees are super-easy to get, then the value of that degree declines (in perception).

At one time, the perception of most people was that degrees (especially from some universities) had a strongly-implied value/indicator that a student took their education seriously and would work hard to achieve the degree. That perception had value to the student in landing a good position.

We have all these ocean-based wind turbine projects (that Trump is trying to kill) that sit in that cold, cold ocean already. Maybe you could site some underwater facilities at the base of them (and join them with other, nearby facilities and turbines via underwater cables) and you have a self-contained data center...

Wind power is more developed than wave-based. Might cut costs...?

Another vote for BBEdit. Fast and easy to use.

"It Still Doesn't Suck!"

"South Korea's law actually requires Apple to re-verify someone's age annually."

So they're concerned that, as time passes, a devious person will... grow younger?

I need to get in on this right away!

While we haven't studied Martian soil as much as lunar soil, if they are similar, the soil itself can hold health hazards that adding a little compost won't solve.

The soil carries an electrical charge and clings to spacesuits. People (on Earth) who worked inside returned lunar space capsules experienced allergy-like symptoms. I seem to recall that much lunar soil particles have very sharp edges and can affect your lungs.

Not sure what characteristics would be transferred from the Martian soil to a vegetable. How would our bodies react to that?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

"Certainly China seems far ahead of everyone, US as well as Japan, in being able to build low-cost desirable EVs."

Disclaimer: I'm basing my response on a number of videos and reporting from only a few sources, but...

If the videos (smuggled?) out of China are even half true, then China can certainly crank out a lot of low-cost EVs, but they have a real quality control problem. Lots of reports/videos of EVs bursting into flames while charging, while just parked and while being driven. That high of a percentage of exploding cars would not be tolerated in the USA if they were manufactured by the Big Three.

Also, the workmanship and materials in general are low-quality enough that people are spending a lot of time in the service departments of car dealerships.

Shouldn't "Nasa" be displayed as "NASA"? Mixed upper and lower -case implies it's a name or a word. All caps implies it's an acronym (or initialism).

(...slow Friday...)

"I'd argue horses became a lot more free"

Did you happen to consider that there are a LOT fewer horses?

"I can get a burger at my local pub or brewery for that price and the burger comes piping hot with fries or chips and a pint of beer."

I couldn't agree more. We should all make an effort to occasionally seek out those small local establishments where it's people serving people 'everybody knows your name'. I find those places so refreshing.

A co-worker and I go to a tiny neighborhood bar/restaurant that has been there for decades. Been there enough now so that when the bartender sees us come in, she asks if we want the usual drinks (a couple hefe's). And the food is fresh and hot. (OK, maybe not as healthy as I should be eating, but I'm not there every week...)

It says something about the age we live in that we're only mildly surprised to read a headline like

Meta's New Patent: an AI That Likes, Comments and Messages For You When You're Dead

It means that we immediately know what Meta, Patent, AI, social media (Likes, Comments and Messages) and dead mean.

Oh boy...

When I read the summary, my first thought was 'are they bringing a bunch of cell-satellites with them?'

Latency will be brutal.

I wouldn't call myself bilingual, but my experience is that there are lots of nuances that an author imbues their work with, based on choosing various turns of phrase. Learning to see, understand and translate the author's intent is a learned skill. I question whether AI is yet capable of discerning the author's intent.

A lot of the engineers that the Soviet Union and then Russia used in their space and nuclear programs were Ukrainian. I imagine even a signing bonus won't turn up many volunteers today or for the next 20 years.