There are many different cultures among the wealthy, just as there are many cultures among the poor. So culture is not the distinguishing factor, as you originally claimed. Wealth, however, is.

Reliable spelling is pretty irrelevant, especially in the age of spellcheck. Phonics is about READING. Understanding Latin, Greek, French, and German will certainly help with advanced etymology, but you don't really have to know the history of the bi- prefix to understand it means "2." Learning multiple languages is always a great advantage. . .but you want to teach reading in all those languages with phonics.

Whatever criticisms you have of phonics, I challenge you to cite an alternative method of teaching reading that is equivalent, let alone better. Empirically, no other method has been able to effectively teach reading.

You keep using the word "culture" when you should be using "wealth." There are plenty of highly successful schools and students in dense urban areas. They are the ones with money.

You're being obtuse. Reading advertisements also involves reading. That doesn't meant that a person who reads a lot of advertisements will develop the reading skills necessary to understand a complicated technical manual or a dense work of literature.

If I do addition and subtraction every day it doesn't mean I understand calculus.

I do not know why you equate a nonprofit entity with amateurism. Nonprofit defines the tax status of an organization, it does not define their professionalism or (despite the name) profitability.

There are legitimate criticisms on can make of the EU. None of that negates the fact that the U.S. is descending into a fascist oligarchy.

How do you enshitify shit?

Most bigfoot sightings are bears with mange. They lose a bunch of weight and walk on their hind legs. Look up some images of bears with mange and you'll see that 1) it's an extremely sad sight and 2) they look like bigfoot.

Mange also explains the smell.

You are replying to a troll who thought he just delivered a knock-out punch zinger. He will not understand any argument premised on ethics.

Now that more people know what the installation entails, fewer will be inclined to press that button.

Why you find it upsetting that an article would bring to light extraneous installations in one of the most widely distributed pieces of software is beyond me. Seems newsworthy to me.

I really don't think having a doctor present would change anything. The drugs still do what they do. Having doctors present to apply leeches didn't make that practice any more therapeutic.

One problem I have with this push to use psychedelics as a mental health treatment is that I have seen first hand how damaging they can be to individuals predisposed to psychological issues.

Basically, people who are by and large sane and well adjusted mentally tend to find the experience of using psychedelics interesting and sometimes enlightening in some sense. People predisposed to mental illness. . .it can really exacerbate those issues. So to me it makes no sense as a treatment. People who need mental health treatment are exactly the people who should avoid psychedelics.

It is funny that you mention that book, as the author disavowed it after taking psychedelics changed his perspective.

Distract! Distract! Distract!

Way to steer the conversation off course. You must be a proud little troll.

I do not think we should pat Sam on the back for unleashing AI on the masses. The big problem is that we currently have no way of doing this efficiently or profitably. Companies like Google were right to keep this stuff locked away until it was actually commercially viable, and what OpenAI did by forcing their hand was grossly irresponsible and they only did it so Sam Altman could become a billionaire (while making no profits for his company. . .).

Now our tech industry is creating a massive bubble, much of it only sustained by taking on massive debt and suspect investments, shoveling out a technology that is not even close to making a profit. Worst of all, the energy demands are so great that costs are going up for everyone and we are failing to shut down the fossil fuel industry, which poses an existential threat to all humanity.

Thanks, Sam.