It's become just another form of wealth transfer from the poor to the upper classes in the economy. Perks and incentives to earn "points" and cash-back by spending on credit cards are financed by those merchant fees, so the entire country is subsidizing them by paying hidden fees in the form of higher prices of goods and services. People who buy a lot with credit and can easily pay off their credit card bill every month come out ahead. People who can't or don't purchase much or who cannot always pay their bill in full get screwed. And card networks (Visa, Mastercard, etc) are leeches in the middle sucking blood from everyone.

Once you understand how the system is rigged, it's actually pretty disgusting.

More like a "The Making Of" kind of deal, I think, but yeah - it could be interesting to see all the special effects happening and how it's done.

At first I read it as if he was kicked out of the ISS which would certainly be headline worthy material.

I want them to bring back Slashdot subscriptions. I'll happily pay to support Slashdot, but I uncompromisingly reject advertising. Not to mention, the few times the newer ads have gotten through uBlock filters they've been atrocious.

I know the site has been on life support for a decade but subscriptions seem like a pretty easy way to make some money.

Their logic is so out of touch with what the problem was.

"Hey, guys, this 'heroin' thing seems to be having a really bad effect on the people that take it. Like, addiction and insanity and such. Maybe we should stop selling it?"

"Well Bob, you see, our A/B testing shows that the people taking heroin keep coming back for more, so we're gonna keep selling it."

Those would only have four fingers.

As an introvert on the spectrum yes, dealing with people is stressful and exhausting.

But this? Letting AI handle gift shopping for my loved ones? It has a certain air of the too-busy CEO who tells his secretary to go buy some gifts for his kids because he can't find the time to.

And because this is well known people give Amazon trucks a wide margin, thus lowering their accident rate.

Has anyone heard of "XBox" before this was posted here?

Yes, heard of it and been using it for years.

Might you be in the market for a new rock to sleep under?

Clippy
Cortana
Copilot

Maybe they need to pick a new letter. Bring back Microsoft Bob?

To be fair, they capitalized all sorts of random words in the 1700's.

Nicely said.

A favorite quote by Christopher Hitchens, describing Martin Luther King, Jr:

Even though it sounds brusque, the first time I read it I found it to be incredibly encouraging and uplifting. And Hitchens was no opponent of personal vice, so it's really not quite the insult some might take it as. There are no perfect humans - every one of us is a physical creature with unique and personal baggage bestowed on us by our flaws, circumstance, and the times in which we live. The whitewashed saints often presented for emulation are uninteresting and useless as genuine role models.

Are you saying that if I as a tourist go to the South, and distracted by something else fail to wave at someone, I will get shot and killed?

Does that sound like HEALTHY advertisement for your country?!

Live in a nice neighborhood, not a fancy neighborhood. Buy a good new car, not a Ferrari. That kind of stuff. Live well, but not suspiciously well.