...thing where it's decided by committee that a new sequel to something or other 'needs' to be made FIRST, then story, SECOND.

If you've got a great idea, maybe go with it then, but all these forced sequels - especially w/o long term direction (as in the latest Star Wars movies), are just a waste of talent and money.

My wife and I were dining at our local restaurant and I was scrolling through my phone for something when she says, "Hon! Help them, please." A middle-aged out of town couple were seated behind us and were asking their waitress where the nearest charging station was. They were told, 'I THINK there's one at the gas station up ahead...' Bad advice.

It turns out that the couple had rented an electric car from an agency located in a airport about 60 miles away. They had flown up from Florida, dropping everything they were doing, as the woman's mother here in PA, had fallen seriously ill. The problem was, the rental company at the airport had no more gas powered cars. Desperate, they decided on the electric, in spite of never having driven one before.

They had NO IDEA whether it was a Tesla, or not. I asked them to show me, so they took me out and I determined it was a Polestar 2. Being in a rural area, I'd never seen one in real life, but knew of them due to a personal interest and knowledge of EVs (I own a Bolt).

The nearest DC fast charging station (EV America), was back where they came from - about 25 miles back - and according to my apps - there were NONE to the NW, where they were heading. The man told me he LOVED the pickup - which would partly explain why he had only *49* miles charge left, (additionally, they told me it only had 1/2 a charge at the airport!), I gave them the bad news. They weren't happy.

On top of that, when I tried to help the man put a charging app on his phone, he couldn't remember the phone's password to install it. I had to put the address into Maps for him and his wife had to act as co-pilot, holding the phone and giving directions, as they couldn't figure out how to use the car's GPS.

I gave them all the knowledge I could about DC fast charging, showing him the port and describing how to operate it. I don't know if they made it or not. I DO know that the couple were confused and angry - barely knowing enough from the airport that it 'didn't use gas'.

RIDICULOUS!

I'm in a DC fast charging desert out here in rural PA. I got my Bolt and we use it for 95% of our driving (mostly local), and I charge it with my own panels.

This should NEVER have happened! They would've been better off getting an Uber to take them to a rental place that had an ICE vehicle. This is NOT the way EVs should be introduced to the general public - the rental company should have had trained people to give them SOME direction AND had a fully charged car.

Just a reminder to the dreamers out there, there are still MANY places in the U.S. without suitable charging ability - and I say this as an owner: I love my Bolt, but I have a specific use case. They are NOT for everyone... Yet.

On top of your point - college isn't for everyone. Not everyone can or should go to college.

Oh, I wish I had mod points!

For those who don't know what he's referring to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

You can't blame the audience for not being able to keep up with who/what they're supposed to hate...

Stella's (2600 emulator), implementation of 'Bad TV' adjusts is just amazing. It simply wasn't the same playing 2600 games with perfectly clear graphics. In fact, some of those old games COUNTED on a little bleed and fuzziness! I have mine set for RF with a little bit of drift - just like the old days with my uncle's G.E. 25" lightning-struck set.

If you haven't seen the 'Bad TV Adjust' feature on Stella, it's worth a look - and that got me thinking (always dangerous!)...

What if you could construct a box that would take an RGB-based analog signal, run it through the same formulas that Stella borrowed, and then output that to an LCD or OLED? That way, you could get all the scanlines and composite NTSC color drift you wanted... If it didn't delay things too much, that is.

And the 'pad thing', as much as I enjoy the wireless charging, is especially true when your phone lives in a case.

I mean, I get that it probably looks cool and all, but how the hell do you hold it without selecting something on the screen? I have an S7 Edge now, and I have to say that were it not for the extended battery life, I could care less about the curved screen. I want to be able to hold it in one hand without having to be super cautious of how I hold it.

I dunno, maybe I'm doing it wrong...

Actually, this sort of thing has been going on since the '70's when American manufacturers, hit with emissions testing for the first time, installed air 'injectors' to force more fresh air down the tailpipe. It was completely legal and helped them until they could redesign their engines and introduce catalytic converters.

The abusive comments on the YouTube channel that featured Dr. Richardson were, in my opinion, uncalled for, and probably just reinforce her beliefs. We can have diverse opinions about issues like this, and I, for one, am glad someone's at least thinking about this. As robots come into general familiarity, we're all going to have to do some soul searching.

While I don't agree with the outright banning of this technology, I do understand her point - I just don't think technology, in and of itself, is good or evil.

This was my (somewhat lengthy response to her):

I think that we can have a discussion here without such personal derision. I wonder, Dr., how you feel about places like China where the men outnumber the women by over 30%. Or in Japan, where women's increased demands for an 'acceptable' mate have lowered their birthrate to non-sustainable levels. Already there are men there who use RealDoll-like toys - some who literally make them part of their social lives. What options are available to them that would be acceptable to you?

In addition, and closer to Western world, not all men are capable of having or maintaining a sexual relationship with women - but this doesn't necessarily limit their sex drive. Men with severe appearance deficits or low intelligence may never have the opportunity to have a mate.

While it is often easy for women to dismiss sex for men as being a disconnected act, this is certainly not always true (it isn't with me), and I believe there is an equally important biological need for acceptance and love. This is demonstrated differently with different men.

While I do believe there is some merit in your argument, I also believe that sexual expression IS different between men and women, regardless of relationship status.

Imagine the outrage over the removal of Disney 'Princess' movies, romantic novels (essentially word-based pornography), or sex toys for women would cause! And yet, these things unquestionably also color women's perception of relationships with men - and their expectations.

As feminists scream for equality, the truth is that women are the ones who do the choosing, as they feel the need to be specially selective about their mates. This can be seen in the animal kingdom as well. It is understandable (especially when the production of children is involved), but this is, at least, an example of how men and women are not only different, but unequal.

Doesn't this, in and of itself, color an unfortunate man's opinion of woman? How better to address that than by providing men with the next best thing?

Advanced robotics is going to even the playing field somewhat for those disenfranchised men, not among the lucky to be selected by a 'real' woman. Eventually, it may offer these rejected men another side altogether of women, providing them with a 'loving' partner, fulfilling their need to be loved. Obviously, the reality of the 'love' expressed will be proportional to the level of technology and the skill of AI programmers.

Certainly, early forms of this will be no more than machine-assisted masturbation, but this will be a short-lived period of time, as Moore's Law and the determination of science has previously demonstrated.

As with any technology, the possibility for good and evil will exist. I suggest letting things progress as they will until direct evidence against ANY positive use exists.

Man, I wish I had points right now... Preach it brother! :D

Pretty much your comment. Funny thing about women who complain about porn; they don't seem to have a problem with spending money on their own version of porn: Romance Novels. That's a $1 billion / year industry now, and the overwhelming majority of buyers are women. It's nothing more than 'dirty' moving pictures of the mind.

At the end of the day, we have to concede that there are differences in the psychological needs of men and women. We ARE different, and not just physically. As always, there are exceptions, YMMV...

Hmmm... There are a lot of men in prisons - lots of rape going on in there too - but apparently, criminals doesn't 'count'.

It is the woman's responsibility to choose wisely, knowing what burden she may carry as the result of a sexual liason. As a father, it is YOUR responsibility to help your daughter develop that skill so that the man she finally chooses will be worthy of her. It may seem unfair, but eggs are a commodity, sperm isn't.

And yes, it is generally true that when a guy thinks he's a nice guy who is rejected because he is 'nice', he typically will blame the woman. Actually, women have a kind of radar on this - and that is explained quite well here: http://divalion.livejournal.co...

Nothing at all fucked up about thinking of dating as some sort of battle.

Isn't it though? It is a competition. The symbolism of millions of sperm/one egg directly carries through to the way dating works. Women are ultimately the arbiters of choice. The distribution may change as age sets in, but that's a whole other topic.

Came here to say this if it hadn't already been said. Roll on fellow Browncoat!

And in a similar vein: http://www.pewresearch.org/fac...