You're missing my point, then. When you put pursuit of profit ahead of safety, then you likely end up with neither. Because, much like the case in the fine summary, we're giving people access to our security who could undermine that very security. Think on that for a bit.

Profits uber alles! No, really. Security is less important than making money.

Nah, I'll just dismiss it due to your glaring lack of evidence. You must be a massive misanthropist to have such a warped thought pattern. Too bad you weren't on that flight.

This - suicide - sounds like a reach. From the report, and the discussion of it - https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... - it doesn't sound like either one knew the switches had been thrown, or that there was a struggle to turn them back on / keep them off. Multiple commenters point out that some switches had been installed with the locking feature disabled, and airlines were supposed to check for that. It was a bulletin issued in 2018. https://tech.slashdot.org/comm.... Absent any other evidence, which should've turned up by now, my first guess is the switches weren't solidly in place and moved out of place. I see nothing to suggest suicide, and it's unfair to paint that picture without corroborating evidence.

I don't know much about planes, but this isn't a switch that you can accidentally bump while trying to reach something else, is it? Or, if you propped a good luck charm on top of the console, could it fall and move these switches?

Wow. Thanks for the perspective. Since you gotta go, I hope your end is quick and painless. And I hope your kid never forgets the good things about you.

We had our 20-something grand-daughter for a week on a road trip, and at some of the more depressing parts, where we read about the history of a place, I apologized to her about the mess my generation - and particularly the previous generation - left for her. I flat out told her that I'd love to have a great-grand-child, but not with the direction mankind is going. The thought of the man-made hells we inflict on each other, and that my progeny might have to suffer that, makes me sad. If she's the last one of my line, so be it.

Would your message be any less informative if you had left out the "dumbass"?

Excellent argument right there. Instead of wasting $305 - or even $85 - million on something that accomplishes nothing, why not spend that money on actually fixing Texas' power grid so people don't freeze in the winter? Or improving the warning systems, so kids don't get swept away in flash floods? Or is that "socialism"?

If kids don't know how to code, or how to read code, how will they know whether the product of AI is correct in the first place? How will they know where to look when there's a problem? This is about as dumb as not teaching future mechanics how to use their tools.

Maybe with higher-end vehicles, the bugs just never even touch, but my Transit 250 delivery van is about as low-tech as they get. If there's something nearby, my windshield will hit it.

Two long-distance trips ago, I had to use the windshield wipers and sprayers to get the bug residue off, and it was actually a bit odd, because it was the first time this season, in about 15 trips in warm weather. Maybe you're somewhat younger, but bug splat used to be a regular thing in summer driving. Manufacturers sold windshield fluid specifically for the purpose. I'm saying there's something off with bug populations, lately, and high-tech windshields don't explain it.

Have you noticed a reduction of insects in general? I don't see many lightning bugs, for example, and normally, during the warmer months, the windshield splatter is nearly impossible to see-through. But lately, I can drive all day and my windshield is fine at the end of the drive. While that's nice, I worry that it portends something more dire.

Epstein's List has gone Schroedinger: It exists, until it doesn't.

I'm saying, and I quote, "China and India are environmentally destructive." No exoneration, and full responsibility. But they didn't start out that way: they just took over what we gave them. And, yes, they *could have* been more environmentally conscious when setting up their plants. Absolutely; that's on them. What I'm saying is that American corporations exploited a desperate Chinese and Indian people to shift pollution from our back yard to theirs. Would they have created their own pollution? Possibly. We could've helped them get setup and maintain environmental responsibility, but we didn't. Now that they have funds and know better, they should absolutely improve things. But, again, their pollution, initially, was a direct result of American influence.

Maybe the right-wing bots are busy elsewhere. And /. should have a general lean to the left. It's a site for smart people, who tend to be reasonable, and not unhinged, gratuitous, hateful assholes on social topics.