It looks like it's the other way around. DP we've had some really good conversations over the years. Of late I've seen a lot of outrage from you which is odd because it seems like we agree on many, but not all, things. With all sincerity, I hope you are ok.

I've analyzed roughly 12-18 acts of law, some international agreements and written letter to politician on both sides of politics framed in language they understand. My work here raised awareness amongst politicians who didn't realize some of the things they were endorsing into law, like body cavity searches on minors. The politicians would often write back thanking me, or telling me the party line. Sometimes I see the effect in the media. I've read thousands of pages of legislation, then written formal submissions most in the 10-100 page range. I've lobbied extensively on Human Rights and Freedom of speech issues.

I think that tells you I'm a bus driver except no one pays or thanks me. Tell me about the work you have done.

Not to defend computer science coursework, but the real world sucks too. Modern applications are an abomination, those "leetcode skills" are focused on gluing together a mile high stack of shit. AI can do that too.

But yeah, disillusionment with coding started before AI, for me it started with object-oriented programming. Code reuse makes sure everyone's work sucks with time.

dumb comment of the day right there. What children EVER thing of "creating a push-button government or massive unemployment"? Yeah, those toddlers are really taking notes.

I went to it opening day and loved it. Nostalgia bait, sure. But it's FUN nostalgia bait. I do think it's a good movie if you were ever a fan of Looney Toons. I couldn't say what anyone would think if they weren't, because that shit was essential viewing when I was a kid and is basically embedded in my DNA.

Did you even watch the movie? THEY'RE THE SAME TEAM!

Sometimes, nostalgia bait works, especially when it's nostalgia that hasn't been strip-mined to near death over the last forty plus years. I got a real kick out of all the references to old looney toons tropes and even the specific references to Coyote's particular ACME purchases over the run of his cartoons. Lots of background references to the old production teams too, like the name of the law firm being the old creators' names. It's just a ton of fun and made good on a lot of the old cartoon vibes.

This is exactly what Franklin was trying to warn us about. He was saying "Look this constitution is good and I think government is a good idea but none of it is perfect". He was saying that a day will come when the ideas that make a nation great will be subject to corruption. Look at the Soviet Union, that also collapsed from corruption but I don;t see anyone in the west saying "Hey that could happen to us too". You're not going find any argument from me that corruption is bad. It is the enemy of civilization.

It's not that humans decided the systems should favor the wealthy, it's the wealthy who decided it should favor the wealthy through lobbying over hundreds of years. It was the psychopathic self interested people taking advantage of ok, dumb and also well meaning or even naive people that is destroying democracy - again what Franklin was warning this current right now living generation that this system is imperfect and there simply wasn't facility enough in his day to build a system of government that could resist corruption.

The question is; what are YOU going to do about it. I know what I have done about however I am one person and laws are sometimes thousands of pages long. You think the politicians read all of it? Have a go drinkypoo find an act of law that bothers you, read it, analyze it and write to the policritters. Complaining to me does nothing. Once you do that you will understand why a Technocracy is actually a pretty good idea, especially if we incorporate the lessons Franklin was trying to teach.

No. Crony capitalism is devolving us towards corporatism, the 21st century version of feudalism. Feudalism is what communism tries to convert capitalistic democracies into - but we're doing it for them with apathy, which is *exactly* what communist leaders predict will happen to us. Pure capitalism is absolutely terrifying which is why democracy is an attempt to moderate it into something that resembles civilization. However a democratic society is open to corruption by it's very nature. It has to be otherwise it would not be democratic and you're observing the vectors for eroding democracy in the triad of apathy, stupidity and self interest that causes corruption.

So don't be blaming democracy or technocracy for human nature because all that is is an excuse to do nothing.

The thing is, these tech companies that are pushing AI have been on an ever increasing quest to create the next worst thing since before the social networking thing exploded into becoming a political cancer for the entire world. And there have been just as many people stating the lack of moral or ethical direction for these companies since around that same time. I'm not sure why anyone thought that a whole slew of morally foggy degenerates were going to suddenly develop a moral compass when it came to their next plan to usurp all of society. When you spend a decade telling the world that you're creating the technology that will replace all work without providing any means whatsoever to deal with the consequences, it's hard to be surprised when there are negative consequences. The only real surprise is that some of the big players in the game aren't happy that the consequences are hitting them, rather than just slamming into the rest of humanity while they sit in their happy place directing the carnage.

Technocracy is the subject at hand and unless we are all planning to go back to the 1900 or even the late 20th century nothing is going to stop humanity's desire to progress. If you also consider that some humans have a desire for absolute power and control then you have a starting point for why many systems of government have issues; Human beings are incredibly varied in their desires and opinions.

If you then couple the above with the wide prevalence of mental illness throughout humans then we arrive to where we are today, recognizing that there is no such thing as a perfect system just one that is designed to being perfected through good laws for the people it is to serve. Democracy does it with paper, Technocracy does it with the real time communication en masse.

Technocracy is the evolution of Democracy, regardless of if it is regulating Capitalism or any of the other isms out there. Like the Westminster system it is designed for independence and not a two party system, one could argue it is designed for interdependence however overt technocratic systems don't exist yet so we don't really know.

So that's the context, now for the scenario.

A technocracy does not serve a Left or Right side of politics, which becomes obsolete along with lobbyists and replaced with built in AI oversight, I.e. Technocracy accepts AI exists and regulates its function with law. Technocracy's purpose is to serve the people via frequent digital ballots by making the process of voting on anything extremely easy. To paraphrase Franklin about the flaws in the US constitution will lead to "a corrupted people only fit to be ruled by a despotic leader" (full quote below) is arguably where we are now. Technocracy is an attempt to fix that flaw.

Flaws in Democracy and Technocracy are education and participation, however instead of insisting that most people are rational creatures who don't have any other priorities, technocracy allows the possibility of increased rationality and government oversight for the populous. The balance between individual rights and societal order is attempted by ballot frequency, right to your phone, and also allows for other features in line with the requirements of society that is digitally and AI enabled.

Nothing is perfect, including technocracy. The question is What's better and the collapse of democracy into corporatism is certainly not as attractive as the control a populous gets with a Technocratic acceleration of Democracy. Personally I see Democracy under threat and a technocratic society as a logical evolution of democracy the most desirable outcome.

How it is shaped is something everyone can participate in to achieve an ideal more resistant to the forms of modern corruption and mental health issues (the core means to manipulate a population) Ben Franklin could only conceptualize we would face in the 21st century.

This is his full quote, which almost seem prophetic, spelling out his rational concerns;
" I agree to this Constitution with all its faults - if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of government but what may be a blessing to the people, if well administered; and I believe, farther, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other."

So Franklin warned us, as in the present generation living right now, that the issues we would face IS the collapse of democratic forms of government. He warned us about despotic leaders who steer the corrupted (as in lied to, manipulated, misinformed) populous from the freedoms generations before us sought to leave us, and back into the stagnant feudalism (arguably worse than communism) from which we came.

Short answer is No, they don't. That said, I agree with everything you said about coal and it is a problem. I'd add that the brine from fracking for gas also contains radioactive particles and is used to damp down dirt roads for dust control. Both are a huge problem.

You're 100% right about that. These are naturally occurring isotopes which are supposed to be in the ground where nature put them. I agree that the coal industry should also receive the same scrutiny that the Nuclear industry does for controlling these materials.

Coxon knows what he's going to do next. Whatever he's told to.

Marketing campaigns are conspiracies.

"What better way than to lower expectations than claim it's too dangerous/powerful to push further?"

Create agents to kill dissent? That is literally what Elon Musk is doing.

These claims are to accomplish goals, those goals are not to admit defeat.

"I haven't even googled him or looked at his linkedin." LOL. not even to your low standards!

"...if their expectations of their career progress weren't meeting harsh reality..." Yes, it's his fault because he's a loser, not like you!

"More food for thought:" The feces that spews from you isn't food for anything.

"The future isn't written, but neither ww3 nor ww4 have come to pass as predicted."

Says the Trump supporter. You don't even know what these predictions are, you can't find them on "LinkedIn".

In all honesty, if there's any truth to it, it's most likely a return to the old "mutually assured destruction" thing. Where the threat isn't so much that we'll take out the enemy. It's that if the enemy gets too big for their britches, we'll take out everybody, including ourselves. Hurrah for tribalistic bullshit on a grander scale. God damn we're a dumbass species.