The problem is not that a paper-clip-maximizing AI will arise in the future and turn the universe into paper clips. The maximizers are already here. Any consequences too subtle to measure--environmental costs, civic discord, troubled diplomatic relations--are simply omitted from the score. 2025-10-09 14:56:17 +0000 UTC View Post
“With the massive drop in the horse population, I think we’re going to have to right-size our Ivermectin production lines.”
“But why, though?”
“Because no one’s going to buy horse de-wormer with no horses to de-worm?”
“See, you say ‘horse’, but I hear ...
Gangs are vicious, chaotic rabble, with subpar equipment, barely any discipline, and frequently high on one or more mind-altering substances. Joining a gang is the worst thing you could do for your future prospects... except living in the slums with no protection at all.
Here I am in silence
Looking 'round without a clue
I find myself alone again
All alone with you
…
I know I could break you down
But what good would it do?
Information Society, What’s On Your Mind
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Trash Panda? Real...
2025-07-02 01:46:29 +0000 UTC View Post'Drill Baby Drill!' Is a fascinating example of a recurring slogan which was reactionary or even obsolete given the lack of traditionally ‘drillable’ fossil fuel reserves in the countries which adopted it, yet it has endured as a symbolic battle cry of those who see history as a struggle ...
2025-06-16 19:40:18 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Four: Dreaming
“Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Find out, in Nimbletainment’s newest family feel good movie, The Little Android Boy. Based on a heartwarming tale by renowned author Phillip K Dick.
AI generated Nimbletainment ad copy for AI scripte...
2025-04-25 16:43:13 +0000 UTC View PostOkay, I get that online recipe sites need advertising to pay for hosting, and I get that they can’t put the recipe at the top because the advertisers won’t buy ads like that, but why in the name of Epicurus do so many of them put ads right in the middle of the recipe and instructions? I n...
2025-03-25 16:00:44 +0000 UTC View PostWhy are we paying for these kids to get breakfast and lunch at school? Don’t people know you gotta be hungry if you wanna succeed?
Bryan Johnson, CEO of United Educare Services
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As Derek and I work our way down the roof to the corner wher...
2025-02-18 05:24:43 +0000 UTC View Post“It looks like an anti-tank rocket just exploded in the middle of Times Square! I’ll… wait… Midnight is engaging the militia in Times Square. I don’t see any of the others.”
Walker hadn’t heard back from the group moving refugees to the stadium for a bit, but Jack Hammer’s l...
2025-02-12 23:54:03 +0000 UTC View PostYou, yes you, need to try the newest flavor of Füd Bär, EXTREME FIESTA! The flavor The Man doesn’t want you to try! Banned in locations on six continents as a War Crime! Get yours today, while you can still get a Fiesta this Extreme!
Füd Bär Extreme Fiesta flavor ...
2025-01-30 20:35:15 +0000 UTC View PostCharlie shoved himself from the hospital bed, only to collapse to the floor. How he kept holding his time he had no idea, but he held it. He kept holding while he pushed himself to his feet, pulled on a pair of boxers, grabbed the printout he’d been trying to read when he saw the feed from Widg...
2025-01-27 20:29:17 +0000 UTC View PostExtreme Fiesta contains a proprietary mix of laboratory produced capsaicin, cilantro, cumin, and artificial flavorings. Enjoy Extreme Fiesta Responsibly!
Füd Bär Extreme Fiesta Flavor Packet
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After I dump the remains of the Model ones int...
2025-01-21 22:59:35 +0000 UTC View PostServing Size - 125.0 g (¼ bar)
Nutrient - Value %DV
Calories - 528
Fats - 16.0 g 16%
Saturated Fats - 7.8 g 78%
Trans Fats - 0.7 g
Cholesterol - 3.8 mg
Sodium - 1.52 g 64%
Carbs - 52 g
Net Carbs - 44 g
Fiber - 8 g 32...
Good news! The most recently posted Blue Bloods chapter is NOT the final chapter of Blue Bloods Volume One! I wouldn't do that kind of downer ending. Ending with some pathos, maybe, but not that kind of thing.
News! The reason for the delay in new chapters of Blue Bloods is because I've rea...
2024-12-14 20:59:35 +0000 UTC View PostAngie slipped along the tracks of the abandoned subway tunnel, her feet inches above the ground. Her new armor kept her from touching the rails. Even when she nudged the third one now and then, sending a soft ringing echoing through the darkness, her armor soaked up the electricity and didn’t c...
2024-11-21 20:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostGrace had time to register the phrase ‘I wish’ before two hundred odd pounds of fireman knocked her sprawling behind the nearest cover, the remains of a corner newsstand. By the time she recovered, pushed his shivering body off of her, and peeked over the thin plywood wall, the world already ...
2024-11-15 20:35:45 +0000 UTC View Post“You got fire powers now too, Midnight?”
Grace looked up at the sound of barely controlled jealousy in Jesse’s voice. Her inspection of the holes in her new uniform would have to wait, despite the bizarre novelty of knowing she’d been shot without being harmed beyond damage to her c...
2024-11-07 20:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostAt Angela’s gesture, Drew tossed over her phone. She pressed a few buttons and JJ’s face jumped from the tiny phone screen to cover the stark white wall.
“Can you hear me okay, Agent Johnson?”
“I can, Midnight. We’ve got a major situation. Is Mr. Morgan available?”
The other day I saw a samurai buy a 'portable campfire lamp' that they gave away after they ‘were done with it’. The manual that came with the thing said it would have power for 5000 more hours.
I don’t even want to think how many points they blew on that or how many anti...
2024-10-27 00:41:24 +0000 UTC View PostDrew shifted, stirred, and her eyes slid open. Jack relaxed; even via a camera he’d been distracted by the constant rise and fall of her chest. He keyed the microphone on the table in front of him. “Midnight, could you slip that uniform blouse on and come in here please?”
She sat up, ...
2024-10-24 19:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostMidnight set the VTOL down just outside the ring of posts surrounding the cinderblock buildings, slapping the controls to power down the engines with one hand while unbuckling her safety harness with the other.
"Wait for me!" She barked at the sound of the side hatch hissing open. After loc...
2024-10-17 21:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostMidnight brought the converted Osprey down to a smooth landing, filling the narrow strip between the country lane and the military base fence. Before the hydraulics had time to come to rest, Widget dashed out from beside the neat, circular hole burned through the fence's links. As the door slid o...
2024-10-12 21:19:59 +0000 UTC View PostThe world swam back into focus, music playing faintly in the background. Something hard and angular in Drew's pocket vibrated along to the tune. Disjointed images flashed through her head; a giant lizard, mouth gaping; a juggernaut the size of a small moon crashing through the sky; a gun leveled ...
2024-10-03 19:16:01 +0000 UTC View PostAngie stared at the dead man sliding down the wall. His feet touched the ground; his legs crumpled up underneath him. Eventually, after an eternity of waiting, he collapsed forward, hiding the gaping wound in his chest.
She'd never seen someone die before. On TV, yeah, but never in person. ...
2024-09-26 14:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostJesse looked across the emergency room from her vantage point in the paramedic's break room. She watched the patients waiting, some bored, others in obvious pain. A few others crossed her field of vision; a pair of candy stripers moved through the room making sure everyone had filled out all the ...
2024-09-12 20:37:44 +0000 UTC View Post> Our duty as Operators is not to direct Samurai, but to support them in whatever way we can. Please stop wasting Network time and resources creating ‘wish lists’ or ‘builds’, as if Samurai were some game to be optimized.
> If the Protectors didn’t mean for huma...
2024-09-12 04:35:16 +0000 UTC View PostGrace watched as anger warred with confusion on Drew's face. Her brows drew down before she barked out, "Oh, so that makes it all okay?"
Silence beckoned, but Grace knew the end result of that path. "No. It does not. But it means there are others who have been where you are. There are other...
2024-09-09 22:20:32 +0000 UTC View PostDrew stared at the monitor, idly dragging her mouse pointer back and forth across the screen. She'd watched all three videos. Her new motorcycle 'keys', really a pair of remote starters and security fobs, dangled from her other hand. Some deeply ingrained training slipped them into her pocket, re...
2024-09-05 20:17:00 +0000 UTC View PostOne of the most telling things about Samurai isn’t their public persona, but how they handle the supposed ‘point loss’ from degrees of separation. From Deus Ex’s purported ‘clone army’ where each of them is technically ‘her’ to the ubiquitous ‘handing cast offs to a civilian...
2024-09-01 21:24:46 +0000 UTC View PostDrew stretched, trying to remember when she'd checked into the motel. More importantly, she tried to remember why, or more to the point who had slept in the other bed. Whoever, they'd left the sheets a mess. Her own smelled faintly of perfume and sweat, but both held the slightly acrid tinge of a...
2024-09-01 15:38:29 +0000 UTC View Post