jrwoodruff

There's still plenty of assembly work being done by humans in automotive factories. Maybe it's not humanoid robots, but quadruped robots or something with more human-like agility. [Microfactories](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNqmvIuzbR4) are an interesting shift in automotive manufacturing that could take advantage of these more dexterous and mobile robot form factors.

Same. I think metaphors that paint something as black or white are almost as damaging in practice as they can be useful in understanding. It doesn't help that these metaphors usually have a built-in positive/negative connotation as well - who wants to be a drone?

Also made possible by the internet and computers in general, I'd argue. Without the easy availability of prices, sales data, and general number crunching capabilities I don't think this would be happening. Certainly not at the scale we're seeing.

The equivalent of about $200 for someone making $100,000/yr

For me, it was more about the humanity represented by the objects than what company they came from. All of those objects are far more human-centered than the iPad. All of those objects were crafted and perfected over centuries - guitar forms, paint formulas, camera technology, etc. In a way it's representative of the much of human culture, and this add kinda says, yea, screw all that old crappy stuff. Look at our neat piece of glass that replaces all that humanity.

I get it, that's exactly their point. The iPad can do all of those things. But at a time when many creatives feel like AI is going to replace them or make their skills irrelevant, it's pretty tone deaf.

And also, it's far more likely that most of those objects were made by skilled craftsmen, even if they did work at a bigger company.

Yea this is gross. Even the examples they provide are gross. Someone struggling with debt, and a some robot gives them the impression that there's a person that cares and, by the way, you should spend your money on this service. Ewww.

Color me jaded, but isn't this just business as usual in the U.S?

Michigan State Police somewhat controversially switched to BMW motorcycles in 2012, and actually disbanded the motorcycle unit for awhile because of safety issues. Apparently it's returning this year, still using the BMWs.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/02/15/m...

If every site used the same font, maybe. But different font faces vary in readability at the same size. Also, we still have to set sizes for things like titles, subtitles and other elements to create a hierarchy on the page.

'Don't resize my fonts' is such a narrow view of whole range of design considerations.

Definitely a yes-and scenario here. I was a cashier, I'm good at finding and scanning bar codes and PLU lookups. I was a damn fast cashier. That's impossible in a self checkout. And then you get carded for a can of spray paint, and the one attendant for 8 machines has three people with blinking lights. On top of that, most of these self-checkouts are not designed to handle a full cart of groceries, but also why do I want to do the work of ringing up and bagging a full cart of groceries by myself?

For the most part, in practice there's little or no advantage for me, the consumer with a cart full of groceries.

One exception was 2003-era Martins in Virginia - Walk in, grab a cart that had bags attached to the front, grab a portable scan gun from it's charging dock. Scan and bag as you shop, dock the gun to the checkout register, show the attendant my id if needed, pay, and I'm done. No unloading and reloading the cart, no fiddling with plu lookups, fumbling with bags, etc. It was actually glorious, but relies on trusting your customers. Corporate stores seem to trust me even less than I trust them.

I'm somewhat ok with these things as a secondary 10-items-or-less option. But for the love of god staff enough cashiers to handle the grocery-shopping-Sunday crowds.

I'm unfamiliar with this, but I'd love some well-done black out shades - got a link or a brand?

You may be underestimating the size of the average American these days...

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04news/americans.htm#:~:t....

The problem is we shouldn’t be working against the government on this. Problems like this are why governments exist, it needs to happen at that scale. Unfortunately, it seems like we’ve forgotten how to solve social problems of any significant scale.

It'd be neat to have a list of companies that use this strategy. It seems like all the big ones do?

Now I'm just picturing AI generating and sending emails so another AI can craft and send a response back.

42 here, I feel it. Don't know if it's age, added responsibilities, or the culmination of all the distraction and task switching I've experienced for years. But, I've just recently started 'brain training' using brainhq.com, kind of for fun and just to see if it makes a difference.

TBH I thought all those ads for brain training were a load of BS, but I recently finished reading The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, it's an older-ish book at this point but there was a lot of info in there about how the brain works that I didn't know. Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Merzenich work pioneering brain plasticity with cochlear implants and expanding that research into autism is highlighted at the beginning of the book and it's pretty damn interesting.

BrainHQ was started by Merzenich, and it's cheap. Figured why not give it a shot?

I actually laughed out loud when I clicked the link and it was Keurig. K-cups rank right up there with Dyson imho. Yea, it kind of solves a problem, but mostly it's great marketing.

They created a problem people didn't realize they had, drove demand for a solution no one asked for, and charge a premium so you can create more waste per cup.

But, it's cheaper then stopping at Starbucks...

And probably as an attraction for divers and others in the area.

Not OP, but I can speak about what this meant to me: Primarily facing my emotions, even learning how to feel emotions again, then learning how to understand and communicate them in a way where I stay true to myself, and live life on my own terms.

Before I started doing this work I approached everything logically. "I shouldn't feel this way, because x, y and z are objectively good." "If I present things this way, I'll get people to agree with me." "I don't want to do x, but it will make so-and-so happy."

It never worked for long, and alcohol has a nice way of suppressing those feelings, as well as the little negative voice in your head that tends to accompany those suppressed emotions.

Rather than trying to logic my way to acceptance and contentment, I've had to learn how to wade into my emotions and figure out productive ways to express what they're telling me.

It's work to improve the relationship you have with yourself; it's still a work in progress for me.

Yea but the US Government isn't a person. It's repayment timespan is, in theory, infinite. And inflation actually devalues any debt the government holds, making it easier to 'pay back.'

Unpopular opinion, and maybe I'm wrong here and I've just been lucky, but I've stopped seeing debt as a bad thing. You have to use it smartly of course, but I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer for what that means. Use it for daily living expenses? Sure, as long as you can pay it off every month. Never take out a loan and spend years saving for a car? Nah, or at least not when that interest rate was 2-3%. And I suppose that's where increasing interest rates come in: Get the 99% to stop buying.

I'm reading the book right now, it's a really interesting read.

Had the knowledge too though. Many people lack the knowledge of how things work, as well as the inclination to stop and think before acting.

That’s a hard article to read, but really good. Gannet has basically done the same thing here - the newsroom is the only thing left, and it’s rented space in one corner of one floor. And they own all the major papers in Ohio now, and probably many other states.

Just in my hometown, the local newspaper has gone from employing 400 people with a Sunday circulation around 100,000 in the early 2000s, to a Sunday circulation under 20,000 with fewer than 20 employees today.

All business functions, as well as printing, design, editing etc. have been eliminated or outsourced. Mid-size local newspapers are a scant shadow of their former selves, full of filler and national wire articles from USA Today, NYT and other major metros.

Television news has always primarily been fed by newspaper reporting. Without the depth and breadth of reporting that once was available for television to narrate and play some b-roll over (and with the advent of news as 24 hour entertainment source,) most television news is built on tiny nuggets of new information surrounded with pundits speculating about what things might mean, or what might happen.

Without robust local journalism, no one is covering your local county board meeting, that controversial school board meeting. No one is calling these people and asking them hard questions about their stance.

Social media seems to be filling the gaps, but in my opinion it's filling the gaps with vitriol, opinion, misinformation and a general sense of helplessness, instead of a sense of authority that speaks truth to power and shines light in dark corners.

The other piece of this that isn't accounted for is the demand on family budgets that didn't previously exist - cable, internet, cell phones, streaming services, higher grocery prices, higher insurance costs. The family budget is getting squeezed hard before any of these pleasant weekend outings or vacations. And then when you do get to the park, concessions, upgrades and other upsells make the entry-level experience feel subpar.

The about page seems pretty tongue-in-cheek. Later they talk about the work ethic of the chickens, and offer eggs for $20/ea.

But... then what's the point of a date at all? May as well not have one.

It does seem like that's how things are. I wonder if it's how things have always been? And if not, what's changed?

Can be. But in the scenario described at the beginning of this article, what is the point of punishment here. Does this person need reformed? Can society dole out any more retribution/revenge/punishment than he's already experiencing?

Willful neglect is awful, a crime, and should be punished. In some cases it's probably necessary for a court to determine if the neglect was willful or not.

But I simply can't imagine the lifelong self-inflicted torment a parent would experience in a situation like the one described. Prison or death would be a respite I think.

You might be keying on the absence of any advertising whatsoever. So many media sites are so bogged down by advertising that it would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Beyond that, it does have good fundamental design. Hierarchy of typography is simple and clear, they font used for the article copy is legible and sized nicely. And, because of he lack of advertisements and attempts to pull you further into the site, there's enough white space to give it a more relaxed feeling.

If you want to learn the fundamentals of design, pick up the Non-Designers Design Book. Quick read with great explanations of the core principles of good information design.