Thoughts at large

**Jimaz** · May-20-21, 05:36 PM

Watch police pull over a Tesla driver they say was asleep at the wheel going 82 mph with Autopilot switched on

Police on Sunday pulled over a man from Illinois who they say fell asleep behind the wheel of his Tesla, which officers say was operating under Autopilot.

A Kenosha County deputy said he saw the 38-year-old man with his head down and "not looking at the road," according to the sheriff's department statement on Facebook on Tuesday. They said it appeared that the man was sleeping.

The man was driving a 2019 Tesla on Interstate 94. The car was operating under Autopilot, the company's driver assistance feature, police said.

The deputy switched on his vehicle's lights and siren as he followed the Tesla for around two miles at 82 mph through Kenosha County, according to the statement. The deputy was trying to pull the driver over, but the driver didn't initially notice, the statement said.

Eventually, the driver noticed he was being stopped when the deputy drove alongside him, and he pulled over.

After the police pulled him over, the driver told them he was "a little bit tired" but denied being asleep.

The deputy told him: "I understand you have Autopilot ... but you're not able to make that conscious decision to stop in a hurry."

The man was issued a traffic citation for inattentive driving, the sheriff's department said.

In an interview with Fox 6 News on Wednesday, the deputy said he spotted on the Tesla's front screen that Autopilot was engaged. He also said that officials attempted to pull over the same vehicle twice in February and once in August last year — two of these reports involved claims the driver was asleep, he added.

"Never let technology take over so that you take your hands and eyes off the road," the deputy said in the interview....

Apparently its Autopilot is incapable of detecting nearby flashing lights and sirens. That seems like a pretty serious design omission.

I'd much rather share the road with someone under the influence of marijuana than a car under the influence of AI.

**Richard** · May-24-21, 02:31 PM

So how does that work with DWI - you are not technically in control of the vehicle?

I agree,it’s all fun and games until AI starts killing innocents.

I had to buy another phone today to fix my WiFi connection issues,in order to make my life easier with technology it appears to cost me an additional $300 per year just for the plus the $60 per month for the cell phone plan,so that is $1020 per year when the non technology phones cost $120 per year and the same phone lasted for over 20 years.

I think this whole technology thing is a big Ponzi scheme where they tell you it is essential to your life but actually it is the ones making billions off of it whose life it really is essential.

Now I cannot even find Siri,she is lost somewhere.

**Jimaz** · June-08-21, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

I think I heard this right but maybe not.

The recent gasoline shortages on the east coast were caused by a ransomware attack on a pipeline company. The crooks encrypted the company's files and withheld the decryption key until the ransom was paid. The company paid the $5M ransom but the decryption process was so slow that they restored their files from backup copies instead.

Um, if they had backups, why did they bother paying the ransom at all?

What did I miss?

The reason they paid the ransom despite having backups might be that it was part of a sting operation.

US recovers millions in cryptocurrency paid to Colonial Pipeline ransomware hackers

US investigators have recovered millions in cryptocurrency they say was paid in ransom to hackers whose attack prompted the shutdown of the key East Coast pipeline last month, the Justice Department announced Monday....

Colonial Pipeline Co. CEO Joseph Blount told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published last month that the company complied with the $4.4 million ransom demand because officials didn't know the extent of the intrusion by hackers and how long it would take to restore operations.

But behind the scenes, the company had taken early steps to notify the FBI and followed instructions that helped investigators track the payment to a cryptocurrency wallet used by the hackers, believed to be based in Russia....

"When Colonial was attacked on May 7, we quietly and quickly contacted the local FBI field offices in Atlanta and San Francisco, and prosecutors in Northern California and Washington D.C. to share with them what we knew at that time. The Department of Justice and FBI were instrumental in helping us to understand the threat actor and their tactics. Their efforts to hold these criminals accountable and bring them to justice are commendable," Blount said....

To inoculate an operation against ransomware, a good backup policy needs to be executed and the backup files need to be stored offline. Consider it insurance. If hackers encrypt your files, the most you lose will be the transactions made since the most recent backup.

**Jimaz** · June-23-21, 09:59 AM

There's been a public service announcement running lately warning people of the danger of leaving children in a hot car. Kids can't tolerate heat as well as adults. It's deadly.

They suggest leaving "something important" in the back seat with the child to avoid forgetting the child.

Wait, what? The child isn't important enough?

[Now I have this image stuck in my head of a baby throwing a wallet out the window cheerfully singing "Wallet go bye bye! Fly away little Wally!"]

**bust** · July-01-21, 07:06 PM

I went all in and bought dozens of high CRI LED light bulbs to replace the halogens and incandescents we'd been using for years. The halogens especially worked and looked great but created a lot of heat.

The LED bulbs claimed they'd last 10 years, but many of them started flickering after a few months. I don't think any lasted more than a year.

I'll never buy Hyperikon again. Does anyone recommend a better brand?

I'd love to buy American, or Canadian, or Japanese, or..., at least something that isn't... but don't think we can.

**Jimaz** · July-18-21, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by Bigb23

... And then your actual artists like this - [[pastel and pencil) Reddit

Attachment 41264

I only wish I was that gifted.

Here's another gifted artist:

Twelve-year-old girl producing art so realistic people question if she really did it

I like to think that each of us has within us the talents of the best of us and the expression of those talents is only a matter of unlocking them. The few who discover how easily unlocked those talents can be, become the ones we regard as prodigies.

I've had some surprising success using pareidolia. Start with a blank sheet of paper and just scribble in the center half of the page. Don't try to make a recognizable image, in fact, try not to make a recognizable image. Next, stop scribbling and casually try to find the image {often a face, humans are wired like that} in the scribble. It might help to rotate the page. {It can be cropped later.} It also might help to defocus your eyes if possible. Then add more gentle scribbling that better emphasizes the image you found. Go through a few more refining iterations and you might be surprised at the results. Crop it. Frame it. Display it.

I used to use a number 1 graphite pencil. It's very messy but shades so well! Later I learned that even a ball point pen works.

**jcole** · July-18-21, 05:15 PM

This was done by my 13 yr old granddaughter using pencil. Her foster dog mangle her Chucks

**Ray1936** · July-18-21, 05:57 PM

13 year old granddaughter! Sigh. What a talent.

I'm 84 and still cant draw a decent stick figure man. Color me green.

**Jimaz** · July-21-21, 10:39 AM

Nevada woman breaks into dentist's office, pulls 13 teeth from patient: Police

A 42-year-old US woman broke into a dentist’s office, stole money and pulled 13 teeth from an unconscious patient on two separate occasions. Laurel Eich, who is not a dentist, broke into a dental office where she claimed to have worked earlier. During the May 3 break-in, Eich allegedly stole $22,861 in cash and checks

Twice?! Who would leave an unconscious patient alone long enough for that to even happen?

**Ray1936** · July-21-21, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Twice?! Who would leave an unconscious patient alone long enough for that to even happen?

Happened up in Reno. They're nutsy up there to start with.

**jcole** · July-21-21, 03:42 PM

"But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die..."

Originally Posted by Ray1936

Happened up in Reno. They're nutsy up there to start with.

**Jimaz** · July-21-21, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

"But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die..."

Now I'm having flashbacks to that Reno 911 show. A parody of Cops, it was totally fake, stupid and hilarious.

**Jimaz** · August-10-21, 08:06 AM

NATIONAL LAZY DAY – August 10

On August 10th, National Lazy Day gives us permission to relax and kick back. So, we’re going to be a bit lazy here....

RossCreations.com

**Ray1936** · August-10-21, 03:07 PM

CNN, MSNBC, and Fox news all going nutsy over Gov. Cuomo of Noo Yawk resigning due to his 'difficulties'.

The funny thing is, were he the governor of North Dakota, the media wouldn't give that story the time of day.

News is nuts any more.

**Zacha341** · August-10-21, 03:14 PM

^^^Right! The twix and 'tween - look over here / don't look over there - this gets a pass / this does not IS incredible.

Such as former president Obama's mega party sans masks. Not a 'peep' from CNN etc. And then you had that huge motorcycle event... yahdah.

News GONE nuts and so obviously selective at various levels, on varied sides.

Big C had a butchers bill relative to how he handled the COVID nursing home dumping already. Then this came up ...

...

**Jimaz** · October-28-21, 08:00 AM

Heard on the radio: Companies were found to have been missing out on quality employees because they had been using artificial intelligence to prescreen job applicants. The AI got it all wrong.

Hmm. Who made the boneheaded decision to put machines in charge? Some guy hired by a robot?

Welcome to your cybernetic overlords.

Edit: They recommend including terms that appear in the job description in your resume/application because that's the first thing that bots try to match.

That is so stupid on so many levels.

**bust** · November-01-21, 09:15 PM

^ It also helps if you're named Jared.

**bust** · November-05-21, 05:33 PM

PS. I wasn't kidding.

**Jimaz** · November-30-21, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

...Welcome to your cybernetic overlords.

Edit: They recommend including terms that appear in the job description in your resume/application because that's the first thing that bots try to match.

That is so stupid on so many levels.

Subvert the parasitic saboteurs in power!

**Jimaz** · December-16-21, 10:56 AM

Earlier today there was one of those "This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System" announcements on WWJ News Radio 950. I waited about 5 seconds for the familiar scratchy klaxon but there was nothing but dead air. A commercial followed. This was over broadcast radio, not the internet, so it wasn't one of Audacy's foibles.

Well, I guess that test failed.

Welcome to the further devolution of civilization. <shrug>

Where's that little guy with the knowing of a lot of things when you need him?

**Jimaz** · December-20-21, 08:14 PM

Elderly folks are stereotyped as being unaware that their blinker is flashing without ever turning.

Yesterday I saw a younger guy casually stick his hand out the window — I believe just to feel the wind — without ever turning.

I think he was just too young to know that he was unwittingly making the hand signal for turning right!

**Former_Detroiter** · December-22-21, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Elderly folks are stereotyped as being unaware that their blinker is flashing without ever turning.

Yesterday I saw a younger guy casually stick his hand out the window — I believe just to feel the wind — without ever turning.

I think he was just too young to know that he was unwittingly making the hand signal for turning right!

Was his arm at a 90 degree angle?

**Jimaz** · December-22-21, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by Former_Detroiter

Was his arm at a 90 degree angle?

Yes. His left arm was out the window with his hand pointed straight up. And no, my turn signal wasn't on.

Just one of those strange things we encounter in life. <shrug>

**Jimaz** · December-23-21, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Earlier today there was one of those "This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System" announcements on WWJ News Radio 950. I waited about 5 seconds for the familiar scratchy klaxon but there was nothing but dead air. A commercial followed. This was over broadcast radio, not the internet, so it wasn't one of Audacy's foibles.

Well, I guess that test failed.

Welcome to the further devolution of civilization. <shrug>...

I just now heard another test. This one was followed by the familiar three long klaxons followed by three short ones. I guess someone fixed it. Yea progress!