Comments by "Chaos Corner" (@chaos.corner) on "Extra History" channel.

  1. DOS is still very relevant. To the degree that a few years ago, Microsoft decided to take it seriously and supercharge it to Powershell.
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  2. I'm sure that one wouldn't want to buck the authority of a licensed manure pitcher. Now, if you'll excuse me, my baby just had a bowel movement. Time to buck some authority...
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  3. It definitely leans a bit that way. I'd say that Heinlein's protagonists are more grounded in reality and more likely to have flaws but they're definitely a little bit over-competent. They're a bit more along the lines of the renaissance man or polymath model though.
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  4. Occam's razor will show that the best option is to apply maximum braking in a straight line, disappating as much energy as heat as quickly as possible (where an accident isn't trivially avoidable). Any weird edge cases will be vanishingly rare and the actual savings in life and property will be so disproportionate, people will wonder how we ever dared get into cars and drive for ourselves. From the legal side of things, manufacturers will be indemnified if their cars behave within spec, the minimum of which will be decided by appropriate government bodies just as things operate currently. Financial responsibility will, presumably, be carried by the driver which will be covered by insurance which should be a lot cheaper since most vehicles will not experience an accident over their lifetime.
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  5. The implication from the story is that he invents his own existence. He is killed, decides that it is not time to die yet and gets back into the action. It's kind-of an exploration of solipsism (look it up) [or possibly just the power of the author] and goes some way to explaining the competence angle.
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  6. From this episode, I'm fairly confident you'll do Starship Troopers justice. Many other critics fail to comprehend what it's saying due to their own prejudices. Don't forget the powered armor. It's especially relevant for this channel.
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  7. could do with a mention of the 0th law.
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  8. No, no, no, no, no, Marti. Both you and Jennifer turn out fine. It's your kids, Marti. They're just not competent.
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  9. The "punching a robot" one was left ambiguous at the end of the story. It was just suggested that that could be how the politician accused could have passed that test.
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  10. "Resistance is futile" is definitely a Star Trek reference but The Master said it first (The Deadly Assassin).
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  11. I don't see why that would be the case. And remember there won't be a "driver" as such. Negligence would assign legal responsibility but that's not required for financial responsibility (which should be handled by insurance, especially since the vehicle could refuse to move if not covered). Again, issues should be so rare that there will not be any significant outcry.
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  12. Well, if it fails due to negligence, then the company will be liable. If it's all within spec but one car is better than another then that will be a decision the consumer will make as it is currently.
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  13. I think to view this list as literal is a bit of a mistake anyway. The point is, I think, that a person should be able to assimilate and adapt to new tasks. You may not be able to build a wall right now but you should have a broad idea of what things are about and be able to acquire or intuit a lot of the details.
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