Native to the Americas, the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) travels widely in search of sustenance. While usually foraging alone, it relies on other individuals of its species for companionship and mutual protection. Sometimes misunderstood, sometimes feared, sometimes shunned, it nevertheless performs an important role in the ecosystem.
This scavenger bird is a marvel of efficiency. Rather than expend energy flapping its wings, it instead locates uplifting columns of air, and spirals within them in order to glide to greater heights. This behavior has been mistaken for opportunism, interpreted as if it is circling doomed terrestrial animals destined to be its next meal. In truth, the vulture takes advantage of these thermals to gain the altitude needed glide longer distances, flying not out of necessity, but for the joy of it.
It also avoids the exertion necessary to capture live prey, preferring instead to feast upon that which is already dead. In this behavior, it resembles many humans.
It is not what most of us would consider to be a pretty bird. While its habits are often off-putting, or even disgusting, to members of more fastidious species, the turkey vulture helps to keep the environment from being clogged with detritus. Hence its Latin binomial, which translates to English as "golden purifier."
I rarely know where the winds will take me next, or what I might find there. The journey is the destination.
Oldest Son started dating a Chinese political refugee last year. The Chinese woman was kicked out of China for posting something critical of the government on the internet. They didn't exactly kick her out, but they are blocking her from being employed, rent an apartment, register a car ... they essentially blocked her from life.
Soooooo ... she lives with us now. And, yes, she is a fourth child to me. Although her English is very good, there remains somewhat of a language barrier. There are cultural differences. Oh, and don't get me started on China's One Child policy that has created a person who has no self-awareness because she was doted on by her parents and grandparents and never told to consider others. (Like chewing with the mouth closed. Like leaving some of the fun food things for others. Like not giggling loudly in the middle of the night when others are trying to sleep.)
Argh.
Well, she loves my son. Or she loves having a free place to live. I don't care. Even with all my above gripes, she is good company. She's easy going, funny, creative, and carries her own weight in the household. She has her own car and she's giving rides when the other cars are booked up.
And, and this is crucial, when I sit her down and explain life in a large~ish household, she immediately adapts and starts following the rules.
I like robots..but according to all the movies and books..they are going to be our downfall. They could really be a big help..but our government is going to turn them toward war etc.
Re #10: My first thought was of Data connecting with Locutus-Picard after he was rescued from the Borg. As for direct ad injection, of course it's going to happen, because it would be way better than subliminal advertising.
I have always hated being asked, "How are you?" Sadly, for most of my life, "Fine" would have been a lie.
I don't like to lie--even if it is to the checker at the grocery store who is routinely asking, "How are you?" to every customer.
Over the years, I have used various answers. One for a good day was "fair to middling". At other times, I have responded, "Crappy, but thanks for asking!" Cashiers usually don't know how to respond to that one.
A fella from church asked me, "How are you?" and I did my turn it around non-answer: "How are YOU?" to which he replied, "Short, fat, and ugly." That answer stopped me in my tracks.
Lately, I came up with an answer to "How are you?" that I love so much I tend to say it even when I'm feeling great: "I plead the fifth." Saying it always makes me smile--I think it is so clever!
Wow, this public comment could almost be a blog entry, eh? Unusual for me...
I've always liked the general idea of a "jury of your peers" giving you a fair trial. Then I served on a jury and it was honestly kind of scary how people have to leave their fate in the hands of twelve individuals that, in many cases, struggle with basic deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills.
"The jury is made up of citizens selected basically at random from public records, such as voter registration lists."
I think it's from DMV records, because I (not a citizen) get jury summons every few years. I check a box that says that I'm a foreigner and they back off for another couple of years.
"A lot of people complain about jury duty, and go to great lengths (including committing perjury) to get out of it."
I made sure to stay a foreigner. As a mother of three young boys who are capable of having me called away from whatever I am doing because they caused trouble at school, I didn't think I wanted to be involved in this judiciary process. Now that they are adults with their own jury summons, I can't become a citizen because the government has started snatching and arresting people on way to their swearing in ceremonies.
I've been on a jury once. The only female. It was interesting and i enjoyed the experience. The only thing that irked me was the men kept asking if I understood! Like being female meant I didn't have a brain!
I haven't been chosen since because I answer their questions honestly. Most folks involved in jury selection don't like honesty.
Anyway it's all been interesting and a little entertaining.
Yeh, I had to pretend to look like an ass so that I wasn't selected when I had jury duty last year. I mean, I wasn't really pretending.
Granted, they let me know at 6pm the night before and I was sick and there was no way to ask to be excused on that short of notice.
I'd like to do it for real one day, maybe. But also not. Maybe for an easy case. The case I would have been on was a murder case, and I'm not about that life.
This is the SF equivalent of that carved bone thing from a couple of days ago.
After reading some of these, we might honestly head for the hills and start a new life amongst the trees.
And if you also read fantasy, you'd know why that's a bad idea.
15 Hybrid human-AI co-embodied intelligence
You know, this, or something like it, is quite literally the oldest theme in science fiction.
Researchers have begun deploying robots guided by AI to run chemistry experiments, handle materials, data-analysis, and lab workflows.
I don't expect a whole lot from Cracked these days, but that sentence doesn't say "co-embodied intelligence" to me.
14 Lethal autonomous weapons
This is one of those things that was going to happen with or without SF.
12 We’re very close to mind-reading
Doubt.
A recent study reports that a new neurotechnology can now predict preconscious thoughts — i.e. indicating what a person is about to think before they consciously realize it.
Yeah, not exactly, and even the article notes that it would need to hold up under further scientific scrutiny.
10 Brain-computer interfaces
This is a more modern staple of SF, and it can, like most technology, be either good or evil. My own thought is that they'll immediately figure out how to project ads directly into our brains with it.
6 Social credit & behavioral scoring
Yeah, considering how well the actual credit scoring system works, you know that will not end well, even if you haven't seen Black Mirror.
3 Predictive policing algorithms
Isn't that, like, the heart of every techno-dystopia?
1 “Chemputation”
Speaking of dystopias, I was pretty sure that cutesy portmanteau was of "chemical" and "amputation." Nope, turns out it's about computation.
Much less dystopian.
Going to leave it at that for today; for some reason, I'm having to wrestle extra-hard with the text editor. There are, of course, more items at the link.
Comment • View 4 comments 
