Microsoft releases new versions of Windows for the fine upgrade fees. There aren't any important new features and, in fact, they've damaged the UI again for no apparent reason. However, you must be persuaded to hand them money.

Other companies love this, for now they can insist that you also upgrade their products. There aren't any important new features but, they've got the pliers on your jiggly bits.

My Xerox printer stopped working as of Windows 11, because the company had put a version check in their drivers, and didn't release updated drivers. I presume they expected me to buy a new Xerox printer. I have been quite pleased with my Canon color laser.

Pennies are British. America has cents, or will until 2026, when they're scheduled to be discontinued. We'll have to see if that actually flies.

I see that we are told how fast the drives that are faster than these are but, not how fast these are. Brilliant!

Anyway, I'm sure we all look forward to having drives that can be inserted nasally.

I'm thinking that these are just computers with "AI" components jammed into them, and people are buying them because that's what's stuffed into the computers. They're not buying them for the "AI".

Warning: your prose has been infected by marketing weasels. Stop reading and induce vomiting.

It's not really going to help if "AI" just makes mistakes faster than before. This is a technology that doesn't look like it improves significantly.

Whoops, accidentally modded that up. Gambling is not mandatory, and what people do with their money is their business.

Oh, yeah. The predictable smugness of Europeans, who like to tout how safe their systems are while buying horse meat that was advertised as hamburger.

"In the long term, though, he explains that autonomous driving is the lucrative field of the future, one that promises to be much more profitable than the traditional automotive industry..."

So, is this telling us that these cars will be significantly overpriced? Or is it that they'll break down more frequently?

So, you're telling me that this "analog notebook" requires a lot of tech support? Your marketing department certainly has a top-notch way of describing your customers as idiots or your products as wildly defective. ("Why not both?")

The reason fiat currency exists is so that the issuer can make a profit by devaluing the currency. See also "inflation".

...are probably good at flipping burgers and pulling the fries when the bell goes "ding".

"which may explain why younger people seem to be more sensitive to caffeine's powers."

Ehhh... in my experience, this is completely wrong. It's older people who may have to avoid caffeine entirely or stop ingesting it at least four hours before bedtime. Perhaps I've just had unusual experiences but, ...

When was this? In the shows I remember, the only thing worse than the "special effects" was the plots.

Big manufacturers have certainly been eager to go all-in on "AI" tech but, it is inherently unreliable. This isn't always a problem but, companies seem far too eager to rely on the output of software that produces results that only have the appearance of meaning.

At a time when Americans have elected a crowd of wild-eyed nonsense jabberers, maybe this makes sense. I still feel that there's an excellent chance of this being a weird marketing bubble that will suddenly collapse catestrophically. That goes for both "AI" and the nutbag politicians.

"Dependence". Look, maaan. The little red squiggly that your browser inserts under your words means that they aren't words. It isn't that difficult to understand your spelling checker.

Your argument that every country should be self-sufficient is woefully shortsighted. Let's continue with your notion and suggest that every state should be self-sufficient, for why should Maine have to depend on North Carolina? But, let's not stop there. I mean, your community in Bangor can surely not rely on products from Fairfield. And all this relies on community, which is notoriously chaotic and irresponsible!

So, let's insist that every family must be able to provide for all of its own needs without any reliance on others. Wait! Every individual! You can by no means trust anyone other than yourself.

Now, get cracking. It's time to weed the fields, feed the chickens, shear the sheep, haul water, harvest some trees, and continue the search for good clay and iron ore. If you get sick, you're weak! Go ahead and die.

At least, in your glorious self-sufficient paradise, you will have no need for money.