I could think of a few subjects, but with such a short time to prepare I’d probably ramble on like a rabbit hole of connections to related stuff. It wouldn’t be a great TED talk overall.

When the first image of black hole was due to be released, a few science channels had videos on what we should see (and did). And was also depicted as in the movie Interstellar.

had one of the first and supposedly the best and easiest to understand using visual aids.

The very simplest reason is because of the accretion disk, which is the only part we can actually see, and how the black hole’s gravity warps the back part of the disk around so we see many sides of it that we wouldn’t without the strong gravity bending the light. I.e., we don’t see the part of Saturn’s rings that are behind the planet.

The positive use has been covered by other comments. Aware of things.

The negative use is much like certain red hats. It helps show which people to avoid having discussions with, as they’ll beat you with their experience in idiocy. My usual response to them if any at all is “the opposite of woke is sleeping”.

Then you’re wasting their time and yours, as well as the effort to change anything. That’s the funny thing about the “danger” of voter fraud, it rarely is a problem because of how little one vote alone has any power. Maybe a small local district that comes close to a tie. Not that your votes isn’t important, but it’s one drop in a bathtub of water. If no one votes, it’s empty.

But they want you to think that it’s the few people who may try this that’s the problem so they can put in ID laws for other purposes, and to deflect attention from the efforts of mass manipulation of results or the disenfranchising of large demographics in strategic areas. That isn’t done by the voters, but by those in control or who work for them.

Everything he touches…

It would have been a longer and more complex article requiring a lot of research if they tried to go through all the issues that could be contributing. Hell, it’d be a book.

It was joining Facebook long ago and adding people I knew that made me realize I’m not going to ever bother going to a reunion. I only had a few close friends in high school, and the rest… well, let’s just say it didn’t take long for me to block their constant postings about all sorts of junk topics. My mistake was seeing Facebook as a newer version of the BBS forums, but once I figured out it’s all about saying “look at me”, and not about actual discussion… not my thing.

The LCD screen and size were the selling point beginning with the first ones. Newer phones can do more, and for some that might be better, but I don’t like the smaller screen, and will go to a computer before I try to see a website on my phone. Guess it depends on your needs and priorities.

Getting ready to retire, and boy I do not want to be around once my scripting that everyone relies on breaks. And it will, it requires regular upkeep by me. Not by design or maliciousness, but because of Microsoft 365 stupidity. But oh well…

Not a real monologue, but Humbaba mocks Gilgamesh and Enkidu for their hubris and lack of wisdom. He specifically attacks Enkidu, questioning his origins and his betrayal of the wild. He vows to slaughter them both and feed their flesh to the birds and beasts of the forest.

Opens when you press it. Not finds a solution. Never has found a solution.

Explains why it responds/opens so quickly. Tight coding.

My mother was once hit from septic shock, and barely got through it. She waited thinking it was just something she ate or whatever, and had they waited another 30 mins to call 911, it would have been too late. Don’t ignore your body tells.

Maybe it’s not AI slop, but we’re just too dumb to understand it.

We don’t know for sure. Maybe he was in terrible pain, briefly. Let’s just keep that possibility to make us feel better.

I don’t celebrate. But I do use Grumpy Cat’s line. Then move on.

Unfortunately there are things that can come out of nowhere, even for younger people. It’s not common, but still a bit scary to think about. You can be fine one day and suddenly if you don’t notice the symptoms early enough… Septic shock is a big one. Stroke and heart issues are others.

Which ending? I’d take either that you were hinting at. An Arya ninja move from nowhere, or a Bran the Broken settlement. Either way, at least with reality we’ll be able to see what’s going on at night.

Major news is going to get spread first where all the people are. It’s been said for a long time that the meme and funny areas are where you learn stuff, and the real value is always in the comments, not the main post.

If starvation due to the nectar is the cause, then my next question would be, what is the major pollinator for the trees? Or is what they get from everything good enough that evolution doesn’t kick in to make this a dead end feature for the tree. Maybe their blooming cycle is different than others, so they tend to dominate at that time and get enough activity even with the deaths?