Why do you think baskets should be required? To prevent theft? This has been implemented for a decade now, evidently thievery isn’t much of a concern.

There are no doubt multiple factors at play, but when things are easy and quality of life is decent, the honour system works.

That could work also, but not all shops have carts, and people don’t always need a basket. It’s common enough to scan things and pop them directly into a bag you brought, skipping the need for a basket altogether.

It was more accurately described as computer vision at the time, but your memory is right. They wanted to get to 5% of sales being human reviewed, but it was more like 70%.

What’s funny about Amazon’s efforts for Just Walk Out is that checkout free shopping already existed. Simply by letting customers carry a handheld scanner and payment terminal around the store with them.

Not for nothing, but there’s no quote threatening to fly into Canadian airspace if these jets don’t get bought. Only a statement that if Canada doesn’t buy them, another use will have to be found. Which is of course what would happen - they aren’t going to just park these things. Even looking at it as a veiled threat, it’s pretty vague.

I’m not sure what Lockheed expects when the cost has gone up nearly 50% in three years. I wish Saab good fortune making domestic alternatives.

Oh to live in the parallel universe where those local and state governments tell them to pack up their data centre and shove off once their carnival leases expire. The sonic schadenfreude would be felt around the globe.

For anyone as unfamiliar with Danish politicians as I am, that picture is of Morten Messerschmidt at Mar-a-Lago last year, and the person that told Trump to fuck off is Anders Vistisen. Both of the Danish People’s Party, but not the same person that’s let themselves go.

Sidenote, I dislike that political parties are allowed to name themselves. Like MBech wrote, that party doesn’t care about people at all. Unless of course, they look so homogeneous that someone across the world would mistake them for the same person.

This is a nice example of how starting a business doesn’t mean you can run it. The previous owner went to cut hours, sold the place shortly after, and now it’s more successful while cooperatively operating. People should realise that working with their staff is more effective than floating above them.

That’s what you choose to focus on? I’m not going to get into the minutiae of what a law is.

My overarching point here was that this omission may have been a purposeful tactic, and that I don’t believe a misstep taints the institution as a whole. I attempted to bring this to a polite close once you confirmed the inflexibility of your point of view.

Consider yourself to have won this conversation if that’s what you need.

The world isn’t as black and white as you seem to perceive it. Even saying the Smithsonian ‘folded’ is hyperbolic. They seem to have simply complied with a law, just like they have fire suppression, first aid kits, railings at staircases, etc.

It’s fine and dandy for a person to think and believe they’d never commit an act of violence, but if they see someone trying to strangle a child, that person isn’t going to shrug their shoulders and say ‘I have my principles’ while they go about their merry way.

Evidently you and I are of two different schools of thought, but nonetheless it’s appreciated that you answered my question.

Cheers for that.

“At every one of New York City’s darkest periods, nurses showed up to work. They’re value is not negotiable, and their value is not up for debate,” Mamdani said.

I like this guy more and more as the days go by.

In other words you see this as Theseus’s museum. That’s an interesting idea. I don’t think changing one board fundamentally changes the ship, though I’m getting the impression you disagree.

It’s worth noting the plaque wasn’t changed to read ‘Trump was never impeached’, and so there isn’t a direct lie in this circumstance. This is more of a lie by omission, however even that is pretty loose as the museum likely feels they can’t legally reference the impeachments anymore due to EO14253 which explicitly effects the Smithsonian.

I do agree with your sentiment in that over enough time and alteration, a museum could become a place of advertising and not culture or history. However this brings me back to the question I raised that you have not answered twice now.

Changing this plaque can be the start of a slippery slope, yes. However, if you were stood at the summit of K2 and group of thugs walked up from behind and presented you the choice of either taking a step down the steep side or being picked up and thrown off the mountainside to inevitable death, what do you choose?

That’s alright, I understand it’s usually easier to make a witty remark instead of giving a complicated issue consideration. How I wish things were cut and dry.

The victor’s have always written history, or at least influenced the details of how it was remembered. There are museums in the south today that don’t paint a clear picture as to which side won the American Civil War.

If the decision were yours to make, would you hold to your principles and have the Smithsonian disregard the executive order from last year and risk being disbanded entirely? Or would you alter a plaque to omit some details in order to save the rest of what the museum has?

As a followup question, if you choose your principles, do you feel regret if the jackboots march in with orders to destroy the collections? I know I would. Which is why I would bend in the first place - to avoid being broken.

Have you considered you might be able to get away with a bit of dastardliness given the stereotype?

Knick an extra slice of pie at Thanksgiving; get your niece an exciting gift that outshines all the rest; start your own podcast about the different bowling alley oiling techniques and berate your family to be on an episode!

Embrace your inner uncle - in moderation.

Sometimes I like to think these types of things are being implemented by people that expect to revert them if there’s ever a next administration, with the underlying intent being that this act of capitulation will prevent the current administration from taking aim at their entire organization.

If I were asked to make a decision between making this change or having the Smithsonian’s very existence threatened, I would grit my teeth, make the change, and put the correct plaque in storage ready for the next inauguration day.

I’m not saying this is the case here, or that it’s ever happened, only that this thin thread of optimism helps retain my sanity.

Must be some Big Cane executives.

No please, I have already had enough irritating news this year. I wish to live in the funnier version I created where Mr Ping stays within earshot of this trader guy and serves up some delicious rolls on request.

Without being able to read that article, I choose to interpret that quote as if a renown personal chef was on offer for a number of years to provide world class sushi rolls whenever the mood strikes.

Oh I hadn’t meant an actual stadium, moreso stadium-level money for public works That said, there are stadiums that are defacto multipurpose community centres. Those aren’t half bad.

It surprises me from time to time just how cheap some of these politicians sell out for. If I could get together with my neighbours all contributing $50 and buy a legislator or two, we could probably get funds for a stadium.