• Tag: elon musk

    This AIn’t your grandpappy’s new technology

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    This AIn’t your grandpappy’s new technology

    Many of us grew up seeing artificial intelligence and robots featured on fictional TV shows and movies. There was Robot on “Lost in Space” waving his arms around and yelling, “Danger, Will Robinson!” and “Why are you wearing pajamas all the time, Will Robinson?” Then came Rosie on “The Jetsons,” who was basically a tall Roomba who cleaned the house and talked like Wilma Flintstone (for good reason). And my generation fell in love with C-3PO and R2-D2 from “Star Wars” in the ’70s before falling in love with Princess Leia in the gold bikini in the ’80s. Those characters […]

    Y’all leave the moon alone!

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    Y’all leave the moon alone!

    In the past week, Elon Musk shot part of a SpaceX rocket into the moon, and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un fired another missile into the ocean. Maybe Elon is trying to mess with our ocean tides. Maybe Kim hates whales. Whatever the case, I figured I’d better check in on my buddy Jim Bob Jenkins. While Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, Jim Bob was the last. And still is. He is the proverbial man in the moon, left behind by Apollo 17 in 1972. So, I figured this would be a good time to […]

    We need more than just donkeys and elephants

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    We need more than just donkeys and elephants

    Many Americans — and by “many” I mean me and some lady named Gladys in Topeka — long for an alternative to our nation’s current two-party system. With so many Democrats determined to shoot themselves in the foot at every turn and finding new ways to whine, and with Republicans lacking integrity and spine to stand up to authoritarianism and oligarchy, the two-party system has hit a wall. The only thing Democrats and Republicans can agree upon these days is that they don’t want any third parties at the table. Awesome! Something that can bring them together! And they said […]

    2025 — The Year in PREVIEW

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    2025 — The Year in PREVIEW

    It’s that time of year again when normal folks like you begin wondering what an abnormal guy — in this case, me — thinks will happen in the coming year so that you can mark your calendars for days you might want to just stay in the house and avoid the world. Of course, that’s only for certain days, such as days 2 through 364, although August 3 might not be so bad — at least from 1:12 p.m. to 3:47 p.m. At 3:48, get your butt back inside! Immediately! I’ve been doing my annual Year in Preview for 25 […]

    I finally understand Obi-Wan and his man cave

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    I finally understand Obi-Wan and his man cave

    When I saw the first “Star Wars” movie, I had a few questions, such as: “Why are we starting on Episode IV? … Where did Stormtroopers learn to shoot? … How did everyone know English in a galaxy far, far away? … Can I have more popcorn?” Fortunately, those questions were nipped in the bud: “Shut up and watch the movie! This cost me $5!” It’s the tiny unrealistic things in movies that keep me up at night more than the major ridiculousness. For instance, you’d think that after watching “Teen Wolf,” I’d wonder how come it wasn’t much bigger […]

    My simple solution for America’s roads

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    My simple solution for America’s roads

    The No. 1 song on the day I was born was “The Long and Winding Road” by The Beatles. I think that was supposed to be symbolic, but while my road has been quite winding, it’s actually been rather short and generally leads me around in circles through potholes and into occasional animals such as deer, stray dogs or David Allan Coe, whose mama also once got runned over by a damned ol’ train once. Or so I’ve heard. Fortunately, he was so drunk he barely noticed that he totaled my truck. The insurance company agreed to fix the front […]

    Just a few more weary days and then …

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    Just a few more weary days and then …

    When I was a kid, “The Jetsons” filled me with false hopes. I thought we’d all be working three-hour workweeks by now. I thought robots would do all the housework with only a slight bit of attitude. And I thought Judy Jetson would eventually be older than 15. (Oh, save your outrage — she was older than I was when I watched reruns of “The Jetsons” on my 13-inch black-and-white TV. She didn’t respond to any of my fan mail, anyway.) Granted, there are many visions of the future that did come to pass in some form or another — […]

    Big money sacks college football forever

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    Big money sacks college football forever

    Do I believe that collegiate athletes have the right to make money off their own name, image and likeness? Absolutely. Do I believe that collegiate athletes should have the right to switch from one school to another the way other students and coaches have been able to do through the years? Absolutely. Do I believe that all that money and all these transfers are going to ruin college football as we’ve known it? Abso-freakin-lutely. Oh well. It is what it is. Gone are the days where players gave a school their all for the love of the game, for the […]