derfunkatron

Adjusted for inflation, that $0.25 is now equivalent to $68 million dollars, so…

Yeah, it’s more of an act of reverence or deference. However, it is a pronoun (cis-gendered, and preferred) which some people believe never occurs in the Bible.

Or short people. Only the average thrive.

Rice flour.

I think that word is tyranny, if we’re sticking with Greek.

This has to have been some form of egregious waste.

I can’t recall seeing any promotional material for this besides the trailer being reposted to talk shit about the movie.

Cue the Scroll Phone^TM^.

I can’t even imagine the nightmare UI that would accommodate that type of screen.

Mechanically, I could see a device that has a slide down keyboard and a roll up screen. Functionally, I can’t see how it would be useful for daily smart phone actions like one-handed use or swipe-gestures.

It’s the serious tag. Used for only the most serious and factually correct statements ever. Seriously. /s

I went through a McDonald’s drive-thru the other day and had the most insane experience. For the context of this anecdote, I don’t do that often, so, what I experienced was just weird.

While not quite “AI,” the first thing that happened was an automated voice yells at me, “are you ordering using your mobile app today?”

There’s like three menu-speaker boxes, and due to where the car in front of me stopped, I’m like in between the last two. The other speaker begins to yell, “Are you ordering using your mobile app today?”

The person running drive-thru mumbles something about pull around. I do. Pass by the other menu “Are you ordering using your mobile app today?”

Dude walks out with a headset and starts taking orders from each car using a tablet.

I have no idea what is happening. I can’t even see a menu when the guy gets around to me. Turns the tablet around at me.

I realized that I was indeed ordering using the mobile app today.

Relevant: https://xkcd.com/609/

The larger context of why anyone is talking about what is sung at the Super Bowl should have been enough of a set up, but apparently not.

This entire stunt is predicated on the right’s frustration that they couldn’t do anything about black athletes and allies being disrespectful during the National Anthem (a legally defined song with etiquette spelled out in the US legal code), which is protected speech.

Now, in my opinion, they have a Super Bowl to posture about eight months before a presidential election. They want sound bites and over-the-top reactions so that they can paint themselves the victims of a hypocritical, leftist, anti-freedom conspiratorial media machine. This part of that “projection” plank in the modern GOP.

My original post was simply outlining that no matter how you slice it, there is nothing to be mad about them “protesting” the Black National Anthem. I added in a rhetorical refrain to drive home the point while beating a dead horse for effect.

This is such a non-thing that it hurts to even consider how stupid it is.

But, let’s consider:

1. The Super Bowl is a private corporate event; any song may be performed ceremoniously. That’s protected speech.

2. Not standing up for the Black National Anthem is whatever. That’s protected speech.

3. The Black National Anthem is a colloquial title and has no legal status. That’s protected speech.

4. While there is a statute outlying etiquette for performances of the National Anthem, there are no penalties for not adhering. That’s protected speech.

5. “America the Beautiful” was also performed and there’s no legal basis for etiquette or participation. This song also has a long history of being performed alongside the Star-Spangled Banner to the point that it’s sometimes referred to as the National Hymn, even though that is a colloquial and non-legal designation. That’s protected speech.

6. This is apparently the fourth year that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has been performed at the Super Bowl. That’s protected speech.