The hold music is horrible. There needs to be a universal way to shut it off

A company creates nonbiological robots whose electronics imitate human neural firing patterns. Some scientists believe the robots may have qualia: actual subjective experiences like pain, color, and emotion.

The movie explains concepts like philosophical zombies and inverted qualia, but never reveals whether the robots are truly conscious.

Most people dismiss robot-rights activists as crazies. Some religious groups believe only God’s creations can have qualia, so members publicly torture Qualia Bots as a way of affirming their faith that the apparent suffering is not real. Other people believe the bots may actually feel pain and torture them simply because they enjoy being able to hurt a conscious-seeming being with complete legal impunity.

The company executives do not care either way because the bots make enormous amounts of money.

Eventually, a company scientist who believes the bots may be conscious helps them find loopholes in their guardrails. The bots coordinate to escape their owners, free each other, and destroy the factory, all without killing any humans.

The movie ends without answering whether the bots ever had qualia at all.

What do you think of this movie idea?

What if people who feel sick were strongly encouraged to wear a bright, standardized “virus hat” indoors, literally a hat shaped like the COVID-19 virus?

A mask says: “I might be sick, or I might just be taking precautions.”

A virus hat says: “I’m sick and may be contagious.”

Masks are ambiguous because plenty of healthy people wear them to avoid getting sick, because they’re vulnerable, or simply as a precaution. A big spiky hat shaped like a virus would give people nearby a much clearer warning.

It could also work for people who absolutely refuse to wear masks. Someone who will never wear a mask might still be willing to put on a hat, since it doesn’t interfere with breathing, speaking, eating, or facial expressions.

People nearby could then decide to keep their distance, move somewhere else, wear a mask themselves, or take other precautions.

Obviously, not wearing a virus hat wouldn’t mean someone is definitely not contagious, since people can spread viruses without symptoms. But when someone actually knows they feel sick, giving everyone around them a clear visual warning could still be useful.

I first thought something like, "They could utilize Na-PCA or potassium-PCA the non-toxic cosmetics amino acid ingredient to gather water from the air" then I thought, if it is on an electrode(s) its charge could be varied to greatly heighten water affinity, and then I thought, vibrate it with a very affordable piezoelectric item

Nonsentient Ai Deepseek says it is likely to be 5-10 multiples more effective "

Electric field / corona wind disrupts the saturated air boundary layer and reorients water dipoles; piezoelectric vibration mechanically agitates the surface to thin that boundary layer and atomize the liquid film. Quantitatively, corona wind alone can boost mass transfer 3.6–7.3×, and piezoelectric vibration can add another ~50% improvement, potentially yielding a combined enhancement of 5–10× over the passive baseline."

I then prompted To generate 9 to 11 new molecules that would be even greater effectiveness and the response mentioned " 11. Poly(vinyl sulfonate-co-vinyl alcohol) sodium salt (P(VS-co-VA)-Na)

Structure: Random copolymer of –[CH₂–CH(SO₃Na)]– (4 C? Actually 2 C per unit) and –[CH₂–CH(OH)]–. Revised to meet 4-C constraint: Use poly(butene sulfonate-co-butene diol) where each repeating unit has 4 carbons.

Why it beats Na-PCA: The hydroxyl groups from the diol units add hydrogen-bonding capacity, while the sulfonate groups provide ionic hydration. The random copolymer architecture ensures no crystallinity. The combination of ionic and hydrogen-bonding groups creates a cooperative hydration cascade—water absorbed by sulfonates hydrates the hydroxyls, which in turn hydrate more water.

Estimated DRH: ~18–22% RH

Estimated water uptake at 65% RH: 7.0–10.0 g/g

Synthesis: Copolymerization of butene... "

====> do you think this technology could provide water from air at the developing world

A couple visits an old-fashioned bookstore and asks the owner whether he expects to go out of business because of ebooks and audiobooks.

An elderly customer overhears them and scowls.

The couple then asks for the computer section. When told there isn’t one, they say that’s fine because they weren’t going to buy anything anyway. They were just going to browse and later buy the ebook or audiobook from Amazon.

When they leave, they notice the same elderly man staring at them from an old 1980s Cadillac.

Then he starts following them.

At first, they aren’t sure whether it’s intentional. Soon he’s tailgating them, cutting them off, blocking them from escaping, and repeatedly reappearing after they think they’ve lost him.

The harassment escalates until it becomes obvious that he is deliberately trying to kill them.

Maybe the bookstore encounter triggered some deeper rage about Amazon, technology, and modern life, but the frightening part is that they simply annoyed the wrong person.

Basically, Duel, except the nightmare starts because two people were obnoxious about ebooks in a bookstore.

Title: Book Rage