ToyDork

Fair enough. I guess I mixed you up with whoever was being a defeatist "only the rich will afford it" about something that has not yet become true. Believing something will come true because "that's how everything works" just hastens that type of world, because if enough people act like that's how it works then it becomes the norm. I'm only a pessimist because I like to be pleasantly surprised, but that level of cynicism is... grating, to say the least.

If it shouldn't be true, refuse to support the mindset needed to survive in such a world. Otherwise your mindset is already exactly who wealthy assholes want you to be, a wage slave who sells their morals to whoever scares them more. Better to die believing in not hurting people for personal gain, a hero, than to live believing that someone successfully stabbing you in the back is a fate worse than death.

In short, strength is a weakness if you live only to stay alive, too many people online say they think there is no hope whatsoever, but I confused you with one of them and sorry about that.

Believe it or not, glasses are cybernetics. Yes, that also means a peg leg or glass eye makes the user a cyborg. Cybernetics as a term is much newer than the practice of prosthetics, and cybernetics is simply defined (iirc) as technology for - and the design of the technology for - prosthetic use. Technically "cybernetic" and "prosthetic" are synonyms. The line drawn is implied to be intent: Medical prosthesis to replace what was lost, or cybernetic enhancement?

Don't be ~~a gonk~~ an idiot, they're prosthetics. I appreciate that if I lose my arms I can replace them, but who WANTS to get cybernetics if they can help it? Advertising to the public would be unethical even if it is open source, you want to advertise this to doctors, and even then only within the existing niche. Cybernetics as a commonplace thing were never meant to be more than a 1980s action sci-fi Hollywood fever dream.

I get it. To a degree, we're living in a dystopia, a real one. It's entirely sane to say "the rich did this" and want them to suffer. It's sane to be bothered they're currently getting away with it. Doesn't mean people are stupid, it just means social Darwinism is no different than running civilization as if civilization never existed. The rich right now are generally competently evil, and unfortunately that is what capitalism enforces. "Market forces" and "supply and demand" are just a pretty way to describe "survival of the status quo" because the status quo has always been "ooh, babies are weak and delicious!" because that's how things work in the wild.

This is not the wild. This is not how things should be, regardless if that's "how it's always been". But this is a world where some stories come true. Miami 2017 was written and first sung long before 9/11, MegaMan Battle Network was right on the 00 Green, and Inception was onto something about dreams, if a story has already been written it isn't somehow magically made falsehood.

2013 here. I got to say, it's worth it to me but unless you were willing to take the risk way back then, I don't recommend pledging for anything anymore. That ship is about to sail and the later you are to the party, the less beneficial the backer perks became. Wait for full release, it's likely not any farther off than the time it could take to 100% your existing backlog of Steam games, or for a community-focused/multiplayer game like THE FINALS or Deadlock to mature and/or become a ghost town.

If not, it's still possible to enforce right to repair; most of these arms are able to have 3D-printed components, saw a YouTube video on that.

Don't let this timeline become Cyberpunk 2077. Please, just don't.

Welcome to the Genetic Age. Hopefully someone's researching the Ecotopian or Digital Democracy civics, it's almost Turn 2025 AD for Sid Meier's sake!

Yes, but for reasons I don't remember at the moment, "444" is considered joyful laughter, not danger. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyone who loses a loved one to Dementia has my condolences. I count myself very lucky that it doesn't run in either side of my family, the thought of my dad or mom being in mental anguish and confusion terrifies me.

Yes. Cute and it grows up to be fucking badass. Nice!

Yes, our honey-making insectoid foes! Use your worthy nemesishood to save these elephants from these barbaric warlords! Sting them!

In all seriousness, however they pulled this off, and partly due to my fear of bees and wasps, I approve. Elephants are not stupid, killing them for profit like these African warlords is cruel and said warlords don't tend to care one bit about animals or people. Having something attack them that they can't just shoot is going to be(e) a gamechanger.

I'm aware trophy hunting is a thing but I'm also aware they don't just draw names from a hat. When African megafauna are chosen for trophy hunters, it's almost always because they're too aggressive to their other (endangered) peers to a lethal degree. Harvesting ivory enmasse to buy trafficked weapons is much, much more dark a shade of morality given they mostly tend to use the weapons on innocent people (usually impoverish natives) within Africa. Sadly, in Africa, being discriminated against for being dark-skinned does not seem to have always imparted the wisdom of "tolerance for everything but intolerance and causing harm".

Nah, Fairphone is Crusader.

Also, I disagree on Drake. Drake is a burner phone.

Too low density. Those buildings are mostly suburban one- or two-storey homes most likely, and much of what isn't is not more than 4 floors and a lobby.

Not saying it's a bad idea. I'm saying too much car-centric planning can permanently "lock-in" car-centric living by making it too expensive. Those assholes in the auto industry knew exactly what they were trapping society in.