Both in this context, and a wider, societal context, yes.

Just a civilian guess, but 2 or 3 Delta V or Falcon Heavy to put 1 payload into LEO with a command module and lander, then 1 booster with fuel. Short of using prototype lander, fabrication would take months at best. Then a Starship or SLS to get a crew, food, and water into orbit.

“Please update your credit card and subscription to access premium colors such as red!”

It’s not even that.

The technology never, ever works as well as it’s hyped. It’s a sales ploy, not a feature.

The purpose is always data collection, and the data is always leaked.

Vulnerabilities and the progression of tech make these kinds of bells and whistles age out of practical use faster, costing the consumer more over the long run.

F this kind of noise in particular, this is not progress.

Languid incompetence, no less. “It probably won’t happen while I’m in charge…”

For real. I was there a while back, and I was surprised at how much traffic there was in the Quarter. There’s very little relative cost to a delivery-only bollard system. Many other cities have the same systems up.

Thinking this through, they probably filled the car with gas until they couldn’t breathe and then hit the firework mortar to set it all off. Also gives them a higher chance of ending it all then, as opposed to the “oops, all fire!” version, which would have been a lingering way to go.

There are reports of a firework mortar and gas canister in the back. Looks very intentional and showy from the video. Stupid way to end one’s life, but that was part of it I think as well.

Globally, this is becoming a thing. Many states have digital IDs already.

Realistically, both paper with a chip or QR code should be valid for a while.

Yes, I understand the difference between communicable and noncommunicable disease.

The point is that media also rarely talk about these things, and people are not great at taking steps to mitigate their risk. Lots of things we can prevent, or not, still cause us lasting harm. But because those things are mundane, they are not clickbait-y enough to warrant regular coverage.

Yeah, but so can alcohol, smoking, microplastics, and red meat. Heart disease is back to being the #1 killer of Americans, and humans still prioritize fear over serial killers and Bird Flu rather than heart disease and car accidents.

Humans are notoriously bad at assessing risk. It’s a lot of work to overcome our cognitive biases.