January 14, 2025

OPEN THREAD: Wherever you go, that’s where you are.

Posted at 10:11 pm by Ed Driscoll

AMERICA’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD IS SEVERELY TEMPTING FATE HERE:

Posted at 9:14 pm by Ed Driscoll

14 HIGHLIGHTS FROM CES 2025 IN AI, ROBOTS, GLASSES, HEALTH AND MORE:

CES went big on humanoid robots, from robots shaking hands and doing dishes to massive agricultural robots from John Deere. These innovations show how personal and industrial tasks can be automated with human-like precision, reducing labor strain and increasing productivity.

My favorites were Realbotix, who unveiled Aria, a life-size AI robot capable of expressing emotions and engaging in conversations. Aria showcases advanced motor technology for fluid movements and modular design, making her suitable for various applications, including personal companionship and travel convenience.

Additionally, Hangzhou Yushu Technology and Unitree presented next-generation robots with improved agility, interaction, and functionality for both industrial and personal use, further blurring the line between humans and machines.

However, while innovation is accelerating, the cost remains a barrier for mainstream adoption. The window cleaning robot was priced at $1,200, the personal companion robot at $175,000, and the all-in-one home robot capable of dishwashing and multitasking was also priced prohibitively high. Even the robot pet feeder came with a premium price tag. Reducing these costs will be essential for wider household adoption of these technologies.

I don’t think Robbie and C3P0, let alone Rachel and Pris from Blade Runner, will be losing much sleep about their competition though, at least this year:

Posted at 8:45 pm by Ed Driscoll

GET WOKE, GO BROKE:

Posted at 8:36 pm by Glenn Reynolds

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION — CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE STYLE: Internet sleuths tracked down repulsive Eagles fan — and his life at DEI-focused company might be ruined.

A viral and revolting incident in the stands at an NFL playoff game on Sunday has already earned one football fan a lifetime ban from Lincoln Financial Field — and it may cost him even more.

The fan, identified as Ryan Caldwell, was captured on video heckling a female Packers fan — and repeatedly calling her a “dumb c–t” — while her fiancé, Alexander Basara, filmed the entire altercation in the stands during Sunday’s Wild Card game in Philly, an Eagles win over the Packers.

Caldwell has been banned from all future events at Lincoln Financial Field, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Post, and his employer, BCT Partners — a DEI-focused management consulting firm based in East Brunswick, N.J. — is involved.

“The management at BCT Partners has been made aware of a video circulating involving an employee making offensive remarks outside of the workplace,” the company said in a statement released Monday on X, without naming the employee. “BCT Partners denounces this type of behavior, and we take this matter extremely seriously. As an organization that has always stood for inclusivity, the conduct displayed was completely unacceptable and stands in direct opposition to our company values.

“We have already begun a full investigation as an internal personnel matter to determine what actions will be taken. We sincerely apologize to everyone affected by this behavior and remain committed to fostering a culture of respect for all.”

BCT Partners aims “to harness the power of diversity, insights, and innovation to transform lives, accelerate equity, and create lasting change,” according to its website.

Here’s the aforementioned video. Language alert, needless to say:

And speaking of “language alert,” “Caldwell’s profile, describing him as a business analyst, uses ‘they/them’ pronouns to detail his roles in hospitality management dating back to 2002.”

Jerry Thorton of Barstool Sports writes that he doesn’t “want to see Caldwell lose his job. If you’re going to be against seeing people get canceled for exercising their right to free speech, you have to be consistent. But …”

There might be some jobs you can still do perfectly well after you’ve called some a woman minding her own business “an ugly, dumb, c*nt” for the crime of rooting for the visiting team. But most definitely, hospitality management is not one of them.

I mean, try to picture BCT Partners getting hired to “accelerate equity and create lasting change” with ol’ Ryan still on the payroll. Their sales person meets with the HR manager of some potential client company who has to decide whether to hire them for $100,000 to conduct DEI seminars.

HR manager: “BCT. Say, aren’t you the firm that employs Ryan Caldwell? He’s the one who called that Packers fan a ‘an ugly, dumb c*n,’ isn’t he?”

Sales person: “Excuse me, you mean, ‘Isn’t they the one who called that Packers fan an ugly, dumb c*nt’? That’s exactly the kind of binary cisgender, heteronormative language we’re going to work with you to eliminate from the workplace …”

After all, you don’t want your prospective clients to think the work you do is just a big, expensive grift and you’re really all a bunch of abusive assholes away from the office. That would be bad for business.

But even with Caldwell’s perfect example of how not to stand for inclusivity of Green Bay fans or foster a culture of respect for people wearing the visiting team’s gear, keeping him on the payroll is going to be a tough sell.

Going forward, I wonder if ubiquitous smartphones and social media will be a better deterrent for the worst behavior at Eagles home games than their once-infamous in-stadium judge and jail was.

UPDATE: Eagles fan who hurled vulgar insults at Packers supporters fired from DEI-focused consulting job.

Posted at 8:30 pm by Ed Driscoll

JOEL KOTKIN: The LA fires are the horrifying consequence of Democratic misrule.

Los Angeles authorities’ poor preparation for and lamentable response to the wildfires now devastating the city capture a broader problem – namely, the failure of governance across America’s Democrat-controlled regions. This pattern of incompetence has accelerated the shift of American economic and political power to regions outside the long dominant north-east and West Coast.

The reason for this shift lies in the clear failure of Democrats, writ large in the inferno now consuming large swathes of LA. In states like California, Democratic politicians no longer prioritise such things as public safety and key infrastructure, including roads, ports and, most importantly at the moment, water systems. Indeed, today’s ‘progressives’ generally shy away from things like building dams or maintaining water pressure in the name of protecting the environment. They are far more focussed on climate change and ‘social justice’.

In part, because they know the DNC-MSM has their backs, even during their biggest cock-ups:

As Treacher has said:

But this story might finally be one that’s too big for that approach to stick.

Posted at 8:14 pm by Ed Driscoll

ABOLISH FEMA:

Posted at 7:04 pm by Glenn Reynolds

EARTHQUAKE! John Lucas writes: “We just had a small one just outside of Richmond. The temperature got up to the 30’s today, so I blame it on global warming.”

Posted at 7:02 pm by Glenn Reynolds

“BUT THEY STILL STOP THE SPREAD OF VIRUSES, RIGHT?”

I’m so old, I remember when that was dangerous misinformation.

Posted at 6:11 pm by Stephen Green

JEWS AND POWER? ‘Jews and Power’ Course at Oberlin College Ignites Controversy.

Toni is covering the anti-semitism beat pretty thoroughly. I don’t quite know what to make of this course. On the one hand “Jews and Power” sounds only about a half-step back from “the Rothschilds control the world.” On the other hand, in general professors ought to be able to teach what the want. On the gripping hand, Oberlin.

Have a look and see what you think.

Posted at 5:51 pm by Charlie Martin

BIDEN’S PARTING GIFTS:

Stop naming carriers after presidents, particularly living presidents.

Posted at 4:51 pm by Stephen Green

HEGSETH HEARINGS ROUNDUP:

I love the image of Hegseth surrounded by shrieking Democratic harridans. Operation Enduring Karen, indeed.

Plus:

Posted at 4:28 pm by Glenn Reynolds

BLUE GOVERNANCE:

Posted at 4:00 pm by Glenn Reynolds

DOG BITES MAN: Lefties Mourn End To Facebook Censorship. “I don’t necessarily trust Zuckerberg’s assertions that Facebook’s original intentions were pure as the driven snow when he started putting fact checkers in place (and that’s one reason I’m not editing out things like ‘um,’ ‘like,’ and ‘you knows,’ as these may be verbal tells when he’s glossing over or eliding information rather than just verbal throat clearing), but I think his depiction of how government pressure for censorship came down is probably accurate.”

Posted at 3:49 pm by Stephen Green

NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG:

Posted at 2:47 pm by Stephen Green