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Ever been there? It's pretty fucking rough. On 3 occasion across 2 nights we had men threaten, follow or chase us. We actually turned down a side street in case I had to clear my weapon away from the packed crowd. Had never before come close to pulling a gun (didn't). This is coming from a white dude that had no issues or worries working unarmed in South Chicago. Don't get me wrong, I fucking love NOLA culture, but it's the most raggedy American city I've ever seen. Meh, Birmingham may be worse, but I ain't stopping in that shithole. Anyway, I'd still invite folks to visit the French Quarter, Marigny (adjacent), and NOLA in general. There is nowhere in America like it, truly unique. Make time to hit a few cemeteries! You will not regret spending a couple of hours meandering around. Also, eat at the little shitty places downtown. Had the best oysters of my life on that last trip, sucking and scraping the shells like a starving man. I'll add for anyone offended that I occasionally carry, having a concealed gun has bonuses most don't talk about or maybe don't know: The ability to end a life really makes you consider what you're doing, where you'll go, +3 to situational awareness. Despite what one may think of gun nuts looking for an excuse, my conceal carry instructor taught us, "No matter how justified you think you are, pulling that gun may put you in a concrete box for life." Faced with the man who followed us around the corner and "chatted" us up, I was clearly confident, and confidence usually runs bullies off without a fight. (I was actually pretty worried.)

They want to become the new tax collectors. They want to buy our toy democracy

Just to add — this survey is for literally anyone who's been through the project phase in college. We’re trying to figure out: What stops students from building cool stuff? What actually helps students finish a project? How mentors/teachers can support better? And whether buying/selling projects is something people genuinely do — and why. Super grateful to anyone who fills it. And if you’ve had an experience (good or bad) with your project — feel free to share it here too

A family member with no inherent moral compass or empathy, whose eyes, ears, thoughts and agency belong to teams of trained profit-seekers in a different country. I disapprove of this humanization of software.

Yup, and people seem to frequently underestimate how ridiculously expensive running a fleet of humanoid robots would be (and don’t seem to realize how comparatively low the manual labor it’d replace is paid.)