Thank goodness computers have no gender. Oh wait: computer speech. Therefore androgynous voice should be the mandatory default (unless the user has a preference). And they should also appear not to be old, young or middle aged, so as not to be ageist.

As long as this species is tangled up in as simple and irrelevant matters as this, there’s little hope of social progress. I wonder what Mr. Kurzweil has to say about the social aspects of technology as we move toward the Singularity – will it liberate us from these millennia old prejudices and attitudes?

Maybe I can help: You’re working with the wrong premises (no offense).In fact, there is one great secret: Some of the deleted comments were not being blocked.

Like a gardener who pulls out a plant by its root because its branches and leafs didn’t suit her taste, someone has deleted older, formerly non-controversial comments. Maybe a case of “by their fruits ye shall know them”^^

His word-choice (“have been disappeard”) also clearly shows that he is talking about those comments, not some comments you may have blocked (how could he even know you blocked -not only deleted- comments, if you yourself didn’t say so and he isn’t refering to his own?).

Something that didn’t appear can’t disappear, btw.On the other hand, 20 years ago people might have said a car can’t drive without driver…

But I guess you knew that yourself.

I do like a high standard – YouTube comments are there in case I wish to lower my IQ – but I’d like to read controversial opinions as well. Perhaps the feminist attacked the opposite sex as a whole, which constitutes hate speech, which clearly has no place here any more than misogynistic comments do.

It may just reflect the need of this site to maintain “standards”. It seems that this is no different than any other respectable site: if the moderator doesn’t like what you write for any reason whatsoever, you can kiss it goodbye; don’t even bother typing it.

Off-topic doesn’t seem to be the issue; if I’ve understood it correctly, the conspicuously incompetent, ignorant or crazy (which you definitely aren’t) do not need to apply, only comments from the intellectual elite are welcome.

To use more technical language: I have strong personal boundaries.Therefore, affecting others doesn’t affect me all too much.Fortunately, the offending part’s already been deleted, and I guess it didn’t traumatize anyone^^

Let’s rephrase the content of my RIP-ing comment: I think that some things -like the parts of the ad that could be seen as being offensive (in this case from a feminist point of view)- fall well within the boundaries of what I’d call freedom of speech.

Especially if you take a look at other kinds of media-products, in which men aren’t always portrayed “favorably” (the contrary is the case).I don’t need to speak about minorities…and one (or two;)) would also have to complain about perceived “social inequalities”, if she or he wanted to avoid having double standards.

Of course, these things were not part of the ad and thereby are somewhat off-topic, but so is the complaint, given the fact that this site is about technological progess and not advice for advertisements, but my point is entirely different: A so called civilization should be able to bear some (maybe silly) words (pictures, moving pictures with sound, etc).

If some words can bring about emotions that swamp over you like tidal waves, this could mean you have not that much in controll of yourself (since most people don’t/can’t act counter their emotions).

Civilization is derived from the Latin word ‘civis’, meaning citizen (as -conceptually- opposed to subjects, I may add).A democracy, a civilization, with a majority of people deciding in some way and who are being easily swayed by some more or less meaningful sound waves (or little pictures on a screen) can be more dangerous than even a ruthless dictatorship, since a people thinking orders are made by the people for the people will try so much harder to achieve what others have set them to.They think they do what they want, without asking where the wanting actually comes from.

If you accept this as containing some truth, you should accept your responsibility.Your response, being offended, is chosen by yourself.In a sense, people only offend themselves.

One of the things that follows from this line of reasoning ( the part before I digressed, writing about politics, the part about double standards) is that some of these feminist “complaints” must be either ignorant or self-serving.

Self-serving prohibitions and restrictions on the freedom of expression, the target being the language of speech, visual arts (etc), and which are gradually increasing in scope and extent, are imho comparable to the factors that led to some of the darker periods of human history.This was probably the offending part of my comment.

The difference is in degree, not quality, and the degree tends to gradually increase; at least if no one steps in to stop the trend towards restriction.It may even reach a tipping point, and/or grow exponentially ;)

All this talk about freedom by certain people seems unreflective, the freedom they have seems to be what the majority (or mighty) at their location like, forbidden are those things they don’t like… where is the difference to some “less democratic” groups/states?Some people might actually like to have the freedom of having their lives directed by a strong man (most dictators are men).One needs only talk to the common (! those “well-versed” in English and living decades abroad literally don’t count as much) Russian and ask them about people like Putin.

Many “freedoms” are entirely idiosyncratic, as is being able to watch violent cartoons while at the same time being shielded from some “biological terms”, because these, in contrast to assault rifles, are deemed “evil”.I only take this particular society as example, because this is one all likely readers of this tl-dr comment are likely to be somewhat familiar with.

True freedom may allow people to express themselves without dressing these expressions in a (you may excuse this metaphor) burkha. Otherwise, you are doing politics.Without the small wheels the clockwork wouldn’t work, btw.To quote someone else: “Politics is the mind-killer”, and there is much truth to this statement (one could argue whose minds are not killed, if there are any ppl who fit that criteria).

Killing our minds won’t further the professed aims of this site, nor those of the many transhumanists reading it.Therefore, to further our aims we need more freedom, not less.

I see that the original comment, spawning many (most on this article) responses (and not only by me) has also been deleted… I think that was unecessary.

Maybe it would be more rational to just ban me (and other offenders, although it would be easy to circumvent most “bans”, I’d respect the “householders rights”, and hope you are not offended by the former claim), instead of deleting parts in a manner that destroys the coherence of the “thread”.

I am probably too used to places where “no-holds-barred” is the default-mode (and would need to “acclimate” to less intense environments).^^

Notice how much longer my comment has become, instead of the simple comparison I posted some time ago, and I added nothing with relevance per se, but only made it more acceptable and thereby understandable to some others.But most won’t read it now.Maybe some points can only reach many if they are made to be provocative!?

The new has lost the old’s emotional punch and became just another tl-dr post.Even my former vanity turned out to be in vain :(

Anyway: Arguing (not only in the sense of dis”cuss”ing^^) here feels to me like fighting with one hand on my back and my two feet -restrictively- chained to each other (not taking into account my hurting, left wrist, since I also have to push through the language-barrier).

Sometimes honesty can be refreshing, at other times drinking too much of it makes the stomach hurt , it is like gulping down a cold drink on a warm summer day, while “grilling oneself” (I wanted another metaphor, but it seemed to be offensive, the word starts with p and has 4 letters).

I understand that, and might try to be more like a sneaky, shrewd, shifty, slick and sly storyteller.Of course, as someone here suggested, to be sly I’d need to research noo-tropics (and that didn’t count as insult, did it)^^

Have a nice day^^

Now, this technology is obviously just about males depriving females of the use of their superior skills, particularly in parking. :)

Though that is only temporary; soon nobody will be driving.

Enjoy the difference while it lasts.

There needs to be a way for a stranger human near the car to alert the absent car owner to come come get their misbehaving car. Little bugs like this could create negative feelings about a new technology. Beta test!

Now somebody who remembers Stephen Kings “Christine” would look back and see an empty car following them and get really creeped out.

with that said, I think You’re the one with some sort of issue with men, that comment was Incredibly femenist.

I don’t mean to offend you in any way, as I was not offended , but I felt compelled to reply. sincerily, Rui Oliveira PT

That’s all.