# Omnibus Stupid MFers in the news thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 5, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657 "2024-01-05T16:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 356
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7101 "2026-05-04T14:26:21Z")
> [@its\_the\_daddy](#): > > Many, many thanks from another random British bloke. Ignorance fought! I didn’t know it would work myself until I did it. I only expected to get what was visible. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7102 "2026-05-04T15:06:31Z")
This could have been a lot worse. The plane flown by a stupid pilot hit a light pole and a bakery truck before landing at the Newark airport. > **[United flight strikes light pole, damages truck while landing in Newark](https://abc7ny.com/post/united-flight-strikes-light-pole-landing-newark-airport/19030820/)** > > A United Airlines flight arriving from Italy struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike while on final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday afternoon, damaging a truck and sending its driver to the hospital with minor... ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7103 "2026-05-04T15:22:13Z")
I was laughing at the predicament of the truck driver. There he is, all alone, singing along to the radio. And then this thing happens and now millions have seen him in this private moment. If it was me, I would be embarrassed. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7104 "2026-05-04T15:26:17Z")
I wouldn’t. If he had picked his nose or scratched his balls, now that would have been embarrassing. But singing along to the radio while driving? Perfectly cromulent behavior, I do it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7105 "2026-05-04T15:27:53Z")
It was just the idea of this private moment becoming public that amused me. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7106 "2026-05-04T15:29:26Z")
That’s the price to pay for having a dash cam running. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7107 "2026-05-04T15:30:19Z")
Presumably that was the decision of his employer. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7108 "2026-05-04T17:03:07Z")
I drive that way all the time and the planes come down scarily low. I guess I was right to feel uncomfortable about it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7109 "2026-05-04T17:41:58Z")
Done correctly there’s no especial risk. Somebody makes a large goof? Larger risk. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7110 "2026-05-04T17:49:34Z")
And regarding the area around Newark Airport, I was once driving south on the New Jersey Turnpike, adjacent to the airport. Note that the turnpike there is eight lanes southbound and eight lanes northbound. Meanwhile, looking to the right, there is this enormous airport. Look to the left, and there is a vast railyard. And nearby is a huge container ship port. It’s all an amazing conglomeration of every sort of transport. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7111 "2026-05-04T20:56:49Z")
According to the article, the authorities are investigating what happened. We have even less idea than they do. I don’t think it’s fair to call the pilot stupid … yet. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7112 "2026-05-04T21:01:29Z")
I agree. We don’t know why this was done. We also can strongly surmise that a bunch of other airplanes ahead of and behind the mishap plane did the same approach and landing without incident. It warrants looking into. As discussed in the omnibus aviation thread starting here: **[The Great Ongoing Aviation Thread (general and other) - #9714 by Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-aviation-thread-general-and-other/600499/9714).** A blanket “This was dumb” is not really appropriate at this point. Maybe later, maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7113 "2026-05-04T21:20:25Z")
And right in the middle of it all there’s an Ikea. That probably means something but I’m not sure what. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7114 "2026-05-04T21:21:18Z")
Clearly, all of that transport infrastructure is only there to supply the IKEA store. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7115 "2026-05-04T21:22:28Z")
Considering how crowded that store was the last time I was there, I can believe it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7116 "2026-05-04T21:34:58Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Humans are the only species we can beyond question say are conscious. Who’s this “we”? I can’t say that humans, as a species, are conscious. At best, I can say that one specific human as conscious. I don’t know about all you zombies. The only way I can judge other humans is by the responses I see from them. If chatbots can give the same responses that humans do, then I ought to come to the same conclusion about chatbots that I do about humans. > [@Smapti](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > **The fundamental problem here is that Dawkins doesn’t reflect on** _ **how** _ **these outputs have been** _ **generated** _ **.** Claude’s outputs are the product of a form of mimicry, rather than as a report of genuine internal states. Can we say that the same isn’t true of humans? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7117 "2026-05-04T21:40:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If chatbots can give the same responses that humans do, then I ought to come to the same conclusion about chatbots that I do about humans. So is ELIZA conscious? Is a Ouija board conscious? Is a Chinese room conscious? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7118 "2026-05-04T21:56:17Z")
Probably not, because none of those things give the same responses as humans do. In fact, the third item on your list doesn’t give any responses, because it doesn’t and can’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7119 "2026-05-04T22:19:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t know about all you zombies. Best short story Heinlein ever wrote as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7120 "2026-05-04T22:24:47Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Best short story Heinlein ever wrote as far as I’m concerned. And a good song by the Hooters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=355) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=357)