I’m in Japan right now so I’m obliged to remind the world — we don’t want AI. We want a robust rail system. We want trains. Metros. High speed. Locals. Cute trains. Efficient trains. Trains.
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ok but the only way to make it happen is to have the govt write a huge check to a billionaire who promises to invent rail travel (for the first time!) in 5-10 business years
i live in urban california. wenevr it rains our rails shits its pants. Delayed- no,,- Cancelled trains.. bro they dont even run 2/5 lines on Sundays or past 9pm.... they keep cutting service and raising fares.... and if u go without earplugs i guarantee u will lose hearing. also derailings lol weeee
Because California doesn’t have the rail system of Japan, it has the best it could do while opposed at all angles from auto manufacturing and oil companies
u weird, u talk about our rail system as if its a incompetent parent.. idk about your locality but my locality has been funded extra via a ballot measure, and they still managed to dig themselves deeper into debt, buying fancy shiny militarized upgrades. yet they still cant pay our essential workers
Someone: "Here's a social system that works in non-american country"
Every single damn time, some crotch sniff: "It won't work in America"
Voters wanted it and it still didn't get done? Sounds like you need to oust your leaders then
I was blown away by how far superior Italian trains were to the US. I was ready for them to be better, but was disheartened by how MUCH better they were.
Yes please. We want our democracy restored, our women’s rights restored, our debt to be cancelled and our healthcare to be covered by a functioning government, and we want *professionals* who are obligated under oath and bound by a functioning legal system to govern our collective civic body.
Of note, this is not the same as neural network generative AI used to steal art, photos, or writing from creative people. AI is too 'broad' of a term these days.
You said define. I defined. Generative AI scrapes information from individuals, and is trained on information. Much of that information is taken without consent. Hence, stealing. There are neural networks that aren't trained on work taken without consent, but they're not the ones used by majority.
Okay, but what if we instead siphoned public transit funds so we can invest into an AI to solve traffic? That's definitely 100% certifiably what people want! Just ignore the torches and pitchforks!
IDK, the Amtrak isn't terrible, but can't compare to the seamless transition from the Shinkansen to local service in any major Japanese city. SoundTransit is desperate to expand, but they're still a relatively new organization w/o much experience and really bizarre methodology.
I'm amazed that right-wingers have such a pathological hatred for railway infrastructure, considering how many of their politicians require their staffers to read Atlas Shrugged.
If and when we get a true high speed rail network in the US we as rail advocates must not stop until we have at least one Hello Kitty-themed high speed train like that one random shinkansen train on the line to Osaka.
if you get a chance, there is a cat themed train/station south of Osaka, about a two hour train ride. I did not have time to get down there the last time I was there.
They don't all have to be bullet trains. We just need more trains taking us EVERYWHERE
In Portland Metro, I can the light rail to downtown, the Airport, it stretches across like 7 cities. Now do this to the rest of the country and connect all the rail making it cheap and accessible
Best we can do is steal all your content to make AI that will replace creative sector jobs while doing a far far far worse job while killing the earth.
As someone who went earlier this year…Went to the train museum in Kyoto and was blown away just how cool trains have been in Japan.
Also just idling at certain stations, watching them go by; a simple pleasure worth the long journey.
I used to want trains in America. Now I want Japanese quality people in America. I want a country of people who aren't stupid assholes. Because I don't want to take a train to places where the populace is so painfully awful.
I was just thinking about the cute trains thing. If the US had a more functional rail system it would be so fun if there were cute mascots, even if they were brand tie-ins or something. I love how Japan does this, it would make me go out of my way to ride a train.
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The stationmaster is a cat. Has been, for many years.
https://wakayama-dentetsu.co.jp/cat-stationmaster/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tama_(cat)#Death_and_enshrinement
The tradition, of course, continues.
Every single damn time, some crotch sniff: "It won't work in America"
Voters wanted it and it still didn't get done? Sounds like you need to oust your leaders then
https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/joyful/
(Credit: @groboclone.bsky.social)
https://youtu.be/fKFeNS6zW6I?si=oZCr_bbGP9Y2TQUm
Trains are nice too, got to Cambridge in less than an hour by train.
Or - "take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it."
In short, consent and permission is key in this situation.
I would spend loads of money in those cities if it were there.
Amtrak doesn’t own the right of way. That’s a huge problem.
https://bsky.app/profile/redletrcrusader.bsky.social/post/3leg6dehrm22w
And universal health care as well.
if you get a chance, there is a cat themed train/station south of Osaka, about a two hour train ride. I did not have time to get down there the last time I was there.
https://www.japan.travel/en/japans-local-treasures/cat-stationmaster-kishi-station-2022/
In Portland Metro, I can the light rail to downtown, the Airport, it stretches across like 7 cities. Now do this to the rest of the country and connect all the rail making it cheap and accessible
Also just idling at certain stations, watching them go by; a simple pleasure worth the long journey.