Yeah, I can totally understand that. Certainly the plot didn't require it and normally I could do without some romantic subplot... but as you say, I think it was deliciously symbolic and complimented the themes of the movie really well. Apart from arguing over whether Deckard is in fact a replicant or not, the topic of debate among friends was the nature of K and Joi's relationship. I mean, for this scene...the real person is faking an intimate relationship, and the fake person...well its not really clear if she is faking it or not. It's simultaneously real and it isn't. I thought it was excellent.

You are welcome. Thanks for turning me on to Open Source. I listened to 3 episodes while at work. Good stuff. Thank you for the compliment. Cheers!

As 1/2 of an intentionally childless couple, I'll take that as an unintentional compliment and say thanks, and I wholeheartedly agree.
What made me sad was, even in this day and age of overpopulation, I had to push to get myself fixed, being without kids, and from what I hear I got lucky because most doctors just won't do a vasectomy on a childless man under 40. (I was under 30).
I didn't do it just for the planet, I decided I didn't want to have kids when I still was one, but I'm still taking my "didn't screw the world farther with more people" credit.

No, he certainly doesn't meet the standards of decorum for a lawyer...or a civilized person of any profession.
Trump is a baby that sees any non compliment as an attack he should meet with frothing insanity and rage (mostly impotent rage, but rage still).
True, he doesn't smoothly lie out of both sides of his mouth, but only because he can do nothing smoothly. He absolutely lies out of both sides of his mouth, I've never heard him make a full statement on any topic ever without inserting some lie, usually about himself being godlike, but often something made up about the person he's mad at.

But you know this well, Dimitri. It's why you and your president, Putin, helped him into office, hoping it would destroy the country with his and your divisive nonsense. No one here questions that, you haven't hidden it well....you pinko bastard.

The best compliment I've ever gotten was accidentally overhearing someone say "Newtboy doesn't think like normal people."

Put the tree underwater, the fish will outclimb a monkey.

Funny, Christians all dismiss thousands of years of multiple human cultures...(like any that deny or dispute the Christ story), but complain to no end if theirs is disputed or discarded in any way.

You've got to be kidding. The times when the most disgusting experiments were done is the exact same time when religious zealots inserted their "christian" religion into our government. (But certainly not it's teachings)

EDIT: Those cards only look like bricks from one narrow viewpoint. From any other view point it's undeniable that they are just paper thin and can't stand on their own. It's not about not giving them a second thought...it's that no matter how much you examine them they only appear solid from one specific position.

That was a lot of backhanded compliments and snark for someone pretending a nerve wasn't struck.

I'd gladly give our waste removal workers a thumbs up if they didn't keep leaving recycling all over my driveway/lawn (and my neighbour's driveway and his neighbour's, etc.) That grocery clerk who barely wants to say two words and practically throws the bags and my groceries at me - do they deserve a thumbs up too?

I get the point of this video, but if we just start complimenting or "giving a thumbs up" to everyone for every little minor thing, then doesn't that become just as empty as saying "have a nice day"?

Mark Blyth is my third favorite Scot, right after two brothers who are dear friends of mine. After his famous interview for Athens Live, every video of his released by the Watson Institute has pretty much been a must-watch, particularly his takes on "The Deplorables" and the Front Nationale.

I got his book "Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea" after it was praised heavily over at NakedCapitalism 3-4 years ago -- to me, there is no bigger compliment for an economist than praise by Yves and the commentariat over at NC.

His takes on the mercantilism of Germany are among the best, and by far the clearest. Bill Mitchell had some great pieces on it as well, but Blyth's capacity for facilitating understanding of these concepts is on a different level entirely.

So do I disagree with him on parts of his economic analysis? Yes, but only on the fringes where MMT/functional finance is concerned.

Check out the companion talk to his book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQuHSQXxsjM

And a recent bit:
https://youtu.be/vGiHiZyKuAE?t=43m2s (juicy, this one)

When the student is so misinformed, there's nothing to compliment. This appears to be a debate class, so not capitulating is a requirement.
Women who work don't work only 75% as much as men, they actually tend to not take sick days or vacations at the same rate as men so often work more, and are paid around $.75 for the same work men are paid $1 for. They are also more likely to be offered only 35-39 hours a week, not because they want it that way but to screw them out of benefits.

For example, my wife heads her department. She hired an untrained subordinate, and he was hired at the same hourly pay rate she was earning, even though she was his boss with 10+ years superiority. Her next hire was a woman who had some experience, and was hired at $4 an hour less and does a better job. She does not have a say in their pay rates.
It's been the same everywhere she's worked.

I think that guy might be a high sloop, but he's not quite a schooner, high or otherwise.

I honestly don't even remember the point of the original conversation, so I'll just take the minor compliment for now

This is SO on point. I lean left, and I'm fucking sick of the whiny babies and PC shaming that is taking over. Yes, we should be inclusive, but no, we should not "call out" people who are obviously on your side of the debate when they misspeak, or as Maher said, when they give compliments!

Yes, I have family I despise, but I still consider them humans (not that I see that as much of a compliment).
My hope would be, once they know they are part African, Asian, Mesopotamian, etc., people wouldn't continue to think of other people in those dehumanizing tribalistic terms.

Edit: Isn't it more likely you would find out that you have unknown ancestors from elsewhere, either because they were wrongly assumed to be "English" or were wrongly assumed to be the father? I thought this video did a good job showing how wrong people's perceptions are about their own ancestry.

Obama never acted so infantile and rude to Faux news, even though they are much worse about spreading fake news. He answered their questions and gave them many (>11) interviews where they consistently asked loaded bait questions, hounded him about fake scandals, taunted, insulted, and rudely interrupted him over and over, he even sat down with Oreilly again after papa bear was such an insulting disrespectful asshole the first time. He did call them out a few times, but mostly just ignored the insanity they spew.
Trump, on the other hand, can't let any slight go without becoming unhinged, and he retaliates like a 2 year old at any perceived enemy, and fawns over anyone that compliments him. CNN had the audacity to report an unflattering but important story about claims being made about the president elect and so they'll be blacklisted for his administrations term (imagine if the same story was about Obama, any news organization not talking about it would be called apologists and left wing propagandists that should be strung up from the nearest tree) Such transparent hyper narcissism, so easily exploited by others much smarter than he, makes him incredibly dangerous for us all.
Singling out a news organization that's not been friendly to you as liars and treating them as enemies is a clearly recognized Nazi tactic they used in their rise to power. It should be watched carefully lest this behavior evolves into totalitarian fascism.

Cartmanknight33 calling me a dumb fuck is a compliment. If he agreed with me, on any topic, I might feel like one. I've never met someone so consistently ignorant about every topic he chimes in on.

It's a known thing among women in business meetings. She says something, convo continues, man in room repeats it, gets the credit.

Happens so much, it makes the list of top most annoying things about being a woman in a business meeting.

Interesting point about generational norms. It would be very very cool if this kind of nonsense comes to an end. [Edit -- now that I re-read your comment, I see you were making a different point. Which actually reinforces the "woman in the business meeting" meme. A younger man doesn't have status, all women don't have status. Yep. Sexism.]

I wondered about the helicopter reporter -- I got the feeling that he thought he was being congratulated on tracking the guy down and working so well with the pilot. I could be wrong, it was very subtle the miscue. He was justifiably proud of their work in the chopper -- somehow I got the feeling he was expecting THAT compliment, not something that had had happened ten minutes in the past.