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If you’ve ever studied ethics or philosophy—or watched “The Good Place”—you’re undoubtedly familiar with “the trolley problem”. If you haven’t and you’re not, here’s a brief rundown.

Essentially, the trolley problem is a thought experiment in which you’re on a trolley with no breaks, headed toward a group of people on the tracks. You can flip a switch to divert the trolley to another track, but one person stands on that track and is sure to be killed if you flip the switch. Do you allow the trolley to continue on its course, hitting multiple people, or make the conscious decision to hit the one person?

Additional scenarios are often added to the dilemma, such as, “What if the one person were one of your loved ones?” or “What if the group of people were all elderly and the one person was a child?” It’s a morbid exercise, but it does lead to some fascinating ethical discussions.

What it doesn’t usually lead to is a hilarious joke—at least not a tasteful one—but here we are, with an adorable Irish kiddo named Jacob totally nailing one.

Donna, Jacob’s mom, has been sharing videos of her conversations with the precocious young lad on TikTok, to millions of people’s delight. When you watch Jacob tell his joke, you’ll see why. From the setup to the punchline to his infectious giggle at his own cleverness, it’s just perfection. (It’s also quite a feat for his age, considering you have to get the wording just right in order for the joke to land in the first place.)

Watch:

@keepupwithjacob

I’m going to hell 😅😂😂😳 #fyp #foryou #fypシ #jokes

No wonder Jacob’s mom calls him “My funny little old soul.” People are absolutely loving how he delivered the joke.

“He tells jokes out of left field like my 76-year-old father. I love it,” wrote one commenter.

“He is brilliant,” wrote another. “I said the old man, too. Now I’m going to my room for a timeout.”

“I know the joke, but I fell for it. He’s so cute I couldn’t give the right answer,” shared another.

It seriously doesn’t get more adorable than this. Enjoy more of Jacob’s sweet smarts on TikTok @keepupwithjacob.

Tuesday was the 22nd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and it’s customary for whoever’s president to appear at one of the memorial sites. This year there was a break in tradition. Joe Biden, coming back from a whirlwind trip of Asia for the G20 summit, stopped in Alaska to refuel the presidential jet. There, he delivered a speech about the attacks at a military base, in front of service members. Not good enough, Fox News hosts spent the day screaming.

It began on Fox & Friends, where the hosts noted the “break from tradition.” It continued throughout the day, with the news network dwelling on angry news headlines and bringing on outraged guests to fume.

Few were as angry as Harris Faulkner. After talking about losing a loved one who was on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, she turned to raging against Biden having his vice president attend the memorial at Ground Zero.

“So, I look at this and I think, the president can’t be here but puts the woman that he often calls the president by mistake in gaffes, he says, and the woman who suddenly says that she’s ready for his job,” Faulkner said. She wasn’t done.

“The point isn’t the zip code of where he marks it, it’s the fact that Ground Zero; Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and the Pentagon — those sites are unlike anything else in American history in terms of national security. You’d think the commander-in-chief could be at one of the sites,” Faulkner said. “And we love our troops up in Alaska, we support them, too, but…he made a choice today.”

(At least Fox News didn’t bring on former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had to settle for Newsmax. How the mighty keep falling.)

Again, Biden was heading back from a major trip, and he flew back to D.C. after. While in Alaska, he made sure to address the occasion at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

“On this day 22 years ago from this base, we were scrambling on high alert to escort planes through the airspace,” Biden said. “Alaskan communities opened their doors to stranded passengers.”

Biden also addressed the dangers of being partisan on a day of unity.

“We must not succumb to the poisonous politics of difference and division,” Biden explained. “We must never allow ourselves to be pulled apart by petty manufactured grievances. We must continue to stand united.”

(Via Mediaite and NBC News)

There has to be something surreal about writing a song that has become one of the most recognizable on the planet. Since its release 20 years ago, the hypnotic thump of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” has become synonymous with sporting events, and its 7-note bassline is one of the most popular musical phrases in rock history.

The funny thing is that Jack White had no idea the song would even be a hit when he wrote it.

White shared the story of the song’s creation with Conan O’Brien on his “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast. The subject came up after O’Brien told the story of going to a Dodger game with White, and the song was played over the PA system.

Jack White Didn’t Know “Seven Nation Army” Would Become An Anthem | Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend

White enjoys that the song has transcended his career and is no longer his own.

“It’s not mine anymore; it becomes folk music when things like that happen. The more people don’t know where it came from, the happier I am. You know, the more ubiquitous it becomes,” White said. “I’m sure many people chanting the melody have no idea what the song is or where it came from or whatever. It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s amazing.”

White also noted that he never anticipated the song would be a hit, adding that his label was initially reluctant to release it as a single.

“Other things we were working on, we thought were way more interesting,” he admitted. “No one ever knows; the label didn’t want to release it as a single. It just shows, even when you’ve got it right in front of your face, you still don’t know because you don’t know what’s going to connect with other people.”

The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army (Official Music Video)

Watch the official music video for “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, directed by Alex & MartinListen to The White Stripes: https://TheWhiteStripes.ln…

Hello. My name is Josh and I am a roller coaster wimp. This is not easy for me to disclose — unless I’m at a theme park with someone and they ask if I want to go on something called The Spine Buster. Then I’ll be the first to admit that I hate coasters.

Simply put, they’re not for me. I do not enjoy dropping 100 feet in the air, or going from zero to 50 MPH in a matter of seconds, or regretting not putting my keys in a locker when I had a chance. And yet, I still love Universal Studios, a theme park known for its coasters. Is it because I have a nostalgic affection for Jimmy Buffett’s “Fruitcakes” music video (RIP)? Yes. But also, there are other things at the park for my fellow roller coaster skeptics — the dozens of us — to do.

Here are some suggestions, based on a recent visit to Universal Orlando Resort in Florida.

1. Ride non-roller coaster rides, obviously

One of the reasons why I prefer Universal to, say, Six Flags is because of the wide array of rides. It’s not just coasters. There are water rides (Jurassic Park River Adventure), dark rides (Transformers: The Ride 3D, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man), motion simulator rides (The Simpsons Ride), log flumes (Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls), stunt shows (The Bourne Stuntacular), the Dr. Seuss-themed Seuss Landing, all the old comic strip characters like Heathcliff and Sluggo in Toon Lagoon, and Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, which isn’t technically “good” but is so weird that it needs to be experienced at least once.

There’s also The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is one of the most impressive achievements in any theme park I’ve been to. Take the train from Hogwarts Express from King’s Cross station to Hogsmeade; explore the castle in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey; drink a Butterbeer; or check out the animatronics on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

Not bad, right fellow coaster babies?

2. The food and drinks (and old Simpsons clips)

The nice thing about not riding roller coasters is that you can eat and drink as much as you want, and not have to worry about it, uh, coming back up. My picks at Universal Florida are Mythos, an immaculately themed sit-down restaurant with fake rocks galore; anywhere in the Wizarding World that serves the lager-style Dragon Scale Beer; and the The Simpsons food court with Krusty Burger, the Frying Dutchman, and Cletus’ Chicken Shack, as well as Moe’s Tavern.

One of my favorite things to do at Universal is order a Duff Lite and watch clips from classic-era episodes of The Simpsons. Could I do this at home? Yes, but it’s more fun (less depressing) at a theme park bar.

3. Visit during Halloween Horror Nights

Universal has numerous themed events throughout the year, but the best of the bunch is Halloween Horror Nights. I wrote a little about the experience in the introduction for my interview with The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann, but there are scare actors roaming the grounds, elaborate haunted houses, and so many Chuckys. Should I look into why I’m terrified to ride Revenge of the Mummy, but I’m totally chill when it comes to murderous maniacs holding a knife in my face? Next question.

This year, Halloween Horror Nights has mazes themed around Stranger Things, The Last of Us, The Exorcist, Child’s Play, and the Universal Monsters, as well as original concepts with B-movie names like Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings and YETI: Campground Kills. It’s a blast. And a good excuse. “Oh dang, I really wanted to do The Incredible Hulk Coaster with you, but we gotta get in line for The Last of Us house.”

4. Do the E.T. ride over and over again

Universal Orlando debuted on June 7, 1990. Only one opening day ride is still active: E.T. Adventure. The dark ride is goofy and dated and hardly thrilling — and that’s why I love it.

I love the recorded message from Steven Spielberg (“Trouble” “That’s right, E.T.”). I love the fake pine forest smell in the queue. I love Botanicus (shout out to Podcast the Ride) and the baby ETs and the way ET says your name at the end of the ride but only when he feels like it.

There will come a day when E.T. Adventure is bulldozed for a Minions petting zoo (you know Universal has their finest scientists working on a formula to make real Minions), which is why we need to find the Holy Grail and give it to Spielberg. As long as he’s around, E.T. Adventure isn’t going anywhere.

5. Maybe try a non-scary “junior roller” coaster?

On my final day at Universal, I arrived early to secure a spot on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, one of my favorite rides in the park. You travel through Hogwarts on what feels like a floating car seat, dipping and dodging from spiders, Dementors, the Whomping Willow. It’s great. But because I was there too soon, I had about 20 minutes to kill. That’s when I knew it was time to face my irrational fear. Across from Forbidden Journey is Flight of the Hippogriff, which Wikipedia humiliatingly describes as a “junior roller coaster.” It’s a gateway coaster for children — or an adult who would rather sit through Jurassic World Dominion again than ride the VelociCoaster.

It was now or never. After strongly considering never, I stepped into the queue, sat down on the coaster, and prepared for the worst.

The ride was over in less than 80 seconds with no major drops, vertical loops, or anything remotely scary. Take it from me, an adult with student loans and car payments, and the six-year-old sitting behind me: it was fun. I wasn’t ready for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure this visit, but I will be next time.

Do you ever feel that just about every experience in life now caters to upper-middle-class and rich people? Sure, everyone is feeling the brunt of inflation, but something else happened along the way.

For example, over the past 20 years:

The price of going to a concert has quadrupled.

A one-day admission ticket to Disneyland has gone up around three times.

The cost of the average American home has gone up around two-and-a-half times.

Pleasures that were affordable to everyone suddenly had to become luxury experiences. Face-value tickets went by the wayside in favor of having to buy things on the secondary market. Simple things that blue-collar people enjoyed have been gentrified by upper-class people who thought they were cool and “authentic.”

It seems impossible for the average person to get a good deal in life, and if they do, someone will figure out how to make rich people want it and sell it for double the cost.

A fed-up person on Reddit named r/degreeofvariation, asked the online forum, ”What was loved by poor people until rich people ruined it?” The question received over 18,000 responses in just six days. Given the commenters’ reactions, it seems there hasn’t been a simple, affordable pleasure in American life that hasn’t been co-opted by people with money and ruined.

Here are 17 things that poor people loved until rich people ruined them.

1. Living in warehouses

“Yes! They tore down all the real lofts to build condos they call lofts.” — StrainAcceptable

“And people complained the windows are too big and everyone can see in, and they didn’t like the open floor plan. That was the whole point. Artists had lots of room and tons of natural light.” — richarddrippy69

2. Etsy

“I bought so much stuff for my wedding in 2012 from Etsy. It was all handmade and so cute and inexpensive. It’s changed so much from the cool site it once was.” — PrudentConfection

3. Food banks

“My local food bank put out a news article basically saying that rich people need to stop using the food bank as a ‘life hack’ to lower their grocery bills.” — ConfidentlyCorrect

“This is why food banks in my area now need proof of need. Which is shit, because it means jumping through more hoops to put food on the table when you’re already desperate.” — DoorSubstantial2104

4. eBay

“It used to be so useful to get all kinds of cheap or unique things. Then more and more big commercial sellers joined the club, and eventually, eBay itself forgot about what and who made their platform a success in the first place.” — Onesmilematters

5. Cabins

“Quiet out-of-the-way country cabins sitting by lakes. Now they are overpriced Airbnbs.” — Amyaaurora

“I’d even say Airbnbs themselves. They started as a potentially cheap alternative to hotels run by people who have extra space they aren’t doing anything with. Now people build guest houses specifically for Airbnb and treat It like a full-on rental.” — Jarf17

6. Fixer-uppers

“Buying a ‘fixer-upper’ home and spending weekends working on it. I was really looking forward to that.” — Couldstrife1191

7. Thrift stores

“Thrift shopping. I’m not ‘thrifting’ I’m f**kin broke.” — Elduroto

“Sometimes I feel like it’s cheaper to buy clothes at Target or Walmart brand new than it is to buy from a thrift store.” — Urchintexasyellow

8. Festivals

“Burning Man was on my bucket list until rich fucks started showing up with bodyguards and started establishing private zones.” — hgaben90

9. Farmers markets

“That’s what our markets are turning into as well. It’s gone from local farmers and affordable produce to artisanal creations for the elite.” — KeepOnRising19

10. Houses

“We poor people would work our entire lives to own one. Property became a great investment and way to increase wealth so rich people started buying them. Not to live in as intended but to rent to the poor and keep them poor by renting so they will never be able to save enough to afford their own.” — Etobocoke

11. Fajitas

“I remember being able to get skirt steak really cheap and sometimes for free.” — DiegoJones4

“Oxtails/ crab/ wings used to be so cheap when I was younger.” — Glohan21

“A few influential chefs decided to introduce traditional peasant food to the world, and now oxtail ragu with pappardelle is a $30 dish in fancy restaurants.” — Patorama

12. Carhartt

“Blue collar workers needed the durability, then celebrities wore ‘fashionably’ and drove up the price.” — Pepperdice

“…and then Carhartt realized that their brand was fashionable, and started throwing their logo on cheap shit to capitalize off it.” — Glochnar

13. Hobbies

“Burning Man, Collectable Card Games, Retro Video Games, GOING TO CONCERTS…like seriously, just pick a hobby. Once the re-sellers get into it, prices go through the roof, and nobody can afford to do anything.” — divine_shadow

14. NFL games

“While I can afford them I have to ask myself what the actual F/ $500+ for a football game? The experience is awful too. Too many breaks, too many calls you can’t hear. It’s so much better to be on your couch or in a bar. Who is buying these tickets? $2300 for good seats in LA? That’s insane. It’s a game. On TV.” — StanFigjam

“In 1995 the average ticket to the Super Bowl was $200… This year it was $3800.” — RumWalker

15. McDonald’s

“It was originally a place for a quick eat because it was cheap, but now it’s just mid food for high prices.” — DrMcSpicy

“The old dollar menu stuff is like $3.50 minimum now.” — Perrymasson

16. Camping

“I’d say people with campers ruined camping. Can’t drive two miles in the mountains without having to hug the side of the trail to let some dude with $100k+ truck and trailer squeeze past you on a road they have no business going down.” — Reasonable-Tutor-943

“This and now it’s impossible to get a campsite because of the plethora of Sprinter vans and RVs that cost more than my house. Nobody (few people) camps in tents anymore!” — all-about-climate

“I swear 95% of the time I’m the only person in the campground with a compact car and not a $70k+ truck.” — DeliciousMoments

17. Life

“‘Poor’ people I knew were always happy with the simple pleasures. Now even these simple pleasures are almost impossible to afford unless they’re necessary and you break your back to pay for them so you almost resent them. Rich people are literally ruining life.” — Wenisdan

No Hard Feelings brought back two things we hadn’t seen in years: Jennifer Lawrence and raunchy comedies that you don’t want to see with your parents. Luckily, there is a market for both of those.

The movie stars Lawrence as a young woman who is on the verge of losing everything when a wealthy couple hires her to “date” their teenage son. This is some classic, straight-from-your-high-school notebook movie idea that is just bold enough to work. And it did! Lawrence seems to be back in her acting groove.

Recently, a tweet about No Hard Feelings arriving on Netflix went viral, and because you can’t trust anyone these days, a lot of people just took that and ran with it. This turned out to be false, much to the dismay of Film Update accounts everywhere. The movie will head to Netflix India on the 23rd, but there is no current streaming release date announced for the rest of the world.

The good news? The movie might not be on Netflix, but is still available to purchase or rent on demand from Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Vudu. No Hard Feelings will likely end up on some streamer by the end of the year, but you’ve waited this long to see JLaw back in action, so a few more months of waiting should be fine.

(Via Collider)

In the internet era, the idea of personal privacy is all but a myth. With a few keystrokes just about anyone can get your home address, phone number, email, age and the names of your family members. The fact that this information is readily available puts us all in the dangerous position of being the victim of fraud, stalking and violence.

What makes the situation even worse is that our information was put online without any of our consent.

The good news is that Google just made a big change that gives us all a little more control over our personal information. On April 27, the company announced it will allow anyone to request removals of their personal information from its Search feature.

“Open access to information is a key goal of Search, but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private. That’s why we’re updating our policies to help people take more control of their online presence in Search,” Michelle Chang, Google’s Global Policy Lead for Search, announced on the company’s blog.

“[T]he internet is always evolving—with information popping up in unexpected places and being used in new ways—so our policies and protections need to evolve, too,” Chang continued.

The new policy also allows people to request the removal of personal information in Search that could be used for financial fraud such as log-in credentials or account numbers.

Hereu2019s how you can remove your phone number, email and other personal information from Google search results.https://cnet.co/3y6utEa

— CNET (@CNET)
1651505346

Although Google’s new policy is a step in the right direction, it doesn’t cure the problem altogether. “It’s important to remember that removing content from Google Search won’t remove it from the internet, which is why you may wish to contact the hosting site directly, if you’re comfortable doing so,” Chang said.

Do you have any personal information that pops up in Google Search that you’d like to have removed? Visit the topic’s support page, scroll down and click the “Start removal request” link. As you follow the prompts you will be able to specify the personal information that shows up in Search and will be asked to share a list of relevant search terms, such as your full name, maiden name and nickname. You’ll also be able to share supplemental details before submitting the request.

After your request is submitted, you should receive an email from Google confirming the request was received. It’s unclear how long the removal process will take.

Google’s new policy changes come during a surge in online fraud. The Federal Trade Commission reported that consumers lost $5.8 billion to scammers in 2021, a jump of 70% from the previous year.

A big portion of fraud is committed through online scams as well as identity theft and telephone solicitations.

In an attempt to give the FTC more power to fight back against fraud, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, chair of the Commerce Committee, will introduce legislation this week to make it easier for the Committee to sue deceptive companies and scammers.

“If the FTC remains disarmed of this critical authority, millions of consumers and small businesses who’ve been scammed, swindled, or locked out of competitive marketplaces will never be made whole,” Cantwell said in a statement.

This article originally appeared on 05.03.22

Let it be known that even though Wonka will have singing and dancing and Timothee Chalamet in a fancy lil hat galavanting across faraway lands, it is not a musical. At least that’s what director Paul King seems to think, probably so that people take this Wonka movie seriously and not like it’s an SNL pre-taped sketch.

But even though King feels that Wonka is “more like a movie with songs than a musical,” that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love to hear Chalamet serenading everyone. In fact, King seems to think that we will all be blown away by Chalamet’s voice while he’s singing all of those fun songs about chocolate. Again, it’s not a musical.

“[Chalamet]’s got a beautiful singing voice,” King said. “The person it reminded me of was Bing Crosby. There’s quite a range, because it does go from a couple of bigger, showstopper-y sort of things, to moments of real, pure emotion and he can do it all,” King expressed, and topped it off by saying, “I’m going to sound like a crazed fan.” Actually, as far as fans go, that is pretty tame.

It’s not too far-fetched, since he’s been known to sing some show-stopping numbers in the past. Just let him do his thing.

Wonka will shimmy into theaters on December 15th.

(Via Variety)

A retired Harvard Medical School professor of psychiatry is deeply concerned by Donald Trump‘s latest remarks during an interview with Glenn Beck where the former president flat out admitted he’d try to lock up Joe Biden if he wins the 2024 election.

“Do you regret not locking [Hillary Clinton] up? And if you’re president again, will you lock people up?” Beck asked Trump, who replied. “The answer is you have no choice, because they’re doing it to us.”

That response did not sit well with Dr. Lance Dodes who didn’t hesitate to label Trump a “psychopath” while talking to Salon:

Trump’s latest threats to place opponents in jail, including President Biden, fit with the limitless nature of psychopaths. Lacking a conscience or morality to limit his sadism, and believing in his worth above all others, leads Trump to think he has the right to destroy anyone who does not submit to him. Without the innate capacity for empathy toward others and a sense of right and wrong, Trump is an extreme outlier in human psychology.

Dodes also had harsh words for Trump supporters, who are entirely responsible for his rise to power.

“There are clearly enough vulnerable people for whom the wish for a self-styled strong man leader is powerful enough to overcome rational evidence against it,” Dodes said. “This may be due to naivete based on denial of the sadism in others, rage at personal unfairness that overwhelms normal concerns for others, or simply enough dishonesty and immorality to go along with a malignant leader. They are easy prey for the Big Lie as practiced by tyrants like Trump.”

(Via Salon)

Spike Lee remembers the reviews for Do the Right Thing, both good and bad.

While accepting the Ebert Director Award at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival this weekend, the director gave special acknowledgement to late movie critic Roger Ebert and his wife, Chaz, who presented the award with Moonlight filmmaker Barry Jenkins. “Your husband was very crucial [in] my career. He was very crucial, 1989 in Cannes, to Do the Right Thing,” Lee said. “Your husband got behind me because there was motherf*ckers, excuse my language, in the press saying that Do the Right Thing was gonna incite Black people to riot, that this film should not be shown in the United States.”

Ebert gave Do the Right Thing four stars and named it the fourth best film of the 1980s, one spot behind E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.

He continued:

“I remember, I know it was a long time ago and you should let some grudges go, but David Denby and Joe Klein wrote articles, New York magazine saying, ‘Hope to God that this film does not open in your neighborhood.’ That this film, Do the Right Thing, will incite Black people to tear sh*t up, to take to the streets like Detroit in ’77 or Newark in 1968. So thank you everyone. Thank Roger because he went to bat for me and many years later, we’re on the right side of history/herstory. Thank you very much.”

Entertainment Weekly reached out to Denby, who said that his review was “not a pan,” that it was “generous and alive,” and he only “objected to something at the end, but I didn’t say the movie was going to start riots.”

There should have been riots when Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture and Do the Right Thing wasn’t even nominated.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)