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Yes I agree. Heels are contentious. I have found that women are far more likely to compliment me on my boots while men merely observe - although to be honest I mainly seem to pass unnoticed. with the exception of members here I find it far easier to talk about heels, and men in heels - me! - with women than with men to whom even the subject seems taboo

I think I get a lot less static from women about my shoes than I do from men. But, that's just from a purely initial reactionary point of view. That doesn't even touch the "would I date a man who wears high heels" question, and to me that question is irrelevant. Putting the shoe on the other foot, if you posed the same question to men, "would I date a woman who wears high heels" the answer to the question is a little more complex, but I bet there are a substantial number of men whose answer would be in the negative, based upon that fact alone.

Absolutely! But the people who want us to be seduced by the altogether more dangerous AI they are promoting want very much for this confusion to remain in place. To believe that this is all just the harmless betterment of all our lives

After reading the most recent replies to this thread, I was curious, so I asked Uncle Google, "Is Fuzzy Logic a form of AI?" Of course, AI gave me the first response, "Of course it is, you silly-billy!" I did not spend a great deal of time digging a lot deeper, so perhaps the official definition of AI is a bit broader than I generally think of, but I do have a rebuttal, which I believe is relevant here. Fuzzy Logic has been around for a while (evidently, at least 30 to 40 years, according to our local reporting). I have a "Fuzzy Logic" rice cooker. It works great. It will cook rice well even if the human involved messes up and adds too much water. If those sorts of things are actually AI, they are a distinct subset which is, as far as I can see, only good. They do not require many data centers which suck down the same amount of electricity as a whole city in order to operate. My rice cooker or at9's washing machine is not going to steal anybody's original creative material or cause anybody to lose his job. Nor does anybody question whether the rice or the clothes are "real." I'm not sure how we make that distinction, but I think it needs to be made.

It really is! The more I read about fashion as a culture and the history of fashion the more I want to know. Heels are especially fascinating. They are such a paradox. On the one hand they are denounced as tools of the patriarchy, designed to hobble and objectify women for the pleasure of men, yet at the same time they are born with panache by many of the most powerful women in the world, leaders in business, politics, arts and entertain,ent who view their heels as symbols of empowered femininity, spend small fortunes on designer help and speak of the emotional lift and sense of empowerment that comes with putting on a pair of stilettos and string into a meeting. Men are expected to admire - lustily - high heels on women but are told from birth they mustn't ever even think about trying on a pair themselves. Who can't help but e fascinated by all this furore and taboo?

Yes, I think so. True. It's simply because almost nobody does it, at least in everyday situations. Never looked at it that way but you're right. It's pretty interesting actually how shoes or clothes in general can cause such reactions/feelings in people.

I came across fuzzy logic in the 80's when I saw it in Automatic Braking Systems and anti lock brakes. In logic you have YES and NO in fuzzy logic you allow for more options like maybe.

I wonder if perhaps they feel threatened or challenged by the look. I think you mentioned once that there is an element of almost being an outlaw or renegade for wearing heels. There seems to be very few neutral perceptions of high heels. As a writer and observer that’s one of the things I find fascinating about them - more than just footwear they’re a part of our culture, wrapped in mystique and complicated meanings.

Sounds like marketing hype to me too. I use a 31 year old washing machine (Bosch in case you're wondering) and it has a button marked "Fuzzy logic". No idea what it really does. The machine is clever enough to try and redistribute the load to give a smooth spin. If it fails, it spins more slowly so as not to wreck the machine. It never argues with me either:)

@CrushedVamp Thank you for the story about the interviews. I can't remember a time like this, since my working career it was either wearing heels all day or not wearing them at all. But I have to add that I never worked in a really big city. The other part about the reactions of women and men, I absolutely agree on that. If I get any negative reactions, it's always from other women. I would sum it up as: Men either enjoy the look or don't bother. Women either enjoy the look or they feel offended for whatever reason (some possible ones you already mentioned)

A standing in heels story...now you got me curious

I was wondering that too.

I am not 100% sure how a washer/dryer can be AI. It sounds to me like it's an ordinary European style unit with a bunch of sensors in it to make sure the job is completed efficiently. It's not like the machine is designed to create anything. If it got into an argument with you, that would be a whole nuther level. . .

It is insidious. It allows for laziness on many fronts (like constructing a simple email), but even worse in terms of creativity. My wife deals with it as a school teacher; much of what the kids now give her is AI generated homework. BUT... she is no better, she uses AI to generate her teaching materials, which means pretty soon she will be AI outsourced. There is some good coming out of it. Because of our new AI clothes washer/dryer there is no longer a need for two machines, nor the need to take out the laundry after washing just to put in the dryer and dry, and even with that, no inefficient drying of the clothes. With our AI clothes washer/dryer it keeps checking the moisture content and either stops the drying process or keeps it going until the clothes are dry... all while using a heat pump to do it cheaply. Now... if only AI could fold and put the clothes away!

Of all the times we have gone out with her dressed up, and this includes such places as clubs, hockey games, fancy restaurants, etc; there was only once she felt uncomfortable around a man. He was a very large man, in his 70’s at an expensive restaurant and just kept staring at my wife’s legs. I mean eyes locked on them, head down, eyes not blinking, staring for 45 minutes straight. It was just really creepy for her and I. But most times men just take glances because we typically dress nicely which is not often seen where I live. I get that and could care less, but this was just flat out creepy. Not that I was too worried. You guys know me, my wife almost always wears an anklet and so do I, but my anklet holds a 9mm Kimber. :-) I love guns so I always conceal carry…

I'm much there same, but prefer almond-shaped toes. Living along a towpath makes things difficult as I don't are to ruin my boots or break an ankle!

Yes! Would have been nice to have had a coffee in town!

They are beautiful, must feel great to wear, and surpringly comfortable to walk in Cool, sure wish it was me!

jealousy for sure

What style boots do you have? Generally speaking, I enjoy wearing boots with tall sturdy heels, tall shafts, and pointed toes while out and about

Teetering this morning with the boat on an ever so slight list to starboard - not unusual in narrowboats. You notice it vaguely when you walk along the galley and living space in regular shoes or slippers, but very much more so in 12cm stilettos. I’m looking at it as good training for balance! Yes - I was wondering if you had any good motorbike expeditions planned to make use of the fine autumn weather. I don’t think I’ve heard your standing in heels story, or at least I don’t recall it, so I’ll be interested to hear it!

@Shyheels, I am not 100% sure what your question is referencing, but the first thing that comes to mind is the motorbike. I don't have anything special planned until next year, as our season is rapidly drawing to a close. Basically, I'll ride until I can't stand it anymore, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5º. One of these days, I'll have to drag out my standing in heels story again for @higherheels's benefit. Possibly there are other who have not heard it before, but I don't have time today to write it all out.

Epically hideous

It is not the same at all as the arguments against electricity etc. that’s a palliative fed to the masses. This is far more insidious

I thought these were kind of ugly, and to be fair, not very practical unless you are headed to a Steampunk Convention. The steel contraptions look like they would catch on any fabric every encountered.