Just once I want to see a Canadian bump into a Japanese person, so I can read the news article "Two men found starved to death today after getting into an apology loop that lasted three months."

@TuxedoCartman Follow news from Prince Edward Island? They get tons of Japanese tourists.

@TuxedoCartman similar things have happened:

https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7fxfka/eli5_how_does_bowing_work_in_japanese_culture_ive/dqfgwi0/

@camposddc Oh god, bowing.... it kills me to my soul! Let me explain: I consider myself a reasonably polite and friendly person (for an American), but being a big dumb lumbering gaijin moo-cow, often I will make mistakes like wandering into a department store that is closed (often right past a friendly sign that will state in three languages, "We Are Closed"). Then rather than yelling at me, as would be reasonable, the shop owners will instead apologize for not making it clear enough that they were closed, by apparently putting on a fireworks show or building a neon display that spells it out,and bow deeply to me... at which point I will apologize and bow back, forcing them to do the same, etc, etc, et-frickin'-cetera. My shame will not let me leave without expressing proper contrition, but I'm certain if I were to commit seppuku there I'd mess it up somehow, and inconvenience them more.

As a Canadian, I can confirm that we habitually apologise to inanimate objects.

Just today I heard my coworker whisper to his computer, "excuse me".

Lots of people I know in the UK do this... or call the door a bastard...

Talking to a friend of mine online from Canada. They said "Have you ever been to Canada? We say sorry more than hi most days."

Precisely two minutes later I found this comic had been posted. ._.

STOP READING MY THOUGHTS! O_.

@Dayvi and Jess

Great work and

This reminds me of something. According to Freeman Dyson, three things are necessary for consciousness: operational units (such as neurons), randomness, and self-influence ability. Humans have all three of these. Our neurons can either send an electrical signal, or not. At any time, one of our 100 billion neurons will be the next neuron to 'flip' from sending a signal to not, or vice versa, which creates a 'superposition' (at least according to Dyson it does, I don't fully understand it). Also, everybody's brains respond differently to different stimuli, due to the randomness of the neuron operations. The self-influence ability comes from neurotransmission, if one neuron 'flips', it could influence other neurons to do the same through neurotransmitters.

This theory means that computers are not conscious – they are completely deterministic, with no random element to them. However, it implies that a lump of radioactive mass possesses consciousness. They have all three components. At any time, one atom in the lump of mass will be the next atom to decay, the time at which the atoms decay is completely random, and particles emitted from one atom can strike other atoms and cause them to decay differently. What this means is that lumps of radioactive mass, such as in a nuclear bomb, could possibly be aware of their surroundings.

Edit: Why did I post this?

It is so true that not too long ago there was a law passed that made the comment "sorry" inadmissible as an admission of responsibility in Canadian courts.

The most passive-aggressive thing a Canadian can do: hold the door open for a person JUUUUUST far enough away that they have to run to avoid being impolite.

@LeafStranger Now I'm imagining some villain torturing Canada (And I'm only imagining a villain because I very much doubt Canada would go to hell if he died) by strapping him into a vr simulation where someone's holding a door for him but when he tries to move toward the door he just stays in place while the person holding the door gets visibly more impatient while still standing there holding the door.

@LeafStranger No wait no even worse: It's an elevator door they're holding

@Bao
#9792214
It's not the side of the hinges. It's supposed to be a sideways view of an opened door, so the bar you see him getting "trapped" under is actually the doorframe opposite the hinge side.

I do this. I do this a lot.