Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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thinning exit

Oops, deep sadness and solem remembrance at our loss, carry on.
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Autonomous cars, having no real prevailing predators, safety teams too good at their culturing and databases on craziness means humans have a fat spread that really can't be carried. Medicine is advancing at a rate of knots and retirement funds can't rest on the virtual ocelots forever.

How about allowing the construction of deathtraps. These can be built in public areas and incorporated into home architecture. The deathtraps will be clearly marked but of course will be a rite of passage with those of an age that want to tempt fate. The mechanism can be wide and varied but must adhere to the rules of being humane and having a non return event horizon of finality. Cleanup should involve returning as many nutrients to the cycle of life as possible.

I can see this idea is a bit premature as humanities population plight is probably not at such desperate levels and our current morality opens up this appliance to misuse and indignation. Worth a thought though, for the future and it's generations.

And I would also say the traps will free up the safety officers to concentrate on maiming situations but the doctors will have that covered. Of course, if humanity makes it out of our earthly orbit, death will be back at true levels of normalcy.

wjt, Apr 28 2019

Suddenly I'm not hungry https://www.ecology...s-as-biosludge.html
Shaddap and eat your biosludge! [whatrock, May 03 2019]

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       [+]   

       // returning as many nutrients to the cycle of life as possible.//   

       <Obligatory "Soylent Green is people ! " quote/>
8th of 7, Apr 28 2019
  

       Tries to imagine what might prey on autonomous cars.
pocmloc, Apr 28 2019
  

       Autonomous mobile car crushers?
wjt, Apr 28 2019
  

       Autonomous heavy-lift helicopters, analogous to the way raptors predate rodents.
8th of 7, Apr 28 2019
  

       Would they merely use a hollow spike to impale the fuel tank and suck it dry before discarding the rest of the vehicle, or would they also partially disassemble the victim and use the spare parts for repairing / upgrading themselves?
pocmloc, Apr 28 2019
  

       Obviously they would have to bring back something to the nest for their young.
pertinax, Apr 29 2019
  

       Only until the offspring were flight-certified, after which they could feed by in-flight refuelling until they were old enough to fend for themselves.
8th of 7, Apr 29 2019
  

       //what might prey on autonomous cars//   

       Other autonomous cars in search of spare parts or some extra chrome for those really big fins & bling they've been hankering after, it's a status thing.
Skewed, May 02 2019
  

       The little bipedal parasites don't get much look in with this dark cannibal transformers alternate universe, do they?
wjt, May 03 2019
  

       Nope. Resistance is Futile ...
8th of 7, May 03 2019
  

       Suprised there's not more ideas presenting this kind of autonomous ecosystem.
pocmloc, May 03 2019
  

       They were predated and consumed by bigger, stronger ideas better fitted for their environment.
8th of 7, May 03 2019
  

       //The little bipedal parasites don't get much look in//   

       The what now? oh those! well they do have some uses, well one use, we mash them up & ferment them for fuel.
Skewed, May 03 2019
  

       That's a slippery slope down to farming and designer fermentors with tasting sessions.
wjt, May 04 2019
  

       <Dalek>   

       "DRRY, CRRISP YET MEL-LOW ... RRE-MINDS ME OF THE EIGHTY-SIX VIN-TAGE ..."   

       </Dalek>
8th of 7, May 04 2019
  

       Nice, that would be a dark step up. It would be like us wanting a full bodied rat distillation 1349.   

       [bigsleep] thought about it but the suicide booth Venn set doesn't quite cut it in evolution's eyes.
wjt, May 04 2019
  

       We disagree; suicide booths are highly Darwinian. They allow those with self destructive impulses to quickly and painlessly eliminate themsleves from the gene pool, ensuring those genes do not propagate.   

       There might be unforseen consequences, of course, but we don't know what they are.
8th of 7, May 04 2019
  

       Well, you'll never get a grant if you can't foresee the unforeseeable consequences.
MaxwellBuchanan, May 04 2019
  

       No, but you can get to be Vice-President of the United States.
8th of 7, May 04 2019
  

       // the yummy toxic goodness we've all been fed. //   

       You mean education ? Low birth rates are closely correlated to a wealthy, sophisticated populace. Japan is the best example of this trend. Individuals and couples choose personal benefits rather than expending time and resource on raising offspring; even those that do tend to have fewer than even the minimum replacement rate requires.   

       Given the choice, most people act selfishly - and now, they have that choice.   

       // Not sure where this leaves civilisation. //   

       Swimming around in your oceans, making whistling noises to one another. Ir's an interesting concept, maybe your species will try it sometime - before it dies out, that is.
8th of 7, May 05 2019
  
      
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