You hear the most remarkable things sometimes, and I mean unbelievable things, marvelous in their stupidity, in passing in You Tube commercials. I let some ad run while doing something else today, some AI service that promises — pretty big promises — to be your peachy-keen personal assistant in some way. The line that caught my half-attention: “And don’t worry! [Product name] won’t be offended if you want to talk to a real human being.”

Let me italicize the part of that that needs it: “And don’t worry! [Product name] won’t be offended if you want to talk to a real human being.”

What? It’s just my opinion, of course, but taking offense means some sort of emotional capability, yes? As in, one specific to human brains. And AI systems have the emotional capability of a bag of hammers, yes?

Back when we saw Lilacia Park in Lombard, we also took a stroll down St. Charles Street, a major shopping street in that town, north of the Metra commuter rail tracks. A pleasant street with a number of local businesses.

Among other St. Charles Street businesses is Devious FX-Bob James Oddities & Curiosities, but we only spent a short time there. As the store’s web site says, “We offer goth jewelry, unique art, and unusual items you will not see anywhere else.” The skulls for sale, both human (replicas?) and animal, creeped out the other members of my party, so we went on our way.

On Park Ave., which intersects with St. Charles, Homer Simpson shills for a resale shop.

Specifically, JL Vintage Odds and Ends. It isn’t the only place I’ve seen Homer in a probably unauthorized commercial pose. Yet at this point Homer, I believe, belongs to humanity as a whole, strict ideas of intellectual property notwithstanding.

Odds and ends, all right. The oddest thing inside was, again, Homer.