Does this mean that my insurance company won’t consider them acts of god anymore and will actually cover them?

I have a similar background, and I actually am automating my home. However, what Google/Alexa tote as automation isn’t actually automation; I still would have to say something/press a button.

I have a pretty healthy home assistant setup, with stuff like electrochromic film on my windows that will dim the windows if someone is sitting near them and the sun is at the right angle to be in their eyes because I hate when I have to hold my head in a position to keep the sun out of my eyes.

I picked an extreme example, but I’ve also got things like reminders when my laundry or dishes are done (running off of a metered plug, so it just detects power spikes from the machines), presence detectors in rooms to automate lights on/off, and a whole slough of things that will happen when I click the play button on Plex (lights go out, curtains close, windows dim). I’ve got humidity sensors in the bathroom for starting/stopping the vent fan, I’ve got particulate/heat/humidity sensors for starting and stopping the hood vent in the kitchen.

Obviously these things save a few seconds here and there but it is nice to not have to think about these things anymore.

I mean, I found it in two pretty substantial dictionaries after a quick search: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sike https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=sike

Along with countless other dictionaries that cover slang and alternate spellings, but I figured you wouldn’t think that those counted.

But I will say that if being in a dictionary is a requirement for a word being part of the English language, you’re not accounting for a large portion of modern American/Internet vernacular. People who actually study language would never have this take, as languages are made up of the words people actually use, not the words that a board of folks decide to put into a list.

Language isn’t set in stone. If enough people are using one spelling, then that becomes a new spelling. A lot of spellings, words, phrases, and meanings from 100 years ago would be unrecognizable to you. People who pretend that the words they like best are the only correct ones are just being jerks for the sake of looking smart.

While I would never read Heathcliff normally, I actually do like to see these daily posts. I find it entertaining to see a comic artist who is so bad, his titular character being completely absent doesn’t change the comic in any way. It’s absurdism

Yeah, I use it to blow leaves off my walking path and into my flower/mulch beds. Prevents me from slipping and helps my plants

I mean, sure, normalcy also works here, but normality also fits here just fine.