u/JinxedYouGood

I work for a third party where I stand outside stores w/ the new caper carts and get people to use them. This has given me the chance to discuss these with Instacart representatives. I asked one what the actual AI aspect of these were, since the scanning/pricing/weight scale weren't exactly machine learning.

He told me the AI is for suggesting other ingredients after each scan and the sensors on the outside of the carts are tracking store inventory and customer movement, picking up and selecting items. The goal is to have robots doing that role, unclear whether that "role" is of shopper or shelf stocking. Either way, if you use a cart, your body movements are tracked to train robots. 😬

I've (25NB) had lower back issues and general chronic pain (fibromyalgia) since early teens, and some other medical hooplah since birth. Got surgery (micro laminectomyl on my L4L5 L5S1 in late 2023 after a year of immense pain and bladder issues, immediately back to normal (i.e. my baseline pain).

Now the sciatica is back and has been since March. None of the pills or patches I've gotten help, all stretches & yoga are horrendously painful, and I feel myself losing more and more of my ability to function. I have gotten better, I guess, but moreso better at learning triggers/coping rather than any pain improvement.

It's the pity look, too. Kind strangers, coworkers, my therapist, my wife, they see me using a cane and wincing in pain, crying at random times. I know it's all from a good place, but I hate being looked at like a pitiful broken thing, a chronic pain sob story to like on Facebook.

I know realistically I can get better. Physical therapy and steroid injections and the scary spinal infusions exist, but I just have this deep pit in my stomach. Whether the pain lightens up or not, my spine problems are gonna always be there. My discs have been breaking down since I was 12, and I knew I was never going to have a "normal," able-bodied life.

None of the weakness or major numbness has hit my leg yet, and it feels so odd having all of the right muscles and bones and bloodwork for a functioning body. It's all just a matter of how much pain I can take.

Pictured are some SICK pants in my size I got from Savers (dog for scale). 😎 edit: forgot surgery name

(on the bright side, the doc I'm seeing just so happened to be a chronic migraine specialist. I used to get em *daily* as a kid, and had 12 headaches/4 migraines a month when I first saw him. Got a preventative med and have only had one or so headaches this month. Fuck yeah.)

My dog ate out the entire crotch of these jeans and I want to fix it, but I don't want it to look awkward. I also know it needs to be durable since its a high friction area. Any wisdom? 2nd pic is the culprit.