They don't mutate for any purpose, that's just what happens over time. What direction it goes can vary with how the mutation affects survival. On average not killing a host works out better, but that doesn't imply that's a preferred path nor exclude a mutation that gets worse for the hosts as well as the disease.
Rhaedas
I remember when there was just one. I wrongly dismissed the cartoon as not real Star Trek for a very long time, I never realized how good they really were.
That's about the speed you can read text...it's why pre-internet sites like BBSes weren't all flashy, you had to keep it loadable. Actual downloads you would plan overnight and hope you didn't lose connection. The first big breakthrough was resumable downloading where you left off. Huge.
I think the sleeper is "talk to plants". Remember how Aquaman used to be the joke in the Justice League? And I'm not well versed in comics, but Poison Ivy comes to mind as being pretty powerful.
True of many things we take for granted now. It would be a different world entirely. Another non-computer example would be the 3-point seat belt that Volvo left as an open patent, saving countless lives over the past decades.
Or a different "feel" when turned on vs. off (more resistance or something). They spent effort printing all that text to show where the switch was when a universal 0/1 would have made it clear.
I can't think of any example of a button or switch that by itself can be clear if it is engaged or not. A button could be assumed to be on if in, but that isn't always the case, like for example with emergency stops.
Uprising - Muse
In areas that are prone to earthquakes, not really. This isn't one of them, so it's unusual and worth a report and determination of the source. A 4.0 at the epicenter would feel different farther depending on the material too - most of Florida wouldn't transmit the energy well and slosh around a bit, unlike some bedrock that can carry the energy much farther. My real question would be if this is a natural cause, can there ever be a potential for seafloor movement that would power a tsunami (I don't think so)? That would be far worse than the actual ground shaking for Florida coastline residents.
Age is a factor, but the real problem is voters being given only two choices, or even only one in the case of an incumbent without primary competition in the party. I would not want someone shut out simply because they got past an arbitrary mark of time, as there are plenty of sharp and even progressive old people, as well as some dumb regressive young ones. It's how good of a pick they are to lead the country, and right now we really don't get that choice in a vote. So until we do, we have to pick the less destructive version, which is the obvious Biden who is questionable in many respects and yet still far more aware of reality. And not an established criminal, fascist, and racist.
"They modified it a bit."
"Whatever they did, it WASN'T ENOUGH!"
Are they going to be using that vehicle on a government-supported road?
The Earth doesn't care how we move things around in our spreadsheets.