Meta: I really like the three top-level comments you made to structure the conversation. Is this something you came up with, or perhaps picked up elsewhere? Does it have a name?

There's a lot of Orion's Arm to wade through. Are there any sections you'd particularly recommend? Any stories or pages you enjoyed most?

Have you asked this question in a Windows specific forum? e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/windows

Ah, sorry. I wasn't seeking answers to those questions. They were meant to suggest lines of enquiry you should follow, and workarounds you could try.

A few thoughts based on eliminating/ruling out possible causes:

• Can you avoid making cell -> cell calls? If you're both on a smartphone with wifi could you use e.g. Skype or Messenger?
• Can you both use a hands free kit? This should eliminate poor positioning of the microphone/earpiece.
• Are you or your girlfriend in a poor signal area? Does going outside to make the call reduce the problem? There are options such as GSM signal boosters and femtocells that might be worth exploring.
• Some carriers have deployed HD Voice service. See if your phone and carrier(s) support this.

There's also "Pain is weakness leaving the body", which is less specific but probably pre-dates Eliezer's quote.

BBC Inside Health: Drug Driving; End of Life Care; Smart Drugs, also available as mp3. The smart drugs piece starts at 16m 58s.

Mostly I mention it as mainstream(ish) coverage of the topic, which I though note worthy.

Sorry, I wasn't aware the US release is delayed vs the UK

I saw Ex Machina this weekend. The subject matter is very close to LWs interests and I enjoyed it a lot. My prior prediction that it's "AI box experiment: the movie" wasn't 100% accurate.

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For those that worry it's Hollywood, hence dumb I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. The characters are smart and act accordingly, I spotted fewer than 5 idiot ball moments.

Ex Machina (IMDB) looks like AI Box Experiment: The Movie. It's due for release in Jan 2015. Synopsis:

A young programmer is selected to participate in a breakthrough experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breathtaking female A.I.

The trailer contains a possible spoiler: V guvax V fnj n tyvzcfr bs gur lbhat cebtenzzre jvgu na negvsvpvny obql.