NASA flies U-2 spy planes over wildfires. They might be able to do the same thing with the SR-71. I really don’t know, that’s my best guess for a realistic use case.

There could be some legitimate uses (NASA operates U-2 spy planes over wildfires to this day) but it would not surprise me at all if it is for some dumb reason.

I said like a smart plug. You could easily add those features to something relatively dumb like a smart plug instead of having some insane data collection computer in your fridge

My fridge is old enough it can purchase alcohol in the US (21+ years old). It has an ice maker and water dispenser, both inside (nothing in the door, fewer things to break). The only tech I would want it to have is something like what you could get with an IoT smart plug - basic metrics like temperature, power draw, door open time, etc.

AFAIK the same model I have is still available in some form, and is still available without any wireless connection capabilities. I’ll probably buy it again.