Your ISP is probably blocking it if you are on a cheaper plan...try upgrading to the "Premier" service so you can have full-on access to online petitions.
Why does it matter what it is? The OP's point (which I happen to agree with) was that a 30 second window isn't a big deal in this case (or most, for that matter). Whether it's "flying space debris," a car, a boat, a train, or whatever...it's outside of your control. I once was vacationing on a beach in Mexico and saw a coconut fall about two feet in front of a walking dude. No doubt it probably would have killed him had he taken an extra step - the dude was a bit freaked out, and understandably so. THAT is a close call...but a 30 second window relative to your speed, I don't see as a big deal. The plane is probably more likely to suck up a bird into its engine upon takeoff than to get hit by random space debris. Well, for now, anyway...
Or, for that matter, drop the price to $0.02 and I'm sure they'll sell TONS of books! I think you have a winner of a business plan here! I think I'll go patent that...
Halliburton ALLEGEDLY committed fraud that resulted in them obtaining US government funds they didn't earn...so if, as an American, you pay taxes, that would be stealing YOUR money. So it does affect you in a way.
Where are you getting these numbers? 200k miles assuming 50mpg and $2.50/gal should be $10,000 not $40,000. 100k miles "at US prices" assuming 50mpg again and assuming that "US prices" is $2.50/gal, is only $5,000 not $20,000.
I'm not saying the article isn't complete and utter BS, but I don't get your reasoning here...am I missing something?
YA RLY! This applies to T-Zones, not Blackberry plans, smart guy. Completely different plans. It's meant for feature phones, not Smartphones. At least read some comments before trying to be a smartass: http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=22428 0&cid=18162324.
I moved to VA two years ago (live in Richmond now) and I love Wawa. When I move away from the east coast I'm sure going to miss it. It's too bad they're so big they have to be in the 'burbs...I live next to downtown and I'm not sure where the nearest Wawa is but there aren't any near me.
I don't know why all the replies to your post have been so pointless, talking about parenting and how it's not that easy to do...anyway, I happen to agree with you - I accidentally dialed 911 taking it out of my pocket. I have an 8700, and merely scrolling the wheel brings up the prompt...thus, "Emergency Call" is only one easy wheel click down from being in a "locked" state. To get the phone out of your pocket, obviously, you have to grab the sides, where the scroll wheel happens to be...I must have hit it and accidentally scrolled back up and hit OK on the confirmation prompt because when I looked, it was dialing 911. I think they should replace the confirmation screen with a dial pad, so you actually have to DIAL like you do on regular phones. It's too easy to move the wheel and click a couple of times and dial it accidentally...I could totally see how your kid could do it.
While I agreed with you initially, I RTFA and it says the chip contains information about the vehicle and its owner. I think there's a difference between broadcasting "XYZ-123," which is meaningless to just about anyone, and broadcasting "I'm XYZ-123, I'm owned by John Doe who lives at 123 Main Street USA." If someone figured out a way to read these things, they could, hypothetically, drive around scanning for nice cars, take note of where they live, and go steal or break into them later. It all depends on what the chip is broadcasting...but something tells me it's not just broadcasting the license plate number.
An SUV is NOT inherently dangerous. Should we ban semi trailers because they're so huge they pose a threat to everyone else? Should we ban school buses because they're also too big? Should we ban minivans too, because they're nearly as heavy as SUV's? (do some research on GVWR of a minivan compared to a midsize SUV, you'll be surprised)... should we ban cargo vans because they're big, and tow trucks, and limousines, and anything over 3,000 lbs curb weight? This is exactly what's wrong with your (and the other guy that responded to my post) mentality - you focus too much on saying "well big cars are bad when we crash" instead of thinking about avoiding crashes in the first place.
A young, inexperienced driver, in ANY car, is far more dangerous to everyone else than an older, experienced, skilled driver in ANY car, because they are MORE LIKELY TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT in the first place. I don't care if an SUV is "blocking a view"... it's ALL about drivers... a small car in the wrong hands may not block views, but it might be speeding, tailgating, and doing erratic lane changes, which is WAY more dangerous to the general population than an SUV driving SAFELY.
Your argument is akin to saying "Ban sports cars, because they're fast and when you get in an accident, since you're going so fast, it's worse than regular cars that aren't going as fast." Fast car does not equal bad, dangerous driver. Large car does not equal bad, dangerous driver.
It doesn't matter who drives what as long as inexperienced, careless, unskilled, reckless drivers are out there. THAT is what we should focus on if we really want to improve safety.
You should say "Ban dumb drivers." Dumb drivers drive all types of vehicles, banning SUV's is not a realistic solution. If you want to make the roads safer, it's about education - not only classroom type stuff but extensive defensive driving education involving real driving. I've been in classes that simulate your tires locking up, your rear end spinning forward, teach you how to safely fall into a ditch (by having you ACTUALLY DO IT), teach you what to do in case of a blowout, teach you what to do when you hydroplane (yes, they sprayed the tarmac with water and actually made you hydroplane) and teach you how to get back on road from a shoulder safely without losing control due to your tires suddenly hitting pavement. Doing this kinda stuff helps you react a lot better when it actually happens (I've found that out firsthand).
If everyone went through this type of education you bet we'd all be better off. Instead, we put little Susie through a short class, have her take a test, then drive around for an hour, and hand her a driver's license. A sixteen year old girl who just got her license but drives a Civic is far more dangerous than a grown man with years of driving experience in many types of situations, who is driving an SUV.
I drive an SUV. I like to be able to COMFORTABLY carry five people, even on long trips. I like being able to put two mountain bikes inside. I like to offroad as a hobby about once a month, I like to go camping in remote places only accessible to 4x4's. All in all, I STILL use less gas than most people because I live three miles from work. Stop assuming that your needs and habits are the same as everyone else's, and people with SUV's are just wasting gas and making the roads unsafe.
It's not about the height - they have to be aimed properly. I drive an SUV and I've been blinded by Civics because the dumbass kids who rice out their headlights don't bother adjusting them correctly. I've also been blinded by old cars that have either been in an accident or something has caused one headlight to be out of alignment. Check your owner's manual, it tells you how to aim them and what the specs are (for example, X feet away from a wall, on level ground, the top of your beam should be Y feet from the ground).
Hey...tinfoil will get the job done too, won't it? But what's easier to stick in your pocket...a small MP3 player, or an 8"x6"x1" plastic package? If it sounds like I speak from experience, I do...as a kid I stole a watch from K-mart by taking it out of the package and just wearing it out of the store. I had long sleeves and my mom didn't see it. I didn't have to worry about hiding a big ass package in my pants or jacket, nor did I have to worry about sensors and crap. And since the packaging wasn't of the type discussed in the article, removing it from the package without being caught by cameras was trivial. I can tell you 100% that the hard-as-hell to open package that requires scissors would have prevented me from doing that. FYI I don't steal anymore...nor did I ever take anything that big...it was one of those kid mistakes...hey, we all make 'em, eh?
I think the whole point of making them hard to open is to deter theft. The anti-theft strips on most consumer goods (if not all) are in the packaging, so they can be easily defeated by simply taking the product out and leaving the packaging at the store.
This is near impossible to do when an employee or video monitor can spot someone fumbling with the packaging (imagine watching yourself trying to open these things...I'm sure it's quite funny - I know sometimes I get so pissed off, I pause and count to 10).
That being said, I somewhat agree with you that, as annoying as it is, using scissors CORRECTLY usually does the job...it's figuring out where to cut that's the hard part.
Slashdot Mirror
Your ISP is probably blocking it if you are on a cheaper plan...try upgrading to the "Premier" service so you can have full-on access to online petitions.
I personally like "Circuit Shitty."
We need a catchy phrase for the whole "Is she hot?" comments that inevitably pop up whenever any female is involved in a story...
PS... She's not bad!
Why does it matter what it is? The OP's point (which I happen to agree with) was that a 30 second window isn't a big deal in this case (or most, for that matter). Whether it's "flying space debris," a car, a boat, a train, or whatever...it's outside of your control. I once was vacationing on a beach in Mexico and saw a coconut fall about two feet in front of a walking dude. No doubt it probably would have killed him had he taken an extra step - the dude was a bit freaked out, and understandably so. THAT is a close call...but a 30 second window relative to your speed, I don't see as a big deal. The plane is probably more likely to suck up a bird into its engine upon takeoff than to get hit by random space debris. Well, for now, anyway...
Just look at it as training for when your kid grows up and has to cancel his/her AOL account...
Or, for that matter, drop the price to $0.02 and I'm sure they'll sell TONS of books! I think you have a winner of a business plan here! I think I'll go patent that...
Halliburton ALLEGEDLY committed fraud that resulted in them obtaining US government funds they didn't earn...so if, as an American, you pay taxes, that would be stealing YOUR money. So it does affect you in a way.
Where are you getting these numbers? 200k miles assuming 50mpg and $2.50/gal should be $10,000 not $40,000. 100k miles "at US prices" assuming 50mpg again and assuming that "US prices" is $2.50/gal, is only $5,000 not $20,000.
I'm not saying the article isn't complete and utter BS, but I don't get your reasoning here...am I missing something?
This better make +5 funny...
You're about to do a flyover on Mars.
(C)ancel or (A)llow?
Great post!!! If I had mod points you'd have gotten them for sure.
YA RLY! This applies to T-Zones, not Blackberry plans, smart guy. Completely different plans. It's meant for feature phones, not Smartphones. At least read some comments before trying to be a smartass: http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=22428 0&cid=18162324.
In Soviet Russia, the internet chokes YOUR chicken?
You just made my co-workers think I'm crazy because of how loud I laughed there...Thanks.
I moved to VA two years ago (live in Richmond now) and I love Wawa. When I move away from the east coast I'm sure going to miss it. It's too bad they're so big they have to be in the 'burbs...I live next to downtown and I'm not sure where the nearest Wawa is but there aren't any near me.
I don't know why all the replies to your post have been so pointless, talking about parenting and how it's not that easy to do...anyway, I happen to agree with you - I accidentally dialed 911 taking it out of my pocket. I have an 8700, and merely scrolling the wheel brings up the prompt...thus, "Emergency Call" is only one easy wheel click down from being in a "locked" state. To get the phone out of your pocket, obviously, you have to grab the sides, where the scroll wheel happens to be...I must have hit it and accidentally scrolled back up and hit OK on the confirmation prompt because when I looked, it was dialing 911. I think they should replace the confirmation screen with a dial pad, so you actually have to DIAL like you do on regular phones. It's too easy to move the wheel and click a couple of times and dial it accidentally...I could totally see how your kid could do it.
I don't think I've ever seen a strip club turn away a blind patron, but I've been to a strip club that made me wish I were blind...
You forgot "Won't someone think of the Koreans!"
Or something like that...
While I agreed with you initially, I RTFA and it says the chip contains information about the vehicle and its owner. I think there's a difference between broadcasting "XYZ-123," which is meaningless to just about anyone, and broadcasting "I'm XYZ-123, I'm owned by John Doe who lives at 123 Main Street USA." If someone figured out a way to read these things, they could, hypothetically, drive around scanning for nice cars, take note of where they live, and go steal or break into them later. It all depends on what the chip is broadcasting...but something tells me it's not just broadcasting the license plate number.
In Korea, only old people make MP3 players out of duct tape...
An SUV is NOT inherently dangerous. Should we ban semi trailers because they're so huge they pose a threat to everyone else? Should we ban school buses because they're also too big? Should we ban minivans too, because they're nearly as heavy as SUV's? (do some research on GVWR of a minivan compared to a midsize SUV, you'll be surprised) ... should we ban cargo vans because they're big, and tow trucks, and limousines, and anything over 3,000 lbs curb weight? This is exactly what's wrong with your (and the other guy that responded to my post) mentality - you focus too much on saying "well big cars are bad when we crash" instead of thinking about avoiding crashes in the first place.
... it's ALL about drivers ... a small car in the wrong hands may not block views, but it might be speeding, tailgating, and doing erratic lane changes, which is WAY more dangerous to the general population than an SUV driving SAFELY.
A young, inexperienced driver, in ANY car, is far more dangerous to everyone else than an older, experienced, skilled driver in ANY car, because they are MORE LIKELY TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT in the first place. I don't care if an SUV is "blocking a view"
Your argument is akin to saying "Ban sports cars, because they're fast and when you get in an accident, since you're going so fast, it's worse than regular cars that aren't going as fast." Fast car does not equal bad, dangerous driver. Large car does not equal bad, dangerous driver.
It doesn't matter who drives what as long as inexperienced, careless, unskilled, reckless drivers are out there. THAT is what we should focus on if we really want to improve safety.
You should say "Ban dumb drivers." Dumb drivers drive all types of vehicles, banning SUV's is not a realistic solution. If you want to make the roads safer, it's about education - not only classroom type stuff but extensive defensive driving education involving real driving. I've been in classes that simulate your tires locking up, your rear end spinning forward, teach you how to safely fall into a ditch (by having you ACTUALLY DO IT), teach you what to do in case of a blowout, teach you what to do when you hydroplane (yes, they sprayed the tarmac with water and actually made you hydroplane) and teach you how to get back on road from a shoulder safely without losing control due to your tires suddenly hitting pavement. Doing this kinda stuff helps you react a lot better when it actually happens (I've found that out firsthand).
If everyone went through this type of education you bet we'd all be better off. Instead, we put little Susie through a short class, have her take a test, then drive around for an hour, and hand her a driver's license. A sixteen year old girl who just got her license but drives a Civic is far more dangerous than a grown man with years of driving experience in many types of situations, who is driving an SUV.
I drive an SUV. I like to be able to COMFORTABLY carry five people, even on long trips. I like being able to put two mountain bikes inside. I like to offroad as a hobby about once a month, I like to go camping in remote places only accessible to 4x4's. All in all, I STILL use less gas than most people because I live three miles from work. Stop assuming that your needs and habits are the same as everyone else's, and people with SUV's are just wasting gas and making the roads unsafe.
It's not about the height - they have to be aimed properly. I drive an SUV and I've been blinded by Civics because the dumbass kids who rice out their headlights don't bother adjusting them correctly. I've also been blinded by old cars that have either been in an accident or something has caused one headlight to be out of alignment. Check your owner's manual, it tells you how to aim them and what the specs are (for example, X feet away from a wall, on level ground, the top of your beam should be Y feet from the ground).
Hey...tinfoil will get the job done too, won't it? But what's easier to stick in your pocket...a small MP3 player, or an 8"x6"x1" plastic package? If it sounds like I speak from experience, I do...as a kid I stole a watch from K-mart by taking it out of the package and just wearing it out of the store. I had long sleeves and my mom didn't see it. I didn't have to worry about hiding a big ass package in my pants or jacket, nor did I have to worry about sensors and crap. And since the packaging wasn't of the type discussed in the article, removing it from the package without being caught by cameras was trivial. I can tell you 100% that the hard-as-hell to open package that requires scissors would have prevented me from doing that. FYI I don't steal anymore...nor did I ever take anything that big...it was one of those kid mistakes...hey, we all make 'em, eh?
I think the whole point of making them hard to open is to deter theft. The anti-theft strips on most consumer goods (if not all) are in the packaging, so they can be easily defeated by simply taking the product out and leaving the packaging at the store.
This is near impossible to do when an employee or video monitor can spot someone fumbling with the packaging (imagine watching yourself trying to open these things...I'm sure it's quite funny - I know sometimes I get so pissed off, I pause and count to 10).
That being said, I somewhat agree with you that, as annoying as it is, using scissors CORRECTLY usually does the job...it's figuring out where to cut that's the hard part.