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User: moondawg14

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  1. Re:Yanno on Air Quality Apps and Bottled Air Thrive On Beijing's Pollution · · Score: 5, Interesting
    As is very often the case with China, the issue is much more complex than that. China does have emissions regulations, but the selectively enforce them. Most Chinese companies don't have the technology to create compliant products(automobiles and trucks, in this case) Nor do consumers have the money to purchase compliant products. So, rather than spend $$$$ on developing compliant products, companies will spend $$ to get the right person to sign off on their non-compliant product. This has a double-benefit of making Chinese products MUCH cheaper than foreign products (most foreign companies will not make a non-compliant product) and putting more Chinese manufacturing workers to work.

    Here in China, we use 80/20 as a rule of thumb: 80% of the products in a given market will be "fake." In my case, we find that about 80% of the competitors in the engine markets are selling non-compliant engines. One example: One of our competitors was selling an aftertreatment "catalyst" at retail for less than our material cost. So, we bought one and cut it open. Iron. No platinum or other catalysts. Well, pretty hard to compete on price when the other guy doesn't have to follow the rules.

    After living here for a year, I can tell you that "Money is King" in China. Nearly every single person is constantly on the hunt for where they're going to get their next infusion of cash. Putting enough money in the right hands can get you nearly anything, ANYTHING that you want. Until that cycle is somehow broken, China is going to continue to run headlong into the future with little concern for the long-term well-being of its environment and citizens.

  2. They are readily available, if you really want one on China Reviewing Game Consoles Ban · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I currently live in Beijing. I can have a new console in my living room in less than a half an hour. They're for sale in every major market here. And not really marked up much more than the US price. It was a piece of cake to get a 220V power supply for the Wii when we moved. I think I got it for 40 kuai (about $6) Sure, they'd sell a ton more of them if I could go to Gomez or Sunning..... but the "ban" is surely not keeping them out. Like most regulations here... not enforced at all... or selectively at best.

  3. Re:"spanning a whopping 409 square feet..." on NASA To Demonstrate Largest-Ever Solar Sail in Space · · Score: 1

    We need to know which "ton" you're speaking about. Is it a shit-ton, a metric shit-ton or a butt-ton?

  4. Re:No appreciation for subtlety in China on China Blocks News Websites In Protest of Nobel · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you were a Chinese citizen, you'd be so used to the idea, it wouldn't even make you flinch. I visited China during the run up to the 2008 Olympics. I was watching CNN international. The reporter started talking about China's "increased tranpsarency to the press" or whatever term they were using then. The screen went black for about 2 minutes. When the picture came back, the reporter was done. This happened several times over the 2 weeks I was there. I was dumbfounded. It's just a way of life. The Chinese just shrug their shoulders and go on.

  5. Re:Mountain Edition ? on Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty Black Ops Edition · · Score: 1

    Jeep has a New Mountain Edition with 32" rubber and decals. Change the decals and maybe the badging, and you've got the [description of the] CoD model. In other news, all get estimated 15mpg city and 19mpg highway. I get like 15 mpg in my ~6600 lb. 1992 F250 while towing a trailer and I have more ground clearance too what with the 4" lift. Jeep fail.

    You also get better fuel economy because you don't meet the same emissions regulations, the same crash protection rating, or the same interior ammenities. And if you're getting 15mpg in a 92 F250 with a 4" lift towing a trailer, I'll bet you dollars-to-donuts that it's a diesel. Comparision fail.

  6. Re:5 page paper? on Facebook Post Juror Gets Fined, Removed, Assigned Homework · · Score: 1

    These are the ones that are also commonly used as "pull out and wait to merge" lanes by the aforementioned stupid drivers.

  7. How about snapped off at a party? on Dog Eats Man's Toe and Saves His Life · · Score: 1

    I believe it was Sir Chris Bonington that has his necrotic frost-bitten toe snapped off at a party by a curious nurse. He talks about it in his account of surviving the climb of Annapurna's south face.

  8. Re:Not statistically significant! on Google's Free Satnav Outperforms TomTom · · Score: 1

    I don't think anyone is calling this "research." This is "journalism." Much lower standards for printing your "results" IMHO.

  9. Re:Clothes dryer? on Why Intel Wants To Network Your Clothes Dryer · · Score: 1

    Then he's just using heat that would otherwise be present inside his home..... which will likely be replaced by some sort of HVAC system.

  10. Approximately 50% of your base... on Kepler Mission Finds 752 Extrasolar Planet Candidates · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... are belong to us.

  11. Re:Govern == Hegamony? on J. P. Barlow — Internet Has Broken the Political System · · Score: 1

    Hell, the internet has made it impossible to SPELL "Hegemony"

  12. Ummm... isn't this what we pay them to do? on US Intelligence Planned To Destroy WikiLeaks · · Score: 1

    Wikileaks could potentially pose a threat to US intelligence, for many reasons including "Tipping our hand" to the enemy. So, the Government develops a strategy to mitigate the threat. News at 11?

  13. Re:Opportunity Rocks on NASA Mars Rover Opportunity Grinds "Cool" Rock · · Score: 1, Insightful

    If you'd be willing to accept some Opportunity-sized solar panels, we could remedy that for you.

  14. Re:Print Screen on Does Your PC Really Need a SysRq Button Anymore? · · Score: 0

    Not on my Latitude. Prnt Scrn is the main key, Fn + Prnt Scrn = SysRq.

  15. Re:Someone else who wants somethign for nothing on B&N Nook Successfully Opened · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Yeah. um.... not sure, but I think the "She was asking for it.... look how she was dressed!" argument doesn't really get you very far.

  16. Re:"Go 'way, 'batin!" on FCC Lets Radar Company See Through Walls · · Score: 1, Funny

    "Go 'way, 'batin!" "Sir, Imma let you finish, but this radar is the best device of all time, of all time."

  17. Re:Heres the thing... on Developing Nations Crippled By Broadband Costs · · Score: 1

    On the other side, in FRANCE for example when they started to build the indigenous aircraft, they missed their deadline by 5 years, its still not done ( supposed to be done by 2004 I think) and overshot their budget by a few billion dollars. Its just an example of how projects are handled differently in different nations. Such inefficient execution can also increase the price of the end product.

    There, fixed that for you.

  18. Re:It turned me into a newt! on Apple Tries To Gag Owner of Exploding iPod · · Score: 1
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPICAC_(short_story)

    Stupid Kurt Vonnegut, messing up my spelling!

    Thank you, sir, for elevating the joke and not (explicitly) correcting my spelling!

  19. Re:It turned me into a newt! on Apple Tries To Gag Owner of Exploding iPod · · Score: 3, Funny

    Excepting Syrup of Epicac, of course.

  20. Re:News at 11, new eco friendly whale oil OLEDs. on OLED Breakthrough Yields 75% More Efficient Lights · · Score: 1

    +12 "usually" FTW!

  21. Re:That's silly on Cure For Radiation Sickness Found? · · Score: 1

    They're only REfridgerators if you allow things to warm up, and then put them back in. For one-time cooling, the judges are willing to accept "fridgerators."

  22. Re:useful energy is not free on English Market Produces Energy With Kinetic Plates · · Score: 1
  23. Re:Can't Help but be Supportive on Bolivia Is the Saudi Arabia of Lithium · · Score: 3, Funny

    Strip-mining prevents forest fires.

  24. Re:Cost Savings on Unpaid Contributors Provide Corporate Tech Support · · Score: 1

    Or, even better for both of them: Donate to the charity of the "helper's" choice. Verizon wins, it gets quality tech support for a pittance. "Helper" wins, as he feels "extra" good for helping people. Charity wins, as they get more funds.

  25. Re:Typo in summary on Sophisticated Balloons Could Help Steer Spacecraft · · Score: 1

    Certainly, you've heard of a vulcan mind meld before? If not, get off my lawn!