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User: rsborg

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  1. Is Uber a big government straw man? on Uber Suspends Australian Transport Inspector Accounts To Block Stings · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Because that's how you get legislation.

    I have no idea why Uber would be so blatant/stupid - any legal advice or even common sense would have told them that this kind of behavior gets a lot of attention very fast - and not the good, loving kind of attention either.

    Unless they are really trying to get governments to make it hard for smaller "ridesharing" companies to compete. Burning the bridge after you cross? Does that make any sense?

  2. Re:Money talks, electric car walks on Tesla To Produce 'a Few Million' Electric Cars a Year By 2025 · · Score: 1

    The electrical infrastructure to deliver 'fuel' to just about any corner of the continent is already in place. Basically, you charge your car wherever you park it. A gas station is a destination

    Not only that, but a gas station is future super-fund site waiting to happen. Why do you think gas companies don't own stations anymore? The EPA would put them out of business actually cleaning up their messes.

  3. Re:More EVs = More Infrastructure = More Sales on Tesla To Produce 'a Few Million' Electric Cars a Year By 2025 · · Score: 1

    GM has a crap Volt and a concept car Bolt which wont even be selling for another two years.... GM is not a competitor to Tesla - Teslas competitors are BMW, Audi, Lexus and Tesla is destroying them

    While I'm not sure why GM can't sell many of their Volts I think that'll change once their newer model can seat 5 and has higher EV range and total range. It seems like Prius++ - not sure why folks aren't buying it.

  4. Re:Meh... on UK Computing Teachers Concerned That Pupils Know More Than Them · · Score: 1

    This is based on my personal experience with the California special education system in the 1970's and 1980's. Also based on personal observations while the school districts don't have money for school supplies and reducing classroom size, they have no problem finding money to build a brand new football field in recent years. From my conversations with other people across the country, this seems to be the norm for public education.

    So essentially pulled out of your ass. Teachers aren't allowed to talk about funding figures with parents or students, you know... so how do you get any of your 3x figures?

  5. Re:Meh... on UK Computing Teachers Concerned That Pupils Know More Than Them · · Score: 1

    The state pays the school district a certain amount of money for each student who attends for a full school day. For this example, let's say $1 per day for a normal student. The state pays $3 (3 x $1) per day for a special ed student to compensate for whatever special needs. Most often or not, the school district will keep the $3 and have the special ed student shoved into a regular classroom (sometimes that means having a desk outside of the classroom). With the public education system, collecting the money was the primary educational objective.

    I understand what you're saying but where is your citation? Does this apply across all states? I find it hard to believe.

  6. Re:Meh... on UK Computing Teachers Concerned That Pupils Know More Than Them · · Score: 1

    I was misdiagnosed as a mentally retarded in the first grade due to an undiagnosed hearing problem in one ear. My teachers were routinely surprised when I blew out the annual evaluation exam on the genius side, calling it a stastical fluke. Nothing was more prized in the special ed classes than a well-behaved idiot who brings in 3X funding.

    You gotta tell me - what do you mean by 3x funding?

  7. Re:Any experienced teacher already deals with this on UK Computing Teachers Concerned That Pupils Know More Than Them · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure I knew math, science and sometimes English better than my teachers through high school. Experienced teachers know how to deal with students like us - how would this be any different?

    The really good teachers know how to *use* such a valuable resource - let the student lead or advise. Engage the knowledgeable student by growing their ability to lead and teach. Just because it's math doesn't mean that's all that there to be learned.

  8. Re:No, corporations deserve him on Ted Cruz To Oversee NASA and US Science Programs · · Score: 1

    > Corporatocracy (tm).

    We _already_ have a word; plutocracy, and/or oligarchy

    There is no need to coin a new word -- although yours isn't bad.

    See, I keep thinking of Mickey's good 'ol dog when I hear Plutocracy - I mean, who wouldn't like a world ruled by a cute, happy go lucky dog?

  9. No, corporations deserve him on Ted Cruz To Oversee NASA and US Science Programs · · Score: 2

    This is what democracy is all about.

    You get what you pay for - oh, you're not paying? Then you're probably not getting. Welcome to the Corporatocracy (tm).

  10. Re:Android is not Chrome. on Google Throws Microsoft Under Bus, Then Won't Patch Android Flaw · · Score: 1

    I despise Facebook but it's something of a necessary evil when you have friends scattered all over the world.

    This is bullshit. Teach your friends how to interact with you and keep up your end of the bargain. Email is perfectly sufficient unless you're an attention whore or voyeur.

    Facebook is a drug and you can live without it. You might even find your life more fulfilling without it.

  11. Re:Free? on Obama Proposes 2 Years of Free Community College · · Score: 1

    That is a lie. Why would you pick classes that wouldn't transfer?

    When I taught at Tri-County Tech, nearly all of my student's credits would transfer to real schools. Our classes were stupid easy and you got credit for some very hard college classes. It was a great scam for the students.

    The real scam is that all this free and easy money doesn't go to education. It goes to educators -- educators all too willing to just take all that extra money to provide classes that are "stupid easy".

    The students are just mules that move the money from tax payers to professional educators.

    s/educator/educational institution/g

    Seriously, you think the teachers aren't part of the "ones being scammed"? They get paid peanuts while the "administrators" keep growing their budgets and salaries. The institution however...

  12. tl;dr - if you know what you're doing... on Samsung Unveils First PCIe 3.0 x4-Based M.2 SSD, Delivering Speeds of Over 2GB/s · · Score: 1

    This matters to me more than your claims of "all modern operating systems taking full advantage of the RAM". If the operating system takes full advantage of the RAM, it may not be to my best benefit.

    tl;dr: If you don't know what you're doing (or like me are too lazy to care) with respect to memory management (most Mac users) then the OS is likely a better steward than you. For everyone else, there are RAM drives :)

    Why someone would criticize you for using a RAM drive ....doesn't make sense to me.

  13. Re:Really? On Slashdot? on Gunmen Kill 12, Wound 7 At French Magazine HQ · · Score: 1

    Actually, France has been dealing with a growing problem; namely, radical Islamists who have been busy turning entire neighborhoods within France into Sharia-run enclaves. No desire to integrate into society, and indeed, they'd prefer France become a caliphate.

    Maybe it has something to do with continuing racism and lack of employment opportunities for French-born muslims. If employment opportunities (or the ability for these folks to be able to profitably self-employ) existed, the interest in extremist fundamentalism would probably be greatly dampened.

    African Americans in the USA have the same problems that Muslims do in France - they were brought over for cheap/slave labor and were not repatriated (how do you do such a thing) after the work was no longer needed (or had been automated). However in France, the religion is different as well - and one that's been in violent conflict with Christianity for millennia.

    I'm surprised there hasn't been more such incidents.

  14. Altruism trumpeted by Evil on How Civilizations Can Spread Across a Galaxy · · Score: 1

    Have a good reputation by practicing ahinsa, and always helping and not hurting the civilizations one visits. Send a copy of your self to other civilizations and get them to build it, giving them detailed instructions. (Use error correcting codes for the instructions.) In return perform same service for others with good reputations! Using this method one can cross space at the speed of light or better. You can cross space at the speed a message can travel.

    If you hurt anyone your reputation will be damaged and with it the ability to travel.

    Right up until you meet a civilization that's intent on destroying your civ's reputation (and possibly going on a genocidal rampage) for whatever petty resource or idealistic goals they see fit.

    And would you really want to create a set of instructions to build humans ... perhaps just so they become slaves or a tasty snack for the aliens on the other end?

  15. Re:if not collecting the data on Apple Pay For the UK · · Score: 1

    Is it a standard us thing, that a merchant get access to any card data when the customer pays with a credit card in a physical shop?

    Here in Denmark, a normal merchant newer has access to your card data even if you pay with a credit card.

    The data is sent directly from the credit card terminal(The hardware which read the card and card code) to dibs/nets(The payment gateway for credit cards) which then reserve the money and sends a message back to the terminal about the status of the transaction. This transaction status is then send to the merchants cash register to together with the last 4 digits of the credit card number.

    In short, yes. The USA is very behind most of Europe when it comes to credit card security, and is just now looking to catch up. By late 2015, credit card issuers can push liability for fraud to merchants if they haven't adopted EMV or some form of card tokenization. That's why there's such a push for things like Apple Pay.

  16. Re:AT&T has become one unit less evil on Is the Tablet Market In Outright Collapse? Data Suggests Yes · · Score: 1

    (My emphasis.) In other words, AT&T has adopted the same billing practice as T-Mobile. Thanks for letting us know about this change.

    They are NOT the same. The subscription is still there. The early termination fee doesn't go down in liability in regular increments - they monkey with it so that fee stays 80% intact after 1 year. Read up on Verizon's new schedule - you pay full ETF for 8 months. That' alike 8 months of your payments not paying down your loan.

    with the old policy, you would see a substantial reduction in your ETF after completing up to eight months, but the new ETF policy lays out a much different schedule. In the new policy, you are stuck with the full $350 ETF on “advanced devices” for the first seven months of a contract. From months 8-18, you will then see the ETF decline by $10 per month. Then from months 19-23, it will decline by $20 per month. In the final month of your contract, your ETF will reduce by $60.

    In TMO it's straight talk all the way - 18mo ago paid a $240 subsidy per phone and ...in 24 months of $20 payments above my non-subsidized phone bill, I will have paid off the phone. Also if I leave, and pay off the phone, they will unlock immediately.

    Sucks you can't get good TMO service. They will improve it - these guys are itching for #2 spot or higher.

  17. Re:The Driverless Car - Any Day of the Week on The One Mistake Google Keeps Making · · Score: 1

    Not sure if it is an option for you, but can you take public transit?

    Someone does the driving and you can read/sleep, etc.

    Not really a good alternative for many folks.

    Until recently, I was down to one vehicle, and the days the missus needed the car, I had to take public transportation. Here's how that went:

    First she has to get me to the train station (I live in a rural area - nearest light rail station was 10 miles away), then I spent an hour on the thing going to the same place that I could reach in 30 minutes if I drove there by car (...why? Because the train has to stop at every station along the way). Then there's the whole idea of not wanting to bring out expensive gear (phone, laptop, whatever) in front of folks who might want that gear worse than you do, and would be more than willing to take it from you. I won't go in-depth on the subject of how crowded the trains get during morning rush, the singularly uncomfortable seats (which are designed not for comfort, but to be hosed-down on occasion), and etc.

    You should have just stopped at the "rural" part. Unless you live in some socialist public-transport-paradise (i.e., parts of France, Russia, Brazil, Hong Kong, and the UK pre-Thatcher) public transport for rural areas is just pathetic, and even in some of those cases it's still never going to be good.

    What's sad is that in many urban/suburban places there *could* be good rail service, but there won't be. Which is sad, even for folks who would never use public transit, as getting those grudging car commuters off the road you share will just make your drive better/faster/safer.

  18. Re:Not quite without customers... on The One Mistake Google Keeps Making · · Score: 1

    And you'd have to root it if you wanted to choose where to go yourself, rather than Google choosing your destination for you. (But that would still be better than the Apple car, which would only allow you to travel to Apple stores.)

    To be fair, in the alternate universe where Apple is actually building a car, almost everyone would be working or shopping at an Apple store anyway.

  19. Re:They said that about cell phones on The One Mistake Google Keeps Making · · Score: 2

    What is the problem that a driverless car is going to fix?

    To paraphrase Henry Ford, it sounds to me like google is actually trying to build a faster horse,

    Uh - maybe auto accidents and deaths for a starter [1] ? Computer driven cars are much more ikely to be safer than manually driven ones in aggregate.

    To flip the tables, lets use a computing analogy for cars: Imagine if each TCP-IP packet (or connection) were hand-driven or managed. Lots of collisions and traffic jams. Some packets/connections would have unbelievable latency/throughput. Others (most) would be stuck in traffic that was inherently preventable assuming some rules were in place that would need special permissions to override.

    Now compare with our Internet (as sucky as it is, buffer-bloat and all) - it's a goddamned paradise in comparison to the above.

    Now imagine the flip side analogy - cars "routed" by algorithms, protocols and, where applicable, user intervention. That's Google's vision - it's not a new one, just one where they're building it out. Actions >> Words.

    I would love to commute to work not actually doing any of the driving (secretly I'd prefer public transport, but only if it were nearly as convenient as point-to-point driving that I can do now). A driverless car is a great idea - sure my commute might take a few min longer as "the system" routes me, but the likelihood of traffic incidents and the like would probably be lower, preventing those 2-3x longer commute days.

    Sign me the fuck up.

    [1] http://www.csmonitor.com/Busin...

  20. Re:if not collecting the data on Apple Pay For the UK · · Score: 2

    I consider Apple Pay the same as I consider Google Wallet. It is like broadband availability in that it will be predominately a big city thing. In rural areas like where I live I don't see it working

    Except Apple Pay is expressly designed to prevent what Google Wallet does - which is to correlate your purchases to a credit card. It even prevents the merchant from such correlation. Google Wallet does it differently - they issue a virtual card that, while protecting your CC number from the merchant, still allows you to be correlated by Google. Apple is simply implementing EMV payment tokenization - it's a standard [1].

    The only company who retains this is the credit card issuer, who will have to authorize such payments and maintain the credit balance (which you're not going to get away from without going to decentralized trade systems like bitcoin, and even then the block chain retains payment details - it's not anonymous).

    Between Apple Pay and cash, I can remain relatively protected against my personal information from being stolen by some retailer's crappy security model (I still have to worry about the CC issuers but I'll take what I can get). I also don't feed Google's insatiable desire to index me.

  21. Re:They only store them for us to read on Net Neutrality Comments Overtaxed FCC's System · · Score: 1

    The FCC already has its orders. The 'comments' thing is just a pacification measure.

    I'm guess it's more akin to "parallel construction" whereby if the comments provide sufficient cover for your existing orders, you can claim that it was a mandate of the constituency, and if not, then you have to do extra work to reframe it so that it is.

    Still wondering why we can't have tax id used to authenticate messaging for such comment sites. I mean, like that's a guaranteed unique identifier, non? Its not like you're not putting your name/address on the comment anyway are you?

  22. Gates pioneered the licensing of software on Bill Gates Sponsoring Palladium-Based LENR Technology · · Score: 0

    Prior to Gates, the idea of selling "licensed" software was really not taking off. Once IBM gave him the keys to their PC OS kingdom, Gates was able to push this licensing sales scheme into mainstream.

    Were it not for Gates, we may see all software as free (or as a component cost of it's hardware) still today. You can't give Jobs/Apple credit for this. Gates and Microsoft were instrumental to the concept of paying for software.

  23. Re:Precious Snowflake on Putting Time Out In Time Out: The Science of Discipline · · Score: 1

    Maybe my children just have a different personality

    There are differences in personality and so different approaches may be needed. I have 3 and each one of them requires a slightly different approach. We very rarely hit or yell at our kids (usually it's when the put themselves or the others in danger - e.g. running out into a busy parking lot) - I wont lie and say it never happens. However, one of them likes to follow (i.e., you create a precedent with her sixter and she happily adheres) another one needs to be appreciated so motivation about how it will make everyone happy is helpful, the third likes to stick to schedules so telling her she'll be late or that she'll earn a star for being on time motivates her to be ready and get her siblings ready too. Stickers, mini-treats and the like are very useful as well when appropriate.

    I think it's silly to say "there is one best way" - discipline methods are a tool, and you should have several tools in your belt, and use the most effective tool as often as you can. I'm glad to learn about more effective approaches that don't require shouting and/or hitting.

  24. How do you know this isn't already the case? on Minecraft Creator Notch's $70 Million Mansion Recreated In Minecraft · · Score: 1

    And on that day, yes, we will learn that the world is a simulation running on Linux. So the year of the Linux desktop will be the year that we're all running Linux in a universe running on Linux.

    The source is open, but you may need more advanced theory to understand how compilation works...

  25. Fashionable Fire Extinguishers? on Minecraft Creator Notch's $70 Million Mansion Recreated In Minecraft · · Score: 2

    Can someone tell me if I'm smoking crack or are there three separate fire extinguishers in this picture [1]? Why are there fire extinguishers in a bathroom?

    The whole "open space car garage" seems way outlandish, and the use of glass is pretty atrocious, but the views and decor seem pretty awesome. I wonder if the cost to upkeep and maintain such a home might exceed my mortgage costs.

    [1] http://images.prd.mris.com/ima...