I tend to disagree on the "goal" of RL but we'll table that one as irrelevant:)
However, I will argue that RL death is not in any way the same as losing popularity or even entirely losing your character/account in SL or any similar online venue. Death is final, you can always re-create a character which is nothing more than bits stored on a server. The worst you lose there is the time invested. Sure it might not be fun anymore but there will always be other choices for entertainment.
If i lose my warcraft account i might not bother playing...but there's always guitar hero. It's nearly impossible to get an accurate parallel between real life and anon virtual reality entertainment in this regard.
Yes but compared to today - where YOU AND I (and a whole bunch of other taxpayers) would spend about $70k PER YEAR to keep him in jail doing nothing productive.
So yes, he will never actually pay off the debt. However, seizing all of his assets and putting him to productive work sure does more than letting him continue to cost society money.
Haha. Yes, it's funny how much of what they're doing mirrors what "real" government does.
However there's one big difference. In SL, there's anonimity. There is no recourse. There is no sort of court or penalty available.
In RL (actual society of a mythical better one i dream about) you would be a lot less anonymous in running a bank or "bank". Even without banking laws and WITH a simple "responsibility" law you'd still be stuck paying back the money or working it off.
I don't think comparing SL and RL is apples to apples. It does, however, offer some interesting insight to human behavior in a situation with zero long-term accountability and (more or less) the ability to remain entirely anonymous.
Give the free market a chance. Unfortunately, our society (USA in particular) refuses to accept anything other than "government approved" as genuine in so many cases.
If you did away with commercial pilots licenses, don't you think airlines or some consortium would offer similar without the mis-mash hoo-ha of the governemnt nonsense? Airlines would use that as a standard. Maybe test-qualify pilots in some sim hours first. Pick your method. You can get the same effectiveness - or better - without gov't involvement and eliminate the $trillions wasted on the related nonsense.
Your point with milatary medicine is perfect. In fact I dated a PA who quite redily proved she was as educated as most doctors and just required some time as an intern to 'get her feet wet'. She now effectively DOES the job of a doctor. Anything above her head the MD in her office signs off on after the fact 90% of the time. My grandmother could tell me if i had the flu, strep, or was faking it just as easily as the retard doctor who saw me long enough to scribble his signature on the pad when i was younger. Unfortunately without him i couldn't get antibiotics.
Remind me again why antibiotics are controlled substances? Other than the posibility of reducing their potency (which our MDs are doing well enough at)... i've never heard of antibiotic abuse. I can look up the drug interactions online (and my pharmacist is SUPPOSED TO do the same).
I didn't say have joe barber hack out your appendix with his hair buzzer. I also PERSONALLY know several PA's that COULD do an emergency apendectomy. "lots" is a relative term. Relative to those with substantial medical knowledge vs. general population. Just like lots of people could make a forensic backup of a hard drive doesn't imply that my dad who wasn't even fond of typewriters could.
Along the same lines, those foregn "doctors" had training yes. They very well might be as good as our MDs but they're not licensed so they'd get shit if they did anythign medically related without getting their paperwork in order first. I'm not against accredidation, just the scam of government sponsored licensing.
But see...that license doesn't actualy make that shop accountable. Our twisted and pathetic court system - IN THEORY - does. Yes it does make it accountable. It just isn't holding it to account on its license- it's not using a tool it's been given. That's a big difference you're not seeing. If this system doesn't work, "in theory" and in practice it can be fixed. It's been done many times in history. Once upon a time car repair did work as you suggest with your fantasyland idea below, and the predictable result was abandoned cars littering the streets:
The license itself does NOT OFFER ANY PROTECTION. The court system, perhaps. Forcing repair shops to obtain a license isn't what's providing the protection. And i'd LOVE to see your reference to cars littering the streets before repair shops were licensed.
How about you just make people RESPONSIBLE for what they do. You "fix" my car for $3000 and it falls apart - i take you to a court where facts are more important than who's lawyer did 18 holes with the judge over the weekend. Sounds like a great idea. Why hasn't anyone thought of this already? Just like we fixed TV news, we'll just use the "facts". We'll not allow our personal biases or conflicts of interest to influence our decisions. We can get judges, attorneys, and juries from planet Vulcan. In fact, why have cops at all? Just let crimes happen, and use prosecutors and courts for everything!
Erm what? Remind me what the accuracy of TV news has to do with providing a vaugely honest court system or what star trek has to do with any of this. Try to stay vaugely on topic, m'kay?
Why does he need a license to he held accountable for perjury? Everyone is equal in this country right?/sarcasm Everyone is accountable for perjury if they testify. Everyone is accountable for falsification of evidence, if the evidence is admitted into court, which it may not be, if the guy who produced it doesn't have a license to investigate crimes. Maybe he doesn't do competent job at forensics. Innocent people may be languishing in jail for years because of him. Do you want his work to show up at your trial in the meantime, while you're waiting for his comeuppance? Maybe he gets it years later, and your conviction is then tossed, maybe. I guess that's justice?
Hey, if my "non-licensed" investigator never testifies or submits evidence how is that even relevant?! Again, try to stay on topic. If his testimony puts someone away for 3 years wrongfully, hold him responsible for those 3 years and the loss/disruption to that person. Oh, and if you don't make a brotherhood of licensed idiots out of the, then a NORMAL PERSON will be able to afford their own investigator to refute evidence if it's not accurate. You won't need a $300/hr lawyer to jerk off in a court room.
That's my point. It's ILLEGAL for me to do many things i'm not 'licensed' to do. Regardless of my ability. In my opinion, if i CLAIM to be able to do something then i'm responsible for sucessfully doing it. Simple really. "Simple really" is the universal suffix attached to a bad idea. I can't address the deficits of this thinking fully, since I have a flight to catch, but if I see you in the cockpit I'll trade seats with you because I can claim to be a pilot too.
So instead of addressing my POINT you poke at a simple phrase. Why not call out the grammer nazis? Simple is relative. I think responsibility is an awful lot simpler that the nonsense license turns into.
And the rest is just you rambling on and on making no useful point. I'm not 'making the jump' as you say. I'm suggesting we fix the underlying problem (accountability) rather than add another bandage (license) on the bloody wound. If i don't understand what or why someone is licensed, then how does that actually help me? It actually facilitates those people with taking advantage of me since they "must" know what they're doing they'll just b
HAHA. Actually a lot of companies locate their headquarters elsewhere to AVOID some of the laws in NY.
For example: Many companies that do rebates or gift cards have a 'legally separate but wholly owned' entity based in some choice states. Virginia is one example. Why? Because VA has laws that let them take unclaimed money and put it right on their own income books. That rebate you didn't cash? Yep, in 90 days or a year (whatever) they add all those up and keep the money. Other states preserve your right to go after that money for longer or prevent a company for considering it income.
But anyhow, I just used NY as an example since I live here and know all our repair shops are "licensed". Heck, the street meat food carts in NYC are have licenses and permits. That doesn't seem to do much about their quality, pricing, or hold them accountable. Try getting a refund for a bad sandwich:)
Whether "all car repair shops in NY are honest" or not, the licenses do present a mechanism that can hold them accountable and close them down if sufficient effort is put into enforcement. Licensure can often atrophy into a simple tax collected by a licensing authority that doesn't perform proper enforcement procedures for the licenses it issues, but that's not the idea.
But see...that license doesn't actualy make that shop accountable. Our twisted and pathetic court system - IN THEORY - does. How about you just make people RESPONSIBLE for what they do. You "fix" my car for $3000 and it falls apart - i take you to a court where facts are more important than who's lawyer did 18 holes with the judge over the weekend.
Much of the licensing done today *IS* just a tax. Heck, in seattle you get your yearly "business license" for $75. Any company, any size. Oh, EXCEPT "erotic dancers". Theirs is $300 last I checked. I'm not sure how that license (either one) actually addresses the suitability for a person or entity to do business.
Since a private investigator has a license, he's on the hook if he presents incorrect or bullshit evidence to the court......If the PI is indeed found to have violated the terms of his license by doing that, he'll lose his license, and may be subject to fines and jail time in addition to those he'd get for falsification of evidence
Why does he need a license to he held accountable for perjury? Everyone is equal in this country right?/sarcasm
If you practice medicine, or practice law, or conduct private investigations, you can do certain things the rest of us can't, and you are on the hook for doing them correctly- you're held ACCOUNTABLE for your actions. Doctors, lawyers, and private investigators each bear their own types of accountability
That's my point. It's ILLEGAL for me to do many things i'm not 'licensed' to do. Regardless of my ability. In my opinion, if i CLAIM to be able to do something then i'm responsible for sucessfully doing it. Simple really. If i fsck up, my ass is on the hook. Period. Disclosure of my experience and/or accreditation, sure. Stop asking the government to protect you from your own decisions.
...the darling of law enforcement because you find child porn on every machine that comes in? Do you really think that type of behavior should be legal...
No. That's fraud, perjury, falsly incriminating someone...heck, it's possession of kiddie pron too. That is illegal. Period. License or not, if you do something like that you should be held accountable. Would someone go out on a limb and plant/hide evidence? Sure. Does that already happen today? Constantly, and people often are NOT held accountable for their actions.
...Existing forensics outfits will quickly send their geeks through the seminars, have them sign the papers promising they'll behave themselves, pay the fees, get their damn licenses, and move on, with full knowledge that they're responsible for their fuckups
Oh wait, so we agree. Because that sounds an awful lot like getting a scrap of paper and paying a license tax for no reason other than to have it. They're accountable now, they would be after. How does this serve the public interest other than making she sheep feel safer through an obscure license they will never understand?
In theory, you could. See, there are lots of people who *could* fly a plane. There are LOTS of people who could remove an appendix or deliver a baby that aren't "doctors". Could all of them do it as well as "real" pilots or doctors? No. Could some? Yes. Doctors from other countries come to the US and, despite having 10+ years experience get to do their residency and chase "real" doctors around for a few years. "Real" doctors they very well might have MORE experience than.
Accreditation is, in general, a good thing.
Making it ILLEGAL to do something you're not 'government aproved' (i.e. licensed) to do is a scam if you ask me. Requiring someone to disclose their accrediation status makes sense.
If I knowingly go to a unlicensed doctor that's my choice. Guess who would be cheaper? Yeah. Well hey, maybe poor people (above the hand-out level of poor) could actually see a doctor they could afford that way. Sure, you don't get the same service. But the whole 'all or nothing' doesn't actually serve the public good.
I'm glad you have a few licenses. Kudos for actually studying. You'd still have accredidations in my hypothetical world. You'd still clearly be 'above' those with just a shingle nailed to the side of their house announcing their services. The difference is - those people wouldn't be breaking the law! Someone looking for high quality service would probably go through you. Someone with enough experience would prove so, and get accredited.
Sorry, but I don't see how another inane 'licensing' will do more good than bad. Just because someone is licensed does not mean they're honest. Heck, all care repair shops in NY have to be licensed. Do you REALLY thing that keeps them honest?
A license if just a scrap of paper that means you paid someone for it. Perhaps you passed a test too. That means about as much as that 10th grade biology final that you crammed for the night before and then erased from your brain after the next morning. I'm much more interested in holding people ACCOUNTABLE for their actions than having the government "protect" me.
Actually, if you go digital...buy the $1 bargin bin. It will either work, or not. As it's digital you're not going to have 'signal degradation' issues that make the picture blurry as with analog. You'll get nothing or a horrible disfigured picture...or it will work just as well as the $200 monster extra-insulated-wrapped-woven-hardened-coated-pixie-dust cable.
If the 1 and 0 are still a 1 and 0 at the destination you have 100% quality. That is the underlying benefit of digital.
Maybe a bit of good and bad luck. Some model IBMs weren't as sturdy as others. The old 770's were a nightmare. The 600/600m/600x were rock solid (i know someone who's still using my old thrice-handed down 600m). t20 maybe not so much but i never had one.
T23 was pretty solid T30 was OK for the short time i had one T40 series are awesome
Wow. Just...wow. You failed to read the entire rest of my post. Perhaps i'm not familiar enough with medical testing to know all the jargon. Placebo, sure. Mock treatement, ok. Sham? Eh...Ok.
That still doesn't address the complete lack of data or clarify if the study was, in fact, double-blind.
Compare an x40 with your average college textbook. It's been a few years but I remember carying several books that out-weighed the T43 I just sold.
Oh, and you've never owned an IBM laptop. Otherwise you'd understand the durability. I had one that *lived* in a backpack and made my 4HR daily round trip commute 5 days a week (car -> train -> walk -> subway -> walk... and back) for well over a year along with heavy use and when I sold it the thing looked practically new and worked perfectly. The pack had some minimal padding, but since I didn't own it 'till it became part of my severance package I was *NOT* careful with it.
That's what they call the 'non-RF' exposure tests. No, they're not biased from the start.
Even if you look at the PDF there's a negligable amount of actual statistical data. Like someone else said, people are great at picking up on subtle queues. Unless this was done double-blind (which i doubt, they would have said so) it's highly suspect.
Toss this one in the corner with all the other "studies" that "prove" controversial "facts". I'm not saying RF (or any EM radiation) can't or doesn't have SOME impact on human phisiology, but this study proves nothing in it's currently presented state.
Oh, and personally I think 'radio-sensitivity' is a COMPLETE load of horse manure.
Actually you're "missing" background noise that you're otherwise used to hearing and don't notice.
For example, I live fairly close to a major highway and have for nearly the past 10 years. In the middle of that I spent a couple months living with my parents who are a mile or two from a highway that's not quite as busy (we're still in lower NY so "busy" is relative). The first morning I got up and tip-toed to the bathroom because it was SOOO quiet there.
My point: You were "missing" the noise of a zillion cars, airplanes, garbage trucks, air conditioners, trains, computer fans and hard drives, and what have you. The brain gets used to it and if that noise disappears you feel like something is missing or wrong. I highly doubt this has anything to do with RF waves in your case.
Compare the surface area of a hammer (~1" dia = ~.8 sq inches) vs the arrow tip (~.025 dia - and i'm being generous =.002 sq inches).
The bolt will exert TWO ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE more force in a given area the the hammer for the same energy. While it's a weak crossbow, i doubt swinging your arm will produce 400x more force.
Yes, it's not a scientific test and sure...a real crossbow/bolt would probably go straight through the monitor. So would a sledgehammer, rifle bullet, or tactical nuclear weapon. WHO CARES? I'd be happy to have one (ok, 4-8 in many cases) knowing Joe Trader won't be calling for a replacement when be bashes it with his phone on a bad market day.
Scratched, maybe. But it DID NOT CRACK. That would have been plainly obvious. Scratches are annoying on an LCD but generally leave fully usable. Cracks mean it's going in the garbage heap (and you're going to the store to buy a new one).
Even a wimpy crossbow and soft lead bolt will deliver enormous pressure at the tip of the bolt on impact.
I think it has more to do with scarcity promoting sales. If they're hard to get, EVERYONE who can will buy one and try to hock it on ebay. Nintendo is virtually guaranteed sales. wiitracker and similar are all free advertizing along with the news: OMG it's rare. buy one if you have any opportunity immediately.
Still, you're talking about very light duty cycle appliances. Even for heat in the winter, the duty cycle is low. 10-15% i'd guess. Your stove? Using a full-load figure it's below 1%.
Yes, you want the ability to run your stove, AC, water heater (though this unit produces waste heat - trigeneration negates the need) and some lights at the same time, on a bad day, while you recharge your prius. Ok. Now what are the chances of you and 50 neighbors doing the same thing at the same time? That's what your grid connection is for. Net metering = win.
Just because your main breaker is 150 or 200 amps doesn't mean you're ever going to draw that much unless you do so intentionally and the duty cycle will still be very low. BTW, the vast majority of US homes are single cycle 240v split-panel (e.g. 2x 120v that can be bridged for 240v). You don't see 3-phase inside a normal home.
Actually most homes average 1KW draw over the course of a year and, IIRC, that's about how they figure generation vs. households. That gives people a $500/yr bill instead of 1k and still covers the ~3.5mm cost. Since my power bill is upwards of $175/month i'd sure buy into that.
In reality, you'll see these going to businesses that need long-term reliable power. Datacenters. Manufacturing (especially semi-conductor). And so on.
It will for those of us who actually understand "nuk-lear power". I'd let them park one in my back yard if i could buy electricity for 5-10c/KWh and essentially unlimited free heat and hot water.
Slashdot Mirror
I tend to disagree on the "goal" of RL but we'll table that one as irrelevant :)
However, I will argue that RL death is not in any way the same as losing popularity or even entirely losing your character/account in SL or any similar online venue. Death is final, you can always re-create a character which is nothing more than bits stored on a server. The worst you lose there is the time invested. Sure it might not be fun anymore but there will always be other choices for entertainment.
If i lose my warcraft account i might not bother playing...but there's always guitar hero. It's nearly impossible to get an accurate parallel between real life and anon virtual reality entertainment in this regard.
Yes but compared to today - where YOU AND I (and a whole bunch of other taxpayers) would spend about $70k PER YEAR to keep him in jail doing nothing productive.
So yes, he will never actually pay off the debt. However, seizing all of his assets and putting him to productive work sure does more than letting him continue to cost society money.
Haha. Yes, it's funny how much of what they're doing mirrors what "real" government does.
However there's one big difference. In SL, there's anonimity. There is no recourse. There is no sort of court or penalty available.
In RL (actual society of a mythical better one i dream about) you would be a lot less anonymous in running a bank or "bank". Even without banking laws and WITH a simple "responsibility" law you'd still be stuck paying back the money or working it off.
I don't think comparing SL and RL is apples to apples. It does, however, offer some interesting insight to human behavior in a situation with zero long-term accountability and (more or less) the ability to remain entirely anonymous.
Give the free market a chance. Unfortunately, our society (USA in particular) refuses to accept anything other than "government approved" as genuine in so many cases.
... i've never heard of antibiotic abuse. I can look up the drug interactions online (and my pharmacist is SUPPOSED TO do the same).
If you did away with commercial pilots licenses, don't you think airlines or some consortium would offer similar without the mis-mash hoo-ha of the governemnt nonsense? Airlines would use that as a standard. Maybe test-qualify pilots in some sim hours first. Pick your method. You can get the same effectiveness - or better - without gov't involvement and eliminate the $trillions wasted on the related nonsense.
Your point with milatary medicine is perfect. In fact I dated a PA who quite redily proved she was as educated as most doctors and just required some time as an intern to 'get her feet wet'. She now effectively DOES the job of a doctor. Anything above her head the MD in her office signs off on after the fact 90% of the time. My grandmother could tell me if i had the flu, strep, or was faking it just as easily as the retard doctor who saw me long enough to scribble his signature on the pad when i was younger. Unfortunately without him i couldn't get antibiotics.
Remind me again why antibiotics are controlled substances? Other than the posibility of reducing their potency (which our MDs are doing well enough at)
I didn't say have joe barber hack out your appendix with his hair buzzer. I also PERSONALLY know several PA's that COULD do an emergency apendectomy. "lots" is a relative term. Relative to those with substantial medical knowledge vs. general population. Just like lots of people could make a forensic backup of a hard drive doesn't imply that my dad who wasn't even fond of typewriters could.
Along the same lines, those foregn "doctors" had training yes. They very well might be as good as our MDs but they're not licensed so they'd get shit if they did anythign medically related without getting their paperwork in order first. I'm not against accredidation, just the scam of government sponsored licensing.
But see...that license doesn't actualy make that shop accountable. Our twisted and pathetic court system - IN THEORY - does.
/sarcasm
Yes it does make it accountable. It just isn't holding it to account on its license- it's not using a tool it's been given. That's a big difference you're not seeing. If this system doesn't work, "in theory" and in practice it can be fixed. It's been done many times in history. Once upon a time car repair did work as you suggest with your fantasyland idea below, and the predictable result was abandoned cars littering the streets:
The license itself does NOT OFFER ANY PROTECTION. The court system, perhaps. Forcing repair shops to obtain a license isn't what's providing the protection. And i'd LOVE to see your reference to cars littering the streets before repair shops were licensed.
How about you just make people RESPONSIBLE for what they do. You "fix" my car for $3000 and it falls apart - i take you to a court where facts are more important than who's lawyer did 18 holes with the judge over the weekend.
Sounds like a great idea. Why hasn't anyone thought of this already? Just like we fixed TV news, we'll just use the "facts". We'll not allow our personal biases or conflicts of interest to influence our decisions. We can get judges, attorneys, and juries from planet Vulcan. In fact, why have cops at all? Just let crimes happen, and use prosecutors and courts for everything!
Erm what? Remind me what the accuracy of TV news has to do with providing a vaugely honest court system or what star trek has to do with any of this. Try to stay vaugely on topic, m'kay?
Why does he need a license to he held accountable for perjury? Everyone is equal in this country right?
Everyone is accountable for perjury if they testify. Everyone is accountable for falsification of evidence, if the evidence is admitted into court, which it may not be, if the guy who produced it doesn't have a license to investigate crimes. Maybe he doesn't do competent job at forensics. Innocent people may be languishing in jail for years because of him. Do you want his work to show up at your trial in the meantime, while you're waiting for his comeuppance? Maybe he gets it years later, and your conviction is then tossed, maybe. I guess that's justice?
Hey, if my "non-licensed" investigator never testifies or submits evidence how is that even relevant?! Again, try to stay on topic. If his testimony puts someone away for 3 years wrongfully, hold him responsible for those 3 years and the loss/disruption to that person. Oh, and if you don't make a brotherhood of licensed idiots out of the, then a NORMAL PERSON will be able to afford their own investigator to refute evidence if it's not accurate. You won't need a $300/hr lawyer to jerk off in a court room.
That's my point. It's ILLEGAL for me to do many things i'm not 'licensed' to do. Regardless of my ability. In my opinion, if i CLAIM to be able to do something then i'm responsible for sucessfully doing it. Simple really.
"Simple really" is the universal suffix attached to a bad idea. I can't address the deficits of this thinking fully, since I have a flight to catch, but if I see you in the cockpit I'll trade seats with you because I can claim to be a pilot too.
So instead of addressing my POINT you poke at a simple phrase. Why not call out the grammer nazis? Simple is relative. I think responsibility is an awful lot simpler that the nonsense license turns into.
And the rest is just you rambling on and on making no useful point. I'm not 'making the jump' as you say. I'm suggesting we fix the underlying problem (accountability) rather than add another bandage (license) on the bloody wound. If i don't understand what or why someone is licensed, then how does that actually help me? It actually facilitates those people with taking advantage of me since they "must" know what they're doing they'll just b
(in general) Fair enough. At least I'm not claiming my post is a "study" though. It's just an opinion...
Radio sensitivity is still - in my mind until presented with what i consider legitimate and convincing evidence - a huge load of horse manure.
HAHA. Actually a lot of companies locate their headquarters elsewhere to AVOID some of the laws in NY.
:)
For example: Many companies that do rebates or gift cards have a 'legally separate but wholly owned' entity based in some choice states. Virginia is one example. Why? Because VA has laws that let them take unclaimed money and put it right on their own income books. That rebate you didn't cash? Yep, in 90 days or a year (whatever) they add all those up and keep the money. Other states preserve your right to go after that money for longer or prevent a company for considering it income.
But anyhow, I just used NY as an example since I live here and know all our repair shops are "licensed". Heck, the street meat food carts in NYC are have licenses and permits. That doesn't seem to do much about their quality, pricing, or hold them accountable. Try getting a refund for a bad sandwich
Whether "all car repair shops in NY are honest" or not, the licenses do present a mechanism that can hold them accountable and close them down if sufficient effort is put into enforcement. Licensure can often atrophy into a simple tax collected by a licensing authority that doesn't perform proper enforcement procedures for the licenses it issues, but that's not the idea.
/sarcasm
...the darling of law enforcement because you find child porn on every machine that comes in? Do you really think that type of behavior should be legal...
...Existing forensics outfits will quickly send their geeks through the seminars, have them sign the papers promising they'll behave themselves, pay the fees, get their damn licenses, and move on, with full knowledge that they're responsible for their fuckups
But see...that license doesn't actualy make that shop accountable. Our twisted and pathetic court system - IN THEORY - does. How about you just make people RESPONSIBLE for what they do. You "fix" my car for $3000 and it falls apart - i take you to a court where facts are more important than who's lawyer did 18 holes with the judge over the weekend.
Much of the licensing done today *IS* just a tax. Heck, in seattle you get your yearly "business license" for $75. Any company, any size. Oh, EXCEPT "erotic dancers". Theirs is $300 last I checked. I'm not sure how that license (either one) actually addresses the suitability for a person or entity to do business.
Since a private investigator has a license, he's on the hook if he presents incorrect or bullshit evidence to the court......If the PI is indeed found to have violated the terms of his license by doing that, he'll lose his license, and may be subject to fines and jail time in addition to those he'd get for falsification of evidence
Why does he need a license to he held accountable for perjury? Everyone is equal in this country right?
If you practice medicine, or practice law, or conduct private investigations, you can do certain things the rest of us can't, and you are on the hook for doing them correctly- you're held ACCOUNTABLE for your actions. Doctors, lawyers, and private investigators each bear their own types of accountability
That's my point. It's ILLEGAL for me to do many things i'm not 'licensed' to do. Regardless of my ability. In my opinion, if i CLAIM to be able to do something then i'm responsible for sucessfully doing it. Simple really. If i fsck up, my ass is on the hook. Period. Disclosure of my experience and/or accreditation, sure. Stop asking the government to protect you from your own decisions.
No. That's fraud, perjury, falsly incriminating someone...heck, it's possession of kiddie pron too. That is illegal. Period. License or not, if you do something like that you should be held accountable. Would someone go out on a limb and plant/hide evidence? Sure. Does that already happen today? Constantly, and people often are NOT held accountable for their actions.
Oh wait, so we agree. Because that sounds an awful lot like getting a scrap of paper and paying a license tax for no reason other than to have it. They're accountable now, they would be after. How does this serve the public interest other than making she sheep feel safer through an obscure license they will never understand?
In theory, you could. See, there are lots of people who *could* fly a plane. There are LOTS of people who could remove an appendix or deliver a baby that aren't "doctors". Could all of them do it as well as "real" pilots or doctors? No. Could some? Yes. Doctors from other countries come to the US and, despite having 10+ years experience get to do their residency and chase "real" doctors around for a few years. "Real" doctors they very well might have MORE experience than.
Accreditation is, in general, a good thing.
Making it ILLEGAL to do something you're not 'government aproved' (i.e. licensed) to do is a scam if you ask me. Requiring someone to disclose their accrediation status makes sense.
If I knowingly go to a unlicensed doctor that's my choice. Guess who would be cheaper? Yeah. Well hey, maybe poor people (above the hand-out level of poor) could actually see a doctor they could afford that way. Sure, you don't get the same service. But the whole 'all or nothing' doesn't actually serve the public good.
I'm glad you have a few licenses. Kudos for actually studying. You'd still have accredidations in my hypothetical world. You'd still clearly be 'above' those with just a shingle nailed to the side of their house announcing their services. The difference is - those people wouldn't be breaking the law! Someone looking for high quality service would probably go through you. Someone with enough experience would prove so, and get accredited.
Sorry, but I don't see how another inane 'licensing' will do more good than bad. Just because someone is licensed does not mean they're honest. Heck, all care repair shops in NY have to be licensed. Do you REALLY thing that keeps them honest?
A license if just a scrap of paper that means you paid someone for it. Perhaps you passed a test too. That means about as much as that 10th grade biology final that you crammed for the night before and then erased from your brain after the next morning. I'm much more interested in holding people ACCOUNTABLE for their actions than having the government "protect" me.
Actually, if you go digital...buy the $1 bargin bin. It will either work, or not. As it's digital you're not going to have 'signal degradation' issues that make the picture blurry as with analog. You'll get nothing or a horrible disfigured picture...or it will work just as well as the $200 monster extra-insulated-wrapped-woven-hardened-coated-pixie-dust cable.
If the 1 and 0 are still a 1 and 0 at the destination you have 100% quality. That is the underlying benefit of digital.
Maybe a bit of good and bad luck. Some model IBMs weren't as sturdy as others. The old 770's were a nightmare. The 600/600m/600x were rock solid (i know someone who's still using my old thrice-handed down 600m). t20 maybe not so much but i never had one.
T23 was pretty solid
T30 was OK for the short time i had one
T40 series are awesome
Wow. Just...wow. You failed to read the entire rest of my post. Perhaps i'm not familiar enough with medical testing to know all the jargon. Placebo, sure. Mock treatement, ok. Sham? Eh...Ok.
That still doesn't address the complete lack of data or clarify if the study was, in fact, double-blind.
Compare an x40 with your average college textbook. It's been a few years but I remember carying several books that out-weighed the T43 I just sold.
... and back) for well over a year along with heavy use and when I sold it the thing looked practically new and worked perfectly. The pack had some minimal padding, but since I didn't own it 'till it became part of my severance package I was *NOT* careful with it.
Oh, and you've never owned an IBM laptop. Otherwise you'd understand the durability. I had one that *lived* in a backpack and made my 4HR daily round trip commute 5 days a week (car -> train -> walk -> subway -> walk
SHAM
That's what they call the 'non-RF' exposure tests. No, they're not biased from the start.
Even if you look at the PDF there's a negligable amount of actual statistical data. Like someone else said, people are great at picking up on subtle queues. Unless this was done double-blind (which i doubt, they would have said so) it's highly suspect.
Toss this one in the corner with all the other "studies" that "prove" controversial "facts". I'm not saying RF (or any EM radiation) can't or doesn't have SOME impact on human phisiology, but this study proves nothing in it's currently presented state.
Oh, and personally I think 'radio-sensitivity' is a COMPLETE load of horse manure.
Actually you're "missing" background noise that you're otherwise used to hearing and don't notice.
For example, I live fairly close to a major highway and have for nearly the past 10 years. In the middle of that I spent a couple months living with my parents who are a mile or two from a highway that's not quite as busy (we're still in lower NY so "busy" is relative). The first morning I got up and tip-toed to the bathroom because it was SOOO quiet there.
My point: You were "missing" the noise of a zillion cars, airplanes, garbage trucks, air conditioners, trains, computer fans and hard drives, and what have you. The brain gets used to it and if that noise disappears you feel like something is missing or wrong. I highly doubt this has anything to do with RF waves in your case.
Compare the surface area of a hammer (~1" dia = ~.8 sq inches) vs the arrow tip (~.025 dia - and i'm being generous = .002 sq inches).
The bolt will exert TWO ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE more force in a given area the the hammer for the same energy. While it's a weak crossbow, i doubt swinging your arm will produce 400x more force.
Yes, it's not a scientific test and sure...a real crossbow/bolt would probably go straight through the monitor. So would a sledgehammer, rifle bullet, or tactical nuclear weapon. WHO CARES? I'd be happy to have one (ok, 4-8 in many cases) knowing Joe Trader won't be calling for a replacement when be bashes it with his phone on a bad market day.
Scratched, maybe. But it DID NOT CRACK. That would have been plainly obvious. Scratches are annoying on an LCD but generally leave fully usable. Cracks mean it's going in the garbage heap (and you're going to the store to buy a new one).
Even a wimpy crossbow and soft lead bolt will deliver enormous pressure at the tip of the bolt on impact.
I think it has more to do with scarcity promoting sales. If they're hard to get, EVERYONE who can will buy one and try to hock it on ebay. Nintendo is virtually guaranteed sales. wiitracker and similar are all free advertizing along with the news: OMG it's rare. buy one if you have any opportunity immediately.
Still, you're talking about very light duty cycle appliances. Even for heat in the winter, the duty cycle is low. 10-15% i'd guess. Your stove? Using a full-load figure it's below 1%.
Yes, you want the ability to run your stove, AC, water heater (though this unit produces waste heat - trigeneration negates the need) and some lights at the same time, on a bad day, while you recharge your prius. Ok. Now what are the chances of you and 50 neighbors doing the same thing at the same time? That's what your grid connection is for. Net metering = win.
Just because your main breaker is 150 or 200 amps doesn't mean you're ever going to draw that much unless you do so intentionally and the duty cycle will still be very low. BTW, the vast majority of US homes are single cycle 240v split-panel (e.g. 2x 120v that can be bridged for 240v). You don't see 3-phase inside a normal home.
Actually most homes average 1KW draw over the course of a year and, IIRC, that's about how they figure generation vs. households. That gives people a $500/yr bill instead of 1k and still covers the ~3.5mm cost. Since my power bill is upwards of $175/month i'd sure buy into that.
In reality, you'll see these going to businesses that need long-term reliable power. Datacenters. Manufacturing (especially semi-conductor). And so on.
Nah, we put it in OPEC's hands instead.
It will for those of us who actually understand "nuk-lear power". I'd let them park one in my back yard if i could buy electricity for 5-10c/KWh and essentially unlimited free heat and hot water.
While i'm all "pro-nuke" I did laugh at this.
:)
Vegas IS powered mostly by hydro if memory serves. There's that big "God Dam" around there somewhere...named after some vaccuum cleaner guy i think