Trumpet Winsock was provided to us (though I don't recall if it was hosted or just a link) by Ohio State when I was a freshman there. I definitely didn't pay for it, but it got me started into the world of networking and TCP/IP.
Technically, you're correct. I primarily dealt with class D airports with only one runway so it wasn't as big of a deal. I wouldn't call it a direct contradiction, but you're right - pilots should identify their aircraft in every transmission.
Correct. I last flew about two years ago. We don't say "over". Ever. You sound like a trucker on a CB and you're only going to piss off the tower and the other pilots on the freq because you're wasting airtime, and sound like you don't know what you're doing. ATC comms can get super busy, and lives are (literally) at stake. If you listen to even a Class C approach frequency, it will sound like a nearly uninterrupted stream during busy times of the day. There isn't time for extraneous nonsense when Cessna 241H is trying to declare a fuel emergency, or Southwest 2301 needs to expedite their climb. I know it sounds silly "what is the big deal with just saying 'over'?" but that is extra two syllables in every communication between pilot & controller or pilot & pilot which are totally superfluous.
It is superfluous because ATC comms have a cadence that makes it pretty clear when you're finished with a routine call. Pilots and controllers are both familiar with this cadence, so we know generally what information to expect from each other. This is what a typical sequence would sound like at a field in class D airspace:
P: Bolton Tower, Cessna niner five four seven whiskey T: Cessna niner five four seven whiskey, Bolton Tower P: Bolton Tower, Cessna niner five four seven whiskey over Lily Chapel, inbound for full stop T: Cessna four seven whiskey, proceed inbound and report midfield right downwind for runway two two P: Right midfield for 22, cessna four seven whiskey
...
P: Bolton Tower, four seven whiskey midfield downwind for two two T: Four seven whiskey, you're number two behind the Baron on one mile final P: Four seven whiskey, number two looking for traffic P: Four seven whiskey has traffic in sight T: Roger. four seven whiskey, cleared to land runway two two T: Baron three foxtrot six, turn right on alpha four and contact ground point eight B: Right on alpha four, ground point eight. good day
...
T: Four seven whiskey, turn right on alpha three and contact ground point eight P: Right on alpha three, ground point eight. good day
That is a very normal,typical airspace entry and landing procedure. Even in an emergency, we don't use "over" - because again, time is critical and time wasted saying things that aren't needed is concentration and mental energy taken away from the pilot's number one job - flying the airplane.
The internet has flourished precisely because the government regulators (aka nannies) have stayed out of it. Yes, there were some great engineers earning government paychecks through the military and universities who got it started - but the bureaucrats largely ignored it because they didn't know what it was, or how important it would become.
No good can come from the clowns in Washington "tweaking" the Internet. This is not about "openness" or whatever other word they want to use. This is about exerting top-down control, and the power that comes with that kind of control.
WTF. Are we advocating low impact crimes to help society?
I don't see this as much different than the cash-for-clunkers program. The idea is that after rendering all moving parts inoperable so they can't be sold as used replacements, you smash what was a perfectly good car. Then you give someone $8000 ($4000?) in tax payer money to buy a new car. This helps the economy. If that is really true, we should start leveling houses - to boost the construction industry. We should start breaking legs - to show how beneficial single payer healthcare services are. We should have the National Guard out to burn our wheat fields - so farmers can plant organic crops.
The same logic applies to "low impact crimes can help society". We should encourage these so-called "low impact" crimes so we can increase the pool of "low impact" criminals that will do community service. Except, the criminal smashed something that belonged to someone else. In this clown's case, it was someone's privacy and their personal property (email account). The logic is so absurd it is almost funny - until you find out the people advocating it are completely serious.
With all of the nonsense that AT&T has with iPhone users and their data (plans are now limited, tethering wasn't an option until recently (and imho is way too expensive on top of the not-optional cost for the iPhone data plan), "enterprise" data is more expensive, f'ng with the network in various markets, sometimes shutting it down completely or severely restricting it with no explanation), I cannot possibly see them enabling a "wifi hotspot" feature. Unless of course, your phone is connected over wifi (yes, it defeats the purpose).
Hell, skype video just came to the iPhone. For a long time lots of apps simply weren't permitted to use 3G, including Slingbox and Skype. Any app over 10MB had to be downloaded on wifi (I think the limit is 20 now). I have no doubt this was an AT&T thing to protect their fragile network, rather than an Apple-imposed restriction. Any time I've been to an event that is attended by more than a few people, I get no data on my phone. Apps like twitter just churn waiting for the network. Maybe that last one isn't just an AT&T thing, but holy crap is it irritating.
I'm not a fan of Jerry Brown. I'm not a fan of California, either. A beautiful state is near financial collapse because of total mismanagement and a massive entitlement burden. California has created this mess for themselves.
However, credit where credit is due -- I think this is a great first step. Of course some are going to scream because their toys are getting taken away. But good for Brown for doing this. On the other hand, I'm just cynical enough that I half expect to hear something like "we just saved $20,000,000 with those cell phones... in other news we're giving all state union employees a 6% pay hike, and even more generous pensions. It was going to be $40mil, but it'll only cost half as much now because we just saved like $20million!"
No? It sounds like the city got a "shark bump" as it were. Someone tried stealing a few of the cards, and it worked. Only after succeeding, and no mitigation efforts, the thieves went to town
From TFA:
The vandalism began with a few lights in November and we repaired them. Over December the thieves struck again, this time hitting hundreds more, including the ones we had repaired
This isn't unlike homes targeted by burglars who return a couple of weeks later after the owner has purchased all new shiny, expensive electronics.
I think that possibility always exists - from a keylogging app running inside something else innocuous, to something buried in the OS by a rogue developer. Hopefully there are enough checks in place during the development cycle of any given reputable development house/piece of software to avoid this.
Perhaps the benefits of using something like 1Password to generate unique/random passwords outweigh the risk/possibility of the above happening --- in the sense that it is more likely that signing up for a random website with the same email/password you used for your email account and paypal will lead to a compromise of something important.
Finally, if you use a password manager (I've been using KeePassX, it's pretty good and cross-platform), then you don't have to remember passwords anymore, so there's no reason to use a weak password for anything. I don't have any idea what most of my passwords are.
Yep. I use 1Password and have the encrypted file synced through dropbox to my iPhone and other systems. I really don't know what most of my passwords are anymore.
Then there are completely unimportant webfora that insist my password has to be at least 8 characters long and contain letters, numbers and non-alphanumeric characters.
When I worked for a major university a few short years ago, they contracted our paperless pay statements and W2s to Talx -- who only allowed numbers in the "password". Super frustrating, and of course no one in HR understood why I had a problem with this. They may have gotten smarter since then, but doubtful.
Palin may be human but public figures open themselves to criticism.
You're free to criticize her all you like. You are not free to damage, attempt to damage, or otherwise engage in any kind of criminal mischief against her, her family, her property, or her vendors (ISP, hosting provider, etc) because you don't like something she said.
So what you're saying is that if I don't like how you conduct your legally operated business, I have the right to come and smash your stuff, or superglue the locks to your shop? You have to accept the negative consequences of your lousy business decision to sell my competitor plumbing supplies at a good rate.
Wrong. What I did is criminal damaging at the least -- it is illegal for a reason. You have the right to enter into or terminate a business relationship with anyone you please, without any interference from me. I do not have the right to torch your business because I don't like something you said, or something you did. The United States is a nation of laws, not men, not anarchy. I don't have the right to torch your shop even if you did something illegal or unethical.
If you're doing something illegal, I report you to the authorities. If you're operating a legal business and I think you're doing a terrible job, I'm free to open a competing enterprise and do it better. I'm not free to steal your stuff or deprive you of your property/income by theft or damage because I don't like something you said.
Yes, it is. It is also some kind of hubris to scream about Wikileak's "1st amendment rights" to then attack MC, Paypal,....and Sarah Palin's website? These entities have a right to conduct their business however they want without undue criminal interference. Palin, whether you agree with her or not, certainly has a right to post a dissenting opinion on FB without having her place (website) smashed up by a bunch of thugs.
"More speech for Assange and wikileaks --- but no speech may be heard from, no business may be conducted with anyone who thinks this was a stupid/criminal/illegal/unethical thing to do and chooses to terminate their business relationship with Wikileaks!"
Re:I'm sticking with VGA
on
Goodbye, VGA
·
· Score: 1
I'm not 100% sure, but the HDTV set I bought just a few months ago came w/ a VGA port, but no DVI ports. I think this is because HDMI and DVI are somehow compatible without conversion?
From wikipedia
Because HDMI is electrically compatible with the signals used by Digital Visual Interface (DVI), no signal conversion is necessary, nor is there a loss of video quality when a DVI-to-HDMI adapter is used.[3]
These are my exact sentiments. I'd say thank you, but you posted AC. This is nothing more than a subsidy to the wireless companies by another name. I have three distinct problems with this, besides it being another colossally stupid waste of tax payer dollars.
How much coverage would federal buildings really provide, and how much EDGE/3G/4G traffic would be relieved in reality? Certainly not the vaunted "poor and underserved" the elites are always bitching at it about and supposedly taxing us more to give stuff to.
The feds now don't need a warrant to sniff whatever you're doing. All your packets are belong to them. (Yeah yeah, I know warrantless stuff is already happening - but now it becomes trivial.)
I'm sorry, but aren't we in the opening stages of one of the largest know breaches of confidential government documents? How dull do you have to be to make it easier for this to happen again? That doesn't speak to the current state of ease with which such a breach could happen, but only that with a public wifi hotspot in easy reach, you suddenly have an external network in range.
Flash ads on the web != tv ads. TV ads (tend) to be more sophisticated because they're much more expensive to produce and get on the air (meaning you need to justify a non insignificant ROI to your boss), they have to go through an editorial process, and because they're put on the air by the broadcasters - by choice. If you come up with a really stupid ad that just flashes RED/WHITE and screams at the top of his lungs, the broadcaster is probably going to slap you. So no, I haven't noticed a major change in TV ads - except maybe some ad firms are trying to be more creative/entertaining to get viewers who would otherwise skip the ads.
The advertisers using a flash "hit the monkey" type ad on tv are generally relegated to late night infomercials, because the broadcasters know people would turn the channel, hurting the revenue they get from other advertisers.
Muting TV commercials (or skipping them w/ TiVo) is a sufficient solution. More government is a waste of tax payer dollars at the expense of liberty.
Before TiVo, there was the remote control with the mute button. My grandfather always muted the commercials, not because they were loud, but because they annoyed him. We don't need more government and more stupid regulations when we already have a solution.
Technically, sure. In reality, because the government owns GM, the tax payers lose money on every Volt. Labor unions made off like bandits at the recent IPO, so I guess someone wins.
Here is my other problem: where do the tree huggers think the electricity to power these "zero-emissions" vehicles comes from? Magic unicorns? No, usually fossil fuel burning power plants, along with all the associated loss of energy down the transmission lines etc along the way. Oh right, and we can't build clean(er) power plants like nuclear because the same environmentalists, w/ their friends 'OMG teh nukeclear!' alarmists, tie up everything in so much red tape it isn't worth it. Like the Prius, this isn't about the environment. It is about status, and acting like you're so much better than your filthy neighbors driving that BIG OIL powered global-warming causing piece of crap.
For whatever moderator has his head up his ass, this is an absolutely reasonable and laudable suggestion, and a very simple one: don't buy what you can't afford to pay for in cash. You'll have no debt, and no debt collections. Like he said, if you do have debt, and you talk to your creditors - explain that you've taken a second job and a payment of X is inbound, they'll almost always work with you.
When did we get to the point that what was common sense to our our grandparents is now flamebait?
While in principle I agree with you, they don't care if you think you're "wasting" their time. The TSA has all the time in the world, and absolutely zero incentive to speed things up. You, on the other hand, have a plane to catch. We already have to be at the airport 1+ hours before our flight. The TSA people aren't going anywhere. You are.
Are they going to be replaced by a competitor who can do it better when their contract is up? Oh right, they're a government monopoly. No competition, no incentive for customer service. No reason to improve service or more fundamentally - stop being assholes. Can we vote out to head of the TSA? Can we vote out the screeners? Can we vote against the policies and regulations of Big Sis? Not directly? I've venture to argue not at all. Bush started the TSA, and Obama is happy to put an imp like Napolitano in charge - someone who actually refused to do anything to secure her southern border as governor of Arizona. So we're supposed to now believe we're safer because of her stupid policies? Bullshit.
Traveling from place to place at will and by choice is a freedom. The natural order of government is to hate freedom, because every freedom represents something they can't or don't control. So the government by nature will make travel - especially air travel - as much of a pain in the ass as possible - if not downright illegal (East Germany, North Korea). The TSA may have been started with good intentions, but it almost overnight became about power and control.
Why are "pay as you go" fire departments a good idea, but not "pay as you go" police departments?
They're not? Maybe I used the wrong phrase. By "pay-as-you-go" I was referring to the idea that when the FD shows up to put out the fire, then you pay them $75. The second half of my post was about how completely unworkable of an idea that is.
As I recall the story, he and the others in his area (not sure what the actual geography is) voted to have their fire services established this way. Prior to the agreement of $75/year per home, there was no FD covering his or his neighbors' homes. Why shouldn't it be voluntary? You sound like you want to impose your idea of what is good for me - onto me. In most locations, emergency services are funded through taxes. I don't happen to have a huge issue with this. I think that emergency services are a wise way to spend tax dollars to create a shared resource.
However, if I live in a town where we decide that we want to fund our fire department a different way - or contract services from a neighboring municipality, then that is our choice. If you don't like it, I don't care. I'm sorry to say, but you sound like more of the "for your own good" nonsense that has created monstrosities like PelosiCare. I like what I have, if I don't want to buy health insurance, I shouldn't have to and the govt has no business forcing me into it. (Required car insurance is a) state mandated and b) liability only - if you're found to be at fault the person you hit doesn't get screwed)
Blame the voters of the town, who decided this was how they wanted to fund fire services. Blame the owner who didn't pay for the emergency service. There is no "system" that created the mess. The people decided this is how they wanted to do things.
I realize you're not advocating pay-as-you-go for FD services, but I have to emphasize what many others have pointed out -- operating a FD is not free. There are significant up front costs, as well as ongoing maintenance costs. The turnout coats wear out and need to be replaced. The pumper needs new tires, etc. The company I work for builds equipment for firetrucks. Should my company be required to provide our products and services for free? Should I not get paid for my labor, because fire trucks should be free? Let me assure you, they are not.
Further, it is impossible to build a firetruck while the house is burning down. If everyone decided not to pay until the house caught fire - no money before the fire to buy the truck, the equipment, pay the firefighters - there would be nothing to put it out with and not only would his house would burn to the ground anyway - so would his neighbor's.
Too bad you posted as A/C, because you make a good point. Further, quoting the summary:
...or maybe they should pass the responsibility to others who are more committed to ensuring the Internet's stability.
Maybe, before opening your fat mouth and posting on/. something you have no facts on, but seem to confidently be able state that the US Army has "acted stupidly" - you research what went wrong and then pass judgement. The parent is correct - there are 13 root servers so that one or two or three CAN go down - either because of a failure or for maintenance - without killing the whole interwebs.
It seems like education is likely to be the only solution.
My approach to education: If you hit me b/c you were fucking with your phone, I may exercise my option to beat the shit out of you.
You're on the road to drive. If you cannot or do not want to be responsible for operating a 3,000lb weapon, pull over - or call a cab. I'm sorry that it is so much to ask that while you're sharing the road with other people, you take some responsibility for what you're doing and pay attention. Your first job when behind the wheel is not your makeup, not your hair, not your girlfriends' latest hangup, not your buddy's party last night. Drive your damn car like both our lives depend on it.
Slashdot Mirror
Trumpet Winsock was provided to us (though I don't recall if it was hosted or just a link) by Ohio State when I was a freshman there. I definitely didn't pay for it, but it got me started into the world of networking and TCP/IP.
Technically, you're correct. I primarily dealt with class D airports with only one runway so it wasn't as big of a deal. I wouldn't call it a direct contradiction, but you're right - pilots should identify their aircraft in every transmission.
Correct. I last flew about two years ago. We don't say "over". Ever. You sound like a trucker on a CB and you're only going to piss off the tower and the other pilots on the freq because you're wasting airtime, and sound like you don't know what you're doing. ATC comms can get super busy, and lives are (literally) at stake. If you listen to even a Class C approach frequency, it will sound like a nearly uninterrupted stream during busy times of the day. There isn't time for extraneous nonsense when Cessna 241H is trying to declare a fuel emergency, or Southwest 2301 needs to expedite their climb. I know it sounds silly "what is the big deal with just saying 'over'?" but that is extra two syllables in every communication between pilot & controller or pilot & pilot which are totally superfluous.
It is superfluous because ATC comms have a cadence that makes it pretty clear when you're finished with a routine call. Pilots and controllers are both familiar with this cadence, so we know generally what information to expect from each other. This is what a typical sequence would sound like at a field in class D airspace:
P: Bolton Tower, Cessna niner five four seven whiskey
T: Cessna niner five four seven whiskey, Bolton Tower
P: Bolton Tower, Cessna niner five four seven whiskey over Lily Chapel, inbound for full stop
T: Cessna four seven whiskey, proceed inbound and report midfield right downwind for runway two two
P: Right midfield for 22, cessna four seven whiskey
...
P: Bolton Tower, four seven whiskey midfield downwind for two two
T: Four seven whiskey, you're number two behind the Baron on one mile final
P: Four seven whiskey, number two looking for traffic
P: Four seven whiskey has traffic in sight
T: Roger. four seven whiskey, cleared to land runway two two
T: Baron three foxtrot six, turn right on alpha four and contact ground point eight
B: Right on alpha four, ground point eight. good day
...
T: Four seven whiskey, turn right on alpha three and contact ground point eight
P: Right on alpha three, ground point eight. good day
That is a very normal,typical airspace entry and landing procedure. Even in an emergency, we don't use "over" - because again, time is critical and time wasted saying things that aren't needed is concentration and mental energy taken away from the pilot's number one job - flying the airplane.
The internet has flourished precisely because the government regulators (aka nannies) have stayed out of it. Yes, there were some great engineers earning government paychecks through the military and universities who got it started - but the bureaucrats largely ignored it because they didn't know what it was, or how important it would become.
No good can come from the clowns in Washington "tweaking" the Internet. This is not about "openness" or whatever other word they want to use. This is about exerting top-down control, and the power that comes with that kind of control.
WTF. Are we advocating low impact crimes to help society?
I don't see this as much different than the cash-for-clunkers program. The idea is that after rendering all moving parts inoperable so they can't be sold as used replacements, you smash what was a perfectly good car. Then you give someone $8000 ($4000?) in tax payer money to buy a new car. This helps the economy. If that is really true, we should start leveling houses - to boost the construction industry. We should start breaking legs - to show how beneficial single payer healthcare services are. We should have the National Guard out to burn our wheat fields - so farmers can plant organic crops.
The same logic applies to "low impact crimes can help society". We should encourage these so-called "low impact" crimes so we can increase the pool of "low impact" criminals that will do community service. Except, the criminal smashed something that belonged to someone else. In this clown's case, it was someone's privacy and their personal property (email account). The logic is so absurd it is almost funny - until you find out the people advocating it are completely serious.
With all of the nonsense that AT&T has with iPhone users and their data (plans are now limited, tethering wasn't an option until recently (and imho is way too expensive on top of the not-optional cost for the iPhone data plan), "enterprise" data is more expensive, f'ng with the network in various markets, sometimes shutting it down completely or severely restricting it with no explanation), I cannot possibly see them enabling a "wifi hotspot" feature. Unless of course, your phone is connected over wifi (yes, it defeats the purpose).
Hell, skype video just came to the iPhone. For a long time lots of apps simply weren't permitted to use 3G, including Slingbox and Skype. Any app over 10MB had to be downloaded on wifi (I think the limit is 20 now). I have no doubt this was an AT&T thing to protect their fragile network, rather than an Apple-imposed restriction. Any time I've been to an event that is attended by more than a few people, I get no data on my phone. Apps like twitter just churn waiting for the network. Maybe that last one isn't just an AT&T thing, but holy crap is it irritating.
I'm not a fan of Jerry Brown. I'm not a fan of California, either. A beautiful state is near financial collapse because of total mismanagement and a massive entitlement burden. California has created this mess for themselves.
However, credit where credit is due -- I think this is a great first step. Of course some are going to scream because their toys are getting taken away. But good for Brown for doing this. On the other hand, I'm just cynical enough that I half expect to hear something like "we just saved $20,000,000 with those cell phones ... in other news we're giving all state union employees a 6% pay hike, and even more generous pensions. It was going to be $40mil, but it'll only cost half as much now because we just saved like $20million!"
The crime is not likely to be easily repeated
No? It sounds like the city got a "shark bump" as it were. Someone tried stealing a few of the cards, and it worked. Only after succeeding, and no mitigation efforts, the thieves went to town From TFA:
The vandalism began with a few lights in November and we repaired them. Over December the thieves struck again, this time hitting hundreds more, including the ones we had repaired
This isn't unlike homes targeted by burglars who return a couple of weeks later after the owner has purchased all new shiny, expensive electronics.
I think that possibility always exists - from a keylogging app running inside something else innocuous, to something buried in the OS by a rogue developer. Hopefully there are enough checks in place during the development cycle of any given reputable development house/piece of software to avoid this.
Perhaps the benefits of using something like 1Password to generate unique/random passwords outweigh the risk/possibility of the above happening --- in the sense that it is more likely that signing up for a random website with the same email/password you used for your email account and paypal will lead to a compromise of something important.
Finally, if you use a password manager (I've been using KeePassX, it's pretty good and cross-platform), then you don't have to remember passwords anymore, so there's no reason to use a weak password for anything. I don't have any idea what most of my passwords are.
Yep. I use 1Password and have the encrypted file synced through dropbox to my iPhone and other systems. I really don't know what most of my passwords are anymore.
Then there are completely unimportant webfora that insist my password has to be at least 8 characters long and contain letters, numbers and non-alphanumeric characters.
When I worked for a major university a few short years ago, they contracted our paperless pay statements and W2s to Talx -- who only allowed numbers in the "password". Super frustrating, and of course no one in HR understood why I had a problem with this. They may have gotten smarter since then, but doubtful.
Palin may be human but public figures open themselves to criticism.
You're free to criticize her all you like. You are not free to damage, attempt to damage, or otherwise engage in any kind of criminal mischief against her, her family, her property, or her vendors (ISP, hosting provider, etc) because you don't like something she said.
So what you're saying is that if I don't like how you conduct your legally operated business, I have the right to come and smash your stuff, or superglue the locks to your shop? You have to accept the negative consequences of your lousy business decision to sell my competitor plumbing supplies at a good rate.
Wrong. What I did is criminal damaging at the least -- it is illegal for a reason. You have the right to enter into or terminate a business relationship with anyone you please, without any interference from me. I do not have the right to torch your business because I don't like something you said, or something you did. The United States is a nation of laws, not men, not anarchy. I don't have the right to torch your shop even if you did something illegal or unethical.
If you're doing something illegal, I report you to the authorities. If you're operating a legal business and I think you're doing a terrible job, I'm free to open a competing enterprise and do it better. I'm not free to steal your stuff or deprive you of your property/income by theft or damage because I don't like something you said.
Yes, it is. It is also some kind of hubris to scream about Wikileak's "1st amendment rights" to then attack MC, Paypal, ....and Sarah Palin's website? These entities have a right to conduct their business however they want without undue criminal interference. Palin, whether you agree with her or not, certainly has a right to post a dissenting opinion on FB without having her place (website) smashed up by a bunch of thugs.
"More speech for Assange and wikileaks --- but no speech may be heard from, no business may be conducted with anyone who thinks this was a stupid/criminal/illegal/unethical thing to do and chooses to terminate their business relationship with Wikileaks!"
I'm not 100% sure, but the HDTV set I bought just a few months ago came w/ a VGA port, but no DVI ports. I think this is because HDMI and DVI are somehow compatible without conversion?
From wikipedia
Flash ads on the web != tv ads. TV ads (tend) to be more sophisticated because they're much more expensive to produce and get on the air (meaning you need to justify a non insignificant ROI to your boss), they have to go through an editorial process, and because they're put on the air by the broadcasters - by choice. If you come up with a really stupid ad that just flashes RED/WHITE and screams at the top of his lungs, the broadcaster is probably going to slap you. So no, I haven't noticed a major change in TV ads - except maybe some ad firms are trying to be more creative/entertaining to get viewers who would otherwise skip the ads.
The advertisers using a flash "hit the monkey" type ad on tv are generally relegated to late night infomercials, because the broadcasters know people would turn the channel, hurting the revenue they get from other advertisers.
Muting TV commercials (or skipping them w/ TiVo) is a sufficient solution. More government is a waste of tax payer dollars at the expense of liberty.
Before TiVo, there was the remote control with the mute button. My grandfather always muted the commercials, not because they were loud, but because they annoyed him. We don't need more government and more stupid regulations when we already have a solution.
GM Loses Money On Every Volt Built
Technically, sure. In reality, because the government owns GM, the tax payers lose money on every Volt. Labor unions made off like bandits at the recent IPO, so I guess someone wins.
Here is my other problem: where do the tree huggers think the electricity to power these "zero-emissions" vehicles comes from? Magic unicorns? No, usually fossil fuel burning power plants, along with all the associated loss of energy down the transmission lines etc along the way. Oh right, and we can't build clean(er) power plants like nuclear because the same environmentalists, w/ their friends 'OMG teh nukeclear!' alarmists, tie up everything in so much red tape it isn't worth it. Like the Prius, this isn't about the environment. It is about status, and acting like you're so much better than your filthy neighbors driving that BIG OIL powered global-warming causing piece of crap.
For whatever moderator has his head up his ass, this is an absolutely reasonable and laudable suggestion, and a very simple one: don't buy what you can't afford to pay for in cash. You'll have no debt, and no debt collections. Like he said, if you do have debt, and you talk to your creditors - explain that you've taken a second job and a payment of X is inbound, they'll almost always work with you.
When did we get to the point that what was common sense to our our grandparents is now flamebait?
While in principle I agree with you, they don't care if you think you're "wasting" their time. The TSA has all the time in the world, and absolutely zero incentive to speed things up. You, on the other hand, have a plane to catch. We already have to be at the airport 1+ hours before our flight. The TSA people aren't going anywhere. You are.
Are they going to be replaced by a competitor who can do it better when their contract is up? Oh right, they're a government monopoly. No competition, no incentive for customer service. No reason to improve service or more fundamentally - stop being assholes. Can we vote out to head of the TSA? Can we vote out the screeners? Can we vote against the policies and regulations of Big Sis? Not directly? I've venture to argue not at all. Bush started the TSA, and Obama is happy to put an imp like Napolitano in charge - someone who actually refused to do anything to secure her southern border as governor of Arizona. So we're supposed to now believe we're safer because of her stupid policies? Bullshit.
Traveling from place to place at will and by choice is a freedom. The natural order of government is to hate freedom, because every freedom represents something they can't or don't control. So the government by nature will make travel - especially air travel - as much of a pain in the ass as possible - if not downright illegal (East Germany, North Korea). The TSA may have been started with good intentions, but it almost overnight became about power and control.
Why are "pay as you go" fire departments a good idea, but not "pay as you go" police departments?
They're not? Maybe I used the wrong phrase. By "pay-as-you-go" I was referring to the idea that when the FD shows up to put out the fire, then you pay them $75. The second half of my post was about how completely unworkable of an idea that is.
As I recall the story, he and the others in his area (not sure what the actual geography is) voted to have their fire services established this way. Prior to the agreement of $75/year per home, there was no FD covering his or his neighbors' homes. Why shouldn't it be voluntary? You sound like you want to impose your idea of what is good for me - onto me. In most locations, emergency services are funded through taxes. I don't happen to have a huge issue with this. I think that emergency services are a wise way to spend tax dollars to create a shared resource.
However, if I live in a town where we decide that we want to fund our fire department a different way - or contract services from a neighboring municipality, then that is our choice. If you don't like it, I don't care. I'm sorry to say, but you sound like more of the "for your own good" nonsense that has created monstrosities like PelosiCare. I like what I have, if I don't want to buy health insurance, I shouldn't have to and the govt has no business forcing me into it. (Required car insurance is a) state mandated and b) liability only - if you're found to be at fault the person you hit doesn't get screwed)
Blame the voters of the town, who decided this was how they wanted to fund fire services. Blame the owner who didn't pay for the emergency service. There is no "system" that created the mess. The people decided this is how they wanted to do things.
I realize you're not advocating pay-as-you-go for FD services, but I have to emphasize what many others have pointed out -- operating a FD is not free. There are significant up front costs, as well as ongoing maintenance costs. The turnout coats wear out and need to be replaced. The pumper needs new tires, etc. The company I work for builds equipment for firetrucks. Should my company be required to provide our products and services for free? Should I not get paid for my labor, because fire trucks should be free? Let me assure you, they are not.
Further, it is impossible to build a firetruck while the house is burning down. If everyone decided not to pay until the house caught fire - no money before the fire to buy the truck, the equipment, pay the firefighters - there would be nothing to put it out with and not only would his house would burn to the ground anyway - so would his neighbor's.
...or maybe they should pass the responsibility to others who are more committed to ensuring the Internet's stability.
Maybe, before opening your fat mouth and posting on /. something you have no facts on, but seem to confidently be able state that the US Army has "acted stupidly" - you research what went wrong and then pass judgement. The parent is correct - there are 13 root servers so that one or two or three CAN go down - either because of a failure or for maintenance - without killing the whole interwebs.
It seems like education is likely to be the only solution.
My approach to education: If you hit me b/c you were fucking with your phone, I may exercise my option to beat the shit out of you.
You're on the road to drive. If you cannot or do not want to be responsible for operating a 3,000lb weapon, pull over - or call a cab. I'm sorry that it is so much to ask that while you're sharing the road with other people, you take some responsibility for what you're doing and pay attention. Your first job when behind the wheel is not your makeup, not your hair, not your girlfriends' latest hangup, not your buddy's party last night. Drive your damn car like both our lives depend on it.