Also, my hobby is amateur radio. There are a lot of small cottage industry companies making things like morse code keys and HF screwdriver mobile antennas. They are doing some beautiful work.
"How are the exploited if they are signing up willingly?"
I agree. But, I would add this.
We have been busy educating the perfect consumer. One who always sees a want as being a need. One who can't perceive true value. One who cannot weigh risk vs. benefit. One who asks no questions and just forks over the money. Preferably in some recurring revenue fashion.
We are educating perfect voters too. No analytical skills. Just cheerleaders willing to forward stupid emails and keep up with today's talking points at most. Then pull the straight ticket lever come election day. It is really sad.
Speaking of past history. I'm just not convinced Microsoft is committed to the phone business. They have walked away from markets before. T-Mobile was pushing the Lumia 710 when I was shopping for my phone. My boss has a windows phone and he loves his. But, I just couldn't bring myself to purchase one. I'm just not convinced that they won't say 'Well, that didn't work' and walk away from the whole business. So, I bought an Android phone. I'm not worried about lack of commitment there.
Social interaction definitely does not appear to be a high priority with too many in the home school crowd. We have a lot of them in our area. In my experience at least, many of them are very 'me-centric'.
Here is a perfect example of my experiences. My oldest was taking guitar lessons. The music school really works to get their students to practice and perform together. Sometimes a small group of students perform at a local restaurant for fun. It is really nice. All of the parents and kids have gotten to know each other over time. It is a nice community.
Twice a year, there are recitals. They are very typical events. Everyone shows up. The first child starts performing. All of the families watch and enjoy. At the end after the last child has performed, everyone leaves.
Last year, we were in the middle of our recital and suddenly more parents, kids and instruments entered the auditorium. One of the instructors picked up a microphone and explained that some of their home schooled students had formed a small band and they were going to perform in the recital.
Sounded like a great idea. I figured they had just arrived late. No problem. I’d love to hear them. So, immediately they took the stage. They played two songs. They sounded fine. Then the whole home school crowd (parents, children, instruments and all) just immediately picked up and left.
Oh, excuse me. I almost forgot. Two of the moms did stick around long enough to have an extended and very loud conversation in the auditorium while some of the remaining performers played their pieces.
Of course, the rest of the families stayed for the remainder of the recital and enjoyed watching each others' children perform.
"... I'd never heard anyone preach that the earth was only 10K years old"
Living right smack in the middle of the Bible belt, I assure you there are plenty of people who fall in the 'ten thousand year old earth' camp. My sister in law is one of them. She counted all of the 'begats' and all other references to lineage and came up with a number. And she is thoroughly convinced this is the number. I think her number is along the lines of 6,000 years though.
The folks that do this are typically biblical literalists. They basically feel that God put every word in the bible and therefore it cannot be questioned and every word is without flaw. Never mind that there are multiple creation stories. Never mind that Bible stories were passed down orally for centuries. Never mind that people (scribes) copied it by hand over centuries. Never mind that it was people who decided which books would be included in the bible. Never mind that people translate it into different versions and different languages. And never mind that people run the printing presses. And also never mind that the Bible contradicts itself quite often. All of this can be explained away with careful interpretation apparently.
The literalists are the ones we hear about most often in the press. This is especially true in the US. But, a significant portion of the faithful don't have this literalist viewpoint. And for many of these people, the Bible is the history of the interaction between people and God as recorded from the perspective of people. The Bible is a work inspired by God. Not created by God. This makes the book (and faith) much more human. As, since people are not perfect, nor can be this book. It allows for the understanding that for a long time the Bible was an oral history. It was recorded by people who were not nearly as sophisticated as we are today in their understanding of how the world works. The older stories were recorded in a way that they were easy to remember.
For example, the creation story has to be a very old story. If you read Genesis 1, you can almost imagine it being passed orally in a call and response type fashion (paraphrased). Call - God created the light, Response - And it was good. Call - God created the dry land. Response - And it was good..... Or, Call - God created light, Response - And there was light.....
This, more human, way of looking at the Bible leaves room for many things that Biblical literalism does not. Science is fine. Scientific method is fine. Evolution is fine. After all, those generations who put the creation story together had to do so in terms they understood. And they certainly could not have understood evolution. The fact that we understand it now is fine. God didn't give us a brain and hope we never used it.
In this alternate view of the Bible the creation stories are still viewed as being very important. But, they don't tell when and how the universe was created. From this viewpoint the important things to be taken from the creation stories is who created us and why.
I have a Timex Ironman Datalink watch. Unfortunately, they don't make them any longer. But, I have been wearing one since probably 1996.
The watch can receive data from your PC (phone numbers, alarms, timer configurations...). When initially released they received data via your CRT. The software flashed patterns on the CRT that the watch captured and turned into data. It does not work for LCD screens. I actually have their 'laptop adapter' which lets me program it via a flashing LED instead. It is old enough that I have to use a USB to serial adapter.
You could actually write real programs for some of the watches (wrist apps). Mine does not support that.
My favorite feature is the 5 configurable timers. I have them set up for when I cook on the grill or the smoker. (Beep every 5 minutes for burgers, 20 minutes for chicken...).
These were certified for space flight by NASA and were worn by some of the astronauts. I hope mine continues to hold up. It really is a great watch.
Software defined radios digitally sample incoming signals. They then process those signals via software algorithms rather than electronic circuitry. Some radios can actually sample huge regions of the radio frequency spectrum (one amateur radio receiver I am aware of can watch a 60 MHz spectrum). They can actually decode many signals at the same time. So, for example, you could be decoding and watching hundreds of CW conversations (morse code) happening across the spectrum at the same time.
All the hardware has to do is digitize the radio spectrum being sampled. All of the remaining processing can be changed by replacing software. Previously, changing the processing of the signals meant replacing or adding electronic circuits.
The algorithms are quite sophisticated. Signals can be isolated for better reception or fairly easily excluded in the case of interference. This has resulted in a tremendous improvement in radio receivers especially in recent years. Neat stuff.
re: "Frankly, the employer ought to be able to ask any damn think they want in an interview."
Wow!
Are you a Christian?
What denomination?
How much did you give to your church last year?
Do you have children?
How many children do you have?
How many hours a week do you spend helping them with homework?
Does your spouse work?
How old are your parents?
How much time do you spend caring for them each week?
re: "If some protections are really necessary, this is entirely within the power of the individual States."
Do you (or your spouse) use or have you ever used Birth Control for the purpose of preventing pregnancy? (Arizona)
Plus, it's not like corporations operate within one state. So, in one state they couldn't ask for my Facebook login and in another they can? How does that make sense? So, if I get hired in New York and then transfer to [insert nutty state here (plenty of them lately)] they can tell me they want my social media login information or can ask about private matters such whether or how someone in the family uses birth control?
Almost same price? I often see books where the electronic version is more than the physical version. So, I stopped buying them. I bought the whole 'Dune' saga used on Ebay for less than I could buy just the first novel in the series as an E-Book. I would have gladly paid a reasonable price for the eBook.
I left Verizon because they didn't have a decent phone for texting that didn't require a data plan. I switched to T-Mobile and have been happy. I bought a Samsung Gravity 3 which works fine for texting. I have recently bought them new on E-Bay for about $80 without a contract.
"and this aircraft is obviously impractical for "combat" conditions where it may need to be field serviced under less-than-ideal conditions"
"Another waste of taxpayer money"
The E8C is a converted 'used' Boeing 707. The last of those were manufactured int 1979. So, this is an old airframe design (and we didn't pay a lot for them). So, it doesn't have some of the bells and whistles that newer aircraft have. Some systems have been up fitted and enhanced. But not all.
This is not a 'front line' aircraft. Just like the KC-135 that I flew on, they operate mostly out of large bases that have plenty of service and support infrastructure. So, it is almost always being serviced in ideal conditions (or as ideal as they are going to get). A contracted mechanic didn't follow procedures. It is that simple.
Also, there are times when older technology has an advantage. This aircraft's cousin (KC-135) stood ready to launch on alert 7 x 24 x 365 for decades and could be started at temperatures from well below freezing to well over 100 (F) and be in the air in less than 3 minutes. Try doing that with today's aircraft. I seem to remember newer aircraft needing air conditioning on the ground to keep the electronics cool while they sat on alert.
This air frame's longevity and versatility says it all. When I got out of the Air Force in 1990, I had been flying on aircraft that were built as long ago as 1957. Many that I crewed on were older than I was. But, with good maintenance, they were great airplanes. I think we got our money's worth.
I'm averaging 43 Mpg for the life of my car (2007 Prius). I keep a log and track every mile and every drop of gas. So, my numbers are not from the car's computer. Most of the time the car's computer is a little generous when computing Mpg. My Prius works great. I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
The electric motor can supplement the gas engine. So, it is very much like having a turbocharger. My Prius accelerates very nicely. Does it light up the tires? No. But, do I worry about pulling out in traffic. Absolutely not! The system just works.
Also, the gasoline engine is not the only thing that charges the batteries. Whenever you are coasting, the batteries are generally being charged by the electric motor which is functioning as a generator and is driven by the wheels and not the engine. I get the feeling that the author really doesn't understand how a hybrid works.
Also, the Volt is very different from most hybrids. And it also works exactly as it is advertised. You run off of electric until you can't. Then it runs off of the gasoline engine. It is not for everyone. If it doesn't work for an individual, it may be because they didn't do enough research before they bought it.
My 2007 Prius for the life of the car is averaging 43 mpg. The 2007 does not have multiple efficiency modes like the newer ones or I would get even better. I track every gallon of fuel I put in the car (since day 1). So, I have 91,000 miles worth of data. I routinely drive 70 Mph (just to keep up with traffic). I drive 30 miles to work and most of that is on the interstate.
On a trip between Virginia Tech and Charlotte, NC I drove in mountainous areas and still easily beat 40 mpg.
You do see interesting trends throughout the year. It gets worse gas mileage in the winter (I think to due the engine running to generate heat for the heater and defroster).
You do need to use the 'low rolling resistance' tires if you want the best gas mileage. I've been happy with what originally came on the car. I got 40K miles out of the first set and 50K out of the second.
I absolutely love my car. Does the Hybrid system pay for itself in gas savings? Maybe not. But there are other things that make it worthwhile. The Prius is a surprisingly roomy car. I'm 6 foot tall and have no problems at all (leg room or head room) in the back seat. To average 43 Mpg with a car with this much room is to me amazing.
I love having the gas engine shut down when you are stopped. When dropping off or picking up kids at school it is really nice to not be burning gas just to keep the A/C running.
My sister's new Prius is getting 50 Mpg. (I'm jealous).
The GPS's used by these groups will work above 60K. And they are standard GPS devices (re: civilian). The better GPS devices use a combination of factors to decide when to shut themselves down. So, altitude alone won't stop them from working. Usually a combination of high altitude and high speed will make them stop working.
There are devices that will stop working based on altitude alone. But, you won't find them on any of these flights.
If it is anything like the original, they will have to perfect the energy efficient electric vacuum pump. The first time I put a new stereo in one (many years ago) I was astounded at the number of vacuum lines behind the dash. They weren't very well organized or very well marked either if I remember correctly.
Let's hope they have run out of parts for the old A/C and heating system.
If you do build one, make sure you put a lot of thought into making it realiable, easy to maintain and easy to use. I worked as an installer (years ago - I know technology has changed). But our company went to great lengths to make our systems great systems. We found that most home alarm systems rarely get used with people at home and moving about because it is almost impossible to do so. With our alarms, you could arm the system and disable individual sensors. So you could grill on the back porch and be able to go in and out of the back door while the rest of the doors were monitored. We put multiple magnets on window frames. You could have a window cracked open. If someone opened it further, the alarm would go off. If you wanted to have one window open, you could bypass it completely.
Make sure you document the installation. If you are running wiring, label wires so you can determine which wires go where. Bring them to a central point so you can test all of your loops from one place. We used to run ours to a point in the attic and run a multiconductor cable from there down to the panel. Of course, if you do that, you will have to trace problems in less than ideal temperatures.
Buy good equipment. Even hundreds of dollars saved will mean nothing if the system you end up with is unusable. Things like motion sensors used to be very tempermental. They had to be good quality. They had to be placed carefully. For example: A motion sensor pointed at or near a window might go off when the drapes move because they are over an air conditioning vent.
Research monitoring services before you install the system. Understand any fees or requirements up front so you wont be surprised.
Be aware that in some cities false alarms can result in fines levied against you to recoup the cost of sending the police to your home.
Be aware that in many areas, low voltage wiring (alarms, multimedia, sound systems...) fall under code. In the past, if you were building a home and wanted to install cable runs, alarm wiring and speaker wires you could do it. Now, they have to pass inspection just like the primary electrical wiring does.
VERY IMPORTANT
Make sure you ground the panel well. We had the lowest falsing rate in our city and the main reason why was our panels were properly grounded (to the same point where the main electrical service ground wire goes if at all possible.)
ALSO
A poorly implemented alarm system can be worse than none. For example, If your neighbor's alarm system falses and goes off all of the time and all the sudden it stops, it probably means they turned the system off. Before the falses, you wouldn't have known if they had a system. Now you know they do, and you know it is off.
Finally, There is a reason that alarm companies have to be licensed and bonded in most areas. Putting in a good, usable system is not something just anyone can do. But, with research, planning and careful installation you can have a much better system than most commercially installed residential systems.
It's not that people don't care at all. The problem is that they don't care enough. The internet is like main street. There are 5 McDonalds, Burger Kings and KFCs for every healthy alternative. There is so much shallow, over simplistic, and just plain wrong analysis. Nobody really cares enough to spend the time finding good sources of information. They just stop at the first McDonalds.
Add to that the 'cheerleader' mentality of I only pay attention to sources who pander to my beliefs and prejudices (I only stop at McDonalds owned by [your party here]).
Basically, they just care enough to know the daily talking points. They will attend a rally and join the crowd echoing their nonsensical views. They will make and hold up a sign. They will forward an email. They will talk to their like minded friends at the coffee shop. And in the end they feel like they are contributing to the process. And, of course, they are. Just in a negative way.
The daily deluge of idiotic nonsense about political issues flows on like the Niagra River and nobody is trying to solve the real problems of this world in a thoughtful way (by the way, what's that roaring sound?).
We need to get back to a world where a good solid education, subject matter expertise, lifetimes of first hand experience and especially scientific method aren't devalued to the point where gut instinct (and prejudice) continuously rule the day.
It is not that gut instinct has no value. At times, gut instinct can save your life. But it shouldn't be your only option just because you have decided it is too much work to have better options. Or, because the better options continuously conflict with our viewpoint (and therefore they are clearly "wrong" and cannot be depended upon).
Please care enough to have better options.
Also, find first hand sources (like actually reading the legislation you so vehemently oppose or so enthusiastically support).
No one should be considered an informed citizen just because they know today's talking points.
"a trader entered a 'B' for billions"
"I guess we're all just lucky this guy hit 'b' and not 'z'."
-------
I wonder if the 'B' key was missing from his keyboard this morning.
This is what I do.
I just use an ATM card. Countless times, my bank has sent me a Visa debit card to replace my ATM card.. I always cut it up, ask them to cancel it and send me another ATM card. When I go to a branch to do this, I always get the strangest looks from the person helping me (you don't want a debit card?). I tell them every time that my mortgage check is not going to bounce because some crook captured my debit card information.
I do have a debit card on a second account. But, that account never has more than $250 in it. So, I can get the benefits of a debit card and minimize my exposure if something goes wrong.
The day debit cards came out, it was clear to me that I didn't want one on my main bill paying account.
--
Richard
Slashdot Mirror
Look at the Maker community.
Also, my hobby is amateur radio. There are a lot of small cottage industry companies making things like morse code keys and HF screwdriver mobile antennas. They are doing some beautiful work.
Here are some examples:
http://www.n3znkeys.com/
http://www.k8ra.com/index_007.htm
http://www.tarheelantennas.com/littletarheel_hp
I'm pretty sure all of these started just building things for themselves. (I know the owner of the antenna company. So, I'm sure there).
Got to know. Was that pun intentional? "Newer Buick owners ... because they remember when flint was discovered"
flint (the rock)?
or Flint, Michigan - Buick City Complex.
Loved it - intentional or not.
"How are the exploited if they are signing up willingly?"
I agree. But, I would add this.
We have been busy educating the perfect consumer. One who always sees a want as being a need. One who can't perceive true value. One who cannot weigh risk vs. benefit. One who asks no questions and just forks over the money. Preferably in some recurring revenue fashion.
We are educating perfect voters too. No analytical skills. Just cheerleaders willing to forward stupid emails and keep up with today's talking points at most. Then pull the straight ticket lever come election day. It is really sad.
Speaking of past history. I'm just not convinced Microsoft is committed to the phone business. They have walked away from markets before. T-Mobile was pushing the Lumia 710 when I was shopping for my phone. My boss has a windows phone and he loves his. But, I just couldn't bring myself to purchase one. I'm just not convinced that they won't say 'Well, that didn't work' and walk away from the whole business. So, I bought an Android phone. I'm not worried about lack of commitment there.
Exactly
Social interaction definitely does not appear to be a high priority with too many in the home school crowd. We have a lot of them in our area. In my experience at least, many of them are very 'me-centric'.
Here is a perfect example of my experiences. My oldest was taking guitar lessons. The music school really works to get their students to practice and perform together. Sometimes a small group of students perform at a local restaurant for fun. It is really nice. All of the parents and kids have gotten to know each other over time. It is a nice community.
Twice a year, there are recitals. They are very typical events. Everyone shows up. The first child starts performing. All of the families watch and enjoy. At the end after the last child has performed, everyone leaves.
Last year, we were in the middle of our recital and suddenly more parents, kids and instruments entered the auditorium. One of the instructors picked up a microphone and explained that some of their home schooled students had formed a small band and they were going to perform in the recital.
Sounded like a great idea. I figured they had just arrived late. No problem. I’d love to hear them. So, immediately they took the stage. They played two songs. They sounded fine. Then the whole home school crowd (parents, children, instruments and all) just immediately picked up and left.
Oh, excuse me. I almost forgot. Two of the moms did stick around long enough to have an extended and very loud conversation in the auditorium while some of the remaining performers played their pieces.
Of course, the rest of the families stayed for the remainder of the recital and enjoyed watching each others' children perform.
Logarithmic spiral by chance?
"... I'd never heard anyone preach that the earth was only 10K years old"
Living right smack in the middle of the Bible belt, I assure you there are plenty of people who fall in the 'ten thousand year old earth' camp. My sister in law is one of them. She counted all of the 'begats' and all other references to lineage and came up with a number. And she is thoroughly convinced this is the number. I think her number is along the lines of 6,000 years though.
The folks that do this are typically biblical literalists. They basically feel that God put every word in the bible and therefore it cannot be questioned and every word is without flaw. Never mind that there are multiple creation stories. Never mind that Bible stories were passed down orally for centuries. Never mind that people (scribes) copied it by hand over centuries. Never mind that it was people who decided which books would be included in the bible. Never mind that people translate it into different versions and different languages. And never mind that people run the printing presses. And also never mind that the Bible contradicts itself quite often. All of this can be explained away with careful interpretation apparently.
The literalists are the ones we hear about most often in the press. This is especially true in the US. But, a significant portion of the faithful don't have this literalist viewpoint. And for many of these people, the Bible is the history of the interaction between people and God as recorded from the perspective of people. The Bible is a work inspired by God. Not created by God. This makes the book (and faith) much more human. As, since people are not perfect, nor can be this book. It allows for the understanding that for a long time the Bible was an oral history. It was recorded by people who were not nearly as sophisticated as we are today in their understanding of how the world works. The older stories were recorded in a way that they were easy to remember.
For example, the creation story has to be a very old story. If you read Genesis 1, you can almost imagine it being passed orally in a call and response type fashion (paraphrased). Call - God created the light, Response - And it was good. Call - God created the dry land. Response - And it was good..... Or, Call - God created light, Response - And there was light.....
This, more human, way of looking at the Bible leaves room for many things that Biblical literalism does not. Science is fine. Scientific method is fine. Evolution is fine. After all, those generations who put the creation story together had to do so in terms they understood. And they certainly could not have understood evolution. The fact that we understand it now is fine. God didn't give us a brain and hope we never used it.
In this alternate view of the Bible the creation stories are still viewed as being very important. But, they don't tell when and how the universe was created. From this viewpoint the important things to be taken from the creation stories is who created us and why.
Tangent? No. More like a skew.
The watch can receive data from your PC (phone numbers, alarms, timer configurations ...). When initially released they received data via your CRT. The software flashed patterns on the CRT that the watch captured and turned into data. It does not work for LCD screens. I actually have their 'laptop adapter' which lets me program it via a flashing LED instead. It is old enough that I have to use a USB to serial adapter.
You could actually write real programs for some of the watches (wrist apps). Mine does not support that.
My favorite feature is the 5 configurable timers. I have them set up for when I cook on the grill or the smoker. (Beep every 5 minutes for burgers, 20 minutes for chicken ...).
These were certified for space flight by NASA and were worn by some of the astronauts. I hope mine continues to hold up. It really is a great watch.
Datalink Wikipedia article
Software defined radios digitally sample incoming signals. They then process those signals via software algorithms rather than electronic circuitry. Some radios can actually sample huge regions of the radio frequency spectrum (one amateur radio receiver I am aware of can watch a 60 MHz spectrum). They can actually decode many signals at the same time. So, for example, you could be decoding and watching hundreds of CW conversations (morse code) happening across the spectrum at the same time.
All the hardware has to do is digitize the radio spectrum being sampled. All of the remaining processing can be changed by replacing software. Previously, changing the processing of the signals meant replacing or adding electronic circuits.
The algorithms are quite sophisticated. Signals can be isolated for better reception or fairly easily excluded in the case of interference. This has resulted in a tremendous improvement in radio receivers especially in recent years. Neat stuff.
re: "Frankly, the employer ought to be able to ask any damn think they want in an interview."
Wow!
Are you a Christian?
What denomination?
How much did you give to your church last year?
Do you have children?
How many children do you have?
How many hours a week do you spend helping them with homework?
Does your spouse work?
How old are your parents?
How much time do you spend caring for them each week?
re: "If some protections are really necessary, this is entirely within the power of the individual States."
Do you (or your spouse) use or have you ever used Birth Control for the purpose of preventing pregnancy? (Arizona)
Plus, it's not like corporations operate within one state. So, in one state they couldn't ask for my Facebook login and in another they can? How does that make sense? So, if I get hired in New York and then transfer to [insert nutty state here (plenty of them lately)] they can tell me they want my social media login information or can ask about private matters such whether or how someone in the family uses birth control?
Wow!
Each book is a Horcrux. Who needs DRM restrictions? :-)
Almost same price? I often see books where the electronic version is more than the physical version. So, I stopped buying them. I bought the whole 'Dune' saga used on Ebay for less than I could buy just the first novel in the series as an E-Book. I would have gladly paid a reasonable price for the eBook.
I left Verizon because they didn't have a decent phone for texting that didn't require a data plan. I switched to T-Mobile and have been happy. I bought a Samsung Gravity 3 which works fine for texting. I have recently bought them new on E-Bay for about $80 without a contract.
"and this aircraft is obviously impractical for "combat" conditions where it may need to be field serviced under less-than-ideal conditions"
"Another waste of taxpayer money"
The E8C is a converted 'used' Boeing 707. The last of those were manufactured int 1979. So, this is an old airframe design (and we didn't pay a lot for them). So, it doesn't have some of the bells and whistles that newer aircraft have. Some systems have been up fitted and enhanced. But not all.
This is not a 'front line' aircraft. Just like the KC-135 that I flew on, they operate mostly out of large bases that have plenty of service and support infrastructure. So, it is almost always being serviced in ideal conditions (or as ideal as they are going to get). A contracted mechanic didn't follow procedures. It is that simple.
Also, there are times when older technology has an advantage. This aircraft's cousin (KC-135) stood ready to launch on alert 7 x 24 x 365 for decades and could be started at temperatures from well below freezing to well over 100 (F) and be in the air in less than 3 minutes. Try doing that with today's aircraft. I seem to remember newer aircraft needing air conditioning on the ground to keep the electronics cool while they sat on alert.
This air frame's longevity and versatility says it all. When I got out of the Air Force in 1990, I had been flying on aircraft that were built as long ago as 1957. Many that I crewed on were older than I was. But, with good maintenance, they were great airplanes. I think we got our money's worth.
I'm averaging 43 Mpg for the life of my car (2007 Prius). I keep a log and track every mile and every drop of gas. So, my numbers are not from the car's computer. Most of the time the car's computer is a little generous when computing Mpg. My Prius works great. I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
The electric motor can supplement the gas engine. So, it is very much like having a turbocharger. My Prius accelerates very nicely. Does it light up the tires? No. But, do I worry about pulling out in traffic. Absolutely not! The system just works.
Also, the gasoline engine is not the only thing that charges the batteries. Whenever you are coasting, the batteries are generally being charged by the electric motor which is functioning as a generator and is driven by the wheels and not the engine. I get the feeling that the author really doesn't understand how a hybrid works.
Also, the Volt is very different from most hybrids. And it also works exactly as it is advertised. You run off of electric until you can't. Then it runs off of the gasoline engine. It is not for everyone. If it doesn't work for an individual, it may be because they didn't do enough research before they bought it.
My 2007 Prius for the life of the car is averaging 43 mpg. The 2007 does not have multiple efficiency modes like the newer ones or I would get even better. I track every gallon of fuel I put in the car (since day 1). So, I have 91,000 miles worth of data. I routinely drive 70 Mph (just to keep up with traffic). I drive 30 miles to work and most of that is on the interstate.
On a trip between Virginia Tech and Charlotte, NC I drove in mountainous areas and still easily beat 40 mpg.
You do see interesting trends throughout the year. It gets worse gas mileage in the winter (I think to due the engine running to generate heat for the heater and defroster).
You do need to use the 'low rolling resistance' tires if you want the best gas mileage. I've been happy with what originally came on the car. I got 40K miles out of the first set and 50K out of the second.
I absolutely love my car. Does the Hybrid system pay for itself in gas savings? Maybe not. But there are other things that make it worthwhile. The Prius is a surprisingly roomy car. I'm 6 foot tall and have no problems at all (leg room or head room) in the back seat. To average 43 Mpg with a car with this much room is to me amazing.
I love having the gas engine shut down when you are stopped. When dropping off or picking up kids at school it is really nice to not be burning gas just to keep the A/C running.
My sister's new Prius is getting 50 Mpg. (I'm jealous).
The GPS's used by these groups will work above 60K. And they are standard GPS devices (re: civilian). The better GPS devices use a combination of factors to decide when to shut themselves down. So, altitude alone won't stop them from working. Usually a combination of high altitude and high speed will make them stop working. There are devices that will stop working based on altitude alone. But, you won't find them on any of these flights.
If it is anything like the original, they will have to perfect the energy efficient electric vacuum pump. The first time I put a new stereo in one (many years ago) I was astounded at the number of vacuum lines behind the dash. They weren't very well organized or very well marked either if I remember correctly. Let's hope they have run out of parts for the old A/C and heating system.
The problem is distinguishing the lie from the truth is becoming more and more impossible for people...
Abandoning rational thought is pretty much a one way trip. Kind of like drugs. A bad decision eliminates the possibility of future good ones.
If you do build one, make sure you put a lot of thought into making it realiable, easy to maintain and easy to use. I worked as an installer (years ago - I know technology has changed). But our company went to great lengths to make our systems great systems. We found that most home alarm systems rarely get used with people at home and moving about because it is almost impossible to do so. With our alarms, you could arm the system and disable individual sensors. So you could grill on the back porch and be able to go in and out of the back door while the rest of the doors were monitored. We put multiple magnets on window frames. You could have a window cracked open. If someone opened it further, the alarm would go off. If you wanted to have one window open, you could bypass it completely.
Make sure you document the installation. If you are running wiring, label wires so you can determine which wires go where. Bring them to a central point so you can test all of your loops from one place. We used to run ours to a point in the attic and run a multiconductor cable from there down to the panel. Of course, if you do that, you will have to trace problems in less than ideal temperatures.
Buy good equipment. Even hundreds of dollars saved will mean nothing if the system you end up with is unusable. Things like motion sensors used to be very tempermental. They had to be good quality. They had to be placed carefully. For example: A motion sensor pointed at or near a window might go off when the drapes move because they are over an air conditioning vent.
Research monitoring services before you install the system. Understand any fees or requirements up front so you wont be surprised.
Be aware that in some cities false alarms can result in fines levied against you to recoup the cost of sending the police to your home.
Be aware that in many areas, low voltage wiring (alarms, multimedia, sound systems ...) fall under code. In the past, if you were building a home and wanted to install cable runs, alarm wiring and speaker wires you could do it. Now, they have to pass inspection just like the primary electrical wiring does.
VERY IMPORTANT
Make sure you ground the panel well. We had the lowest falsing rate in our city and the main reason why was our panels were properly grounded (to the same point where the main electrical service ground wire goes if at all possible.)
ALSO
A poorly implemented alarm system can be worse than none. For example, If your neighbor's alarm system falses and goes off all of the time and all the sudden it stops, it probably means they turned the system off. Before the falses, you wouldn't have known if they had a system. Now you know they do, and you know it is off.
Finally, There is a reason that alarm companies have to be licensed and bonded in most areas. Putting in a good, usable system is not something just anyone can do. But, with research, planning and careful installation you can have a much better system than most commercially installed residential systems.
It's not that people don't care at all. The problem is that they don't care enough. The internet is like main street. There are 5 McDonalds, Burger Kings and KFCs for every healthy alternative. There is so much shallow, over simplistic, and just plain wrong analysis. Nobody really cares enough to spend the time finding good sources of information. They just stop at the first McDonalds.
Add to that the 'cheerleader' mentality of I only pay attention to sources who pander to my beliefs and prejudices (I only stop at McDonalds owned by [your party here]).
Basically, they just care enough to know the daily talking points. They will attend a rally and join the crowd echoing their nonsensical views. They will make and hold up a sign. They will forward an email. They will talk to their like minded friends at the coffee shop. And in the end they feel like they are contributing to the process. And, of course, they are. Just in a negative way.
The daily deluge of idiotic nonsense about political issues flows on like the Niagra River and nobody is trying to solve the real problems of this world in a thoughtful way (by the way, what's that roaring sound?).
We need to get back to a world where a good solid education, subject matter expertise, lifetimes of first hand experience and especially scientific method aren't devalued to the point where gut instinct (and prejudice) continuously rule the day.
It is not that gut instinct has no value. At times, gut instinct can save your life. But it shouldn't be your only option just because you have decided it is too much work to have better options. Or, because the better options continuously conflict with our viewpoint (and therefore they are clearly "wrong" and cannot be depended upon).
Please care enough to have better options.
Also, find first hand sources (like actually reading the legislation you so vehemently oppose or so enthusiastically support).
No one should be considered an informed citizen just because they know today's talking points.
"a trader entered a 'B' for billions"
"I guess we're all just lucky this guy hit 'b' and not 'z'."
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I wonder if the 'B' key was missing from his keyboard this morning.
(Take 'T' while you are at it - Just in case)
This is what I do. I just use an ATM card. Countless times, my bank has sent me a Visa debit card to replace my ATM card.. I always cut it up, ask them to cancel it and send me another ATM card. When I go to a branch to do this, I always get the strangest looks from the person helping me (you don't want a debit card?). I tell them every time that my mortgage check is not going to bounce because some crook captured my debit card information. I do have a debit card on a second account. But, that account never has more than $250 in it. So, I can get the benefits of a debit card and minimize my exposure if something goes wrong. The day debit cards came out, it was clear to me that I didn't want one on my main bill paying account. -- Richard