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  1. Re:columns of pixels? wrong. on Hidden Obstacles For Google's Self-Driving Cars · · Score: 1

    Hm, no interpolating the trajectory of a moving object in space is something that the best physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists simply have not been able to solve. It is an intractable problem that can only be solved in real time by organic brains.

    Of course the Iron Dome might just be a counter example (those sneaky Israelis obviously didn't get the memo!)

  2. Re:can it get me home from the bar? on Hidden Obstacles For Google's Self-Driving Cars · · Score: 4, Insightful

    99.9999% of human drivers!!!!!!

    Give me a fscking break. You obviously don't actually ride around cities on a bike.

    I spend a huge amount of time on a bike. I'd be happy if 75% of drivers paid attention. Simply put, human drivers DO NOT pay attention at the best of times and don't see cyclists a large percentage of the time.

    One of the reasons I want to see only Google cars on the road is BECAUSE I'm a cyclist and figure my chances of staying alive will improve dramatically.

  3. Re:can it get me home from the bar? on Hidden Obstacles For Google's Self-Driving Cars · · Score: 1

    I guess you didn't see the YouTube video showing a Google Car safely moving around a cyclist who also moves out of the shoulder.

  4. Re:can it get me home from the bar? on Hidden Obstacles For Google's Self-Driving Cars · · Score: 1

    You miss the point. Hitting anything at speed can injure the occupants.

    So you need to treat anything that could possibly move into the path of the car as a potential threat.

    That includes bikes, kids, pedestrians, deer, coyotes, moose, skunks, dogs, teenagers carrying trashcans or other large objects, etc.

    That means slow down and keep a safe distance. Hmm. Just what human drivers are SUPPOSED to do (but often don't.)

  5. Re:Self-Inflicted Damage on Islamic State "Laptop of Doom" Hints At Plots Including Bubonic Plague · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes, it probably would reflect back to their own population.

    a) they don't care
    b) they would blame it on the US
    c) they would blame it on the Israelis
    e) they would call them martyrs
    f) they don't care

  6. Re:Hacking on DoT Proposes Mandating Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communications · · Score: 1

    No different from phoning in bomb threats.

    And likely to result in the same jail time if you get caught.

    At some point use of the normal societal methods for dealing with criminal behaviour works best. It can be the least expensive way to go.

  7. Re:Short range transmission =! privacy concern on DoT Proposes Mandating Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communications · · Score: 1

    To be fair, as soon as a vehicle is broadcasting any information it can be received and recorded.

    For example every overpass can have a radio and record all information from all cars passing by.

    That IS NOT a reason to not do this. And in fact makes a lot of sense as it can be used for lots of interesting and good purposes (if nothing else to keep the Google map traffic information up to date.)

  8. Re:Provisionally, I'm OK with this: on DoT Proposes Mandating Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communications · · Score: 1

    The sixties called they want their talking points about why seat belts should not be installed back.

  9. Re:UDP/broadcast only on DoT Proposes Mandating Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communications · · Score: 1

    Yes, it would be a good idea to have a law mandating that people carry a personal beacon at all times while they are travelling on foot on the interstate highway system.

  10. Re:Motorcyclists rejoice! on DoT Proposes Mandating Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communications · · Score: 1

    Bike riders complain that cars and trucks break the law.

    Motorcyclists complain that trucks and cars break the law.

    Cars complain that trucks, cyclists and motorcyclists break the law.

    Commercial drivers throw their hands in the air and complain that everybody else breaks the law. Ditto for bus drivers.

    To get all biblical... And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

    Which is also why 80% of all drivers (of all types of vehicles) think they are above average in driving skill and behaviour.

  11. Re:So when are we going to hear on It's Easy To Hack Traffic Lights · · Score: 1

    This is really not much different from simply (for example) removing traffic signs.

    I recall that some kids removed a stop sign as a prank, (Florida, mid 90's?) There was a bad accident and the result was a man slaughter charges and something like 20 year sentences.

  12. Re:people charge of traffic lights are engineers b on It's Easy To Hack Traffic Lights · · Score: 1

    Well our local municipal engineering department obviously has not read that memo.

    We have various lights that are always green and switch on demand when a car approaches on the side street.

    I'll note that the counter argument is that people using those roads get used to them always being green, but also get used to them switching quickly to red when a car approaches from the side street.

  13. Re:Automation, remote controls already exist on Selectable Ethics For Robotic Cars and the Possibility of a Robot Car Bomb · · Score: 1

    We'll need some new laws that make using unmanned vehicles (cars, planes, quadracopters) to commit any crime an extra N years in jail.

  14. Re:Will not matter. on Selectable Ethics For Robotic Cars and the Possibility of a Robot Car Bomb · · Score: 1

    And you would think that /. readers would understand the ramifications of Moores law (the general version...)

    Current efforts are about the equivalent of the original iPhone. Sort of nice compared to what it replaced at the time. Laughable compared to what is available seven years later. But even today the current efforts are pretty good.

    Get something into production and deployed, then five to eight years of scaling (software and hardware) and the cars of 2020 will be about as different from the current cars as the iPhone 6 is (will be in a month) from the original iPhone (both for hardware and software.)

  15. Re:Will not matter. on Selectable Ethics For Robotic Cars and the Possibility of a Robot Car Bomb · · Score: 1

    "So no. No company would take that risk. And anyone stupid enough to try would not write perfect code and would be sued out of existence after their first patch."

    There are two options. Do it here (where here is wherever you live...) by convincing YOUR government to set up the appropriate legal standards. Or let it get done elsewhere (hmm, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea) where the government will simply make a decision and mandate that as long as the cars have insurance there WILL BE NO LAWSUITS...

    With option A, your town, city, state/province may reap some of the early benefits (aka jobs, profitable local businesses, safer roads sooner). With option B, you'll end up buying cars designed, tested and built elsewhere once they have proved to be reliable and useful (so fewer local jobs and businesses and you get to live with unsafe vehicles longer so more people dead or injured.)

    It will happen. It might not happen where you live until somebody else has figured out how to profitably do it.

  16. Re:Insurance rates on Selectable Ethics For Robotic Cars and the Possibility of a Robot Car Bomb · · Score: 1

    It may end up with government run no fault insurance, possibly funded by (for example) fuel taxes (drive more, higher risk, pay more.)

    If you are in an accident, you are covered. Since, in theory (if all the vehicles are autonomous) there IS no fault, this makes a lot of sense.

    The usual complaint is that no fault insurance (especially government run) usually also means capped settlements. Especially from the legal industry who make their living pursuing big payouts.

  17. Re: There we go again on DARPA Wants To Kill the Password · · Score: 1

    Yes, I only want access to your stupid site for one transaction or comment or whatever and you make me jump through stupid fscking hoops to register an account with a password that would protect my online banking...

    Type in some random garbage twice, use it, and forget it. If I ever need to go back just hit the "forgot password" link and do the same again.

  18. Re:Promising... on The Doctor Will Skype You Now · · Score: 1

    Depending on where you are of course...

    But in many places your Doctor can only bill your insurance if they actually see you in the office. They cannot bill or can only bill less if they talk to you over the phone.

  19. Re:This is chilling on Google Spots Explicit Images of a Child In Man's Email, Tips Off Police · · Score: 1

    The point is that Google is a US company operating in the US under US laws. They won't enforce Russian laws.

    A Russian ISP would enforce Russian laws but won't (can't be forced by a US court to) enforce US laws.

  20. Re: Well at least they saved the children! on Google Spots Explicit Images of a Child In Man's Email, Tips Off Police · · Score: 2

    They don't have to search for it... maybe.

    On the other hand simply having possession is against the law. It could be construed (especially in the US where you can "get an indictment for a ham sandwich") that Google has possession of it while it resides on their servers. So IFF they have the means to ensure that they don't have it then pretending they can't check for it may not get them a pass.

    They may not like having to check for it, but it may also be the safest thing for them to do.

  21. Re:Well at least they saved the children! on Google Spots Explicit Images of a Child In Man's Email, Tips Off Police · · Score: 1

    There is no legal reason for you to have porn.

    Unfortunately if someone doesn't like you they may decide to bomb your mailbox with files known to match. Then just wait for the cops to show up and ask you to explain why you have them.

    Interesting conundrum, if some unwanted pictures do show up, are you better off deleting them or reporting them? In some jurisdictions it may be illegal to both have a copy and not report having a copy. And if your provider reports that you have a copy but you no longer have a copy and you didn't report having a copy... it may be suspicious that you didn't report it as you don't have anything to hide right?

  22. Re:The real reason why Uber is going to take over on The Great Taxi Upheaval · · Score: 1

    Well until somebody uses a stolen phone to use the uber app..

    A little higher bar than just flagging a cab down.. so undoubtedly fewer incidences.

  23. Re:There can be only one.... on Comparison: Linux Text Editors · · Score: 2

    No, you can teach us old Unix guys new tricks. Vim is a totally acceptable acceptable upgrade to vi. Just like bash is an acceptable upgrade to sh. And perl is definitely better than awk/sed.

    We do draw the line at gvim though. And I've heard rumours of a new C like language that is object oriented... haven't tried it though.

  24. Re:It's almost sane(really) on Judge: US Search Warrants Apply To Overseas Computers · · Score: 1

    The question is who controls the servers not where the servers are.

    In this case a court in the US is instructing a US company that owns or controls servers to retrieve the data from the servers. In this case the servers may be located in another country and may even be owned by a subsidiary. But there is still a clear ownership from the parent through to the servers. So the US court can coerce and enforce a judgement.

    Slightly more troubling is the recent example of the second scenario. A BC court has ordered Google to block some results worldwide. Google Canada does not control Google. And a Canadian court will have trouble hauling a US company into court. Google will appeal but it is a troubling decision where a court wants to exert world wide control over a non resident.

  25. Re:c/c++, vi/emacs, make, ddd on Getting Back To Coding · · Score: 1

    The above have been my IDE for several decades. Spread across two 22" screens, each of which has four 132x60 rxvts, and of course there are several dozen sets of those available to support multiple projects. With another couple of screens for running Chrome and testing on.

    Every time I try to use Visual Studio I feel claustrophobic because I can't look (easily) at four or five separate files in their own windows.