Of course, I always wonder why I don't hear about double digit shifts over to hybrids over in Europe. Their significantly higher fuel costs make them economical far more quickly than in the USA.
Because diesel fuel and vehicles are cheaper than petrol and hybrids. Diesel gives equivalent or better mileage than a hybrid, diesel engines run forever, with no bank of batteries to replace, not to mention simple to repair.
Seems to me that diesel has about 50% market in private personal cars in Europe, but I'm not sure on the exact figures. Of course diesel has problems too. sucks in extreme cold, still pollutes, etc. But it's a pretty damn good option at the current time.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for evaluating the risks of new devices and monitoring the safety and efficacy of those currently on market. However, the agency is unlikely to scrutinize the software operating on devices during any phase of the regulatory process unless a model that has already been surgically implanted repeatedly malfunctions or is recalled.
So you do what people want the FDA to do, but are unable to. Not sure what you're getting at.
They want a third party (the FDA) to review code on the manufacturers device to make sure there are no hidden bugs. No one said they want random MD's to do code review.
I've got Motorola branded vacuum tubes sitting in my basement.
In the old days they made a lot random radio related equipment, primarily mobile equipment. "made in murrica" no less. Although I think they sold all that off in the 70's.
They spun off "On" semiconductor around (or at?) the time of Freescale too. Onsemi was the dumber glue logic and random analog ICs, discrete silicon components, etc, business.
I keep hearing stuff like this, but it doesn't explain while rural broadband availability is higher, and prices are lower, in Finland, Sweden, et al; Nor does it explain why Russia is beating out the US & Canada at speed (presumably price too, but I'm not certain).
I'll mention another problem. The moment we can write code of non-trivial complexity that can be perfectly verified to be entirely bug-free is the moment I will begin to believe that genetic engineers who plan to release a modified creature into the wild can foresee all possible consequences of their creation.
I agree with this statement a lot. I don't know much about biotech, mind you, but it always struck me as taking a closed source executable, flipping a bit, running it, seeing the part you intended on changing did change (on the 9999th iteration), a rough bug test (try all the inputs I guess, not much more you can do) and shipping it out.
I wouldn't do that with software, so why we do it with things that can spread on their own, I have no idea.
Yeah, I suppose those are fairly reasonable concerns. Perhaps I put too much faith in the FDA, but I do hope they thoroughly analyzed things before approving them. Although, with monsanto's history of bribing and their general lack of concern for the environment and residents, dumping waste and such, I have my doubts...
I've heard there are already quite a few roundup resistant weeds evolving, so it's kind of comical in a way. Develop a grain that is herbicide resistant, and before the patent even expires, you're back to square one. So what does that net you? a modified plant with no advantage over a natural strain, with possible long term health effects. Sounds like a losing proposition to me.
It's not so much that I'm afraid of GMOs in themselves, I'm much more afraid of Monsanto owning the rights to my food.
There was a farmer around these parts, somehow had some modified canola enter his field (via wind blowing pollen or..?) and Monsanto sued him for "license fees" on his crop. Think he ended up not having to pay after a few appeals, but the patent was upheld.
The other problem I recall hearing is that often the modified plants are less hardy than the natural version, so if your seed is contaminated it will no longer grow as well *without* roundup. I'm not entirely certain on this one though.
The whole concept of owning a strain of plant that can spread easily, and being able to extract license fees on it, seems very rotten to me, though.
Drug dealers get into turf wars, and burglars rob houses over their bottom line, too. They aren't doing it to be evil, for evil's sake.
If a company goes outside the law, be it neglect or what have you, it has committed an evil act, without respect to the fact that they're doing it for gain. Hell, neglect for financial gain is worse than plain old "oops" neglect. it's the motive that makes it evil more than anything.
You make it sound like Croatia is some third world shithole. I'd live there before I'd live in the US, myself.
Perhaps a better question is why does almost every other first world country have a longer life expectancy than the US? (not a huge margin, but there is some). How does Cuba have a longer life expectancy? Why do the majority of first world nations, and again, Cuba, have lower infant mortality than the US?
What is something most all of those countries have, and yet spend less (per capita) on than the US. hrm...
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Last I heard there are still no laws against this in MS, so you can drink while driving so long as you are under the limit.
Of course most towns probably have ordinances against it, but I don't believe there is a state one, unless it's changed recently.
NATO is probably a better example ;)
That's ancient history though. Can't you get a pardon or waiver or whatnot after so many years, for a minor offence?
Of course, I always wonder why I don't hear about double digit shifts over to hybrids over in Europe. Their significantly higher fuel costs make them economical far more quickly than in the USA.
Because diesel fuel and vehicles are cheaper than petrol and hybrids. Diesel gives equivalent or better mileage than a hybrid, diesel engines run forever, with no bank of batteries to replace, not to mention simple to repair.
Seems to me that diesel has about 50% market in private personal cars in Europe, but I'm not sure on the exact figures. Of course diesel has problems too. sucks in extreme cold, still pollutes, etc. But it's a pretty damn good option at the current time.
that's just fluff, i read this part:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for evaluating the risks of new devices and monitoring the safety and efficacy of those currently on market. However, the agency is unlikely to scrutinize the software operating on devices during any phase of the regulatory process unless a model that has already been surgically implanted repeatedly malfunctions or is recalled.
Mission critical things (life support, nuclear core monitors, etc) sure as fuck should have an independent code review.
So you do what people want the FDA to do, but are unable to. Not sure what you're getting at.
They want a third party (the FDA) to review code on the manufacturers device to make sure there are no hidden bugs. No one said they want random MD's to do code review.
I'm sure Therac-25 passed some sort of trials too. That didn't stop it from killing people, of course.
Good lord, I know the public school system is weak in the US, but there's been dismissals due to the fact that morons don't know what a word means?
What a sad state of affairs.
He's the kind of guy that has actually stated "Fuck the users". Sure sounds like a real nice guy.
Fuck him and facebook.
By dumb I meant the logic ICs they make. RF stuff fits under "random analog" and "discrete silicon" ;-)
I've got Motorola branded vacuum tubes sitting in my basement.
In the old days they made a lot random radio related equipment, primarily mobile equipment. "made in murrica" no less. Although I think they sold all that off in the 70's.
Rather, On semi *is* the dumber silicon business. It used to just be part of Motorola proper, like the (now Freescale) MPU/CPU business was.
They spun off "On" semiconductor around (or at?) the time of Freescale too. Onsemi was the dumber glue logic and random analog ICs, discrete silicon components, etc, business.
They are also incredibly bad-ass, but they still make kids cry.
Presumably because VSB is patented, and whoever collects royalties on it spent part of them on lobbying.
I never seem to have mod points when I need them. bang on.
I keep hearing stuff like this, but it doesn't explain while rural broadband availability is higher, and prices are lower, in Finland, Sweden, et al; Nor does it explain why Russia is beating out the US & Canada at speed (presumably price too, but I'm not certain).
pffffft. The American Free Market(tm) will take care of it, surely.
Who do I have to kill for a 2MB upload around here?
I'll mention another problem. The moment we can write code of non-trivial complexity that can be perfectly verified to be entirely bug-free is the moment I will begin to believe that genetic engineers who plan to release a modified creature into the wild can foresee all possible consequences of their creation.
I agree with this statement a lot. I don't know much about biotech, mind you, but it always struck me as taking a closed source executable, flipping a bit, running it, seeing the part you intended on changing did change (on the 9999th iteration), a rough bug test (try all the inputs I guess, not much more you can do) and shipping it out.
I wouldn't do that with software, so why we do it with things that can spread on their own, I have no idea.
Yeah, I suppose those are fairly reasonable concerns. Perhaps I put too much faith in the FDA, but I do hope they thoroughly analyzed things before approving them. Although, with monsanto's history of bribing and their general lack of concern for the environment and residents, dumping waste and such, I have my doubts...
I've heard there are already quite a few roundup resistant weeds evolving, so it's kind of comical in a way. Develop a grain that is herbicide resistant, and before the patent even expires, you're back to square one. So what does that net you? a modified plant with no advantage over a natural strain, with possible long term health effects. Sounds like a losing proposition to me.
It's not so much that I'm afraid of GMOs in themselves, I'm much more afraid of Monsanto owning the rights to my food.
There was a farmer around these parts, somehow had some modified canola enter his field (via wind blowing pollen or..?) and Monsanto sued him for "license fees" on his crop. Think he ended up not having to pay after a few appeals, but the patent was upheld.
The other problem I recall hearing is that often the modified plants are less hardy than the natural version, so if your seed is contaminated it will no longer grow as well *without* roundup. I'm not entirely certain on this one though.
The whole concept of owning a strain of plant that can spread easily, and being able to extract license fees on it, seems very rotten to me, though.
Drug dealers get into turf wars, and burglars rob houses over their bottom line, too. They aren't doing it to be evil, for evil's sake.
If a company goes outside the law, be it neglect or what have you, it has committed an evil act, without respect to the fact that they're doing it for gain. Hell, neglect for financial gain is worse than plain old "oops" neglect. it's the motive that makes it evil more than anything.
Which is why the Russians "let the pirates go", presumably on a shitty dinghy with a hole in it and no guidance equipment.
You make it sound like Croatia is some third world shithole. I'd live there before I'd live in the US, myself.
Perhaps a better question is why does almost every other first world country have a longer life expectancy than the US? (not a huge margin, but there is some).
How does Cuba have a longer life expectancy? Why do the majority of first world nations, and again, Cuba, have lower infant mortality than the US?
What is something most all of those countries have, and yet spend less (per capita) on than the US. hrm...