Yes it was done before, but without the multi-touch. We had them as well. A bunch of IR-LEDs and IR receivers along the frame of the CRT. Welcome to the 1990's. I'd vote for simply 'improved', certainly it is not revolutionary.
Yeah, right. It's a GPS, it does not matter if it's anonymous. Sending real time data to the cops seems like a pretty easy thing to me.
Tom-tom: "Hey coppers, there is some bozo going 75 in a 25 zone right now. Location (Lat,Lon), heading west. Pop over to the next street and you can catch him." Coppers: "Hey, thanks!"
This could be done automatically. Just set up the software to send a message to the appropriate authorities when the speed goes over a certain thresh-hold. Easy.
When I started watching Sci-Fi all those years ago, I thought 'this is fantastic - finally a channel that promises to show something that I want'. Over the last few years, I have become so unbelievably disappointed with their choice of programming. Okay, even in the early days they did show some real crap (think Stephen King), and they were struggling for content even then because they would show the same stuff at least three times in a week. But at least they did have some good stuff.
They have lost their focus and have wandered far from the path of science fiction to utter and absolute crap. Wrestling? Ghost Hunters? WTF?!?!?! These shows are from complete MORONS! It has become painfully clear that the pencil pushers at the network have completely gone off their rocker. And the name change: SyFy? What the hell is up with that? How stupid can you get?
Farscape: Gone. (I liked this one)
Stargate: Gone. (the best of the lot)
Stargate Atlantis: Gone. (and in such a terrible way)
Stargate Universe: Gone. (and good riddance!)
BSG: Gone. (too bad because they could have done something really good with this)
Caprica: Gone. (those Fracking Bastards! This was just getting really good!)
But, hey it's not only SyFY who are fucking it all up. Firefly and Dead like me were great shows killed off way too early.
As far as fantasy goes - I don't mind good fantasy, but lately, it's gotten pretty bad.
To be honest, I don't even watch SyFy, let alone regular broadcast anymore, it's all too depressing. I watch stuff that I do like on DVDs - Yes I have an extensive collection and it's always growing. The only time that I watch anything on broadcast is when I visit with family.
What we really need is a channel that can bring us the best in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. Show some of the old classics, and make some real commitments to new original programming. I'd support such a channel with real cash. Hell, if I had enough I'd start my own.
SyFy: Sit and spin motherfuckers! You are no longer worth my time!
Why should she be banned for driving from life when she was in the wrong place at the wrong time (an accident)?
An 'accident', you say? Hmmmm. This simple fact is that most 'accidents' are not really accidents at all - they are generally completely avoidable given proper driving habits - Don't use the phone, don't tailgate, don't drive too fast when visibility is poor, don't drive too fast when other conditions warrant more cautious driving, keep your car in a safe running order. The list goes on and on. When two cars tangle (or a car and a pedestrian) there is a 99.999% probability at least one party was in some way *at fault*. Cops don't call then accidents, they are simply traffic collisions. In this respect, the insurance companies are to blame here - they want to assign no responsibility and they will in most case consider then 'no-fault' accidents, or at worst blame both drivers. But I digress.
Driving in the state of California is a privilege, not a right. I am sure that it's the same in all the other states. Most drivers today should not be on the road. Getting a license to drive should be difficult and more expensive - similar to getting a pilots license. Getting a license costs virtually nothing,and we all know how much people value things that don't cost much.
It should also be easier to loose should you do something bone headed - like killing someone, DUI, being involved in too many traffic collisions or having too many moving violations. Once it has been revoked, it should be even harder (20+ hours of classes and community service) and more expensive ($1,000's) to get it back. If you don't learn the first time and once again have the license revoked - I hope that you like public transport 'cause you ain't gettin' it back.
Just in case you are wondering - I was a truck driver for many years and have taken many driving courses from basic to trucks, defensive driving and even rally racing. I still drive rallies when I feel the need. Sadly, I mostly drive a desk. How lame is that?
I have been involved in five driving incidents where my vehicle has contacted another vehicle.
1 - Once I backed into a car in a parking lot.
2 - I rear-ended sombody who cut in front of me and then hit the brakes.
3 - I rear ended somebody who stopped at a green light on a wet, down hill road ( I hit the brakes, but no traction on that surface - leaves and water don't provide a good road)
4 - The parking brake failed in a parking lot and my car rolled into another.
5 - Some bimbo rear ended me while I was sitting at a red light - she was on the phone.
In all cases, the vehicle was well under 10 mph and little if any damage was caused. In all cases (except #4), I paid for the repairs directly with out involving insurance or the local cops.
I have had many occurrences what I have had to swerve to avoid being hit by people on the phone.
So to sum up - YES! I believe that people involved in traffic collisions because they were distracted by the phone should have their license taken away.
Make it the law and penalize drivers who know what they are doing? I use the 'heal and toe' method to maintain slightly better stability whilst driving on twisty roads. But then again, I drive rally cars for fun. I've also made the leap and disconnected the neutral start switch on all my manual transmission cars. Sometimes, just sometimes you really do want the car in gear while cranking it over.
Here is an idea: why not use a cable between the pedal and the throttle body? Wow, now we are cooking with gas.
My motto is and always will be - Don't fly, drive or sail over any region that you are not prepared to camp in. Generally, that leaves sailing out of my list of activities.
Whenever I drive somewhere out of an urban area, I always have extra fuel, water, food, first aid kit and some form of shelter (blanket, tarp, etc...). For me, 'out of the urban area' is about 10 - 20 miles beyond any services.
In flying, the same rules apply - water, food, first aid kit and blankets at a minimum. And I always, always make sure that I plan my fuel accordingly. The fuel on the ground behind you does not help you in any way. The number one cause of death in aviation mishaps is pilot error.
I am a Darwinist! If someone is stupid enough to put themselves is a position to get killed and they end up dead, that's okay by me.
Perhaps not only should the idea itself be sent to the bad idea graveyard, but additionally include the people who thought it up, and then the people who thought that it was a good idea.
The "kadunk-kadunk" of freight trains is pretty much limited to freight trains.
Umm. Not always so. The 'Kadunk-kadunk' is the wheels passing over a rail joint or switch frog. Welded rail takes care of most of it, but even passenger trains are subject to this noise. The other noise often related to moving rail cars is the 'tunk, tunk, tunk, tunk.....' of a flat wheel. These also occur on passenger cars. The most annoying is the flange squeal. Flange greasers help but it does not make it go away completely.
Anyway, a friend of mine toasted a pickup truck with a locomotive today. He was on the horn the entire time - up until the moment of impact. The driver and passenger in the truck were not injured, but the truck was a total loss. The guy said that he did not see him. Ummm. Yeah. Right. The truck driver was a railroad worker as well. This happened in the yard. It is clear to everyone around that he was trying to beat the train through the crossing. Stupid.
When I worked as a courier, anything marked fragile was fair game. My buddy who worked at the USPS said pretty much the same. There is no substitute for proper packing.
Good advice. I generally take it a bit further - I ship everything ahead except for my old crappy cell phone, a book and my ID and some cash.
I will NOT check baggage and too much carry on is a pain.
However, for the most part I take the train when I can.
Personally, I think that there is nothing wrong with this sort of assignment. In order to anticipate just such attacks, you must think like a terrorist. It may actually increase the safety of the people by getting them to raise their situational awareness. Nothing wrong with that. However, our wonderful government really dislikes the idea of people actually thinking for themselves, especially in this area. Just what do you think would happen if everyone suddenly realized that all the 'security' at the airport does not mean a damn and if everyone also realized that their civil rights have been stripped away and agencies like TSA and DHS really don't seem to have much in the way of limits...
The best security on an airliner are the passengers - the likelyhood of another 9-11 type attack is less likely than finding a snowball in hell. Unless they figure out a way to gass all the passengers before making their move. Oh shit! I must be a terrorist!!! I'm fucked now.
Slashdot Mirror
Yes it was done before, but without the multi-touch. We had them as well. A bunch of IR-LEDs and IR receivers along the frame of the CRT. Welcome to the 1990's. I'd vote for simply 'improved', certainly it is not revolutionary.
Yeah, right. It's a GPS, it does not matter if it's anonymous. Sending real time data to the cops seems like a pretty easy thing to me.
Tom-tom: "Hey coppers, there is some bozo going 75 in a 25 zone right now. Location (Lat,Lon), heading west. Pop over to the next street and you can catch him." Coppers: "Hey, thanks!"
This could be done automatically. Just set up the software to send a message to the appropriate authorities when the speed goes over a certain thresh-hold. Easy.
Mod this guy up. I totally agree - most drives are complete idiots.
It is easy - He works for the MPAA, RIAA *AA. They are all slime balls.
When I started watching Sci-Fi all those years ago, I thought 'this is fantastic - finally a channel that promises to show something that I want'. Over the last few years, I have become so unbelievably disappointed with their choice of programming. Okay, even in the early days they did show some real crap (think Stephen King), and they were struggling for content even then because they would show the same stuff at least three times in a week. But at least they did have some good stuff.
They have lost their focus and have wandered far from the path of science fiction to utter and absolute crap. Wrestling? Ghost Hunters? WTF?!?!?! These shows are from complete MORONS! It has become painfully clear that the pencil pushers at the network have completely gone off their rocker. And the name change: SyFy? What the hell is up with that? How stupid can you get?
Farscape: Gone. (I liked this one) Stargate: Gone. (the best of the lot) Stargate Atlantis: Gone. (and in such a terrible way) Stargate Universe: Gone. (and good riddance!) BSG: Gone. (too bad because they could have done something really good with this) Caprica: Gone. (those Fracking Bastards! This was just getting really good!)
But, hey it's not only SyFY who are fucking it all up. Firefly and Dead like me were great shows killed off way too early.
As far as fantasy goes - I don't mind good fantasy, but lately, it's gotten pretty bad.
To be honest, I don't even watch SyFy, let alone regular broadcast anymore, it's all too depressing. I watch stuff that I do like on DVDs - Yes I have an extensive collection and it's always growing. The only time that I watch anything on broadcast is when I visit with family.
What we really need is a channel that can bring us the best in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. Show some of the old classics, and make some real commitments to new original programming. I'd support such a channel with real cash. Hell, if I had enough I'd start my own.
SyFy: Sit and spin motherfuckers! You are no longer worth my time!
Yet another Anonymous Coward disparaging a fantastic and truly original bit of science fiction. String him up boys!
Why should she be banned for driving from life when she was in the wrong place at the wrong time (an accident)?
An 'accident', you say? Hmmmm. This simple fact is that most 'accidents' are not really accidents at all - they are generally completely avoidable given proper driving habits - Don't use the phone, don't tailgate, don't drive too fast when visibility is poor, don't drive too fast when other conditions warrant more cautious driving, keep your car in a safe running order. The list goes on and on. When two cars tangle (or a car and a pedestrian) there is a 99.999% probability at least one party was in some way *at fault*. Cops don't call then accidents, they are simply traffic collisions. In this respect, the insurance companies are to blame here - they want to assign no responsibility and they will in most case consider then 'no-fault' accidents, or at worst blame both drivers. But I digress.
,and we all know how much people value things that don't cost much.
Driving in the state of California is a privilege, not a right. I am sure that it's the same in all the other states. Most drivers today should not be on the road. Getting a license to drive should be difficult and more expensive - similar to getting a pilots license. Getting a license costs virtually nothing
It should also be easier to loose should you do something bone headed - like killing someone, DUI, being involved in too many traffic collisions or having too many moving violations. Once it has been revoked, it should be even harder (20+ hours of classes and community service) and more expensive ($1,000's) to get it back. If you don't learn the first time and once again have the license revoked - I hope that you like public transport 'cause you ain't gettin' it back.
Just in case you are wondering - I was a truck driver for many years and have taken many driving courses from basic to trucks, defensive driving and even rally racing. I still drive rallies when I feel the need. Sadly, I mostly drive a desk. How lame is that?
I have been involved in five driving incidents where my vehicle has contacted another vehicle.
1 - Once I backed into a car in a parking lot.
2 - I rear-ended sombody who cut in front of me and then hit the brakes.
3 - I rear ended somebody who stopped at a green light on a wet, down hill road ( I hit the brakes, but no traction on that surface - leaves and water don't provide a good road)
4 - The parking brake failed in a parking lot and my car rolled into another.
5 - Some bimbo rear ended me while I was sitting at a red light - she was on the phone.
In all cases, the vehicle was well under 10 mph and little if any damage was caused. In all cases (except #4), I paid for the repairs directly with out involving insurance or the local cops.
I have had many occurrences what I have had to swerve to avoid being hit by people on the phone.
So to sum up - YES! I believe that people involved in traffic collisions because they were distracted by the phone should have their license taken away.
I AM Evil Homer.
Seriously, What the fuck does counterfeit goods and child porn have to do with the DHS?
No, really.
Actually, I've had the cables break in my old Volkswagons. Had to drive home with the idle adjust screw cranked *way* in. It was hell at stop signs.
Make it the law and penalize drivers who know what they are doing? I use the 'heal and toe' method to maintain slightly better stability whilst driving on twisty roads. But then again, I drive rally cars for fun. I've also made the leap and disconnected the neutral start switch on all my manual transmission cars. Sometimes, just sometimes you really do want the car in gear while cranking it over.
Here is an idea: why not use a cable between the pedal and the throttle body? Wow, now we are cooking with gas.
Indeed.
My motto is and always will be - Don't fly, drive or sail over any region that you are not prepared to camp in. Generally, that leaves sailing out of my list of activities.
Whenever I drive somewhere out of an urban area, I always have extra fuel, water, food, first aid kit and some form of shelter (blanket, tarp, etc...). For me, 'out of the urban area' is about 10 - 20 miles beyond any services.
In flying, the same rules apply - water, food, first aid kit and blankets at a minimum. And I always, always make sure that I plan my fuel accordingly. The fuel on the ground behind you does not help you in any way. The number one cause of death in aviation mishaps is pilot error.
I am a Darwinist! If someone is stupid enough to put themselves is a position to get killed and they end up dead, that's okay by me.
Perhaps not only should the idea itself be sent to the bad idea graveyard, but additionally include the people who thought it up, and then the people who thought that it was a good idea.
And we will soon be referring to George W. Bush as 'He who must not be named'. Oh, wait.
The "kadunk-kadunk" of freight trains is pretty much limited to freight trains.
Umm. Not always so. The 'Kadunk-kadunk' is the wheels passing over a rail joint or switch frog. Welded rail takes care of most of it, but even passenger trains are subject to this noise. The other noise often related to moving rail cars is the 'tunk, tunk, tunk, tunk.....' of a flat wheel. These also occur on passenger cars. The most annoying is the flange squeal. Flange greasers help but it does not make it go away completely. Anyway, a friend of mine toasted a pickup truck with a locomotive today. He was on the horn the entire time - up until the moment of impact. The driver and passenger in the truck were not injured, but the truck was a total loss. The guy said that he did not see him. Ummm. Yeah. Right. The truck driver was a railroad worker as well. This happened in the yard. It is clear to everyone around that he was trying to beat the train through the crossing. Stupid.
Darn. It's the other way around. Drat!!!
I can only hope at all the idiots driving around with cell phones glued to their heads will become sterile.
When I worked as a courier, anything marked fragile was fair game. My buddy who worked at the USPS said pretty much the same. There is no substitute for proper packing.
for the building codes to be updated to mandate solar panels on all new housing construction. Something that is overdue IMHO.
Honestly, coating your underpants in thermite is going a bit far...
Good advice. I generally take it a bit further - I ship everything ahead except for my old crappy cell phone, a book and my ID and some cash. I will NOT check baggage and too much carry on is a pain. However, for the most part I take the train when I can.
to invest in a good pair of tinfoil shorts to go along with my tinfoil hat.
I agree, but I'd also add: Use condoms - Fewer people - fewer cars - more resources to go round.
Well, he could have been from Fucking, Austria.
law schools and pubs where lawyers hang out. But that could hardly be called terrorism.
Personally, I think that there is nothing wrong with this sort of assignment. In order to anticipate just such attacks, you must think like a terrorist. It may actually increase the safety of the people by getting them to raise their situational awareness. Nothing wrong with that. However, our wonderful government really dislikes the idea of people actually thinking for themselves, especially in this area. Just what do you think would happen if everyone suddenly realized that all the 'security' at the airport does not mean a damn and if everyone also realized that their civil rights have been stripped away and agencies like TSA and DHS really don't seem to have much in the way of limits... The best security on an airliner are the passengers - the likelyhood of another 9-11 type attack is less likely than finding a snowball in hell. Unless they figure out a way to gass all the passengers before making their move. Oh shit! I must be a terrorist!!! I'm fucked now.