"So smoking a blunt to feel happy is OK, but taking a pill to help you through a rough patch is a sign of weakness or a shirking of personal responsibility?"
Both those are disgusting weaknesses! Solve your problems like a Real Man and get drunk.
"Actually it appears that he thought it was a great way to make money."
I agree with Hubbard that people willfully stupid enough to believe in superstition deserve to be callously exploited, but not to where they cause problems for the rest of us intelligent enough to be without spirituality.
"Perfect for those tight tolerances in highly-strung engines."
It is less likely to pre-ignite, which has zilch to do with "tight tolerances" but does have to do with compression ratio.
Race cars and supercars are great fun, but those vehicles are usually owned by people who don't let their fuel stagnate in the tank. In the case of race cars, they don't buy fuel from their local gas station.
"Anyone who has done ethanol conversions for internal combustion engines (ICEs) can tell you that the conversion requires replacement of plastic and rubber hoses in the fuel system with stainless braided hose."
BTW that is because braided hose is available with Teflon lining (the braid is protective of the liner). Ethanol-compatible fuel line of the ordinary type is available, but not at most auto stores.
Mechanics have been WELL aware of the problems caused by ethanol (particularly in boat, small engine, and commercial engine applications) for many years, but mechanics don't make public policy.
The 30-percent mileage drop appears to be worst-case, but the mechanical and corrosion problems are very real. I don't own a boat, and I can refit my older rides with ethanol-compatible carb (Holley for the trucks and S&S for for the Harleys) kits , but the MILLIONS of people who own engines too complex to easily refit with pumps, lines, seals and injectors will be screwed if the ethanol content goes up.
I'll make enough dough wrenching on the side off this to update my late model vehicles.:P
"Shipping costs, shipping time and return policies. Not to mention the value in being able to see the quality and try out the product before you buy it."
Shipping is cheaper for me than gas and time to visit the store, and I evaluate quality by visiting appropriate forums. I let the early adopters take the risks then I buy accordingly because I cannot duplicate user experience by a short tryout in a store.
"People who choose to become mechanics instead of accumulating academic credentials are only viewed as eccentric in certain circles."
Those folks who are too precious to become mechanics are welcome to stay the fuck out and pay me instead!
There is a mechanic shortage, the field is challenging and interesting, and even in a recession people still need their cars repaired.
I've NEVER met a good mechanic who couldn't get more work than he could perform.
"My main issue with vo-tech programs is that they seem to prepare students to be easily supervised, but don't provide much in the way of mobility or independence."
Because vo-tech is used as a dumping ground, most training needs to focus on training students to do the things they didn't learn from their worthless parents. That includes basic work habits like showing up on time. The students who are better than that, we treat accordingly and assign more advanced work. The WIA (Workforce Investment Act) pays for retraining dislocated workers, and many of our best welding students come from that pool.
High school classes exposed students to fundamentals while they didn't also need to go out and make a living. Vo-tech high schools are feeders for many trades. While community colleges and trade schools are excellent for acquiring a trade, some previous exposure makes for a well-rounded human who can fix their own stuff even if they don't become a tradesman.
"The average American doesn't care about space. They care about what is directly in front of them. Their car, their job (if they still have it), and their bellies. The curiousity and hunger for space is gone except in a scattered few."
They (correctly) perceive that manned space exploration won't do anything much for them, and that there need be no rush to get to places that will still be there a billion years from now.
We should be exploiting space with machines, and improving those machines, until they can perform all the tasks we need done in space.
Sending meat tourists is amusing theater, but people only need to visit space for their own entertainment.
It made sense to send meat explorers on terrestrial expeditions because ships and lives were cheap and a high loss rate didn't matter. Contrast this with manned space exploration, where personnel are expensive, life support systems are a severe burden, and crew death is much worse for programs than losing some hardware.
The demand for safe transport of human crews cripples development because of the necessary focus on safety. We could have much more rapid development (consider terrestrial UAVs) if we got the meat out of the cockpit and put it behind a console on Terra.
"Well, most car manufacturers ARE offering pretty reasonable warranties anymore. 10year/100,000Miles is not unheard of, and actually pretty common. When they're backing the car for that much time / wear should they not have an exclusive right to the work done on the vehicle?"
They are offering those to be competitive, it isn't generosity, and the warranties are not for every part of the car under every circumstance. For example, what about someone repairing crash damage? Should they be forced to go to a dealer?
A ten-year-old car is often not worth paying dealer labor rates to fix, so this is really "planned obsolescence by vendor lock". As a mechanic I gan get around this affordably by playing "swaptronics", but the general public are not so fortunate.
"ive said it before and ill say it again. we dont need any more fighting robots or war robots. we need robots and machines that PREVENT war through simulation and complex analysis. robots and machines that can predict war, formulate resolutions to our current wars, and advance mankind as a civilization."
Of course, some humans will want different outcomes from those proposed via that simulation and complex analysis. Superstitionists for example aren't "reasonable", which narrows the options for dealing with them.
"I am PeaceBot, heed my reasonable advice for the benefit of all!"
"Jesus Akbar!" (Osama bin Rudolph beheads PeaceBot and sends the video to LiveLeak.)
The "threat"(s) would be the failed culture, society, government (even if we annexed it we'd have to allow democracy which would return the same people to office), and economy of Mexico.
While it is fashionable to point out what is wrong with the US, it's worth noting that we have vastly more immigration than emigration. If we add annexation of failed states to that, the ideal of a welfare state for Americans becomes even less practical.
Border control is a legitimate military function, and the data can be shared between agencies.
Mexico is an unconventional threat, its people forced out of the country by the failure of their culture, society, and government. Monitoring as much of the border areas as practical is common sense.
"Of course automakers are "on board"! They're now pawns of the government, just like the banks. Do you think they could really go against anything the administration wants?"
An appropriate punishment for failure. I favor putting conditions on welfare payments for people, and have even less problem with doing so when corrupt and incompetent institutions are the welfare recipients.
The US is making its enemies rich by buying oil from them. Some things require a kick in the arse by government, and the auto industry situation is one of them. Were it not for Federal emission regs, vehicle reliability would be back where it was in the 1960s. Time to attack fuel mileage now. The public benefit is clear, industry wouldn't care without external pressure, and we need to stanch the bleeding caused by oil imports.
"Based on the last decade of Linux adoption, I think it's pretty clear that most desktop users are willing to run a search on The Pirate Bay for Windows."
Most desktop users couldn't install Windows even if the alternative were to be blinded by a burning penis.
They could, however, delegate the whole "VLK download and install" process...
Slashdot Mirror
"So smoking a blunt to feel happy is OK, but taking a pill to help you through a rough patch is a sign of weakness or a shirking of personal responsibility?"
Both those are disgusting weaknesses!
Solve your problems like a Real Man and get drunk.
"How about we also end the drug and prostitution ban? Just saying."
But they work so well and don't produce any collateral social damage!
"Actually it appears that he thought it was a great way to make money."
I agree with Hubbard that people willfully stupid enough to believe in superstition deserve to be callously exploited, but not to where they cause problems for the rest of us intelligent enough to be without spirituality.
"Not everybody on /. is a native English speaker."
Of course not. Slashdot is a US site.
Slashdot is News for Nerds. Sand Nigger Superstition goes elsewhere.
"Trying to stop it now will work about as well as prohibition did back in the 20's, which was ill-founded for the same reason"
The people fighting the War on (some) Drugs haven't gotten that memo either.
""You mean something like a king?"
We elected Tan Jesus, King of Kings.
Watching him morph into Beige Bush is most amusing.
"Is it really that necessary to appoint a czar for EVERY issue?"
Too much Czarist oppression gave rise to Bolshevism, giving the Czar and his parasite family exactly what they deserved...
"Plus, we all like arguing over the environment and this is a perfect article for that."
Not really, considering that dumping a cleaned and purged hull as a home for marine life isn't the same as sinking a dirty ship or dumping pollutants.
"Perfect for those tight tolerances in highly-strung engines."
It is less likely to pre-ignite, which has zilch to do with "tight tolerances" but does have to do with compression ratio.
Race cars and supercars are great fun, but those vehicles are usually owned by people who don't let their fuel stagnate in the tank. In the case of race cars, they don't buy fuel from their local gas station.
"Anyone who has done ethanol conversions for internal combustion engines (ICEs) can tell you that the conversion requires replacement of plastic and rubber hoses in the fuel system with stainless braided hose."
BTW that is because braided hose is available with Teflon lining (the braid is protective of the liner).
Ethanol-compatible fuel line of the ordinary type is available, but not at most auto stores.
Drag racers aren't going to let their ethanol sit for long periods.
Here's some info (note the comments!) on how ethanol affects small and legacy engines:
http://poweretblog.com/2008/12/industry-officials-nrel-federal-ethanol-engine-study-inconclusive/
Crock, eh?
Mechanics have been WELL aware of the problems caused by ethanol (particularly in boat, small engine, and commercial engine applications) for many years, but mechanics don't make public policy.
The 30-percent mileage drop appears to be worst-case, but the mechanical and corrosion problems are very real. I don't own a boat, and I can refit my older rides with ethanol-compatible carb (Holley for the trucks and S&S for for the Harleys) kits , but the MILLIONS of people who own engines too complex to easily refit with pumps, lines, seals and injectors will be screwed if the ethanol content goes up.
I'll make enough dough wrenching on the side off this to update my late model vehicles.:P
Example problems:
http://boatingsailing.suite101.com/article.cfm/ethanol_fuel_problems_for_boaters
"Shipping costs, shipping time and return policies. Not to mention the value in being able to see the quality and try out the product before you buy it."
Shipping is cheaper for me than gas and time to visit the store, and I evaluate quality by visiting appropriate forums. I let the early adopters take the risks then I buy accordingly because I cannot duplicate user experience by a short tryout in a store.
"People who choose to become mechanics instead of accumulating academic credentials are only viewed as eccentric in certain circles."
Those folks who are too precious to become mechanics are welcome to stay the fuck out and pay me instead!
There is a mechanic shortage, the field is challenging and interesting, and even in a recession people still need their cars repaired.
I've NEVER met a good mechanic who couldn't get more work than he could perform.
"My main issue with vo-tech programs is that they seem to prepare students to be easily supervised, but don't provide much in the way of mobility or independence."
Because vo-tech is used as a dumping ground, most training needs to focus on training students to do the things they didn't learn from their worthless parents. That includes basic work habits like showing up on time. The students who are better than that, we treat accordingly and assign more advanced work. The WIA (Workforce Investment Act) pays for retraining dislocated workers, and many of our best welding students come from that pool.
High school classes exposed students to fundamentals while they didn't also need to go out and make a living. Vo-tech high schools are feeders for many trades. While community colleges and trade schools are excellent for acquiring a trade, some previous exposure makes for a well-rounded human who can fix their own stuff even if they don't become a tradesman.
"The average American doesn't care about space. They care about what is directly in front of them. Their car, their job (if they still have it), and their bellies. The curiousity and hunger for space is gone except in a scattered few."
They (correctly) perceive that manned space exploration won't do anything much for them, and that there need be no rush to get to places that will still be there a billion years from now.
We should be exploiting space with machines, and improving those machines, until they can perform all the tasks we need done in space.
Sending meat tourists is amusing theater, but people only need to visit space for their own entertainment.
It made sense to send meat explorers on terrestrial expeditions because ships and lives were cheap and a high loss rate didn't matter. Contrast this with manned space exploration, where personnel are expensive, life support systems are a severe burden, and crew death is much worse for programs than losing some hardware.
The demand for safe transport of human crews cripples development because of the necessary focus on safety. We could have much more rapid development (consider terrestrial UAVs) if we got the meat out of the cockpit and put it behind a console on Terra.
"In the process, generate a new IT re-education process within the government to train people on Linux and just be rid of Windows ..."
That is workable, just as it was when we switched from green-screen terminals to Windows in the USAF.
"Well, most car manufacturers ARE offering pretty reasonable warranties anymore. 10year/100,000Miles is not unheard of, and actually pretty common. When they're backing the car for that much time / wear should they not have an exclusive right to the work done on the vehicle?"
They are offering those to be competitive, it isn't generosity, and the warranties are not for every part of the car under every circumstance. For example, what about someone repairing crash damage? Should they be forced to go to a dealer?
A ten-year-old car is often not worth paying dealer labor rates to fix, so this is really "planned obsolescence by vendor lock". As a mechanic I gan get around this affordably by playing "swaptronics", but the general public are not so fortunate.
"ive said it before and ill say it again. we dont need any more fighting robots or war robots. we need robots and machines that PREVENT war through simulation and complex analysis. robots and machines that can predict war, formulate resolutions to our current wars, and advance mankind as a civilization."
Of course, some humans will want different outcomes from those proposed via that simulation and complex analysis.
Superstitionists for example aren't "reasonable", which narrows the options for dealing with them.
"I am PeaceBot, heed my reasonable advice for the benefit of all!"
"Jesus Akbar!" (Osama bin Rudolph beheads PeaceBot and sends the video to LiveLeak.)
The "threat"(s) would be the failed culture, society, government (even if we annexed it we'd have to allow democracy which would return the same people to office), and economy of Mexico.
While it is fashionable to point out what is wrong with the US, it's worth noting that we have vastly more immigration than emigration. If we add annexation of failed states to that, the ideal of a welfare state for Americans becomes even less practical.
Border control is a legitimate military function, and the data can be shared between agencies.
Mexico is an unconventional threat, its people forced out of the country by the failure of their culture, society, and government. Monitoring as much of the border areas as practical is common sense.
Piracy doesn't hurt Microsoft, it just chums the market at a lower price point.
Those who must pay, pay, Those who don't care, don't pay, but their mindshare is still taken by Microsoft.
"Of course automakers are "on board"! They're now pawns of the government, just like the banks. Do you think they could really go against anything the administration wants?"
An appropriate punishment for failure.
I favor putting conditions on welfare payments for people, and have even less problem with doing so when corrupt and incompetent institutions are the welfare recipients.
The US is making its enemies rich by buying oil from them. Some things require a kick in the arse by government, and the auto industry situation is one of them. Were it not for Federal emission regs, vehicle reliability would be back where it was in the 1960s. Time to attack fuel mileage now. The public benefit is clear, industry wouldn't care without external pressure, and we need to stanch the bleeding caused by oil imports.
"Based on the last decade of Linux adoption, I think it's pretty clear that most desktop users are willing to run a search on The Pirate Bay for Windows."
Most desktop users couldn't install Windows even if the alternative were to be blinded by a burning penis.
They could, however, delegate the whole "VLK download and install" process...