If the rotors turn forward and allow regular flight like an airplane after liftoff, then it's a VTOL - regular wings have efficiency and other advantages over helicopters which make this desirable.
Fair enough... I don't like clicking on a Business Insider links so I did not RTA, but I hope it included that detail for anyone, like me, not familiar with the VTOL term.
Good point! Who knows what Uber is thinking... Uber doesn't even know what Uber is thinking, or they would asking other private companies and the government to figure out flying electric ride-sharing cars for them!
"Vertical Take-off and Landing" (VTOL) vehicle is marketing bullshit for helicopter. Why don't they try working with existing technology? Or at least show us a mass-producible electric-powered helicopter before telling us about your ride-sharing services with one. Seems like putting the cart before the horse. One step at a time there Uber, but thanks for the PR update.
You would need 1 caretaker driver on board to handle the end points.
Not sure what you mean by "end points", but couldn't the trucks stop at something like a rest area on the edge of town and the human gets on there and take it the last few miles - sort of like how it works with ships & pilots?
Exactly. Someday a driver wouldn't have to stay on board the entire time. The relatively easy and predictable interstate driving could be delegated to the computer (which can drive continuously without ever getting drowsy or distracted). A driver familiar with local roads would hop on to handle the more complicated driving between the pick-up/delivery end points and nearest interstate entrance/exit ramp.
We have the technology to grow plants inside...we just need soil...and seeds.
Hydroponic systems make importing soil and soil amendments (like bacteria and worms) unnecessary. If (a BIG if) we follow Musk's assumptions that robots are sophisticated enough to tunnel through Martian soil/rock, mine and process fuel, water, and oxygen, and build pressurized human habitats, then it's not unreasonable to believe robots could also build hydroponic farms in advance of humans arriving. You really have to drink the kool-aid to believe all that is possible in any reasonable time frame, though.
I am very skeptical of Musk's plans, but also he's not harming anyone with these press releases and he is bringing much needed awareness and interest to science. We need those types of ambassadors of science (like Neil DeGasse Tyson, Carl Sagan, Buzz Aldrin, etc.). Furthermore, just because Musk issues a press release outlining his dreams does not mean he's betting everything on a moon-shot to Mars [Mars-shot?]...SpaceX as a company is still moving one step at a time through their challenges.
Target has already had a 19% decline in stock price this year alone... If i was a stock holder i'd be questioning why they are spending all this money to install solar panels and not trying to improve there profit by selling their retail goods.
Target and Walmart and other companies of their size are looking for the long-term benefits of solar. Solar pays for itself after several years, and it gives predictable energy costs that won't fluctuate with federal, state, or global politics for long-term planning. If you're a stock holder in a company that is only planning for their next quarterly or yearly profit update, it's time to sell.
yeah if u live in Arizona or Florida. not so good for northern states
The myth that solar only works in southern states was debunked years ago. There's plenty of sun in northern climates to make solar very efficient. The country with the most installed solar capacity in the world, Germany (~32,000 MW), has a nearly identical climate to most northern US states (e.g. four full seasons, clouds, rain, snow, mountains, valleys, forests, etc.).
No, what makes games fantastic is that I can escape into a fantasy world for a while and not have to deal with the real world, which includes other humans.
I gotta disagree. I am 30-something gamer and my best game experiences have and continue to be playing with my friends online, many of whom I knew in real life before gaming with them. We chat on Teamspeak and my interactions with them, often augmented through the game we are playing, is more reward and memorable than anything I do in a game.
I can't be the only one that hates multiplayer games with a passion. I think they are lazy money-grabs (no need to have story or any real content, just provide a few arena's and let the users provide the 'content'). They are cheap to make and can be milked almost indefinitely.
You probably aren't the only one, but I play almost exclusively multiplayer games for the reasons I stated above. Also, some of the best games are ones that give simply give a balanced arena where individual talents and skills can shine. Rocket League for example is a fantastic award-winning game, which my friends and I have spent countless hours playing, but the core game (soccer with rocket-cars) is a very simple arena-style play.
Now, that doesn't mean I give two-shits about viewing random asshats on Twitch... I'm just pointing out that for many people the social aspect of games is critical.
It also provides convenience and discounts and the slowly growing only alternative PC gaming platform to Windows.
I have an old account with a lot of games but I can't help pointing out the irony of tooting your DRM free horn on Steam forums.
On the other hand, one could credit Valve/Steam for creating a very popular, legal market that makes it much easier for game publishers to choose to go non-DRM.
The last second to last sentence of the article says, "...the developers claim that their AI won one of the competition games by learning to duck and therefore making itself much harder to hit." What version of Doom are they playing? As a teenage I played countless hours of Doom 1 & 2 and I don't remember a duck/crouch button.
Part of me thinks the judge made this somewhat out of the box ruling with the intent to push this issue that patent trolls waste millions of dollars on up the court system and see if the Supreme court can make a more universal judgment/precedent. But it begs the question, is the Supreme court technically savvy enough to understand the details of software coding and development?
Now you're changing the argument, but OK I'll go along....
1) If you're going to do real-world testing with a public infrastructure technology at some point public dollars will be involved. I don't think you can avoid that. 2) The town did have to dedicate some budget/resources to the project, but SR is predominantly self- and crowd-funded and far from the gov't waste strawman you are making it out to be. This is not another Solyndra, even if it does fail. 3) If a gov't entity is going to supply money to a project, I'd prefer it be a local gov't where the local tax-payers whose money is being used can more directly benefit [or suffer if it was a bad investment] like this project; instead of unaccountable federal dollars funneled into projects in far away lands by political connections in Washington.
Regular cleaning of dirt, mud, leaves, and debris from solar roads by a paid employee(s) operating gas-powered street-sweeper/-washer trucks seems like a more regular and energy-intensive maintenance requirement for these roads than melting the occasional ice and snow. [Said from the perspective of my armchair, of course].
This is part of SR's real world testing phase. I agree with you that lab tests are not the same as real world tests, but I don't think anyone honestly considers this a "final" product ready to sell to the world. It's a prototype and will likely fail, but there's a slim chance it might work out and at the very least something will be learned that might apply to other technologies.
Battery size is the old MHz (GHz) game that CPU manufacturers (mostly) used to play. It's more about system optimization and total component draw vs that battery installed.
I kind of agree, but... I'm less concerned about phone battery size/charge time out the box, as I am in the battery retaining it's charge 1, 2, or 3+ years after purchase. If it's still holding to that 12 hour battery life in 2 years, that could still be a good deal, particularly for a factory-sealed battery. Manufacturers know how to regulate a battery's charge to optimize it's lifespan, but probably don't bother because of these battery "size" comparisons. Many people (like myself) don't want to upgrade their phone every 18 months, which some manufacturers are picking up on and maybe Apple is too. https://hardware.slashdot.org/...
For what it's worth, I don't own any Apple products and generally dislike the company, but I might give them the benefit of the doubt here...they don't like making "disposable" products.
That may keep them going for a while, but we're probably little more than a decade away from fiber roll out in many areas (even my small town of around 20,000 people is seeing fiber coming soon). Cable's business model is doomed...
I agree cable is doomed, but fiber might be equally doomed as mobile data transmission technology gets better (e.g. "5G" or the generation after). It's going to be more economical for communication companies to maintain towers than underground lines everywhere, particularly in rural areas.
I will say though... other than sports being harder to watch, I'm much happier with having Netflix and Hulu...Streaming is fragmenting though.
If haven't already, you might want to check out the Playstation VUE service (works on a few other streaming units too), because it might make your fragmentation of streaming complaint go away, including sports. If VUE was associated with any brand other than Playstation there would be a lot more attention.
If someone doesn't realize that game advertisers have been exaggerating their product since the first day Pong hit the store shelves that's not being a victim, that's being utterly naive and stupid about how the whole advertising industry works. Buyer beware.
I would also use a different term than "victim" for people who failed to use Steam's no-questions-asked refund policy on all game purchases within 48 hours; or within 14 days and less than 2 hours of game time. http://store.steampowered.com/...
Slashdot Mirror
If the rotors turn forward and allow regular flight like an airplane after liftoff, then it's a VTOL - regular wings have efficiency and other advantages over helicopters which make this desirable.
Fair enough... I don't like clicking on a Business Insider links so I did not RTA, but I hope it included that detail for anyone, like me, not familiar with the VTOL term.
...or they would asking..." ...or they WOULD NOT be asking... darn typo...
Oh dang, I was hoping for Harrier jet pickups...
Good point! Who knows what Uber is thinking... Uber doesn't even know what Uber is thinking, or they would asking other private companies and the government to figure out flying electric ride-sharing cars for them!
"Vertical Take-off and Landing" (VTOL) vehicle is marketing bullshit for helicopter. Why don't they try working with existing technology? Or at least show us a mass-producible electric-powered helicopter before telling us about your ride-sharing services with one. Seems like putting the cart before the horse. One step at a time there Uber, but thanks for the PR update.
Sugar shit?
Nah...Sugar is too expensive. It's all high-fructose corn syrup backed by US gov't subsidies!
Not sure what you mean by "end points", but couldn't the trucks stop at something like a rest area on the edge of town and the human gets on there and take it the last few miles - sort of like how it works with ships & pilots?
Exactly. Someday a driver wouldn't have to stay on board the entire time. The relatively easy and predictable interstate driving could be delegated to the computer (which can drive continuously without ever getting drowsy or distracted). A driver familiar with local roads would hop on to handle the more complicated driving between the pick-up/delivery end points and nearest interstate entrance/exit ramp.
It's all just yeast shit anyway.
In that case, wine is also yeast shit, and spirits are distilled/concentrated yeast shit.
We have the technology to grow plants inside...we just need soil...and seeds.
Hydroponic systems make importing soil and soil amendments (like bacteria and worms) unnecessary. If (a BIG if) we follow Musk's assumptions that robots are sophisticated enough to tunnel through Martian soil/rock, mine and process fuel, water, and oxygen, and build pressurized human habitats, then it's not unreasonable to believe robots could also build hydroponic farms in advance of humans arriving. You really have to drink the kool-aid to believe all that is possible in any reasonable time frame, though.
I am very skeptical of Musk's plans, but also he's not harming anyone with these press releases and he is bringing much needed awareness and interest to science. We need those types of ambassadors of science (like Neil DeGasse Tyson, Carl Sagan, Buzz Aldrin, etc.). Furthermore, just because Musk issues a press release outlining his dreams does not mean he's betting everything on a moon-shot to Mars [Mars-shot?]...SpaceX as a company is still moving one step at a time through their challenges.
...because some old time execs at AT&T want to party like it's 1982 again!
Target has already had a 19% decline in stock price this year alone... If i was a stock holder i'd be questioning why they are spending all this money to install solar panels and not trying to improve there profit by selling their retail goods.
Target and Walmart and other companies of their size are looking for the long-term benefits of solar. Solar pays for itself after several years, and it gives predictable energy costs that won't fluctuate with federal, state, or global politics for long-term planning. If you're a stock holder in a company that is only planning for their next quarterly or yearly profit update, it's time to sell.
yeah if u live in Arizona or Florida. not so good for northern states
The myth that solar only works in southern states was debunked years ago. There's plenty of sun in northern climates to make solar very efficient. The country with the most installed solar capacity in the world, Germany (~32,000 MW), has a nearly identical climate to most northern US states (e.g. four full seasons, clouds, rain, snow, mountains, valleys, forests, etc.).
No, what makes games fantastic is that I can escape into a fantasy world for a while and not have to deal with the real world, which includes other humans.
I gotta disagree. I am 30-something gamer and my best game experiences have and continue to be playing with my friends online, many of whom I knew in real life before gaming with them. We chat on Teamspeak and my interactions with them, often augmented through the game we are playing, is more reward and memorable than anything I do in a game.
I can't be the only one that hates multiplayer games with a passion. I think they are lazy money-grabs (no need to have story or any real content, just provide a few arena's and let the users provide the 'content'). They are cheap to make and can be milked almost indefinitely.
You probably aren't the only one, but I play almost exclusively multiplayer games for the reasons I stated above. Also, some of the best games are ones that give simply give a balanced arena where individual talents and skills can shine. Rocket League for example is a fantastic award-winning game, which my friends and I have spent countless hours playing, but the core game (soccer with rocket-cars) is a very simple arena-style play.
Now, that doesn't mean I give two-shits about viewing random asshats on Twitch... I'm just pointing out that for many people the social aspect of games is critical.
Overwatch is really similar to TF if you're looking for a replacement.
It also provides convenience and discounts and the slowly growing only alternative PC gaming platform to Windows.
I have an old account with a lot of games but I can't help pointing out the irony of tooting your DRM free horn on Steam forums.
On the other hand, one could credit Valve/Steam for creating a very popular, legal market that makes it much easier for game publishers to choose to go non-DRM.
The last second to last sentence of the article says, "...the developers claim that their AI won one of the competition games by learning to duck and therefore making itself much harder to hit." What version of Doom are they playing? As a teenage I played countless hours of Doom 1 & 2 and I don't remember a duck/crouch button.
Part of me thinks the judge made this somewhat out of the box ruling with the intent to push this issue that patent trolls waste millions of dollars on up the court system and see if the Supreme court can make a more universal judgment/precedent. But it begs the question, is the Supreme court technically savvy enough to understand the details of software coding and development?
Now you're changing the argument, but OK I'll go along....
1) If you're going to do real-world testing with a public infrastructure technology at some point public dollars will be involved. I don't think you can avoid that.
2) The town did have to dedicate some budget/resources to the project, but SR is predominantly self- and crowd-funded and far from the gov't waste strawman you are making it out to be. This is not another Solyndra, even if it does fail.
3) If a gov't entity is going to supply money to a project, I'd prefer it be a local gov't where the local tax-payers whose money is being used can more directly benefit [or suffer if it was a bad investment] like this project; instead of unaccountable federal dollars funneled into projects in far away lands by political connections in Washington.
Regular cleaning of dirt, mud, leaves, and debris from solar roads by a paid employee(s) operating gas-powered street-sweeper/-washer trucks seems like a more regular and energy-intensive maintenance requirement for these roads than melting the occasional ice and snow. [Said from the perspective of my armchair, of course].
This is part of SR's real world testing phase. I agree with you that lab tests are not the same as real world tests, but I don't think anyone honestly considers this a "final" product ready to sell to the world. It's a prototype and will likely fail, but there's a slim chance it might work out and at the very least something will be learned that might apply to other technologies.
Also, Samsung may very well be right to give up on mobile. The GPU is so weak...This is going to be a desktop gaming accessory by and large.
If people are willing to go back to hauling around brick-style mobile phones I'm sure they could do something about those weak mobile GPUs!
Battery size is the old MHz (GHz) game that CPU manufacturers (mostly) used to play. It's more about system optimization and total component draw vs that battery installed.
I kind of agree, but... I'm less concerned about phone battery size/charge time out the box, as I am in the battery retaining it's charge 1, 2, or 3+ years after purchase. If it's still holding to that 12 hour battery life in 2 years, that could still be a good deal, particularly for a factory-sealed battery. Manufacturers know how to regulate a battery's charge to optimize it's lifespan, but probably don't bother because of these battery "size" comparisons. Many people (like myself) don't want to upgrade their phone every 18 months, which some manufacturers are picking up on and maybe Apple is too. https://hardware.slashdot.org/...
For what it's worth, I don't own any Apple products and generally dislike the company, but I might give them the benefit of the doubt here...they don't like making "disposable" products.
That may keep them going for a while, but we're probably little more than a decade away from fiber roll out in many areas (even my small town of around 20,000 people is seeing fiber coming soon). Cable's business model is doomed...
I agree cable is doomed, but fiber might be equally doomed as mobile data transmission technology gets better (e.g. "5G" or the generation after). It's going to be more economical for communication companies to maintain towers than underground lines everywhere, particularly in rural areas.
I will say though... other than sports being harder to watch, I'm much happier with having Netflix and Hulu...Streaming is fragmenting though.
If haven't already, you might want to check out the Playstation VUE service (works on a few other streaming units too), because it might make your fragmentation of streaming complaint go away, including sports. If VUE was associated with any brand other than Playstation there would be a lot more attention.
Guess which service will get more expensive in the near future?
Fuck off with your caveat emptor bullshit.
Don't blame the victim.
If someone doesn't realize that game advertisers have been exaggerating their product since the first day Pong hit the store shelves that's not being a victim, that's being utterly naive and stupid about how the whole advertising industry works. Buyer beware.
I would also use a different term than "victim" for people who failed to use Steam's no-questions-asked refund policy on all game purchases within 48 hours; or within 14 days and less than 2 hours of game time. http://store.steampowered.com/...