Put on your tin foil hat for this one... A long time ago, the carriers figured out that it is way easier to demand the cell phone manufacturers modify the signal strength reading from "numbered decibels" to the now common "5 bars" icon, than to actually upgrade their networks. You see, this was back when providers charged "per minute", and they realized that users seeing a "low signal" meant that they were less likely to place a call. Same thing with the battery indicator. In the same vein, they also knew that people who thought they were low on battery were also less likely to place calls. The thought was, "let the users _think_ they have good signal and a strong battery, so they will make more calls, and increase our bottom line." Since all phones had to be purchased through carriers, it was pretty simple for them to get the phone manufacturers to do their bidding.
I wish I could find the original article from about a decade ago... It was titled something like, "Your phone is lying to you".
Since owning an EV, this has to be the most common misconception, and the most common thing people ask about. Check out the https://www.plugshare.com/ map, and start zooming out for an assortment of options. I am fortunate that my closest charging station is in my garage. When I go on long trips, the supercharger map https://www.tesla.com/supercha... is built into my navigation, so I can see exactly where my next stop needs to be. It even tells me how much energy is needed for round-trip. In addition, my father-in-law runs a ranch in rural ND, and even he has a 50A NEMA 6-50 circuit for his welder I can plug my car into for 37 mile-per-hour charging.
While I understand the security related downfalls of IOT, there actually are some potential benefits to having a fleet of water heaters connected to the internet. In the UK, there is a government trial/pilot program in place testing smart water tanks for storing excess grid energy.
https://youtu.be/z1Z4JCoPAGc
Or just add a little extra track at stations to the blue line to allow for express trains...
Easier said than done. Most of that line is either elevated above ground, underground, or snugly nestled in-between eastbound/westbound I-90 lanes. I imagine it would be $$$ expensive to re-do all those support pillars, roads, tunnels, etc. Digging a new tunnel just a little bit deeper probably is a lot more cost effective.
Well, I use to live along the blue line between the loop and O'Hare, and I would welcome the new system. What people don't realize (that haven't ever taken that trip), is that blue line Loop to the airport is between 45-50 minutes one way. Faster and cheaper than a taxi during rush hour, but still slow. They say the target ticket price is $1, but I would gladly pay double or triple the L fare to get there in the 10-15 minutes.
My identity was stolen, but the crooks didn't touch my credit because that would have flagged alerts with the major credit agencies like Experian, Equifax etc. Instead they abused the banking system (which uses a different verification service few people know about called ChexSystems). They opened online bank accounts in my name from every major "open a checking account online today!" service (like Ally, etc.), and started trying to funnel money into the accounts from elsewhere... such as from selling fake items on ebay and other mule scams. Had one of the compromised banks not sent me "my new ATM card" thanking me for opening accounts, I would have never known... and worse yet, checking my credit yearly at the major bureaus wouldn't have shown anything either because they weren't applying for credit. Plain and simple, they were using my name for money laundering transfers in and out of the country.
Just like with the major credit bureaus, you can put a "banking freeze" and "Fraud alerts" with ChexSystems to prevent people from opening savings and checking accounts in your name too. I suggest people do it. In my case it was free since I had my identity stolen, but it only costs a few bucks to freeze them too.
This all seems to follow the same simple formula.
1) Create crazy sensationalist click bait headline (and article)
2) Funnel to ad-supported web site
3) Profit!
If there wasn't serious money to be made doing this technique, then I am guessing the number of conspiracy theorist crackpots spreading garbage would be a lot lower. Wasn't there a story just a few months ago about Macedonian teens are making thousands of dollars creating outrageous news sites filled with political BS?
I don't live in one of the states listed, but every time I see an article like this I have to suspect it's FTTM: "Fiber to the media". Grandiose announcements, followed by installing it in a few neighborhoods, calling it too expensive, then putting "the project on hold". Wait for competition, explain the project is once again resuming, sue some cities to ensure the monopoly, then place the project back on hold.
Slashdot Mirror
Story reminded me of this one. https://dilbert.com/strip/2004...
Put on your tin foil hat for this one... A long time ago, the carriers figured out that it is way easier to demand the cell phone manufacturers modify the signal strength reading from "numbered decibels" to the now common "5 bars" icon, than to actually upgrade their networks. You see, this was back when providers charged "per minute", and they realized that users seeing a "low signal" meant that they were less likely to place a call. Same thing with the battery indicator. In the same vein, they also knew that people who thought they were low on battery were also less likely to place calls. The thought was, "let the users _think_ they have good signal and a strong battery, so they will make more calls, and increase our bottom line." Since all phones had to be purchased through carriers, it was pretty simple for them to get the phone manufacturers to do their bidding. I wish I could find the original article from about a decade ago... It was titled something like, "Your phone is lying to you".
Not true. This will be the first wholly-owned foreign company factory. http://futurmatix.com/news/tes...
Since owning an EV, this has to be the most common misconception, and the most common thing people ask about. Check out the https://www.plugshare.com/ map, and start zooming out for an assortment of options. I am fortunate that my closest charging station is in my garage. When I go on long trips, the supercharger map https://www.tesla.com/supercha... is built into my navigation, so I can see exactly where my next stop needs to be. It even tells me how much energy is needed for round-trip. In addition, my father-in-law runs a ranch in rural ND, and even he has a 50A NEMA 6-50 circuit for his welder I can plug my car into for 37 mile-per-hour charging.
While I understand the security related downfalls of IOT, there actually are some potential benefits to having a fleet of water heaters connected to the internet. In the UK, there is a government trial/pilot program in place testing smart water tanks for storing excess grid energy. https://youtu.be/z1Z4JCoPAGc
Penny-arcade had a similar analogy... https://www.penny-arcade.com/c...
That reminds me of a really old Penny-Arcade comic... :)
https://www.penny-arcade.com/c...
Or just add a little extra track at stations to the blue line to allow for express trains...
Easier said than done. Most of that line is either elevated above ground, underground, or snugly nestled in-between eastbound/westbound I-90 lanes. I imagine it would be $$$ expensive to re-do all those support pillars, roads, tunnels, etc. Digging a new tunnel just a little bit deeper probably is a lot more cost effective.
Well, I use to live along the blue line between the loop and O'Hare, and I would welcome the new system. What people don't realize (that haven't ever taken that trip), is that blue line Loop to the airport is between 45-50 minutes one way. Faster and cheaper than a taxi during rush hour, but still slow. They say the target ticket price is $1, but I would gladly pay double or triple the L fare to get there in the 10-15 minutes.
My identity was stolen, but the crooks didn't touch my credit because that would have flagged alerts with the major credit agencies like Experian, Equifax etc. Instead they abused the banking system (which uses a different verification service few people know about called ChexSystems). They opened online bank accounts in my name from every major "open a checking account online today!" service (like Ally, etc.), and started trying to funnel money into the accounts from elsewhere... such as from selling fake items on ebay and other mule scams. Had one of the compromised banks not sent me "my new ATM card" thanking me for opening accounts, I would have never known... and worse yet, checking my credit yearly at the major bureaus wouldn't have shown anything either because they weren't applying for credit. Plain and simple, they were using my name for money laundering transfers in and out of the country. Just like with the major credit bureaus, you can put a "banking freeze" and "Fraud alerts" with ChexSystems to prevent people from opening savings and checking accounts in your name too. I suggest people do it. In my case it was free since I had my identity stolen, but it only costs a few bucks to freeze them too.
This all seems to follow the same simple formula. 1) Create crazy sensationalist click bait headline (and article) 2) Funnel to ad-supported web site 3) Profit! If there wasn't serious money to be made doing this technique, then I am guessing the number of conspiracy theorist crackpots spreading garbage would be a lot lower. Wasn't there a story just a few months ago about Macedonian teens are making thousands of dollars creating outrageous news sites filled with political BS?
I don't live in one of the states listed, but every time I see an article like this I have to suspect it's FTTM: "Fiber to the media". Grandiose announcements, followed by installing it in a few neighborhoods, calling it too expensive, then putting "the project on hold". Wait for competition, explain the project is once again resuming, sue some cities to ensure the monopoly, then place the project back on hold.
I believe you are thinking of "I am Legend". :)