I spend a bit of time trying to understand why the US seems so corrupt compared to other western democracies, and I believe the problem is less the size of the govt and more the size of the country. The Monkeysphere tells us that the human brain can only extend compassion to certain group sizes. If that is the case, then the answer might be to break up the US into a bunch of smaller, more manageable sizes? In a small country, you are more likely to know someone who knows someone that you are shitting on, so less likely to be a dick. As it stands, in the US you can fuck over millions of people and never meet a single one of them. I believe there is something in this that produces this type of behaviour.
That still doesn't mean that ALL crashes can be avoided with awareness. Plus, are you at your 100% best every single time you drive, every day? You never have a bad day? You never, ever make a mistake?
Never said they did. Ultimately it's risk management, and I'm comfortable that I don't need to spend more money on a safer vehicle, when even the unsafest car is still safer than my motorcycle.
Out of interest do you wear a helmet when you drive? It would be safer, yet you probably don't do it. This is exactly the same logic.
Suburbs would work just fine if we built SkyTran PRT systems.
I'm not so sure it would.
"Maximum capacity of (SkyTran) is 11,500 passengers per hour". As comparison the 20 year old MRT in Hong Kong already does 75000 passengers/hour.
Scale is the biggest issue in large city transport systems, and in an event like a football match or concert, this system can't scale to that capacity. Rail is still the only available solution that fits the requirements of a large city.
This is my point, it isn't luck, it's awareness that prevents accidents.
Bullshit.
I don't care if you're Mario Andretti (and I guarantee you aren't). It doesn't matter how great a driver you are, because in many of those "easily prevented" accidents you look at, some moron is doing something stupid, and then running into another driver.
Well actually they aren't. Those do happen but they are in the minority, and as a motorcycle rider who has been riding for 30 years and faces fuckwit drivers on their mobile phones, or old grannies with limited vision cutting me off nearly every day, I assure you that being aware of those around you is the greatest preventative measure to reducing accidents.
BTW Mario Andretti skills are different from defensive driving skills. He was good as getting a car around a track quickly, but these are not the same skills required to avoid crashing your car, or avoid being run into in traffic.Yes some amount of crashes are out of your control, but the majority can be avoided with suitable awareness.
Depending on the corporate structure, you doom your career with the company if you ask for such orders in writing.
If you are pursuing a career in a company that you know behaves in such ways then you get what you deserve. Give it to me in writing or I'm happy to find a job elsewhere.
Seems to be a common problem these days, a combination of NIMBYs who don't want any development, and a local govt with no vision for growth are causing an massive imbalance in supply/demand. The only solution for large growing cities is high density and mass rapid transit. I've lived in both Singapore and Hong Kong so have seen it working first hand. When done properly, most city dwellers shouldn't need to own cars as you can walk/train everyhwere. High density also means more convenience since everything you need is close by, and more green space since everything is so compact it takes up less land.
I can't understand why we continue with the failed suburb/car model from the 1950's.
There can be no meaningful conversation with someone who makes such a statement.
The facts are clearly on my side, but you choose not to see it.
If you have facts present them. Where are the "many" first world countries that have confiscated all the guns from their citizens?
As stated elsewhere, the countries most similar to the US, the UK, Canada and Australia have have stricter gun controls, but a responsible person can still own a gun, and more importantly, because of these restrictions, less people are getting shot.
These are the facts which you choose to ignore.
That just means you're lucky. Most people in fact probably don't have a life-threatening crash in their lifetimes. However, over 30,000 people a year die in the US alone (I think it used to be closer to 50k, but it's fallen thanks to safer cars). Do you want to play the odds? I don't.
This is my point, it isn't luck, it's awarness that prevents accidents.
Have you ever watched Air Crash Investigations? I have a similar thing for car crashes, I take interest in all the major accidents in my local area, and you'll be surprised how many accidents (ie most of them) are caused by simple carelessness ie whether via speed, alcohol, drugs, fatigue, inattention, or mechanical failure, accidents can mostly be avoided by being an attentive, focussed driver.
Then you wind up with a car with crap stuck all over the inside, wires hanging around, etc. And even if you get some nice all-in-one stereo you're still stuck with a noisy car (they've gotten a lot quieter in the past decade or so), and a gas-guzzler (fuel economy has increased greatly in the last 5 years). Plus you also have a car that's constantly having problems and needs expensive repairs because things wear out after 100-200,000 miles.
I've owned a few old cars, like an old house the character makes up for the flaws. I'm not talking an old bomb, but a classic.
And if you have an interest is fixing things yourself, and old car can be a labour of love:)
If it's one of the newer ones with the JCI/Visteon infotainment systems, check out mazda3hacks.com and mazda3revolution.com. Disabling the speed-related touchscreen lockout is pretty simple once you figure out how to log in (you'll probably need a USB-to-Ethernet adapter).
Yeah it's a brand new CX5, I'll check it out thanks.
Fuck that. I don't want a car that kills me in a minor fender-bender, I want a car that has state-of-the-art crashworthiness,
Don't believe the hype. I've been driving 30 years and haven't come close to crashing. I'm sure it happens, but I think the industry feeds on fear. I've also been riding motorbikes for 30 years, so maybe I haven't become as accustomed to the false sense of security the modern car industry likes to pedal, I also tend to keep my wits about me on the road which is 99% of the problem.
and also has useful technological features integrated such as a Bluetooth phone interface.
Aftermarket parts can fix that easily
Or block the passenger from doing it, just like my car does with the GPS.
Yep, my car used to do that too. Thankfully, however, it's a Mazda and the infotainment system runs Linux, so a bunch of people have been hacking on it for a while and figured out how to change things.
I have a Mazda, please post a link and save me from this hell...
Yes it does. That's the thing with logic, no amount of believing otherwise changes it.
I'm not afraid my government will want to one day seize all the guns...
Are you sure? Because it sounds exactly like that's what you are afraid of.
There is ample evidence from many nations in just the past 30 years that many governments want to disarm their populations...
Which ones are those then?
Any type of gun lists or gun registry makes that really easy to do...
If I saw that governments in general respected law abiding citizens to be armed, I'd feel otherwise. But since they don't, you simply can't trust them.
No, and how you get that out of "If you really want to be a gun free zone, you need the sort of protections that airports and courtrooms have." is beyond me...
Er, because Airports and Courtrooms have strict gun control (quite obvious I thought)
Because you're a sheep and ok to be disarmed by your government?
OMG, a civilised society that doesn't feel the need to carry firearms to get an erection! Please god nooooooo!!!
Seriously, I don't say that jokingly, gun registration is one step away from gun confiscation,
And one step away from "Communism!" too right?
and dozens of governments in first world nations have done it within my lifetime.
Which ones are those then? I leave the space for below for you to fill in the details...
Except, you do and you're just kidding yourself...
Er, not in my country we don't....
It is a stupid rule. If you really want to be a gun free zone, you need the sort of protections that airports and courtrooms have. That is the only way for it to mean anything.
So gun regulation then? Makes sense to the rest of us, why do Americans find this point so hard to accept?
When will people understand that only law-abiding people pay any attention to laws? And that is precisely why having "Speed Limit 30" in residential areas is a total waste of money.
Funny you say that, our local govt introduced 40km/h speed zones, with cameras to enforce it, and the effect was that most people drove slower and accident rates went down.
It's as if humans are actually able to modify their behaviour based on instruction.
When will they grasp the concept that abeling something with a speed limit doesn't magically do ANYTHING? People will still drive through your neighborhood at 90 miles per hour no matter how many signs are posted.
Which is why we have speed cameras, fines and demerit points, along with confiscation of assets for unpaid fines. There's also a strong correlation between these control measures and reduced accident rates.
Just you because you are unaware of these things, doesn't mean they don't exist.
I'm both legally and morally responsible for every round I put downrange, I would never wish to place an innocent in harms way.
And you are confident every other person in your entire country has the same attitude? If you are smart enough to regulate a car, then regulating a gun follows a similar logic...
using other countries as a control shows that Australia's violent crime is higher than it should be.
Other countries being other countries with strict gun control? Because comparing US to Australia, the US is like a big fat person telling other people how to eat...
Slashdot Mirror
I spend a bit of time trying to understand why the US seems so corrupt compared to other western democracies, and I believe the problem is less the size of the govt and more the size of the country. The Monkeysphere tells us that the human brain can only extend compassion to certain group sizes. If that is the case, then the answer might be to break up the US into a bunch of smaller, more manageable sizes? In a small country, you are more likely to know someone who knows someone that you are shitting on, so less likely to be a dick. As it stands, in the US you can fuck over millions of people and never meet a single one of them. I believe there is something in this that produces this type of behaviour.
Does not.
One industry in one country in a previous time, none of which affect me.
I take it you have never been to Hong Kong? Having lived there, in the suburbs, you are sounding a bit foolish right now.
That still doesn't mean that ALL crashes can be avoided with awareness. Plus, are you at your 100% best every single time you drive, every day? You never have a bad day? You never, ever make a mistake?
Never said they did. Ultimately it's risk management, and I'm comfortable that I don't need to spend more money on a safer vehicle, when even the unsafest car is still safer than my motorcycle.
Out of interest do you wear a helmet when you drive? It would be safer, yet you probably don't do it. This is exactly the same logic.
Suburbs would work just fine if we built SkyTran PRT systems.
I'm not so sure it would.
"Maximum capacity of (SkyTran) is 11,500 passengers per hour". As comparison the 20 year old MRT in Hong Kong already does 75000 passengers/hour.
Scale is the biggest issue in large city transport systems, and in an event like a football match or concert, this system can't scale to that capacity. Rail is still the only available solution that fits the requirements of a large city.
For all you're talk that's not the way the real world works.
It does where I live. Maybe the world you know is not all that there is?
I don't know what movies you watch, but real life doesn't really work like that.
This is my point, it isn't luck, it's awareness that prevents accidents.
Bullshit.
I don't care if you're Mario Andretti (and I guarantee you aren't). It doesn't matter how great a driver you are, because in many of those "easily prevented" accidents you look at, some moron is doing something stupid, and then running into another driver.
Well actually they aren't. Those do happen but they are in the minority, and as a motorcycle rider who has been riding for 30 years and faces fuckwit drivers on their mobile phones, or old grannies with limited vision cutting me off nearly every day, I assure you that being aware of those around you is the greatest preventative measure to reducing accidents.
BTW Mario Andretti skills are different from defensive driving skills. He was good as getting a car around a track quickly, but these are not the same skills required to avoid crashing your car, or avoid being run into in traffic.Yes some amount of crashes are out of your control, but the majority can be avoided with suitable awareness.
Depending on the corporate structure, you doom your career with the company if you ask for such orders in writing.
If you are pursuing a career in a company that you know behaves in such ways then you get what you deserve. Give it to me in writing or I'm happy to find a job elsewhere.
Seems to be a common problem these days, a combination of NIMBYs who don't want any development, and a local govt with no vision for growth are causing an massive imbalance in supply/demand. The only solution for large growing cities is high density and mass rapid transit. I've lived in both Singapore and Hong Kong so have seen it working first hand. When done properly, most city dwellers shouldn't need to own cars as you can walk/train everyhwere. High density also means more convenience since everything you need is close by, and more green space since everything is so compact it takes up less land.
I can't understand why we continue with the failed suburb/car model from the 1950's.
Ok so irrational paranoia then....
There can be no meaningful conversation with someone who makes such a statement.
The facts are clearly on my side, but you choose not to see it.
If you have facts present them. Where are the "many" first world countries that have confiscated all the guns from their citizens?
As stated elsewhere, the countries most similar to the US, the UK, Canada and Australia have have stricter gun controls, but a responsible person can still own a gun, and more importantly, because of these restrictions, less people are getting shot.
These are the facts which you choose to ignore.
That just means you're lucky. Most people in fact probably don't have a life-threatening crash in their lifetimes. However, over 30,000 people a year die in the US alone (I think it used to be closer to 50k, but it's fallen thanks to safer cars). Do you want to play the odds? I don't.
This is my point, it isn't luck, it's awarness that prevents accidents.
Have you ever watched Air Crash Investigations? I have a similar thing for car crashes, I take interest in all the major accidents in my local area, and you'll be surprised how many accidents (ie most of them) are caused by simple carelessness ie whether via speed, alcohol, drugs, fatigue, inattention, or mechanical failure, accidents can mostly be avoided by being an attentive, focussed driver.
Then you wind up with a car with crap stuck all over the inside, wires hanging around, etc. And even if you get some nice all-in-one stereo you're still stuck with a noisy car (they've gotten a lot quieter in the past decade or so), and a gas-guzzler (fuel economy has increased greatly in the last 5 years). Plus you also have a car that's constantly having problems and needs expensive repairs because things wear out after 100-200,000 miles.
I've owned a few old cars, like an old house the character makes up for the flaws. I'm not talking an old bomb, but a classic. :)
And if you have an interest is fixing things yourself, and old car can be a labour of love
If it's one of the newer ones with the JCI/Visteon infotainment systems, check out mazda3hacks.com and mazda3revolution.com. Disabling the speed-related touchscreen lockout is pretty simple once you figure out how to log in (you'll probably need a USB-to-Ethernet adapter).
Yeah it's a brand new CX5, I'll check it out thanks.
What a lot of self entitled pricks with first world problems there are on Slashdot.
I can't speak for others, but I live in the "first world", so by defintion all my problems are first world. Which world do your problems come from?
Fuck that. I don't want a car that kills me in a minor fender-bender, I want a car that has state-of-the-art crashworthiness,
Don't believe the hype. I've been driving 30 years and haven't come close to crashing. I'm sure it happens, but I think the industry feeds on fear. I've also been riding motorbikes for 30 years, so maybe I haven't become as accustomed to the false sense of security the modern car industry likes to pedal, I also tend to keep my wits about me on the road which is 99% of the problem.
and also has useful technological features integrated such as a Bluetooth phone interface.
Aftermarket parts can fix that easily
Or block the passenger from doing it, just like my car does with the GPS.
Yep, my car used to do that too. Thankfully, however, it's a Mazda and the infotainment system runs Linux, so a bunch of people have been hacking on it for a while and figured out how to change things.
I have a Mazda, please post a link and save me from this hell...
Except, that it doesn't...
Yes it does. That's the thing with logic, no amount of believing otherwise changes it.
I'm not afraid my government will want to one day seize all the guns...
Are you sure? Because it sounds exactly like that's what you are afraid of.
There is ample evidence from many nations in just the past 30 years that many governments want to disarm their populations...
Which ones are those then?
Any type of gun lists or gun registry makes that really easy to do...
If I saw that governments in general respected law abiding citizens to be armed, I'd feel otherwise. But since they don't, you simply can't trust them.
Ok so irrational paranoia then....
No, and how you get that out of "If you really want to be a gun free zone, you need the sort of protections that airports and courtrooms have." is beyond me...
Er, because Airports and Courtrooms have strict gun control (quite obvious I thought)
Because you're a sheep and ok to be disarmed by your government?
OMG, a civilised society that doesn't feel the need to carry firearms to get an erection! Please god nooooooo!!!
Seriously, I don't say that jokingly, gun registration is one step away from gun confiscation,
And one step away from "Communism!" too right?
and dozens of governments in first world nations have done it within my lifetime.
Which ones are those then? I leave the space for below for you to fill in the details...
Except, you do and you're just kidding yourself...
Er, not in my country we don't....
It is a stupid rule. If you really want to be a gun free zone, you need the sort of protections that airports and courtrooms have. That is the only way for it to mean anything.
So gun regulation then? Makes sense to the rest of us, why do Americans find this point so hard to accept?
Then explain to me how kids brought guns to school 50 years ago without any problems?
Oh there were problems, they just didn't have the Internet so you didn't hear about each and every one in minute detail...
A right to guns does not even make sense, civilians would stand no chance against the US military.
Vietnamese civilians say otherwise. And Iraqi and Afghani civilians can back them up ;)
When will people understand that only law-abiding people pay any attention to laws? And that is precisely why having "Speed Limit 30" in residential areas is a total waste of money.
Funny you say that, our local govt introduced 40km/h speed zones, with cameras to enforce it, and the effect was that most people drove slower and accident rates went down.
It's as if humans are actually able to modify their behaviour based on instruction.
When will they grasp the concept that abeling something with a speed limit doesn't magically do ANYTHING? People will still drive through your neighborhood at 90 miles per hour no matter how many signs are posted.
Which is why we have speed cameras, fines and demerit points, along with confiscation of assets for unpaid fines. There's also a strong correlation between these control measures and reduced accident rates.
Just you because you are unaware of these things, doesn't mean they don't exist.
How about a war zone? Everyone there has a gun shouldn't there be peace and harmony because of this fact?
I'm both legally and morally responsible for every round I put downrange, I would never wish to place an innocent in harms way.
And you are confident every other person in your entire country has the same attitude? If you are smart enough to regulate a car, then regulating a gun follows a similar logic...
Mexico has VERY strict rules / laws about who can own a firearm and what type.
And the country most similar to the US is Mexico so makes an obvious comparison...
using other countries as a control shows that Australia's violent crime is higher than it should be.
Other countries being other countries with strict gun control? Because comparing US to Australia, the US is like a big fat person telling other people how to eat...