You're quite incorrect about Dell Laptops and computers. You cannot EXPORT them. I.E. Buy them here in the US and ship them over the border to be used by another person. This is different than taking one on a business trip.
Also, you can specify when ordering one it will be exported. Not a problem. Fill in the information it asks, I.E. info about the end-user and its use. If its not going to restricted countries like Libya, etc, then they have no problem with it.
I'm nitpicking, and you are correct, AND I didn't read the parent post, but you should specify this is for copywritten stuff.
GPL'd programs, shareware, and other things licensed such that they may be distributed freely are not illegal to file trade. So FILE SHARING is not illegal, file sharing COPYWRITTEN material is.
...signing the NDA and sitting through their presentation has no worthwhile benefits at all. They prove nothing.
To believe the first and second claims about ownership and UNIX and IBM/AIX you pretty much have to take it as they tell you. They provide no excerpts from the contracts, or the contracts themselves, which would be the only way to prove those claims.
And like the writer mentioned, they won't provide any info on the revision history, etc, so they in no way prove beyond any kind of reasonable doubt that the code was copied from System V.
Ok, so you go sign a heavily restrictive NDA, to view supposed evidence, but are shown very inconclusive claims that everyone else has heard and you come out with more questions and even less faith (if thats possible) in SCO's claims. Sounds like they're just trying to get the people crying for them to put up or shut up to quiet down themselves and have no real intention of providing any real evidence to anyone unless a court makes them.
Man, most of the time you guys seem to know somehting about cars, but I don't know where those people are now...
Do the math....its generally pretty obvious if you have oversized tires. You can estimate pretty easily the diameter of the tires. On cars that that have oversized tires, they usually range from 32" to 44" (Rarely). Just plot the speeds among that range, and you have the range of possible speeds. That is assuming you don't have acccess to ANYTHING on the tires and they were COMPLETELY obliterated. (Very Rare)
Also, the sensors are still not in the wheels. They are in the gearbox. Speed sensors in the wheels are for ABS. Also, gear ratios are pretty goddamned easy to figure out. 99% of the cars on the road have the gear ratios they came standard with. The other 1% can again be surmised easily by plotting a range. Of course, if its not completely and totally destroyed, its pretty easy to whip out the measuring tape and figure it out. Even if you just have a small half inch section, you can recreate the ring gear, since it has a constant angle.
And there's probably much less than 99% of the cars on the road that have aftermarket transmission gears. So we won't even consider that.
Now tell me, do you have aftermarket tires or a diferent gear ration in your differential? Its a safe bet you don't.
Oh yeah...don't forget the speed sensor is located in the transmission after the gears on the output shaft somewhere. The speed sensors on the wheels are for the ABS, which if they read zero, the brakes start to pump. They don't affect the speedometer reading.
Oh yeah, don't speak about things which you know nothing about.
I think I'm gonna reemphasize something mentioned once before...
You think Sharman doesn't have an idea as to what its doing?
Blake
Re:Why is Kazaa/Napster illegal?
on
Kazaa Fights Back
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· Score: 4, Insightful
Thats the exact same question I've been wondering. Last I checked, the license, in which you have to agree to in order to use their product, forbids its use as an illegal file-trading service. And last I checked, EULA were considered somewhat legal documents. There was a big discussion about this and electronic signatures a year or two ago.
But then again, look at all the ISP's that are being taken down for things their users do without their knowledge.
Logically, it seems like it wouldn't be illegal. You can't assume that just because illegal activities occur due to something makes that something itself illegal.
By that logic, these following scenarios should follow:
Underage drinkers get into bars illegally. Bars are illegal.
A program leaves a computer vulnerable by default. That program is illegal.
Computers, networking services, and the internet provide a means for illegal activities. They are all illegal.
Ok, so yes, those analogies may not be one hundred percent correct, but you get my drift. Providing a means for illegal activities is not illegal if that is not the original intention.
Why the hell do you think bongs are legal? Yes, they are supposed to be good for smoking tobacco. But what percentage are actually used for tobacco smoking?
Blake
By the way, I am not a lawyer. 95 percent or more of you are not as well. So I may be wrong, and probably am. I'm just speaking from a logical viewpoint. Most of you are probably wrong as well. Slashdot should pay their legal team to tell us what they think.
This kind of thing would suck for Oreganians that are in my situation where they are off at college and travel home frequently.
Having to drive a couple hundred miles monthly really would suck if you got taxed on all the miles.
And what about people who commute an hour or two to work everyday???
Blake
Re:And there will be one Master Ring
on
More on Longhorn
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· Score: 1
I have to shut down a bunch of Windows XP computers almost nightly, and it always bothers me when I try to shut down a computer, and wonder where the "Shut Down" command is.
Than I realize "Turn Off" does the same thing.
Thats what I call changing something thats been around for a while.
When you look back on your entire career, whether it be acting, writing, directing, etc, do you ever look back at some point in time and ask yourself "What was I thinking?" or "Why in hell did I do that?".
On the other hand, at what points do you look back and immediately wish you could be there again?
If you don't have a little spin out off the line, you're not going to be putting as much power down as possible. By spinning out and regaining traction as quickly as you can, you are keeping the car in the best part of the powerband.
On most cars, if you fall below the powerband, you bog, causing your 60 ft time to fall significantly. I admit that with some cars, due to the large amount of low-end torque, its not as necessary to work to keep it in its powerband.
So the ultimate goal is to get as little tire spin as possible, but to get a little since the max power you can put down is at the point right before the tires break loose.
Apparently you don't know much about these cars...
They start at $50k and go up to about $58k, and that is with the SMG II transmission (the one referred to in this artilcle).
Its called Launch Control. Its not an easter egg. Its designed into the transmission on purpose. Yes you are limited to 30 launches using launch control, but it is for the length of the warranty.
There are NO torque converters in this transmission. It is not a transmission like on the Porsche, etc. It is a fully manual transmission with a hydraulic clutch. They are not burn-outs. They are actual launches. When launching a car, it is your goal to spin the tires. So the car spins the tires momentarily then gets traction back as soon as possible.
Why would you want a five speed? F1 cars, the fastest, best handling race cars in the world, use the same type of transmission.
Ferrari has a paddle shift transmission. It shifts gears in 60 ms (If I remember correctly) and the BMW SMG II transmission shifts in something like 30 ms (Don't remember the exact number). It is humanly impossible to shift that fast with a normal manual transmission. This is the greatest production transmission on the market.
Keep your mouth shut unless you know what you are talking about.
I don't really know where Katz pulls American Beauty into this at all. I don't think Orange County is a very dignificant movie. Not very original, but it is entertaining.
Its one of those thats worth the price of admission, but nothing more. Jack Black is really good. The rest of the acting is is also decent, but nothing special. Not good enough to be compared in anyway to American Beauty.
That and Shaun was never brainless. He had straight A's and was very intelligent. He was merely directionless. I think by calling him brainless really shows that Katz missed one of the major themes: The vast and quick change a person goes through as he's about to enter college, where he gains a since of responsibility and respect for things that he never would have understood before. Specifically in this movie family and friends.
Blake
Re:Begging Questions and Urban Planning
on
This is IT?
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· Score: 1
I know, I know, 40 degrees isn't THAT cold. But I didn't have anything covering my ears, so it still sucked bad!
Other than that, it was fine!
I HAVE vacationied in Colorado to go skiing, so I do know a little bit about cold weather. Not -4 degree cold weather, but if it were that cold, my boss could kiss my @$$, cause I wouldn't get out of bed!
Blake
Re:Begging Questions and Urban Planning
on
This is IT?
·
· Score: 1
I already addressed to a reply to my original post.
Re:Begging Questions and Urban Planning
on
This is IT?
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
[B]eing bumped into by one of these is like being bumped into by a person.
I actually had someone mention this at another board. My whole reasoning behind this is as follows (proceeds to other board, copies, and pastes):
To move forward, you lean the device forward itself. Therefore the handlebars are out in front. If you hit something, those are the first thing to hit it. As you keep going, the handlebars are stopped, against what you hit, so as the bottom continues forward, they stay where they are, causing the device to become more vertical. At the point if becomes vertical, it actually stops. So you don't get the whole weight of the device at the full speed.
Now that is my take on it. I don't know if thats how it works exactly, but thats what I gathered. And I'm sure the computer in it has some form of collision recognition or whatever.
I do completely agree with you on the weather point. And having lived here in Texas my life, I have experienced quite a few temperature differences myself. I know that, after walking to class for 15 minutes in 100+ weather, and a bit of humidity, its not that bad. Of course, I'm not in a suit or pants. But still, I don't think heat would be a problem for people who already walk in that kind of weather. As far as the cold, I don't have much of a solution for that. All I can say is bundle up!
Actually, I think the cold extreme can be withstood if you don't have snow and ice. But as I learned this week, it just really sucks without a hat. Of course, when its really that bad outside, should people be driving at all?
If Dean Kamen's whole theory about closing down whole sections of downtowns and business districts to cars actually comes about, I think using it around many pedestrians is very feasible. Imagine how many people you can move on these things if they get to take the whole road.
And about mixing it with Mass Transit, yes, that would be a problem. But I think its footprint is small enough where it can be placed between a persons legs as he/she is sitting down without causing too much trouble.
To tell you the truth, we'll just have to see. The first people to put their money into it can be the guinea pigs. We'll just have to see how that works out. I don't think there's much that we can predict with any kind of accuracy. Price will be a problem, but like I have said, I think the majority of the cost is the computing power and gyros, which the post of the comuting power itself should fall pretty rapidly.
I actually have to go OVER a hill to all my classes at the University. Therefore when I tell my children I had to walk to class everyday, and it was uphill both ways, I won't be lying!
Blake
Re:Begging Questions and Urban Planning
on
This is IT?
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
This assertion begs several questions (which are extremly relevent to someone living in, say, Austin, where I am):
I too, am in Austin, so hello!
1. How many people live close enough to work that they can afford the time to communte on a device that moves at walking speed? (no one I know)
Did you read the articles? It can move up to three or four times walking speed. Otherwise it would be pointless. Plus I am currently going to UT, and live about 15 minutes away, by walking. This would be a GREAT thing for me, as it would shorten the time down to 5 minutes or less. And it would help MANY people get around in this area, as in many other college campuses or downtowns. You think this wouldn't be of use to people living in downtown high rise apartments all over the world? I'm sure some live on one side of a cities business district, but work on the other. Too far to walk, yet not far enough to warrant the price you pay for gas to drive through traffic.
2. How many people live in places where the weather is neither too warm or too cold to spend the time outside?
With the recent cold spell here in Austin, I had to still walk to class, due to the lack of parking. Same thing applies in many other places. A lot of people are not forced to walk, but do so because it is more efficient. Well, when it gets cold, they are forced to either freeze their tails off or waste gas and time by riving a few miles through traffic. With this thing shortening your time my almost a third, if not more, it would be an excellent alternative. I know I can stand riding around on something for 5 minutes in freezing weather. Just early this week I was walking for 15 minutes in 40 degree weather with a 20 mph wind! And too hot? Thats when a nice 15 mph breeze from you moving on this thing comes in handy!
3. How many businesses have the infrastructure to handle storing and charging these things?
They run on NiCD or NiMH batteries. Again, if you read at least the Times article, you would know it takes $0.05 worth of electricity to completely charge one. And storage? Did you even check out that flash graphic of it? How hard is it to store something that takes up about the same amount of floor space of a persons two feet? Yeah it takes more, but this can easily fit into the corner of a cubicle or office no problem.
4. Is it really going to share the sidewalk with pedestrians? Where are they going to go now?
Again, read the damned article. It says being bumped into by one of these is like being bumped into by a person. And since they can be slowed down, they can move with pedestrians.
5. What about security? Riding around on a $3000 device that can't move faster than walking speed is a huge crime oppurtunity.
Again, read the article. Moves faster. Of course, same thing applies, if you're out at night with one of these, and you get muggged, its your own fault. Be smart.
If his device really is good enought to get rid of cars, it won't be because he SAID so, it will be because he made something that has the same (or better) combination of convinience, speed, economy (both $$ and time), and security as the car. And, unfortunately, this cool device is not "IT".
He didn't say it would get rid of cars. He said it would eventually, if they become as popular as he says, get cities to ban cars from downtowns so these could be taken advantage of. Already many places in many cities you have to walk because cars are off limits.
This is meant to compliment the car, not replace it. Read the article before posting please.
Moderators should too, so they realize that this post is not "insightful" or whatever it was modded up for.
1. If you read the Times article, it takes about five minutes to learn, and it is incredibly hard to push over.
2. Also if you read the Times article, you would know that they likened it to the PC. The PC was not $700 when if first came out. Not to mention, $3000 is not much if you live someplace where you have to drive only 3 or 4 miles to work through traffic. Imagine how much gas you would save. And new technology will always come down in price, especially something that has as much potential as this.
Oh yeah, where the hell did you get $1,800 from? Did you actually figure out how much the development of a device like this costs? Pulling numbers out of your ass is not a very good way to predict the cost of something. And how does motorcycle expertise play a part in this? And electric vehicle expertise? I'm sure the motors are very simple and basic. They are far less than the cost of the circuits and gyros. The article said it used aircraft grade gyro's and that the computing power was equal to three of today's computers. And thats another reason why the price will fall eventually. I don't think Honda could really help on this one.
The market. Would you pay for IE after X years of getting it for free? Would you pay for it rather than use other free products? And if you had to pay for IE, would you then consider other products that also require payment (such as Opera)? Oddly enough - that's the workings of a free market.
Its not what I would do, but its about what the common public would do. And even now, that common public is not intelligent enough to make decisions on their own. Actually, its kinda funny when you think about how no matter what happens with Microsoft in the long run, the majority of the public will have no clue about the options and how they might have been impacted by each one.
I think most states have now realized that the original "break-up" plan wouldn't cut it.
After going over monopolies in my Economics course, I came up with this question.
If Breaking a monopoly up is meant to encourage competition, how will splitting Microsoft into an OS division and application division encouraging competition? Now you have two companies, one with a monopoly in OS's and the other in Internet and applications. And when they seperate, what would hold the Internet/Application company from charging for Internet Explorer?
Its very similar to the Baby Bells. Sure we didn't have one large corporation, but many small monopolies...doesn't make much sense.
You can bitch about the privacy invasive features and the anti-fraud procedures, but if you get swindled out of $2000, then you will be bitching about them not being effective enough. I know several people who have been frauded out of that much money, on a seemingly good trade, and PayPal has done NOTHING to help the matter. It is incredibly easy to defraud people over PayPal, so you can bitch about the procedures, but when you get jacked, you won't.
Slashdot Mirror
I didn't read, cause I'm lazy. I assume this goes in effect immediately, which means your post brings up a good point.
Requiring a user to pay $699 for software they will allow you to download for free?
Oh!!! I get it! They're catching the shareware revival trend...
Blake
Or $699 worth of lead...
Blake
Knowing what little I know about Japan and their culture, I'd be willing to bet they have very little problems with phone solicitations.
And as was mentioned in the last article about the Donotcall.gov list a lot is already outsourced overseas.
AND I would not be surprised if those companies, do to the bulk calls, only pay that much already.
Blake
You're quite incorrect about Dell Laptops and computers. You cannot EXPORT them. I.E. Buy them here in the US and ship them over the border to be used by another person. This is different than taking one on a business trip.
Also, you can specify when ordering one it will be exported. Not a problem. Fill in the information it asks, I.E. info about the end-user and its use. If its not going to restricted countries like Libya, etc, then they have no problem with it.
Blake
I'm nitpicking, and you are correct, AND I didn't read the parent post, but you should specify this is for copywritten stuff.
GPL'd programs, shareware, and other things licensed such that they may be distributed freely are not illegal to file trade. So FILE SHARING is not illegal, file sharing COPYWRITTEN material is.
Just to clarify.
Blake
...signing the NDA and sitting through their presentation has no worthwhile benefits at all. They prove nothing.
To believe the first and second claims about ownership and UNIX and IBM/AIX you pretty much have to take it as they tell you. They provide no excerpts from the contracts, or the contracts themselves, which would be the only way to prove those claims.
And like the writer mentioned, they won't provide any info on the revision history, etc, so they in no way prove beyond any kind of reasonable doubt that the code was copied from System V.
Ok, so you go sign a heavily restrictive NDA, to view supposed evidence, but are shown very inconclusive claims that everyone else has heard and you come out with more questions and even less faith (if thats possible) in SCO's claims. Sounds like they're just trying to get the people crying for them to put up or shut up to quiet down themselves and have no real intention of providing any real evidence to anyone unless a court makes them.
*sighs*
Blake
Man, most of the time you guys seem to know somehting about cars, but I don't know where those people are now...
Do the math....its generally pretty obvious if you have oversized tires. You can estimate pretty easily the diameter of the tires. On cars that that have oversized tires, they usually range from 32" to 44" (Rarely). Just plot the speeds among that range, and you have the range of possible speeds. That is assuming you don't have acccess to ANYTHING on the tires and they were COMPLETELY obliterated. (Very Rare)
Also, the sensors are still not in the wheels. They are in the gearbox. Speed sensors in the wheels are for ABS. Also, gear ratios are pretty goddamned easy to figure out. 99% of the cars on the road have the gear ratios they came standard with. The other 1% can again be surmised easily by plotting a range. Of course, if its not completely and totally destroyed, its pretty easy to whip out the measuring tape and figure it out. Even if you just have a small half inch section, you can recreate the ring gear, since it has a constant angle.
And there's probably much less than 99% of the cars on the road that have aftermarket transmission gears. So we won't even consider that.
Now tell me, do you have aftermarket tires or a diferent gear ration in your differential? Its a safe bet you don't.
Blake
Oh yeah...don't forget the speed sensor is located in the transmission after the gears on the output shaft somewhere. The speed sensors on the wheels are for the ABS, which if they read zero, the brakes start to pump. They don't affect the speedometer reading.
Oh yeah, don't speak about things which you know nothing about.
Blake
I think I'm gonna reemphasize something mentioned once before...
You think Sharman doesn't have an idea as to what its doing?
Blake
Thats the exact same question I've been wondering. Last I checked, the license, in which you have to agree to in order to use their product, forbids its use as an illegal file-trading service. And last I checked, EULA were considered somewhat legal documents. There was a big discussion about this and electronic signatures a year or two ago.
But then again, look at all the ISP's that are being taken down for things their users do without their knowledge.
Logically, it seems like it wouldn't be illegal. You can't assume that just because illegal activities occur due to something makes that something itself illegal.
By that logic, these following scenarios should follow:
Underage drinkers get into bars illegally. Bars are illegal.
A program leaves a computer vulnerable by default. That program is illegal.
Computers, networking services, and the internet provide a means for illegal activities. They are all illegal.
Ok, so yes, those analogies may not be one hundred percent correct, but you get my drift. Providing a means for illegal activities is not illegal if that is not the original intention.
Why the hell do you think bongs are legal? Yes, they are supposed to be good for smoking tobacco. But what percentage are actually used for tobacco smoking?
Blake
By the way, I am not a lawyer. 95 percent or more of you are not as well. So I may be wrong, and probably am. I'm just speaking from a logical viewpoint. Most of you are probably wrong as well. Slashdot should pay their legal team to tell us what they think.
This kind of thing would suck for Oreganians that are in my situation where they are off at college and travel home frequently.
Having to drive a couple hundred miles monthly really would suck if you got taxed on all the miles.
And what about people who commute an hour or two to work everyday???
Blake
I have to shut down a bunch of Windows XP computers almost nightly, and it always bothers me when I try to shut down a computer, and wonder where the "Shut Down" command is.
Than I realize "Turn Off" does the same thing.
Thats what I call changing something thats been around for a while.
Blake
When you look back on your entire career, whether it be acting, writing, directing, etc, do you ever look back at some point in time and ask yourself "What was I thinking?" or "Why in hell did I do that?".
On the other hand, at what points do you look back and immediately wish you could be there again?
Blake
You know, radiation from the cell phone causing brain tumors?
:P
So what would ACTUAL radiation that close do!?
Blake
If you don't have a little spin out off the line, you're not going to be putting as much power down as possible. By spinning out and regaining traction as quickly as you can, you are keeping the car in the best part of the powerband.
On most cars, if you fall below the powerband, you bog, causing your 60 ft time to fall significantly. I admit that with some cars, due to the large amount of low-end torque, its not as necessary to work to keep it in its powerband.
So the ultimate goal is to get as little tire spin as possible, but to get a little since the max power you can put down is at the point right before the tires break loose.
Blake
Apparently you don't know much about these cars...
They start at $50k and go up to about $58k, and that is with the SMG II transmission (the one referred to in this artilcle).
Its called Launch Control. Its not an easter egg. Its designed into the transmission on purpose. Yes you are limited to 30 launches using launch control, but it is for the length of the warranty.
There are NO torque converters in this transmission. It is not a transmission like on the Porsche, etc. It is a fully manual transmission with a hydraulic clutch. They are not burn-outs. They are actual launches. When launching a car, it is your goal to spin the tires. So the car spins the tires momentarily then gets traction back as soon as possible.
Why would you want a five speed? F1 cars, the fastest, best handling race cars in the world, use the same type of transmission.
Ferrari has a paddle shift transmission. It shifts gears in 60 ms (If I remember correctly) and the BMW SMG II transmission shifts in something like 30 ms (Don't remember the exact number). It is humanly impossible to shift that fast with a normal manual transmission. This is the greatest production transmission on the market.
Keep your mouth shut unless you know what you are talking about.
I don't really know where Katz pulls American Beauty into this at all. I don't think Orange County is a very dignificant movie. Not very original, but it is entertaining.
Its one of those thats worth the price of admission, but nothing more. Jack Black is really good. The rest of the acting is is also decent, but nothing special. Not good enough to be compared in anyway to American Beauty.
That and Shaun was never brainless. He had straight A's and was very intelligent. He was merely directionless. I think by calling him brainless really shows that Katz missed one of the major themes: The vast and quick change a person goes through as he's about to enter college, where he gains a since of responsibility and respect for things that he never would have understood before. Specifically in this movie family and friends.
Blake
I know, I know, 40 degrees isn't THAT cold. But I didn't have anything covering my ears, so it still sucked bad!
Other than that, it was fine!
I HAVE vacationied in Colorado to go skiing, so I do know a little bit about cold weather. Not -4 degree cold weather, but if it were that cold, my boss could kiss my @$$, cause I wouldn't get out of bed!
Blake
I already addressed to a reply to my original post.
[B]eing bumped into by one of these is like being bumped into by a person.
I actually had someone mention this at another board. My whole reasoning behind this is as follows (proceeds to other board, copies, and pastes):
To move forward, you lean the device forward itself. Therefore the handlebars are out in front. If you hit something, those are the first thing to hit it. As you keep going, the handlebars are stopped, against what you hit, so as the bottom continues forward, they stay where they are, causing the device to become more vertical. At the point if becomes vertical, it actually stops. So you don't get the whole weight of the device at the full speed.
Now that is my take on it. I don't know if thats how it works exactly, but thats what I gathered. And I'm sure the computer in it has some form of collision recognition or whatever.
I do completely agree with you on the weather point. And having lived here in Texas my life, I have experienced quite a few temperature differences myself. I know that, after walking to class for 15 minutes in 100+ weather, and a bit of humidity, its not that bad. Of course, I'm not in a suit or pants. But still, I don't think heat would be a problem for people who already walk in that kind of weather. As far as the cold, I don't have much of a solution for that. All I can say is bundle up!
Actually, I think the cold extreme can be withstood if you don't have snow and ice. But as I learned this week, it just really sucks without a hat. Of course, when its really that bad outside, should people be driving at all?
If Dean Kamen's whole theory about closing down whole sections of downtowns and business districts to cars actually comes about, I think using it around many pedestrians is very feasible. Imagine how many people you can move on these things if they get to take the whole road.
And about mixing it with Mass Transit, yes, that would be a problem. But I think its footprint is small enough where it can be placed between a persons legs as he/she is sitting down without causing too much trouble.
To tell you the truth, we'll just have to see. The first people to put their money into it can be the guinea pigs. We'll just have to see how that works out. I don't think there's much that we can predict with any kind of accuracy. Price will be a problem, but like I have said, I think the majority of the cost is the computing power and gyros, which the post of the comuting power itself should fall pretty rapidly.
I actually have to go OVER a hill to all my classes at the University. Therefore when I tell my children I had to walk to class everyday, and it was uphill both ways, I won't be lying!
Blake
This assertion begs several questions (which are extremly relevent to someone living in, say, Austin, where I am):
I too, am in Austin, so hello!
1. How many people live close enough to work that they can afford the time to communte on a device that moves at walking speed? (no one I know)
Did you read the articles? It can move up to three or four times walking speed. Otherwise it would be pointless. Plus I am currently going to UT, and live about 15 minutes away, by walking. This would be a GREAT thing for me, as it would shorten the time down to 5 minutes or less. And it would help MANY people get around in this area, as in many other college campuses or downtowns. You think this wouldn't be of use to people living in downtown high rise apartments all over the world? I'm sure some live on one side of a cities business district, but work on the other. Too far to walk, yet not far enough to warrant the price you pay for gas to drive through traffic.
2. How many people live in places where the weather is neither too warm or too cold to spend the time outside?
With the recent cold spell here in Austin, I had to still walk to class, due to the lack of parking. Same thing applies in many other places. A lot of people are not forced to walk, but do so because it is more efficient. Well, when it gets cold, they are forced to either freeze their tails off or waste gas and time by riving a few miles through traffic. With this thing shortening your time my almost a third, if not more, it would be an excellent alternative. I know I can stand riding around on something for 5 minutes in freezing weather. Just early this week I was walking for 15 minutes in 40 degree weather with a 20 mph wind! And too hot? Thats when a nice 15 mph breeze from you moving on this thing comes in handy!
3. How many businesses have the infrastructure to handle storing and charging these things?
They run on NiCD or NiMH batteries. Again, if you read at least the Times article, you would know it takes $0.05 worth of electricity to completely charge one. And storage? Did you even check out that flash graphic of it? How hard is it to store something that takes up about the same amount of floor space of a persons two feet? Yeah it takes more, but this can easily fit into the corner of a cubicle or office no problem.
4. Is it really going to share the sidewalk with pedestrians? Where are they going to go now?
Again, read the damned article. It says being bumped into by one of these is like being bumped into by a person. And since they can be slowed down, they can move with pedestrians.
5. What about security? Riding around on a $3000 device that can't move faster than walking speed is a huge crime oppurtunity.
Again, read the article. Moves faster. Of course, same thing applies, if you're out at night with one of these, and you get muggged, its your own fault. Be smart.
If his device really is good enought to get rid of cars, it won't be because he SAID so, it will be because he made something that has the same (or better) combination of convinience, speed, economy (both $$ and time), and security as the car. And, unfortunately, this cool device is not "IT".
He didn't say it would get rid of cars. He said it would eventually, if they become as popular as he says, get cities to ban cars from downtowns so these could be taken advantage of. Already many places in many cities you have to walk because cars are off limits.
This is meant to compliment the car, not replace it. Read the article before posting please.
Moderators should too, so they realize that this post is not "insightful" or whatever it was modded up for.
Blake
1. If you read the Times article, it takes about five minutes to learn, and it is incredibly hard to push over.
2. Also if you read the Times article, you would know that they likened it to the PC. The PC was not $700 when if first came out. Not to mention, $3000 is not much if you live someplace where you have to drive only 3 or 4 miles to work through traffic. Imagine how much gas you would save. And new technology will always come down in price, especially something that has as much potential as this.
Oh yeah, where the hell did you get $1,800 from? Did you actually figure out how much the development of a device like this costs? Pulling numbers out of your ass is not a very good way to predict the cost of something. And how does motorcycle expertise play a part in this? And electric vehicle expertise? I'm sure the motors are very simple and basic. They are far less than the cost of the circuits and gyros. The article said it used aircraft grade gyro's and that the computing power was equal to three of today's computers. And thats another reason why the price will fall eventually. I don't think Honda could really help on this one.
Blake
The market. Would you pay for IE after X years of getting it for free? Would you pay for it rather than use other free products? And if you had to pay for IE, would you then consider other products that also require payment (such as Opera)? Oddly enough - that's the workings of a free market.
Its not what I would do, but its about what the common public would do. And even now, that common public is not intelligent enough to make decisions on their own. Actually, its kinda funny when you think about how no matter what happens with Microsoft in the long run, the majority of the public will have no clue about the options and how they might have been impacted by each one.
*shrugs*
Blake
I think most states have now realized that the original "break-up" plan wouldn't cut it.
After going over monopolies in my Economics course, I came up with this question.
If Breaking a monopoly up is meant to encourage competition, how will splitting Microsoft into an OS division and application division encouraging competition? Now you have two companies, one with a monopoly in OS's and the other in Internet and applications. And when they seperate, what would hold the Internet/Application company from charging for Internet Explorer?
Its very similar to the Baby Bells. Sure we didn't have one large corporation, but many small monopolies...doesn't make much sense.
Blake
You can bitch about the privacy invasive features and the anti-fraud procedures, but if you get swindled out of $2000, then you will be bitching about them not being effective enough. I know several people who have been frauded out of that much money, on a seemingly good trade, and PayPal has done NOTHING to help the matter. It is incredibly easy to defraud people over PayPal, so you can bitch about the procedures, but when you get jacked, you won't.
Blake