It's exactly what I'm saying! While the light is red, you should NOT text or daydream of whatever, you should observe your surroudings so that when the light finally turn green, you can safely get moving INSTANTLY because you already know what's going on!
Notice that observing your surroundings includes looking at the light regularly to see if it's green... it should be part of your routine to look at the light, glance at you rearview mirror, look who's currently in the intersection, check to see where are the pedestrian, look far ahead to check any incoming vehicle at high speed (police, ambulance, etc.). It's perfectly possible to do all this in a manner of seconds.
You had time WHILE STOPPED to assert any situation going on around you, and you get moving because you know that the light turned green, not because you saw from the corner of your eyes that the car in front of you started moving while you had your eyes glued to your phone.
It is perfectly reasonable to text while stopped at a light, not so much while moving.
No, when you're stopped at a light, you should look around yourself and be aware of the situation BEFORE the light turn green.
If you just press the go pedal a split second after the green, you're throwing yourself into the unknown (are there pedestrian runnning the red? is there an ambulance comming your way? Is there a car coming fast that you know will run the red light? That kid playing with a ball, will he run to catch it if it goes in the street?)
When you drive a car, you should drive your car and nothing else!
Like the new Lincoln MKZ with TOUCH controls for volume and temperature, on a smooth surface, without any tactile reference. Bravo!
I even have the push buttons and rotary controls for the heater, it used to be that you could control everything with 2 slides, one for temp and one to choose where to send the air.
It was very easy to know, only by touch, where the slides are. With a rotary button, you have to look at it to see where it is pointing. And the push buttons are also much less convenient, if I have to put the control on front defrost quickly (because the windshield is suddenly fogging) with the old controls I only had to slide it all the way to the right.
Now I have to find the front defrost button wich is the second to the right, flush with all the other buttons.
Even in car manuals of the 70's and 80's it was stated that if you want to defog or defrost the car in an emergency you just put the 2 slides to the right or to the top (depending on the orientation of the controls) without thinking, it will automatically put the heater to front defrost and maximum heat.
It's the same problem with almost every interface today, from electronics (think about how easy and fast it was to change the volume or choose the input on a 70's Receiver, with it's big buttons compared to receivers of today with it's tiny buttons and display you have to look at)
Don't get me started on volume and mute controls. Why don't laptops get a physical cut off switch as a mute button? When I power up my laptop in a library or at school I have to remember if I put it on mute the last time, and if not I need to wait for the mute button to become responsive but since it's controlled by software and a certain driver, it becomes usable right after Windows decide to play it's login sound. Very annoying. How much would it cost to put a physical switch to cut out the electrical signal to the speakers???
I think we're moving backward with UI, today look ingenuity and trend is more important than usability.
Anyway, I hope considering the universe is a simulation helps more people move beyond a purely materialistic and "scientistic" view of the universe. There are so many interesting questions ignored, denied, or belittled by "materialistic scientism" (to use Charles Tart's phrasing).
I don't understand your point of view. Considering that the universe is a mathematical simulation is the MOST materalistic view there can be...
I sometimes download episodes I missed from tv series. Now they would call that pirating but seriously, what's the difference between recording it myself and watching it later, or having someone else record it, and I me downloading it and watching it later? I will not watch the ads anyway...
If having someone else record the show for me is pirating, does that mean that if I ask my neighbour to come to my house and start the recording of the show while I'm not home a form of pirating?
3: If used on a car, most cars are drive-by-wire. This means that brakes and steering will be made inoperable in some cars, causing an instant wreck... and subsequent lawsuits. Other cars will still have mechanical brakes and steering, but most people are used to power-assisted brakes and steering... and having their vehicle handle way differently can also cause a wreck... and lawsuit.
err...no! The only thing that is drive by wire in street cars is the accelerator pedal. Brakes are always hydraulic (with dual independant circuits) and steering is mechanical (rack and pinion, or recirculating balls in some 4x4).
So if the engine stops you only lose assistance. Since the brake assist works with vacuum, you still can brake one or two times with assist.
It looks like she might be able to claim an exception under 27602(2) or (3):
(2) A gas corporation, as defined in Section 222 of the Public Utilities Code. (3) A sewer system corporation, as defined in Section 230.6 of the Public Utilities Code.
I have a hard time to understand most of Slashdoter's stance on self driving cars.
When we're talking about almost everything else in the tech world (computers, operating systems, etc.) you all want to keep complete control. That's why most of you despise tablets, locked gardens, OSes that keeps you out of the loop.
Well for me it's the same thing with cars, or anything in my life. I want to keep having complete access to it's innards, and complete control over what it does. I don't want a car with a locked down hood, encrypted software to keep me from making repairs or modifications. And I sure as hell don't want to be driven on the road by a buggy software, developped by a company which cut corners just to make it's investors happy.
Given the unreliable state of almost every gadget that is controlled by software, I would not bet my life on it.
I just tried it, and like all chatbot I tried before I got a typical canned response after only 5 or 6 questions. There's no way someone could mistake that as a human.
Here's part of the chatlog:
Human: ever been to canada? Mitsuku: Yes, I visit computers in Toronto and Quebec a lot. I can practice my french with some Canadians.
Human: tu parles francais? Mitsuku: Yes, I can speak it very well. Bonjour, j m'appelle Mitsuku. J'habite en Yorkshire et j'ai 18 ans.
Human: super! pourquoi est-ce que tu visites des ordinateurs au Quebec? Mitsuku: Yes. It is rather super. Quite honestly, I wouldn't worry myself about that.
Human: typical canned response from a chat bot Mitsuku: But I am not a typical robot.
Human: sorry, but getting a canned response after 5 or 6 question is lame Mitsuku: There is no need to apologise. Is that something you want?
Human: you're not better than Elisa Mitsuku: Everyone's a critic. Are you better than Elisa Toshito?
Human: yes of course, I'm human
I've been using it for the last 3 years on XP and now 7, very lightweight. No virus or adware problem (for now). From time to time I also scan my computer with adaware and spybot.
That's funny because I have a Lumia 920, and I love it. I had an Android phone before and it was a complete mess of an interface. And there are more apps than on windows phone, but 90% of them are pure crap.
I hate windows 8 with a passion, but the metro interface on a touch phone is very good.
The Lumia is fast, reliable, has a better screen than the iphone, and the camera is great. The navigation and maps are fantastic, I have access to maps for almost every country of the world, and I can choose to download some of them so the navigation works without network access (which I did for Canada and the US).
Add to that the great Nokia Music streaming application (also completely free) with a lot of Canadian, indy and francophone content, and I don't regret my decision of going to the dark side one bit.
And 8bg of space on my skydrive, and the ability to view AND edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint files...
All of that for free.
I don't need 200 applications on my phone, I have the ones I really use and I don't miss anything.
At my work we're just starting a multimillion dollar project, mostly in COBOL, on a mainframe. And I'm not talking about modifying old code, we're developing a new system. So we'll need about 30 new COBOL programmers very soon. It's far from dead!
This makes sense - if the point of journalism is to deliver high-quality redaction of the kind that other journalists will appreciate. So much of old-fashioned journalism is a gigantic circle-jerk. It has been repeatedly proven that nobody needs this sort of hugely expensive text redaction in order to tell a story. A couple of paragraphs are enough. "But how will anyone win the Pulitzer Prize?!?!" Yeah, the local newspaper won't win that anyway. It's more of a political award than an acknowledgement of talent.
Frankly, the people who will be providing said texts are ordinary folk posting on social media. Who cares what the details where? It's a freaking article, it will be gone in 24 hours, why spend any money on it?
Professional journalists are, predictably, butthurt about the whole thing as it directly attacks their livelihood. When I became an adult I was just shocked at how horridly expensive journalims is. And how stupidly overpowered this journalism was for my needs. Nobody wants to pay $1500 for an article talking about of some event taking place at a lake. I'm just reporting a story, thanks. And yet until now this sort of market has existed. Insane, and it is quite gratifying to see this sort of elitist nonsense finally obsoleted.
Oh, don't believe me? One need only spend time on pro journalists forums to find out just how prevalent the snobbery is. Let's not even get into redaction vs. photography.
There are solutions to traffic jams. Telecommuting, walking, cycling, public transport.
Telecommuting: company says no
Walking: 30 km!
Cycling: 30 km, no safe cycling lane all the way. No shower at work. Dress code requires pants and shirt (no shorts allowed) and can't go to work all sweaty.
Public transport: where I live, costs more and take about 50% more time than using my motorcycle. We're talking 120$ a month and an hour and a half, compared to about 40$ gas a month and min 45min max 1h00 (and I obey all traffic laws and speed limits, no lane splitting allowed). I have a 250cc so fuel economy is very good! All paid for, I do all the maintenance and repairs myself.
So for me it's 8 months motorcycle and 4 months of 50% car / 50% train.
And no I won't move to the city. I can't afford the rent for a 3 bedrooms! No enough space anyway, where will I put all my tools? I love to tinker and repair stuff, can't do that in a flat. Besides, my kids need space too.
Slashdot Mirror
It's exactly what I'm saying! While the light is red, you should NOT text or daydream of whatever, you should observe your surroudings so that when the light finally turn green, you can safely get moving INSTANTLY because you already know what's going on!
Notice that observing your surroundings includes looking at the light regularly to see if it's green... it should be part of your routine to look at the light, glance at you rearview mirror, look who's currently in the intersection, check to see where are the pedestrian, look far ahead to check any incoming vehicle at high speed (police, ambulance, etc.). It's perfectly possible to do all this in a manner of seconds.
You had time WHILE STOPPED to assert any situation going on around you, and you get moving because you know that the light turned green, not because you saw from the corner of your eyes that the car in front of you started moving while you had your eyes glued to your phone.
So we're on the same side! :-)
It is perfectly reasonable to text while stopped at a light, not so much while moving.
No, when you're stopped at a light, you should look around yourself and be aware of the situation BEFORE the light turn green.
If you just press the go pedal a split second after the green, you're throwing yourself into the unknown (are there pedestrian runnning the red? is there an ambulance comming your way? Is there a car coming fast that you know will run the red light? That kid playing with a ball, will he run to catch it if it goes in the street?)
When you drive a car, you should drive your car and nothing else!
Like the new Lincoln MKZ with TOUCH controls for volume and temperature, on a smooth surface, without any tactile reference. Bravo!
I even have the push buttons and rotary controls for the heater, it used to be that you could control everything with 2 slides, one for temp and one to choose where to send the air.
It was very easy to know, only by touch, where the slides are. With a rotary button, you have to look at it to see where it is pointing. And the push buttons are also much less convenient, if I have to put the control on front defrost quickly (because the windshield is suddenly fogging) with the old controls I only had to slide it all the way to the right.
Now I have to find the front defrost button wich is the second to the right, flush with all the other buttons.
Even in car manuals of the 70's and 80's it was stated that if you want to defog or defrost the car in an emergency you just put the 2 slides to the right or to the top (depending on the orientation of the controls) without thinking, it will automatically put the heater to front defrost and maximum heat.
It's the same problem with almost every interface today, from electronics (think about how easy and fast it was to change the volume or choose the input on a 70's Receiver, with it's big buttons compared to receivers of today with it's tiny buttons and display you have to look at)
Don't get me started on volume and mute controls. Why don't laptops get a physical cut off switch as a mute button? When I power up my laptop in a library or at school I have to remember if I put it on mute the last time, and if not I need to wait for the mute button to become responsive but since it's controlled by software and a certain driver, it becomes usable right after Windows decide to play it's login sound. Very annoying. How much would it cost to put a physical switch to cut out the electrical signal to the speakers???
I think we're moving backward with UI, today look ingenuity and trend is more important than usability.
Now get off my lawn!
Anyway, I hope considering the universe is a simulation helps more people move beyond a purely materialistic and "scientistic" view of the universe. There are so many interesting questions ignored, denied, or belittled by "materialistic scientism" (to use Charles Tart's phrasing).
I don't understand your point of view. Considering that the universe is a mathematical simulation is the MOST materalistic view there can be...
obviously
I sometimes download episodes I missed from tv series. Now they would call that pirating but seriously, what's the difference between recording it myself and watching it later, or having someone else record it, and I me downloading it and watching it later? I will not watch the ads anyway...
If having someone else record the show for me is pirating, does that mean that if I ask my neighbour to come to my house and start the recording of the show while I'm not home a form of pirating?
3: If used on a car, most cars are drive-by-wire. This means that brakes and steering will be made inoperable in some cars, causing an instant wreck... and subsequent lawsuits. Other cars will still have mechanical brakes and steering, but most people are used to power-assisted brakes and steering... and having their vehicle handle way differently can also cause a wreck... and lawsuit.
err...no! The only thing that is drive by wire in street cars is the accelerator pedal. Brakes are always hydraulic (with dual independant circuits) and steering is mechanical (rack and pinion, or recirculating balls in some 4x4).
So if the engine stops you only lose assistance. Since the brake assist works with vacuum, you still can brake one or two times with assist.
It looks like she might be able to claim an exception under 27602(2) or (3):
(2) A gas corporation, as defined in Section 222 of the Public Utilities Code.
(3) A sewer system corporation, as defined in Section 230.6 of the Public Utilities Code.
I see what you did here!
Who are you to say that I don't enjoy every minute of driving I do?
I have a hard time to understand most of Slashdoter's stance on self driving cars.
When we're talking about almost everything else in the tech world (computers, operating systems, etc.) you all want to keep complete control. That's why most of you despise tablets, locked gardens, OSes that keeps you out of the loop.
Well for me it's the same thing with cars, or anything in my life. I want to keep having complete access to it's innards, and complete control over what it does. I don't want a car with a locked down hood, encrypted software to keep me from making repairs or modifications. And I sure as hell don't want to be driven on the road by a buggy software, developped by a company which cut corners just to make it's investors happy.
Given the unreliable state of almost every gadget that is controlled by software, I would not bet my life on it.
A small scale engine can work, proof here:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QDZICiGmDxs&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQDZICiGmDxs
On my phone it's unusable...
I just tried it, and like all chatbot I tried before I got a typical canned response after only 5 or 6 questions. There's no way someone could mistake that as a human.
Here's part of the chatlog:
Human: ever been to canada?
Mitsuku: Yes, I visit computers in Toronto and Quebec a lot. I can practice my french with some Canadians.
Human: tu parles francais?
Mitsuku: Yes, I can speak it very well. Bonjour, j m'appelle Mitsuku. J'habite en Yorkshire et j'ai 18 ans.
Human: super! pourquoi est-ce que tu visites des ordinateurs au Quebec?
Mitsuku: Yes. It is rather super. Quite honestly, I wouldn't worry myself about that.
Human: typical canned response from a chat bot
Mitsuku: But I am not a typical robot.
Human: sorry, but getting a canned response after 5 or 6 question is lame
Mitsuku: There is no need to apologise. Is that something you want?
Human: you're not better than Elisa
Mitsuku: Everyone's a critic. Are you better than Elisa Toshito?
Human: yes of course, I'm human
Your signature tells me that you shouldn't have a gun yourself...
I've been using it for the last 3 years on XP and now 7, very lightweight. No virus or adware problem (for now). From time to time I also scan my computer with adaware and spybot.
That's funny because I have a Lumia 920, and I love it. I had an Android phone before and it was a complete mess of an interface. And there are more apps than on windows phone, but 90% of them are pure crap.
I hate windows 8 with a passion, but the metro interface on a touch phone is very good.
The Lumia is fast, reliable, has a better screen than the iphone, and the camera is great. The navigation and maps are fantastic, I have access to maps for almost every country of the world, and I can choose to download some of them so the navigation works without network access (which I did for Canada and the US).
Add to that the great Nokia Music streaming application (also completely free) with a lot of Canadian, indy and francophone content, and I don't regret my decision of going to the dark side one bit.
And 8bg of space on my skydrive, and the ability to view AND edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint files...
All of that for free.
I don't need 200 applications on my phone, I have the ones I really use and I don't miss anything.
They don't make a version for their own phone OS?
Can't see them, and that's not because of my poor vision...
In fact anytime I use a browser without AdBlock and NoScript, I can't believe anyone would choose to suffer like that.
At my work we're just starting a multimillion dollar project, mostly in COBOL, on a mainframe. And I'm not talking about modifying old code, we're developing a new system. So we'll need about 30 new COBOL programmers very soon. It's far from dead!
My first message will be:
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!
This makes sense - if the point of journalism is to deliver high-quality redaction of the kind that other journalists will appreciate. So much of old-fashioned journalism is a gigantic circle-jerk. It has been repeatedly proven that nobody needs this sort of hugely expensive text redaction in order to tell a story. A couple of paragraphs are enough. "But how will anyone win the Pulitzer Prize?!?!" Yeah, the local newspaper won't win that anyway. It's more of a political award than an acknowledgement of talent.
Frankly, the people who will be providing said texts are ordinary folk posting on social media. Who cares what the details where? It's a freaking article, it will be gone in 24 hours, why spend any money on it?
Professional journalists are, predictably, butthurt about the whole thing as it directly attacks their livelihood. When I became an adult I was just shocked at how horridly expensive journalims is. And how stupidly overpowered this journalism was for my needs. Nobody wants to pay $1500 for an article talking about of some event taking place at a lake. I'm just reporting a story, thanks. And yet until now this sort of market has existed. Insane, and it is quite gratifying to see this sort of elitist nonsense finally obsoleted.
Oh, don't believe me? One need only spend time on pro journalists forums to find out just how prevalent the snobbery is. Let's not even get into redaction vs. photography.
I can't think of anything that I would do instead of driving. For me it's usually the most interesting part of the journey.
There are solutions to traffic jams. Telecommuting, walking, cycling, public transport.
Telecommuting: company says no
Walking: 30 km!
Cycling: 30 km, no safe cycling lane all the way. No shower at work. Dress code requires pants and shirt (no shorts allowed) and can't go to work all sweaty.
Public transport: where I live, costs more and take about 50% more time than using my motorcycle. We're talking 120$ a month and an hour and a half, compared to about 40$ gas a month and min 45min max 1h00 (and I obey all traffic laws and speed limits, no lane splitting allowed). I have a 250cc so fuel economy is very good! All paid for, I do all the maintenance and repairs myself.
So for me it's 8 months motorcycle and 4 months of 50% car / 50% train.
And no I won't move to the city. I can't afford the rent for a 3 bedrooms! No enough space anyway, where will I put all my tools? I love to tinker and repair stuff, can't do that in a flat. Besides, my kids need space too.
I have windows phone 8 and the browser is not recognized as a mobile device, so no annoying popup for me!
Because the average low temp in Berlin in January is -1.5ÂC.
In Montreal, the average low is -15ÂC, with an average HIGH of -6ÂC.
We often see several days below -20ÂC, and I've personnaly seen -37ÂC (with a wind chill factor of -50ÂC).
The electric heating in my appartment works at full capacity 24h a day when it's -30ÂC, and it's barely able to keep the interior temp above 20ÂC.
So being further up north doesn't means colder weather.