I use a different email as well when I do things. Like when I look at houses and such, and when I have to fill out forms when ordering things, etc etc. I must get at least 10-20 spams a day. I just filter emails for that account to go straight to the trash.
Here in the pacific NW, Oregon Dept of Transportation usually lays down gravel on the streets in the winter, when it snows, etc etc. This really screws up your paint. People on the east coast tell me they would rather have gravel and chipped paint then salt and rusted out cars... Well, I guess... However, last year, Oregon Dept of Trans, in their infinite wisdom switched to a MIX of gravel and salt, to increase traction. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.... Next on my list of peeves, are people who leave their studded tires on till July, and when you drive behind them, pieces of the road come flying up into your windshield. In fact walking in the parking lot today when I got to work, I still saw cars with studded tires on... Sheesh...
Anyways, what do they do in the UK? Do they use salt, gravel, etc etc ? Just curious..... A little while back they mounted electronic signs on the freeway here that warn of ice on the surface, yet I see people ignoring them all the time. Reminds me of when I drove to california. In the Mt. Shasta area, there are these electronic signs that says, "Curves ahead. Slow to 45. Your current speed is xxx", and it shows your current speed via/radar. One time I was minding my own business at a gingerly 60, (I've done this curve at this speed, and is quite safe), and this car blew right passed me. The sign lit up and said he was going like 86 or something like that. (I can't remember exactly, it was a few years back) When I rounded the curve, the car was upside down in the embankment. They should've made the sign flash, "Good luck, dope!" , or "Don't say I didn't warn you!"
this is better than setting a 30 limit, and then putting in "speed reducing measures" (chicanes, speed bumps, etc) that force you to slow down. If it's not safe to do 30, then, well, it's not safe to do 30, and the limit should reflect that. If it is safe, take the ****ing bumps away and stop messing up my car.
EXACTLY!!! You would think if there is a street with a 25mph limit, it implies it is safe to do 25. In such a case, they should get rid of those huge @ss speed bumps, that make you slow down to 5mph when you go over them. They should invent like a speed bump that only raises if the sensors in the roadway detect you are going over 25:)
However, on UK roads, vehicles always have to give way to pedestrians. We don't have a concept of "no crossing points" the way (if I understand correctly) the US does
It gets even more confusing, because in the US, the laws on this vary from state to state. For example in california, a pedestrian always has right of way in a crosswalk. In Oregon, they only have right of way vs the cars on their half of the road. The car has right of way on the other. And if the person crossing is using a walking stick with a red tip, then the pedestrian has right of way, even if they are crossing on a "Don't Walk" signal, and you have the green. I'd like to see that stand up in court. There are some streets/biways here that have a 50mph limit, that round a blind curve, and the only warning is a signal placed right before the blind curve to tell you what color the signal is at the actual intersection. If this signal is green you can bet your @ss that people will be doing 50, so if a pedestrian with a walking stick is at the intersection, one can only pray.
A "kind of related" topic, a thought just occured to me. If you are driving on a cell phone, and the reason for banning them is on the grounds that the person on the other end of the phone can't "warn" you of impending danger, or let you concentrate at oppurtune times, then shouldn't talking to blind passengers be banned too? As well as talking to the little rug-rats sitting in the back playing their gameboys?:p
I'm not talking saying it does. I hate the guys who mess with statistics and don't understand them as much as you do; they piss off the people who need to be informed, and they don't help the people trying to inform them.
Heh heh, that pretty much says it all... I didn't mean to imply that these things weren't causality, I just meant thats whats in the "database", and when taken out individually (out of context), and used to show "evidence", it is inconclusive without the rest of the story. In this example, speed could've contributed, but like you said, the most likely suspect was the intoxication, and ultimately the running the red light or even the pedestrian.
Also, you said you are ten times likely to kill at 40, even if it was the pedestrians fault? Where did you get that statistic? Even if it was his fault? If it was his fault, who cares what you were doing.
His mother.
Not to sound cold, but I just meant that if the pedestrian broke the law and caused the accident, "crossing at a no-crossing location", then it should not be my responsibility to make sure they don't get killed. As a father, I would say that I would be more pissed at my kid for being stupid then the driver for going 40 in a 30, because in my eyes, the kid was being a complete idiot. Then again, it didn't happen to me, so I'd probably change if it happened. The closest I got, is back in college, my lab partner was driving his car, and struck and killed a pedestrian in the street, who was the owner of the cafe in my apartment. It was very sad, but the pedestrian crossed at a location where there was a sign saying, "No pedestrian crossing", and the pedestrian was also under the influence. My lab partner's girlfriend who was the passenger was seriously injured, and her family successfully sued the pedestrian's family. Now I can't say that I agree with what happened, but that's just what I experienced.
I dislike the phrase "Speed Kills", because it doesn't. However, inappropriate use of speed unquestionably does.
I somewhat agree. It depends how you define inapproprate. Sure, driving 45 in a school zone is absolutely rediculous. Driving 70 in a 65 is not. Its the differential in speed that is dangerous.
You're starting to sound like one of those idiots I drive past every morning who, like most drivers, thinks he's much better than he actually is. You probably drive a Volvo, because it makes sure you're pretty safe.
This is probably the only thing I disagree with. I actually do think I'm a good driver, but I only say that because I always had a passion for cars since a kid, so I actually took a few classes on driving with some friends in college. You know, driving a special camry to simulate different conditions etc etc. And no, I don't drive a volvo, because frankly, I don't like them. And I do drive with the presumption that everyone around me is an idiot, and I drive accordingly. (The first thing we learned)... Also, I would not drive 45 in a school zone... In fact I think I do drive safely. In the 10 years I've been driving, (knocking on wood while saying this), I've never been in a car accident, other then being rear-ended on occasion, and I've never been guilty of a traffic violation. Getting back to the cell phone thing, I didn't mean to sound like I was hard-nosed against its ban. I just meant:
In states like NY, (I believe), they banned all cell phones in cars,including voice activated hands-free phones. Also, people talk about the number of accidents being "caused" by cell phones. And then they go and legislate against them. When in actuality, there are better things to legislate against that will save more lives. (I'd post links, but I don't have them off hand). I read in many places that things like fiddling with the stereo/tape/CD deck causing more accidents. I've even read somewhere that people trying to eat while driving causes by far many many more accidents then cell phone use.
If I go to a bar tonight and down 9 shots of tequila, and jump in my car, then drive 55 in a 35, and run a red light, and kill a guy j-walking in the street where there is a no-pedestrian-crossing sign, what caused the accident? The fact that I was drunk? The fact that I was speeding? The fact that I ran a red? Or the fact the guy was illegally crossing and j-walking?
You cannot definitely say which caused the accident. Correlation!=Causality, period.
As for you above examples, in my previous post, I said accidents are usually caused by morons. A moron trying to drive with his knees will do so, whether or not he has a cell phone. He probably also steers with his knees while he's combing his hair, shaving, fiddling with the CD Changer, smoking/changing gears, eating a big mac while drinking his coke, etc etc. As for saying the number of confirmed accidents being caused by cell phones, thats BS. Then again you are talking UK, that could be different. Here in the gool ole' US of A, NHTSA doesn't save data that way. They only save correlary information. Look it up for yourself. Almost every statistic points to the nhtsa stats that shows, "Speed was a factor", blah blah blah. In the example I posted, speeding, alcohol, running red, etc are all recorded by nhtsa as a factor. When you use those samples, and say, "Speed was a factor", without mentioning the other factors, you cannot derive any useful information from that and conclude it was the cause.
As for your pedestrians.... If you hit a pedestrian head on at 40, they are just as dead if you were only going 30. It doesnt matter either way. Its like saying you're only a little bit pregnant. Also, you said you are ten times likely to kill at 40, even if it was the pedestrians fault? Where did you get that statistic? Even if it was his fault? If it was his fault, who cares what you were doing. Thats like me saying if I run a red light and you T-bone me, its your fault for driving 55 in a 45. Police won't give a rats tail how fast you were going in that scenario. I can only say that because a little while ago my uncle pulled out of a blind corner and got T-boned by a guy going 45 in a 30 zone. Police didn't care. They noted the speed, but it was still my uncle's fault, and insurance reflected that.
You [insert adjective here] feel/rub/touch/kiss the [insert another adjective] [insert body part] of [insert character name] followed by a response from the character. Depending on the character traits, the character will generate some type of sound like a purr, a grunt, a schriek, or they will return the favor, or they will instigate further action;) , or they will assault you. (if you try to mfeel another guy if you are a guy, etc etc) Also, these commands aren't limited to players. They work with inanimate objects too;) One of my friends was a wizard in the MUD, and even coded some "special" rooms hidden in the MUD, heh heh:) Wouldn't want to bump into those "monsters" by accident:o
(There was at least one time when someone hit the floor. Did I mention that some of this stuff was BORING!?)
My instructor was sooooo boring, I used to just kick my feet up and take a nap. (The angle of the chairs were so perfect, that if you kick up your feet on the chair infront of you, you would be almost horizontal:) Anyways, one time, I opened my eyes, and the prof was looking right at me and said, "Now I understand my lectures can be boring, and I don't mind if you take a nap, but please refrain from snoring as those around you may be trying to listen"... The next day, I was wide awake for the entire 2 hour lecture, and the guy next to me was chuckling at the break. I was like whats so funny? He said that he has never seen me awake for more than 10 minutes in that class.... In case anyone is wondering why I didn't just go home after the break, it was because this prof was famous for giving pop quizzes after the break, becaues usually after the break, 3/4 of the people head home. I lived off campus too, so it was pretty easy for me to just stop in, and get a 2 hour nap before I head home;) One time my freshmen year, in my calculus class, I was really beat. I rested my head on my back-pack, and closed my eyes. When I re-opened my eyes, the room was empty! Nobody even bothered to wake me up:p
Come visit Portland Oregon. You'll see MAX, the light rail system. They recently expanded it to the west side. It takes a route that manages to miss all the popular places of interest, and manages to miss all the big companies like Intel, etc etc. Instead, it takes a more southerly route that features a stop in front of an abandoned building.... (contractors went chapter 11), and other misc stops at places nobody cares about. Hence, if you look at the train, it is mostly empty after it gets to the transit center. Before you leave, be sure to drive on the carpool lane. Its only a carpool lane from 3 to 6 pm M-F, so you can imagine how (in)effective it is. Not to mention there is no double yellow like LA, so since you have to constantly worry about cars cutting in, the carpool lane almost always moves at the same rate as the rest of the freeway. Not to mention when they put in this lane, they took an existing lane and turned it into a carpool lane. So I-5 used to be 3 lanes, now it is 2.... Wow, that sure helps traffic. Then ODOT takes the federal money, and uses it to build parks and such. In an interview ODOT said it would be a "misappropriation of funds" to use this federal money to widen US-26. They said that is best left to local money.... Hmmm, and I thought this federal money was specifically for the maintenence of federal highways and interstates like US-26?!! Then ODOT goes and "fixes" the interchange between I-5 and OR-217. Now instead of two lanes of I-5 going into one lane on 217, they have two lanes going into two lanes. Sounds good right? Take a look at the merge. It used to be three lanes going onto the freeway, with the right lane being an exit only lane. But now, in their infinite wisdom, it is 3 lanes, with all the lanes merging into one, and that one lane becomes an exit only lane, so you have to merge again, with the two lanes I mentioned above. So now the traffic jam from this is FAAAAAAR worse then before they "fixed" the interchange!!!
Then go visit Los Angeles, and look at the subway system. It features a whole 5 stops. (and how much did this cost?) And take a look at the red line. Instead of travelling along Wilshire which is a huge business area, the residents of Beverly Hills protested saying that the subway will bring in "wierd" people to their neighborhood, so the transit authority obliged and the redline now runs down pico, which is mostly slums/liquor stores. Hmmm, wonder how many people ride that line. A few years ago, when I left LA, the local news had a special piece on the subways. The took in a camera, and showed the train station to be ABSOLUTELY EMPTY!!! The trains were deserted!!! Hmmm, looking at the routes and the number of stops, its a wonder why.... As a liberal arts requirement I had to take a class that talked about LA. They showed that when conceived, the 710 and 210 freeway were supposed to connect, but some protestors didn't want a freeway going in their neighborhood, so they registered some buildings with the historic society. So now as it stands, the 710 and the 210 DO NOT connect because of this, and you have 2 freeways that for all intents and purposes are worthless. Its like an escalator to no-where. Its a little better today, with connectors to other freeways, but life would've been soooooo much better, had this freeway actually connect long beach to pasadena like it was supposed to.
A couple years ago, I was a passenger in a car, and I shut up when hazzard approached, and we rammed the car in front of us. My friend got pissed, and asked why I didn't scream at him.
Also, I think the statistics that show cell phone cause accidents is pure BS. There are merely associative relationships, not causality relationships. Most people are clothed at the time when involved in a wreck, so does this mean, driving in the nude will be safer? Besides, most accidents are probably caused by morons at the wheel. That means they will probably be a moron no matter what you give them or tell them they can't do. Can't talk on the phone and drive at the same time? Probably the same person who drops a CD on the floor, and ducks down to pick it up while driving 75 on the freeway. One time I saw a guy reading a book while driving:o It would've been funny if it was a drivers manual...:)
Its too bad Zork didn't have any of the 'g' and 'm' commands from some of the MUDs I found myself in. I remember in college one of my friends was into mudding, and I never saw the fun in a text based game. I got into it one day, and this other character kept harassing me in the game. She showed me the suit of commands like mfeel, gsex, msex, etc etc. Jeez, sometimes my past embarasses me:)
I never played Zork too much because I was busy playing Leisure Suit Larry;) Those games were sure fun, when you had to type in your commands. By the time Larry 6 came around the fun kinda disappeared. I mean, clicking the zipper icon on everything gets kind of lame after a while;) Though it was fun peeing in the water fountain...:)
Gotta love it when the MPAA lawyers admitted DeCSS into the proceedings without marking it sealed so as to keep it out of the public eye. So now thanks to the MPAA their quest to make it illegal to post links to DeCSS was made moot by their idiot lawyers who just stuck it in the public record instead. Tho, I'm not sure if it is still so. They may have finally sealed it, but by now it is surely waaaaay too late.
I remember when DeCSS first came out I never heard about it. I learned of it, in an MSNBC article several years back. They were talking about how "evil" it was, how it would be used for piracy etc etc. I can't remember exactly, but I could've sworn they even posted a link in their article?!! They said it was a "mirror" that was disconnected by the authorities. Much to my chagrin, it was actually a working link, so I hurried and got it:)
Then a year later they had an article on DiVX;) Same shpeal about it being used for piracy etc etc. Again, I never heard of it at the time, and this time they didn't have a link, but it took all but 2 seconds to find it on the net.
So if it wasn't for the media hooplah, I never would've found these great technologies:) I would say the same about MP3, but I guess I was so removed from society, I actually knew about it before the media did. But then again, thats what being a college student strapped for $$$ will do to you;)
Anyways, getting back to my point, you would think that the media would figure out that whenever the media talks about something that we shouldn't have, the masses are going to try to get it before the media can finish their sentences. Then again, some media corps are so far out of the loop, they are just now talking about DiVX and such, as if it came out yesterday or something. It also cracks me up when yet other media corps are so into getting a news story, they don't bother to do any research, and they report half truths and sometimes don't even get the facts straight, and just plain spread lies/rumors.
I especially hate it when people put those bumper stickers on your car while you're not looking, ie: they are hopping car to car in the parking lot, while you're shopping.
All those BS adds that when you try to close, it opens up another window add-infinitum. Hmm, what a wonderful way to get more hits. I wonder if there are still companies around that pay you for each hit.... Err, maybe that's why so many of em' went belly up;)
Thanks, I get it now.... However:
Would this make sense too:
Computers got faster, and thus software became more bloated and innefficient due to lazy coding practices, since the performance of the computer will make up for it, so the end-user won't notice. A few revisions later, and the software is realized to be a POS and must be rewritten, faster processor or no....:)
What does Moore's Law have to do with software? Moore's law just says that about every year, the number of transistors you can fit in a chip will double. He changed it in 1995, to say about every two years. 18 months to be exact. And he originally said this in 1965. And I do believe the software industry existed before microsoft entered the picture.
See his bio here
I went to USC, and remember talking to some CS friends from UCLA. Appearantly, they are only required to take 1 EE class as part of the curriculum. I had to take 2 years worth of EE classes at SC for my CS degree. U of Oregon doesn't even have an engineering school, so their CS program is all fscked up... (wierd, since at SC, the CS program is in the School of Engineering). I was helping a CS friend register in Oregon State, and I remember how shocked I was, that the classes they are required to take as juniors, were the same classes I took as a freshmen. (They have to take far more "liberal arts" classes then I did. They didn't really get into core classes till junior year. I only had to take a handful of "Liberal Arts" courses, and so had to take Core CS classes from day 1. I even looked at the syllabus, and was dissapointed in the simplicity of much of the stuff.
And about two months back, my boss wanted me to interview a possible candidate from a school around here with a CS degree, and he didn't even know the 7 layer OSI model, and couldn't tell me the different threading models... Jeez, what are they teaching there?
Anyways, back to our regularly scheduled program....
(Hope I didn't offend anyone out there...)
It called the Meniscus Layer. Surface tension is the attractive forces between the liquid and the walls of the container, and the liquid molecules towards other liquid molecules. The outward bulge, or inward dip, is the meniscus layer. Closely related, but often confused;) Anyways, back to our regularly scheduled program....
He said it was not surface tension. He said itss a common error to confuse it with surface tension. He said the proper terminology was the Enuskis Layer or something like that. It was like 15 years ago, so my memory could've faded;)
It does make a difference. I forget the terminology, but the method in which the thing is delivered is important. US Mail is most definately not one of them.
On another topic, there is a huge difference in the scenario you describe. Video is a lot more descriptive, then a simple photo. Also, if you shoot everyone dead and only have video evidence, you are forgetting the bodies that are there. They will reinforce the fact. Photo-radar does not do the same. It shows your car in the intersection, when the signal was supposedly red. The machine is supposed to function that way, but you can't prove 100% that it functioned correctly after the fact with no other corraborating evidence. Same when a cop gives you a ticket for running a red light, if he was not behind you, he can't prove that your signal was red. Even if he saw a green on his side. We studied such a case before. Getting back to the 7-11 scenario you described. If you go into a 7-11 and shoot everyone dead, and there is video footage, if there are no bodies after the fact, you will go free(eventually anyways). We studied a case like this before too... With no bodies, you cannot prove homicide, because there is always doubt. Manslaughter maybe, murder no.... We studied a case where they had the suspect, but no body. The suspect led the police to the bodies, but because the suspect was "illegally" interrogated without being read his miranda rights, fruit of the poisonous tree would not admit the body into evidence, and the murder charge could not be had, becuase with no body there was no murder. Even though there really was a body. Thats the kind of BS the law system has. If you don't believe me, you can look up the case. I can't remember the case number, but it was in Wisconsin. If you really want the exact case number, I suppose I can dig up my old law books.
Evidence is evidence, not a witness. 6th ammendment gives you a right to face the witness to the prosecution against you. Commiting a crime, and leaving evidence is different. A police officer will show up at your door, and tell you. That is facing your witness to prosecution. Receiving a ticket in the mail is not. That is after the fact. The former is before the fact.
Doesn't matter if you you get "expert witness" to testify that the photo-radar is working correctly. Especially considering photo-radar does not have judicial notice. So you have to prove how it works, etc etc. This must be done on behalf of the prosecution. Who's your prosecution in this case? The photo-radar machine? Besides, if you look at the statutes, you'll see the driver is the one responsible, not the registered owner. Photo will not prove who the driver is. Even if the driver "looks" like you it doesn't matter. They have to prove it is you.
Cops break the law and have the last word on anything (if you got no witnesses of the incident).
Actually if there is no witness, there is no case, period. The 6th ammendment of the US constitution gives you a right to face your witnesses against you. Thats why photo-radar, red-light cameras, etc are a joke. No witnesses. Can't subpoena the camera and have it testify. So case gets thrown out.
Doesn't right to privacy only refer to right to privacy from govt, not private citizens? Its been a few years since my college days, but I coulda sworn that these rights only apply in regards to govt people. Thats why private security guards don't necessarily need to heed them.
Look up the definition of "Legal Tender"... In both the Webster and Oxford, and probably all the others, I only checked these two.....
(From Webster)
Main Entry: legal tender
Function: noun
Date: 1739
: money that is legally valid for the payment of debts and that must be accepted for that purpose when offered
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I use a different email as well when I do things. Like when I look at houses and such, and when I have to fill out forms when ordering things, etc etc. I must get at least 10-20 spams a day. I just filter emails for that account to go straight to the trash.
Here in the pacific NW, Oregon Dept of Transportation usually lays down gravel on the streets in the winter, when it snows, etc etc. This really screws up your paint. People on the east coast tell me they would rather have gravel and chipped paint then salt and rusted out cars... Well, I guess... However, last year, Oregon Dept of Trans, in their infinite wisdom switched to a MIX of gravel and salt, to increase traction. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.... Next on my list of peeves, are people who leave their studded tires on till July, and when you drive behind them, pieces of the road come flying up into your windshield. In fact walking in the parking lot today when I got to work, I still saw cars with studded tires on... Sheesh...
Anyways, what do they do in the UK? Do they use salt, gravel, etc etc ? Just curious..... A little while back they mounted electronic signs on the freeway here that warn of ice on the surface, yet I see people ignoring them all the time. Reminds me of when I drove to california. In the Mt. Shasta area, there are these electronic signs that says, "Curves ahead. Slow to 45. Your current speed is xxx", and it shows your current speed via/radar. One time I was minding my own business at a gingerly 60, (I've done this curve at this speed, and is quite safe), and this car blew right passed me. The sign lit up and said he was going like 86 or something like that. (I can't remember exactly, it was a few years back) When I rounded the curve, the car was upside down in the embankment. They should've made the sign flash, "Good luck, dope!" , or "Don't say I didn't warn you!"
this is better than setting a 30 limit, and then putting in "speed reducing measures" (chicanes, speed bumps, etc) that force you to slow down. If it's not safe to do 30, then, well, it's not safe to do 30, and the limit should reflect that. If it is safe, take the ****ing bumps away and stop messing up my car.
:)
:p
EXACTLY!!! You would think if there is a street with a 25mph limit, it implies it is safe to do 25. In such a case, they should get rid of those huge @ss speed bumps, that make you slow down to 5mph when you go over them. They should invent like a speed bump that only raises if the sensors in the roadway detect you are going over 25
However, on UK roads, vehicles always have to give way to pedestrians. We don't have a concept of "no crossing points" the way (if I understand correctly) the US does
It gets even more confusing, because in the US, the laws on this vary from state to state. For example in california, a pedestrian always has right of way in a crosswalk. In Oregon, they only have right of way vs the cars on their half of the road. The car has right of way on the other. And if the person crossing is using a walking stick with a red tip, then the pedestrian has right of way, even if they are crossing on a "Don't Walk" signal, and you have the green. I'd like to see that stand up in court. There are some streets/biways here that have a 50mph limit, that round a blind curve, and the only warning is a signal placed right before the blind curve to tell you what color the signal is at the actual intersection. If this signal is green you can bet your @ss that people will be doing 50, so if a pedestrian with a walking stick is at the intersection, one can only pray.
A "kind of related" topic, a thought just occured to me. If you are driving on a cell phone, and the reason for banning them is on the grounds that the person on the other end of the phone can't "warn" you of impending danger, or let you concentrate at oppurtune times, then shouldn't talking to blind passengers be banned too? As well as talking to the little rug-rats sitting in the back playing their gameboys?
I'm not talking saying it does. I hate the guys who mess with statistics and don't understand them as much as you do; they piss off the people who need to be informed, and they don't help the people trying to inform them.
,including voice activated hands-free phones. Also, people talk about the number of accidents being "caused" by cell phones. And then they go and legislate against them. When in actuality, there are better things to legislate against that will save more lives. (I'd post links, but I don't have them off hand). I read in many places that things like fiddling with the stereo/tape/CD deck causing more accidents. I've even read somewhere that people trying to eat while driving causes by far many many more accidents then cell phone use.
Heh heh, that pretty much says it all... I didn't mean to imply that these things weren't causality, I just meant thats whats in the "database", and when taken out individually (out of context), and used to show "evidence", it is inconclusive without the rest of the story. In this example, speed could've contributed, but like you said, the most likely suspect was the intoxication, and ultimately the running the red light or even the pedestrian.
Also, you said you are ten times likely to kill at 40, even if it was the pedestrians fault? Where did you get that statistic? Even if it was his fault? If it was his fault, who cares what you were doing.
His mother.
Not to sound cold, but I just meant that if the pedestrian broke the law and caused the accident, "crossing at a no-crossing location", then it should not be my responsibility to make sure they don't get killed. As a father, I would say that I would be more pissed at my kid for being stupid then the driver for going 40 in a 30, because in my eyes, the kid was being a complete idiot. Then again, it didn't happen to me, so I'd probably change if it happened. The closest I got, is back in college, my lab partner was driving his car, and struck and killed a pedestrian in the street, who was the owner of the cafe in my apartment. It was very sad, but the pedestrian crossed at a location where there was a sign saying, "No pedestrian crossing", and the pedestrian was also under the influence. My lab partner's girlfriend who was the passenger was seriously injured, and her family successfully sued the pedestrian's family. Now I can't say that I agree with what happened, but that's just what I experienced.
I dislike the phrase "Speed Kills", because it doesn't. However, inappropriate use of speed unquestionably does.
I somewhat agree. It depends how you define inapproprate. Sure, driving 45 in a school zone is absolutely rediculous. Driving 70 in a 65 is not. Its the differential in speed that is dangerous.
You're starting to sound like one of those idiots I drive past every morning who, like most drivers, thinks he's much better than he actually is. You probably drive a Volvo, because it makes sure you're pretty safe.
This is probably the only thing I disagree with. I actually do think I'm a good driver, but I only say that because I always had a passion for cars since a kid, so I actually took a few classes on driving with some friends in college. You know, driving a special camry to simulate different conditions etc etc. And no, I don't drive a volvo, because frankly, I don't like them. And I do drive with the presumption that everyone around me is an idiot, and I drive accordingly. (The first thing we learned)... Also, I would not drive 45 in a school zone... In fact I think I do drive safely. In the 10 years I've been driving, (knocking on wood while saying this), I've never been in a car accident, other then being rear-ended on occasion, and I've never been guilty of a traffic violation. Getting back to the cell phone thing, I didn't mean to sound like I was hard-nosed against its ban. I just meant:
In states like NY, (I believe), they banned all cell phones in cars
If I go to a bar tonight and down 9 shots of tequila, and jump in my car, then drive 55 in a 35, and run a red light, and kill a guy j-walking in the street where there is a no-pedestrian-crossing sign, what caused the accident? The fact that I was drunk? The fact that I was speeding? The fact that I ran a red? Or the fact the guy was illegally crossing and j-walking?
You cannot definitely say which caused the accident. Correlation!=Causality, period.
As for you above examples, in my previous post, I said accidents are usually caused by morons. A moron trying to drive with his knees will do so, whether or not he has a cell phone. He probably also steers with his knees while he's combing his hair, shaving, fiddling with the CD Changer, smoking/changing gears, eating a big mac while drinking his coke, etc etc. As for saying the number of confirmed accidents being caused by cell phones, thats BS. Then again you are talking UK, that could be different. Here in the gool ole' US of A, NHTSA doesn't save data that way. They only save correlary information. Look it up for yourself. Almost every statistic points to the nhtsa stats that shows, "Speed was a factor", blah blah blah. In the example I posted, speeding, alcohol, running red, etc are all recorded by nhtsa as a factor. When you use those samples, and say, "Speed was a factor", without mentioning the other factors, you cannot derive any useful information from that and conclude it was the cause.
As for your pedestrians.... If you hit a pedestrian head on at 40, they are just as dead if you were only going 30. It doesnt matter either way. Its like saying you're only a little bit pregnant. Also, you said you are ten times likely to kill at 40, even if it was the pedestrians fault? Where did you get that statistic? Even if it was his fault? If it was his fault, who cares what you were doing. Thats like me saying if I run a red light and you T-bone me, its your fault for driving 55 in a 45. Police won't give a rats tail how fast you were going in that scenario. I can only say that because a little while ago my uncle pulled out of a blind corner and got T-boned by a guy going 45 in a 30 zone. Police didn't care. They noted the speed, but it was still my uncle's fault, and insurance reflected that.
mfeel will generate some random response like:
;) , or they will assault you. (if you try to mfeel another guy if you are a guy, etc etc) Also, these commands aren't limited to players. They work with inanimate objects too ;) One of my friends was a wizard in the MUD, and even coded some "special" rooms hidden in the MUD, heh heh :) Wouldn't want to bump into those "monsters" by accident :o
You [insert adjective here] feel/rub/touch/kiss the [insert another adjective] [insert body part] of [insert character name]
followed by a response from the character. Depending on the character traits, the character will generate some type of sound like a purr, a grunt, a schriek, or they will return the favor, or they will instigate further action
(There was at least one time when someone hit the floor. Did I mention that some of this stuff was BORING!?)
:) Anyways, one time, I opened my eyes, and the prof was looking right at me and said, "Now I understand my lectures can be boring, and I don't mind if you take a nap, but please refrain from snoring as those around you may be trying to listen"... The next day, I was wide awake for the entire 2 hour lecture, and the guy next to me was chuckling at the break. I was like whats so funny? He said that he has never seen me awake for more than 10 minutes in that class.... In case anyone is wondering why I didn't just go home after the break, it was because this prof was famous for giving pop quizzes after the break, becaues usually after the break, 3/4 of the people head home. I lived off campus too, so it was pretty easy for me to just stop in, and get a 2 hour nap before I head home ;) One time my freshmen year, in my calculus class, I was really beat. I rested my head on my back-pack, and closed my eyes. When I re-opened my eyes, the room was empty! Nobody even bothered to wake me up :p
My instructor was sooooo boring, I used to just kick my feet up and take a nap. (The angle of the chairs were so perfect, that if you kick up your feet on the chair infront of you, you would be almost horizontal
Come visit Portland Oregon. You'll see MAX, the light rail system. They recently expanded it to the west side. It takes a route that manages to miss all the popular places of interest, and manages to miss all the big companies like Intel, etc etc. Instead, it takes a more southerly route that features a stop in front of an abandoned building.... (contractors went chapter 11), and other misc stops at places nobody cares about. Hence, if you look at the train, it is mostly empty after it gets to the transit center. Before you leave, be sure to drive on the carpool lane. Its only a carpool lane from 3 to 6 pm M-F, so you can imagine how (in)effective it is. Not to mention there is no double yellow like LA, so since you have to constantly worry about cars cutting in, the carpool lane almost always moves at the same rate as the rest of the freeway. Not to mention when they put in this lane, they took an existing lane and turned it into a carpool lane. So I-5 used to be 3 lanes, now it is 2.... Wow, that sure helps traffic. Then ODOT takes the federal money, and uses it to build parks and such. In an interview ODOT said it would be a "misappropriation of funds" to use this federal money to widen US-26. They said that is best left to local money.... Hmmm, and I thought this federal money was specifically for the maintenence of federal highways and interstates like US-26?!! Then ODOT goes and "fixes" the interchange between I-5 and OR-217. Now instead of two lanes of I-5 going into one lane on 217, they have two lanes going into two lanes. Sounds good right? Take a look at the merge. It used to be three lanes going onto the freeway, with the right lane being an exit only lane. But now, in their infinite wisdom, it is 3 lanes, with all the lanes merging into one, and that one lane becomes an exit only lane, so you have to merge again, with the two lanes I mentioned above. So now the traffic jam from this is FAAAAAAR worse then before they "fixed" the interchange!!!
Then go visit Los Angeles, and look at the subway system. It features a whole 5 stops. (and how much did this cost?) And take a look at the red line. Instead of travelling along Wilshire which is a huge business area, the residents of Beverly Hills protested saying that the subway will bring in "wierd" people to their neighborhood, so the transit authority obliged and the redline now runs down pico, which is mostly slums/liquor stores. Hmmm, wonder how many people ride that line. A few years ago, when I left LA, the local news had a special piece on the subways. The took in a camera, and showed the train station to be ABSOLUTELY EMPTY!!! The trains were deserted!!! Hmmm, looking at the routes and the number of stops, its a wonder why.... As a liberal arts requirement I had to take a class that talked about LA. They showed that when conceived, the 710 and 210 freeway were supposed to connect, but some protestors didn't want a freeway going in their neighborhood, so they registered some buildings with the historic society. So now as it stands, the 710 and the 210 DO NOT connect because of this, and you have 2 freeways that for all intents and purposes are worthless. Its like an escalator to no-where. Its a little better today, with connectors to other freeways, but life would've been soooooo much better, had this freeway actually connect long beach to pasadena like it was supposed to.
A couple years ago, I was a passenger in a car, and I shut up when hazzard approached, and we rammed the car in front of us. My friend got pissed, and asked why I didn't scream at him.
:o It would've been funny if it was a drivers manual... :)
Also, I think the statistics that show cell phone cause accidents is pure BS. There are merely associative relationships, not causality relationships. Most people are clothed at the time when involved in a wreck, so does this mean, driving in the nude will be safer? Besides, most accidents are probably caused by morons at the wheel. That means they will probably be a moron no matter what you give them or tell them they can't do. Can't talk on the phone and drive at the same time? Probably the same person who drops a CD on the floor, and ducks down to pick it up while driving 75 on the freeway. One time I saw a guy reading a book while driving
Its too bad Zork didn't have any of the 'g' and 'm' commands from some of the MUDs I found myself in. I remember in college one of my friends was into mudding, and I never saw the fun in a text based game. I got into it one day, and this other character kept harassing me in the game. She showed me the suit of commands like mfeel, gsex, msex, etc etc. Jeez, sometimes my past embarasses me :)
;) Those games were sure fun, when you had to type in your commands. By the time Larry 6 came around the fun kinda disappeared. I mean, clicking the zipper icon on everything gets kind of lame after a while ;) Though it was fun peeing in the water fountain... :)
I never played Zork too much because I was busy playing Leisure Suit Larry
It sure seemed like "Several years ago", by the way media keeps making it a bigger deal than it is.
Gotta love it when the MPAA lawyers admitted DeCSS into the proceedings without marking it sealed so as to keep it out of the public eye. So now thanks to the MPAA their quest to make it illegal to post links to DeCSS was made moot by their idiot lawyers who just stuck it in the public record instead. Tho, I'm not sure if it is still so. They may have finally sealed it, but by now it is surely waaaaay too late.
I remember when DeCSS first came out I never heard about it. I learned of it, in an MSNBC article several years back. They were talking about how "evil" it was, how it would be used for piracy etc etc. I can't remember exactly, but I could've sworn they even posted a link in their article?!! They said it was a "mirror" that was disconnected by the authorities. Much to my chagrin, it was actually a working link, so I hurried and got it :)
;) Same shpeal about it being used for piracy etc etc. Again, I never heard of it at the time, and this time they didn't have a link, but it took all but 2 seconds to find it on the net.
:) I would say the same about MP3, but I guess I was so removed from society, I actually knew about it before the media did. But then again, thats what being a college student strapped for $$$ will do to you ;)
Then a year later they had an article on DiVX
So if it wasn't for the media hooplah, I never would've found these great technologies
Anyways, getting back to my point, you would think that the media would figure out that whenever the media talks about something that we shouldn't have, the masses are going to try to get it before the media can finish their sentences. Then again, some media corps are so far out of the loop, they are just now talking about DiVX and such, as if it came out yesterday or something. It also cracks me up when yet other media corps are so into getting a news story, they don't bother to do any research, and they report half truths and sometimes don't even get the facts straight, and just plain spread lies/rumors.
I especially hate it when people put those bumper stickers on your car while you're not looking, ie: they are hopping car to car in the parking lot, while you're shopping.
All those BS adds that when you try to close, it opens up another window add-infinitum. Hmm, what a wonderful way to get more hits. I wonder if there are still companies around that pay you for each hit.... Err, maybe that's why so many of em' went belly up ;)
Thanks, I get it now.... However: Would this make sense too: Computers got faster, and thus software became more bloated and innefficient due to lazy coding practices, since the performance of the computer will make up for it, so the end-user won't notice. A few revisions later, and the software is realized to be a POS and must be rewritten, faster processor or no.... :)
What does Moore's Law have to do with software? Moore's law just says that about every year, the number of transistors you can fit in a chip will double. He changed it in 1995, to say about every two years. 18 months to be exact. And he originally said this in 1965. And I do believe the software industry existed before microsoft entered the picture. See his bio here
I went to USC, and remember talking to some CS friends from UCLA. Appearantly, they are only required to take 1 EE class as part of the curriculum. I had to take 2 years worth of EE classes at SC for my CS degree. U of Oregon doesn't even have an engineering school, so their CS program is all fscked up... (wierd, since at SC, the CS program is in the School of Engineering). I was helping a CS friend register in Oregon State, and I remember how shocked I was, that the classes they are required to take as juniors, were the same classes I took as a freshmen. (They have to take far more "liberal arts" classes then I did. They didn't really get into core classes till junior year. I only had to take a handful of "Liberal Arts" courses, and so had to take Core CS classes from day 1. I even looked at the syllabus, and was dissapointed in the simplicity of much of the stuff. And about two months back, my boss wanted me to interview a possible candidate from a school around here with a CS degree, and he didn't even know the 7 layer OSI model, and couldn't tell me the different threading models... Jeez, what are they teaching there? Anyways, back to our regularly scheduled program.... (Hope I didn't offend anyone out there...)
It called the Meniscus Layer. Surface tension is the attractive forces between the liquid and the walls of the container, and the liquid molecules towards other liquid molecules. The outward bulge, or inward dip, is the meniscus layer. Closely related, but often confused ;) Anyways, back to our regularly scheduled program....
He said it was not surface tension. He said itss a common error to confuse it with surface tension. He said the proper terminology was the Enuskis Layer or something like that. It was like 15 years ago, so my memory could've faded ;)
It does make a difference. I forget the terminology, but the method in which the thing is delivered is important. US Mail is most definately not one of them.
On another topic, there is a huge difference in the scenario you describe. Video is a lot more descriptive, then a simple photo. Also, if you shoot everyone dead and only have video evidence, you are forgetting the bodies that are there. They will reinforce the fact. Photo-radar does not do the same. It shows your car in the intersection, when the signal was supposedly red. The machine is supposed to function that way, but you can't prove 100% that it functioned correctly after the fact with no other corraborating evidence. Same when a cop gives you a ticket for running a red light, if he was not behind you, he can't prove that your signal was red. Even if he saw a green on his side. We studied such a case before. Getting back to the 7-11 scenario you described. If you go into a 7-11 and shoot everyone dead, and there is video footage, if there are no bodies after the fact, you will go free(eventually anyways). We studied a case like this before too... With no bodies, you cannot prove homicide, because there is always doubt. Manslaughter maybe, murder no.... We studied a case where they had the suspect, but no body. The suspect led the police to the bodies, but because the suspect was "illegally" interrogated without being read his miranda rights, fruit of the poisonous tree would not admit the body into evidence, and the murder charge could not be had, becuase with no body there was no murder. Even though there really was a body. Thats the kind of BS the law system has. If you don't believe me, you can look up the case. I can't remember the case number, but it was in Wisconsin. If you really want the exact case number, I suppose I can dig up my old law books.
Evidence is evidence, not a witness. 6th ammendment gives you a right to face the witness to the prosecution against you. Commiting a crime, and leaving evidence is different. A police officer will show up at your door, and tell you. That is facing your witness to prosecution. Receiving a ticket in the mail is not. That is after the fact. The former is before the fact. Doesn't matter if you you get "expert witness" to testify that the photo-radar is working correctly. Especially considering photo-radar does not have judicial notice. So you have to prove how it works, etc etc. This must be done on behalf of the prosecution. Who's your prosecution in this case? The photo-radar machine? Besides, if you look at the statutes, you'll see the driver is the one responsible, not the registered owner. Photo will not prove who the driver is. Even if the driver "looks" like you it doesn't matter. They have to prove it is you.
Cops break the law and have the last word on anything (if you got no witnesses of the incident).
Actually if there is no witness, there is no case, period. The 6th ammendment of the US constitution gives you a right to face your witnesses against you. Thats why photo-radar, red-light cameras, etc are a joke. No witnesses. Can't subpoena the camera and have it testify. So case gets thrown out.
Doesn't right to privacy only refer to right to privacy from govt, not private citizens? Its been a few years since my college days, but I coulda sworn that these rights only apply in regards to govt people. Thats why private security guards don't necessarily need to heed them.
Look up the definition of "Legal Tender"... In both the Webster and Oxford, and probably all the others, I only checked these two..... (From Webster) Main Entry: legal tender Function: noun Date: 1739 : money that is legally valid for the payment of debts and that must be accepted for that purpose when offered