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User: Dare+nMc

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  1. Re:checks and balances, sue and cash in on Arizona "Papers, Please" Law May Hit Tech Workers · · Score: 1

    Living in AZ the talk is now how to keep it constitutional. My assumption is to be constitutional the extent will be as simple as to be able to respond in English "US Citizen" barring some other indication of a crime, they should be done. This is how it has always worked for me going through the Federal immigration checkpoints spread through the State today.
    So this really isn't anything completely new to Southern AZ citizens today (but that doesn't make OK.) Today, without this law, if you look foreign, and you are traveling without documentation, your risking a very long day (or more) with INS. This Law (IMHO) only increases the scope of the existing problem, not only can Border patrol grab you and lock you up forever (unchanged by the law) Now Arizona police can also do the same (Although not forever, they would eventually have to turn you over to Feds.)
    Although not having the law never slowed down Sheriff Joe Arpio. He was quoted before this law was in consideration, as saying something along the lines of "if they look illegal, well find some reason to detain them" (Again, just because we have hick sheriffs already behaving badly, doesn't mean we need a law encouraging saying the were right.)

  2. Re:half a million? on No Verizon Partnership For Google's Nexus One · · Score: 1

    There is more for apple to worry about than number of phones. Apple gets a monthly cut of revenue for each Iphone from AT&T, google doesn't. This was (IMHO) due to Apples superior marketing compared to every other phone supplier in the marketplace when they entered. Now enter the 1000lb marketing gorilla of Google, seams very unlikely for AT&T to do the math and say I can have Apple phone+Apple marketing for $400 up front + $15/month per device. While my competitors habe google phone+google marketing for $300 up front + $0/month (likely negative, advertising sharing). Basically that $15/month to apple is probably gone soon. Basically my prediction is Apple market share will stay above 30%, similar or above android; but apples revenue per device will drop at least 5 fold.

  3. Re:Tell Your Wireless ... on Google Street View Logs Wi-Fi Networks, MAC Addresses · · Score: 1

    not enough info to be equal. Google also took a picture of your house, GPS position, and associated it to your address. So now when ever you interact with google from any wifi location they can better target you. Your anonymous post on 4chan about your deviant dreams can now target a nation wide amber alert because you were within 500' of a school when you posted it...

  4. Re:duh on The iPad As In-Car Entertainment System Killer · · Score: 0

    and you can use the ipad outside the car as well

    only in your home, or office not outside, based on Apple's other products; Only If your in Southern California or it's not winter or Summer will you want to use them outside, and you better not leave them in a hot/cold car. The temperature/weatherproofing of apple laptop type products are about the worst in the industry.

  5. Re:Hasn't worked in the UK on "Phone In One Hand, Ticket In the Other" · · Score: 1

    Good luck here, in AZ where I live, it has been at least 2 years since I saw a police officer driving without a cellphone to the ear. I would like them to pass a law against just to see how the officers react.

  6. Re:Here we go.. on Why Lenders Overlook Warning Signs of ID Theft · · Score: 1

    faction of "victims" will pay up just to be rid of the hassle.

    debt collectors are all taught that your the liar. IE Your Gary, and your the liar so they will sell it on because you deserve the hassle. (Which is probably the truth slightly more than half the time.) BTW, you just need them to fax or otherwise send you "proof" of the debt, then you can send them a written singed "I do not owe this debt", "do not call this number again." Then they can't legally sell the debt on, with your number still attached, without getting a lawyer involved. And they wont pay a lawyer for smallish amounts.

  7. Re:hmm... on Bank Employee Plants Malware on ATMs · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Because stupidity and arrogance is traceable.
    Somehow the money has to get from the hopper to the guys home, then from the guys home to buy stuff. My guess would be the guy was caught spending beyond his means, then they started following him to ATM's where he was then recorded withdrawing the money. Then when they go looking for what account he withdrew money from, and it couldn't be found. Then again he may have just bragged about it to his girlfriend, then when he dumped her...

  8. Re:And after that, the models will want their cut on Photographers Want Their Cut From Google's Ebooks · · Score: 1

    unless you want to profit from slicing and dicing somebody else's work.

    sounds like most every job. Photographers/miners/carpenters takes a piece of something nature created, and cuts it up. Musicians take the same instruments and notes compilations of others, programmers build upon what others did... Google pays the artists for any artwork they claim, they just don't want to negotiate with every single photographer, so they set a rate higher than what 99% get currently, and give them the option to take it or leave it.
    I would prefer google to sell e-books afford-ably and artists get their cut, than to have a greedy lawyer hold everything up because the middle men don't want to loose control, and convince a few artists to allow them.

  9. Re:This would actually be useful. on IETF Drops RFC For Cosmetic Carbon Copy · · Score: 1

    when I was allowed to use thunderbird for email, it allowed me to open my sent messages, choose forward, then paste all the original recipients into the "Reply To:" box. Thus Alice can see the original email, and contacts, and dates, and no one got a second set of emails. If she chooses to "reply" then she will email the whole list back by default.
    more honest...
    Although I don't know the difference in "Reply to" and Follow up" to. Also doesn't matter I am stuck with Lotus notes now at work anyway.
    (Or is "reply to" a newsgroups only option?)

  10. recycle on Endangered Species Condoms · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't forget to recycle, and re-use these condoms.

    (something comes to mind about how to recycle a condom: "you just have to shake the f*ck out of it")

  11. Re:Only going to get worse on NASA Summoned To Fix Prius Problems · · Score: 1

    Are you going to require the same on every other car as well? Every car sold today with a automatic, cruise control, and ABS has only one purely mechanical system (that can't be completely over-ridden by a computer) to affect it's acceleration. That's the Parking Brake. Since no one in these stories is applying the Parking Brake (except when requested by a COP on a loud speaker.) A mechanical switch would be a waste of time. Besides, just require the E-Brake to overcome the motors, since current electric cars have no-where near the peak rear wheel torque of the Internal Combustion Engine systems of today, the E-brake should have a much easier time bringing them to a stop anyway.

  12. Re:From the No Duh Dept. on How To Build Roads To Control How Fast You Drive · · Score: 1

    It is interesting that it appears your 20* more likely to die in a UK CAR accident than a US one. That probably indicates that US accidents are less likely to be people on Car (also likely larger and safer cars in the US.) That does have the flip side that US has allot more fender benders.

  13. Re:Why they tell you to turn off your phone... on Do Car Safety Problems Come From Outer Space? · · Score: 1

    while not drive by wire, with ABS you are still at the whim of a computer as to whether your allowed to apply brake force. IE the computer can override 90%+ of your brake command, some can even apply brakes when you didn't request them. The difference is only, if the computer shuts off you default to having brake control. Same is true with any modern car with cruise control, and a automatic, all commands you make to the throttle can be over-ridden, same with all commands to the transmission.
    Don't get me wrong, I think we are much safer with computers overriding most drivers; although I am sticking with my manual transmission, with the E-brake I know I can take control. Not sure most drivers deserve that chance.

  14. Re:Given two programmers on Math Skills For Programmers — Necessary Or Not? · · Score: 1

    Anyone who says that maths isn't needed for a programmer is utterly kidding themselves - or working at the low end of the food chain.

    It is possible for experience to allow people to learn a feel, and get by without doing the math. Seams non-optimal to say the least, but it seams typical even to those capable, to either over design, it or just be reactionary in more of a "who knew" response. Of course it is impossible to have decent documentation/specifications for code without a known background.

  15. Re:The simplest answer is probably the right one on Best Buy Offers Bogus "3D Sync" Service · · Score: 1

    it is very hard to differentiate "marketing" from fraud, especially in this case. "deceit for a profit" is both fraud and marketing, when done like this, it is just not legally actionable fraud...
        Wanting to make their service sound more useful and necessary than it really was, is fraud IMHO (regardless if the marketing dept meant to be truthful and failed, they were attempting deceit to justify them over-stating the value of the service.) But the intent would prevent this from being legally actionable.

  16. Re:Meh on Opera Mini For iPhone Submitted To App Store Today · · Score: 1

    http://www.opera.com/business/partners/#Contentpartner
    google pays opera to be the default search engine, same as firefox.
    I am sure Apple is paid by google to be the default search as well, and thus is the dilemma, will apple relinquish a tiny little bit of the profit for user experience? doubtful...
    I am sure Opera also has a default home page that gives a preferred nod to yahoo/google content for money as well.

  17. Re:Open source at its worst on Nexuiz Founder Licenses It For Non-GPL Use · · Score: 1

    I take it your not a fan of the apache/BSD/APSL style licenses, because they are setup to explicitly allow exactly what you claim as "milking." Also note, this is 2 different companies Illfonic, who purchased the license never open sourced anything (at least related to the current article), they just purchased a license from Nexuiz. Nexuiz has not said anything about abandoning their open source work.
    This seams identical to what many opensource projects have done, from MySql to Apple and OS-x/Darwin. Would you rather they kept it all internal, or is sharing useful code; but holding back some allowed?
    Of course it is a issue if they took free contributions, and essentially sold them without permission. But I wish more companies would open up their old source code, without fear of being bashed for still trying to make a profit if they don't also release all future work.

  18. Re:It actually makes sense on In Israel, Potential Organ Donors Could Jump the Queue · · Score: 1

    I don't agree with the GP, but some things, like kidney disease can destroy other organs, like the eyes. Also things like AIDS would increase the likelihood of the need for a transplant and rule out being a donor. But it definitely seams fair to me, if something in your religion is causing a shortage, it is good to challenge that beliefs harm to society in this manner.

  19. Re:Mechanical linkages != automatically safer on Toyota's Engineering Process and the General Public · · Score: 1

    My experience is similar, but the number of people who can take the car to Autozone for a free diagnostic code reading; that tells them to replace the pedal should be everyone, just a matter of confidence.
    Unfortunately me experience with dealers is that's also the best they will do regardless if it is electrical or mechanical as well (doesn't really help either argument though.)

  20. Re:Mechanical linkages != automatically safer on Toyota's Engineering Process and the General Public · · Score: 1

    >never had a linkage fail without warning.
      exactly my point, sure both systems if designed right give you warning, the electronic system tells you which system and where and can then do what is deemed safest (fall over to backup tell operator to stop.) Those mechanical systems had warnings, but as it still failed, the warning sure wasn't clear enough. IE I have had many many mechanical linkage failures most the only warning was noticed after the fact, their may have been a 5 second whine before complete failure, or the throttle that stuck on me had rust on the spring that broke, a warning that was never seen until after the fact. Throttle cable on my cycle broke, sure it was a little more difficult to turn than usual, a sign that it might break in minutes, or weeks, or never; but a sign that did me no good since it was realized more as a "oh yeah" it was harder, I should have caught that.
    > I fail to see how something that is much easier to make safe is not safer
    I guess after years of doing FMEA on safety critical systems, it is second nature to me, that is hard to explain to the lay person. Read the article, then you may understand some of why most, if not all, commercial flights use fly by wire. Those with direct mechanical connections require constant direct supervision (generally before every flight) and require replacement after only a fraction of their useful life, out of fear of un-expected failures. With "by wire" the system will have triple redundancy, and self detection of all critical failures. So while having 3* the amount of parts, it is 3* more likely you will have some failure. But when their is 0 chance that the failure will affect the operation, other than raising a alarm for the need for repair.

    But I also pointed out that the drive by wire system can be simpler. on my Dodge truck, it is much simpler than the drive by cable system on my previous Toyota truck. Both had cruise control, the Toyota required a separate linkage and motor, and cables and springs to link in the cruise control motor. Both have the same capability of a software glitch giving full throttle. Also the Toyota pedal turns a baffle which is read by a MAF sensor, which is fed into software that determines how much fuel to inject; instead the dodge has a sensor on the throttle that gives all the information directly (both had camshaft sensors, to give timing, and rpm etc, and fuel pressure gauges, temperature gauges, etc that is the other details needed.)
    Since most cars now have Cruise control, and electronic automatic transmissions, they require a throttle position sensor, and electronic throttle control anyway. So which is simpler, the ones with drive by wire (that can override the mechanical linkage) and mechanical linkage. Or the ones without the linkage?
    >repairable by a much larger percentage of drivers.
    What % think they are capable but only duct tape something that make it worse? In my experience it is impossible to find someone who could replace a linkage but not the electronic pedal. I know which one I feel more comfortable replacing (hint, it's the one that tells me if I screwed up.) Granted the electronic is a bit costlier to just repair, but they last much longer anyway (except for the current Toyota problem.)

  21. Re:Mechanical linkages != automatically safer on Toyota's Engineering Process and the General Public · · Score: 1

    No, easier to make safe, doesn't equal safer end product. IE it may take more work and more verification to have redundant systems, but the payoff is greater safety. It is much simpler to have redundant system with the electrical throttle, than mechanical. Also a diesel with electronic throttle is much simpler than the gas mechanical throttle system. If you add in Cruise control, and a dual purpose pedal that needs a electronic feed to the auto transmission anyway, then you mis-fire the engine for traction control/rev limiter...
    Granted the mechanical systems failures are more often a lack of accel, than a full accel (also more likely to blow the engine, waste fuel...) That can be more dangerous depending on when it decides not to accelerate (IE lack of acceleration stuck on RR crossing, in intersection, on interstate...

  22. Re:MIM attack? on Apple's "iKey" Wants To Unlock All Doors · · Score: 2, Funny

    A time-variant RFID key would be significantly more secure.

    I can see the next gone in 60 seconds. How they stick a second android phone in her purse (or something close to the Iphone) perp walks up to the persons car, house, etc. It sends the query over the celluar network from the first phone, to the second phone, to their Iphone, then sends the response back for yours to retransmit. Although to be movie worthy I guess it will need to be a stripper getting close...

  23. Re:What? on Toyota's Engineering Process and the General Public · · Score: 1

    I hope this doesn't become popular (no vehicle I have ever driven, will lockout accel with brakes, except electric drive where it is impossible to have dynamic brakes and accel simultaneously) it really helps in performance driving to be able to change car balance for/in a corner. This is also the way I can get a good down shift with many auto's, get it to shift into the gear/engine speed I want a little sooner without speeding up (even the auto-sticks won't let you get a smooth down shift, without doing this, most wont even try to do a downshift if it would result in anything > 80% of red-line at anything but full throttle.)

    The other issues could be addressed with a hill-start switch, which is what the electric drive mine trucks have. If forward gear is selected they will automatically apply the brakes if any motion is detected in the opposite direction. Although electric drive required quadrature speed encoders, most speed sensors only know speed, not direction, so would require a different speed sensor.

  24. Re:Gods fault on Toyota's Engineering Process and the General Public · · Score: 1

    Do you seriously believe a carburetor is more reliable? Maybe the first 10 years of EFI was a pain, but it was competing against something with a 100 year old history of development but still requires constant fiddling and tuning that only a few people could do reasonably well, even after 120 years of carburetor development. Not to mention they were incapable of meeting emissions, mpg, compensate for altitude, or run at extreme angles, etc. About the only issue with current EFI, is the high pressures now required to meet emissions is difficult to produce reliable fuel pumps that don't cost big $$$ (and the cooling for this wasted energy.)

  25. Re:Mechanical linkages != automatically safer on Toyota's Engineering Process and the General Public · · Score: 1

    The problems here are not about mechanical being safer (it isn't.) But about simpler is much easier to make safe. Toyota is doing thing like adaptive shift logic, cruise control, traction control, taking out shock of things like Air Conditioners, etc. Having this many inputs makes it difficult, not to mention they replace a single linkage with a system that reads the pedal position sends it to a ECM that does lots of other things as well, then sends it to a servo motor, that moves a mechanical air restriction valve, then air flow is read by a MAF sensor that then determines fuel based on RPM, and finally injects the right amount of fuel.
    My Diesel has electronic throttle that is much simpler, it reads the throttle, with RPM+boost it determines injection. Being a manual I do have a mechanical override right their as well, it's simplicity should make it much easier.
    All this said, the ability to do multiple pickups with a electronic throttle and thus throw faults without any "oh shit" warnings like you describe is a big advantage of electronic, if done right. I have worked on vehicles with electronic throttles for the past 13 years (on Diesel) they can be replaced in a minute, with little skill set, they self tune, they keep a log of what went wrong, and on the systems I work on, you can click a few buttons on a display to show the actual reading and verify the whole system without leaving the drivers seat, they can easily be moved to the best position in the cab without linkage redesign, concern for what stress goes into what linkage, or heat, frozen water penetration, etc, etc.