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  1. Or just take the money you would have spent building all of those plants deploying solar and wind all over the place. Problem solved in far less time.

  2. Re:Calling all rockets on Consumer Reports Ranks Tesla Model X Near Bottom For Reliability (cnn.com) · · Score: 1

    No probably more like there's an understood level of accepted risk to buying a car by an automaker that didn't exist not all that long ago with technology that had never been implemented in cars quite like this to produce a true electrical replacement for vehicles that has never really been attempted before at any kind of reasonable scale. You kind of expect there's going to be bugs along the way since you're an early adopter. Now if in 10 years their cars are still highly unreliable, that's a different conversation but as the summary itself states -- Model S reliability has increased as you would expect from ample improvement cycles.

  3. Desktop user here on Linux Turns 25, Is Bigger and More Professional Than Ever (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 1

    Been using Linux as my OS of choice on home computers for a while now. The desktop experience has come a long way to achieving what I would consider "expectation parity" with a few exceptions.

    The biggest thing I hope to see change is Apple start publishing iTunes for Linux. That's not because I use it, but because many people who otherwise have no reasonable need to use Windows would be able to switch to Linux.

    In a similar vein, I hope to see WINE get to the point that pretty much any random Windows based application just works so that migrating people is SUPER easy.

    Lastly, and I'm sure this will ruffle some feathers, I hope Canonical gets convergence working properly across form factors so that for someone that wishes, they could turn their phone into their single computing device and not give up having access to a standard desktop in the process. If ever Linux were going to "win the desktop", this might be the best bet.

  4. Re:First world problems... on EFF: T-Mobile "Binge On" Is Just Throttling of All Data (eff.org) · · Score: 1

    That's a production problem, not a delivery problem. With bandwidth, production is ENTIRELY the job of the other end of the connection. For cell companies, they have one job -- delivery. Comparing rate limitations to power limitations during brownouts is NOT apples to apples.

  5. Re:Note if we can stop.. on Study: Cutting Sugar From Diet Shows Immediate Health Benefits (wiley.com) · · Score: 2

    The reason most store bought produce lacks in taste has little to do with genetic modification and everything to do with when it was picked. Tomatoes, for example, are not typically picked when they are fully ripe. The natural ripening process is what generates all the flavor and most of the nutritional goodness. You can simulate this yourself with a tomato plant at home. Just pick a tomato way before it ripens. Set it in a bowl with ripened tomatoes and once it turns red, taste it. Then compare it to tomatoes that ripened on the vine from the same plant.

  6. Re:A story, and, for some, an opportunity on CodeWeavers To Release CrossOver For Android To Run Windows Programs · · Score: 1

    Allegedly, their revenue stream from licensing is going down while interest and revenue from software makers in assisting in porting their Windows apps to Linux using their platform is increasing.

    I mean it stands to reason that people are not going to regularly upgrade Crossover if it's already running whatever app they want well. And so it stands to reason that they would target their development efforts to companies looking to port. Sooner or later, essentially all the important calls will be implemented such that only bug fixes and/or config tweaks will be necessary to get apps to run as they would on a stock copy of Windows.

  7. EPB in Chattanooga area rolling out soon on Municipal ISP Makes 10Gbps Available To All Residents · · Score: 1

    EPB has said they'll be rolling out 10gb in the near future (within the next year). Given their 1GB prices, I expect they'll be far cheaper than $400 per month.

    I might get it just because. I've got their 1GB service and about the only times I peg it are if I'm downloading a torrent.

  8. Hillary Canute on Clinton Promises 500 Million New Solar Panels · · Score: 2

    Current projections I've seen show about that many being installed regardless of what political efforts are underway. So she's basically pulling a Canute. That's really bold and ambitious of her. /s

  9. Re:A bit disappointed on An AI Learned Magic: the Gathering, Now Creates Thousands of New Cards · · Score: 1

    Sounds human-like to me.

  10. Re:With the best will in the world... on Audi Creates "Fuel of the Future" Using Just Carbon Dioxide and Water · · Score: 1

    I'm not sure where you are getting your data on what will make people want a Tesla (or not), but I know tons of people that want one and the only thing stopping them currently is price. I've never heard a single person in real life say they didn't want one. Not a single one.

  11. Re:Batteries with Solar Systems = No Net-metering on Tesla's Household Battery: Costs, Prices, and Tradeoffs · · Score: 1

    Depends on where you live and who your providers are. Laws and utility policies vary widely as there are no national governance rules on it (yet). In TVA territory, you currently are allowed to sell power back to the grid as a green power provider at a 2 cent premium over retail rate. This is for solar power and not strictly using a battery to store at off-peak hours and sell back during peak hours. I'm not sure how this battery will fit into their paradigm.

  12. Re:With the best will in the world... on Audi Creates "Fuel of the Future" Using Just Carbon Dioxide and Water · · Score: 1

    Maybe a better way would be to say the last 2% or 3% of driving cases not already covered. Even the Leaf covers probably 70% of driving cases (random percent guess). But it's easy to think of very common use cases that it would not reasonably cover that are not in that last few percent. The current Tesla models do.

    Driving cross country in a Tesla is doable *now* depending on your requirements (i.e. minimum stops and can't be stopped more than 10 minutes). I guess those use cases are things like you have to drive to a wedding 10 hours away and overslept. You can make it, but ....

  13. Re:Gamechanger on Tesla Announces Home Battery System · · Score: 1

    Where in the world do you live that has 5 cents per kWh?

    If you live in TVA territory (just one area, I know), it's currently 10 cents. Word has it that residential is getting moved to peak demand pricing soon, so a solar + battery combination could easily pay for itself in the 10 year window of the warranty on the battery and even longer warranty on solar panels.

  14. Re:With the best will in the world... on Audi Creates "Fuel of the Future" Using Just Carbon Dioxide and Water · · Score: 1

    Extreme edge cases, not common edge cases. Examples:

    1. Towing excessive weight
    2. Driving long distances and needing to make extremely infrequent and short refueling stops (like 10 minutes max)
    3. Driving all day in an area where there are no charging options or don't have time to stop and refuel at one.

    I can count on one finger the number of times in a year something like that might apply to me. For those rare occasions, renting a vehicle is practical.

  15. Re:With the best will in the world... on Audi Creates "Fuel of the Future" Using Just Carbon Dioxide and Water · · Score: 1

    The example I saw was an 11 hour journey in an optimal route as described by Google. The Tesla route was a little under 15 hours. It's probably important to keep in mind that the guy had a low battery, so I'm guessing at least 2 out of the 8 or 9 battery charging stops could have been eliminated saving 40 minutes minimum. Probably more like an hour and a half since the route had him going 20 minutes out of the way to the first charger. Make one of those stops a break for a meal (like most anyone would on an 11 hour journey) to fully charge the battery and it starts to make the journey even more like a regular gas powered trip.

    If Tesla ever does figure out a model for their battery swapping tech that makes sense, then long journeys in a battery powered vehicle become no big deal at all. Even without it, it's approaching only edge cases that make battery powered travel impractical.

  16. Re:awwww, poor sports, no game ball for YOU on ESPN Sues Verizon To Stop New Sports-Free TV Bundles · · Score: 1

    If you move to an on-demand model, there is no such thing as leaving on the TV and the meter keeps running.

    I suppose they could try to keep the outdated "scheduled" way of showing movies or other programming and stream that, but why would you do that? And if you aren't doing that, how are you going to monitor usage?

    Just charge a premium for a scheduled non-stop stream and be done with it.

  17. Re:With the best will in the world... on Audi Creates "Fuel of the Future" Using Just Carbon Dioxide and Water · · Score: 1

    Range issues are a concern

    Not quite so much in a Tesla. With their latest software, you put in your destination and it will plan your route based on supercharger locations. They're adding more all the time to make efficient routes. But wait ... there's more! Not only do they route you to superchargers, the route planner tells you how long you have to spend at each location charging to get to the next charger.

    At the rate they're installing superchargers and combined with any future battery improvements, range anxiety won't be any worse than it is for gasoline vehicles. Possibly less so.

  18. Re:awwww, poor sports, no game ball for YOU on ESPN Sues Verizon To Stop New Sports-Free TV Bundles · · Score: 1

    I seriously doubt that's where it's headed at least not in the way you describe. The trend is towards on demand streaming. Even HBO who I thought would be the last is one of the first with their no landline subscription needed access to their on demand service.

    There may be usage based billing, but a set fee makes more sense so that even if people get really busy and barely watch anything for a while, companies still make their money.

    Some cable companies are looking into turning essentially every channel into nearly on-demand with features such as rewinding any show back to the beginning even if you didn't record it on your DVR or have it playing with the real-time buffer to go back on.

    The future is trending towards what customers want and when they want it. The holdouts run the risk of having an upstart that full-on embraces new tech replace them.

  19. Re:Too speculative right now on Google Insiders Talk About Why Google+ Failed · · Score: 1

    Sure, I mean it could be as simple as they're looking for a way to transport their workers and/or goods and maybe hope to make some additional money off broader sales. Could also be that they have a whiteboard in a room somewhere with tons of "what if" written down on future projects that could be tied into their own transportation infrastructure.

  20. Re:Google's projects aren't afterthoughts (mostly) on Google Insiders Talk About Why Google+ Failed · · Score: 1

    Driverless cars are prime real estate for ads. If it's for-hire, then you know at least one of the passengers and where they are going. Combined with whatever other data metrics they have on that person, ads practically write themselves.

  21. Re:Incompetent IT in a health care industry? on US Health Insurer Anthem Suffers Massive Data Breach · · Score: 1

    It's almost always a lack of will to spend the money required or accept the pain necessary and NOT technical feasibility. If you build your systems to the strictest of standards or beyond, then you are by default in compliance with the rest.

    Doing things "right" almost always gets hamstrung by the dollar figures required or by "business" push-back. "Do we really need to install IDS/IPS equipment in every little branch network we have?" Yes, yes you do if you want to prevent and catch breaches early. "What do you mean I shouldn't use my iPad pool-side while on vacation to do my work? I'm the CEO." Yes, but that guy taking pictures of your screen behind you on the balcony isn't and the guy that's going to steal your iPad while it's unlocked when you get up to get your margarita certainly isn't.

  22. Re: What's the point? on Microsoft Launches Outlook For Android and iOS · · Score: 2

    Fine. But you said it was hard for you to fathom. Convenience and money are the reasons people take the other route. That's hard to understand?

  23. Re:Hello, the 1980s are calling, they caught your on New Study Says Governments Should Ditch Reliance On Biofuels · · Score: 1

    Sea water. It come (these days) fully loaded with everything needed for algae.

  24. Re: What's the point? on Microsoft Launches Outlook For Android and iOS · · Score: 1

    Because many corporations will not let you access corporate data (including email) outside of maybe a web front-end without having some kind of say in how your device behaves (example: screen lock settings).

    This means if you want native application access while on the go for convenience, you have two options:

    1. Carry two phones (personal and corporate)
    2. Let "corporate tendrils" onto your personal.

    It's worth pointing out that many corporations will provide a financial stipend to use your personal because that saves them money. Depending on your carrier and the size of the stipend, it could just about pay your monthly bill.

  25. Re:But the inevitable on Time For Microsoft To Open Source Internet Explorer? · · Score: 1

    Anything that retards the move to 'web base applications' is a good thing.

    That ship sailed the moment Javascript was born which was pretty early in the development of the WWW.