I understand they're working on yet another Prius generation, for release around 2011 (either 2011 or 2012 model year) that will use lithium ion batteries instead of nickel metal hydride and will have plug-in support.
By then I assume they'll be able to easily top 230 MPG.
It's not vaporware once public betas are available for evaluation. The "vapor" part implies it doesn't exist at all, not that it just hasn't released yet. The beta can reveal a product to be vapor, if the product in the beta doesn't match the features of the pre-beta hype. But that just means the pre-beta hyped product was vapor. The crappy beta product is real.
I think this applies both for software production and for the Chevy Volt.
All those MS commercials mention the computer brands by name, and all of those brands include this.
If Microsoft is going to bundle their OEMs' brand names into their ads, they have to accept that the mistakes of those OEMs reflect on their advertisements.
Great, so now Walmart can simply tie my purchases to my credit card and know who I am as I walk in the door on subsequent visits, or walk in the door of any other store they share data with, as long as anything on my person has an RFID tag I wasn't able to find and destroy.
Oh, and anyone else with an RFID scanner who can match it to my face can make the same connection, no credit card required.
Wow, you've actually just made it sound even worse than it was.
If you send something in for warranty repair, you have to expect that those reviewing the device and making the repair can and will retrieve information about the device in order to determine how it broke. It's part of any continuous improvement process.
I devised methods to store records on my products, which can be retrieved when the products are returned for RMA. From those records I can help figure out how the product was used, and if that use affected the need for RMA.
We then use that data to either tell the customer (via friendly visit from the local FAE) that they are messing up their own products through misuse, or we use the data to fix a part of the design or produce a new product that fits the application better.
If you never send the product in for RMA, I never have access to your data. And if you're really paranoid (or a classified government agency), we provide a tool for you to scrub all data before you send the module to us. Just ask.
Cash for Clunkers was originally funded at $US 1 Billion. Congress is negotiating this week to add an additional $US 2 Billion to the program. The original intent of the program was to stimulate the auto industry, encourage consumers to buy more fuel efficient cars, while removing older less efficient cars from the roads permanently. Key provisions of the program were compromised during its initial passing, which result in only slight gains with respect to carbon emissions, particularly when the carbon cost of producing the new vehicle is accounted for.
Except the shopping buggy would also tell Walmart that you owe for the clothes you're wearing, and your purse, and everything inside it, since all those RFID tags are likely still present and activated.
It's a useful technology that is - in virtually every application - poorly thought out. It's not just the risk of abuse that's the problem, it's the lack of planning for consequences of its use.
It's funny, reading this article all I can think about are those Microsoft commercials where the customer wants to buy a laptop under $1500, and wants to get the best deal. They don't mention that the deal includes a pre-installed BIOS rootkit just waiting to be activated by a zero-day Windows exploit.
There are some people that should recognize they should never be in the 40%. If you drive a 1990 Geo Metro, for example, you should know that your car can't accelerate to take advantage of a pass-on-the-right opportunity to unglue traffic, and should instead be part of the rule-following majority.
Likewise, if there's a high-end sports car in your clump, you may wish to give them space to break free. The driver is more likely to be a jerk (yes I drive one) so he may cut you off in an unsafe fashion anyway (though I don't). Plus he can cut and accelerate to get out of the way, potentially breaking up the jam. And, once he's free, he'll run as radar detector for the next few miles at least, allowing you to go any speed up to his without risk of being pulled over.
Driving in Germany last year was a pleasure, even if the rental company gypped us and stuck us with an Opel Vectra.
On the open road, we could go as fast as the rental company allowed. We were never passed on the right, but in turn always stayed right to let others pass us. Even when going 120MPH and passing someone going 80MPH, there was open space on the road to allow the Benz to the left to pass us going 160MPH.
On regular highways, the speed limits were always very reasonable for the road conditions, and intersections were roundabouts so there often wasn't an arbitrary reason to slow down and be clumped.
Even when the freeways had speed limits, I figured that Germans were reasonable people with regard to safe speed, and if they felt a speed limit was necessary on this road, so be it. Most speed limit signs are electronic so they can be disabled when not necessary.
Then I got back to Texas. =( Within a day I realized that waiting patiently for traffic to unwind via left-lane passing would never work, since so many people cut up from the right or pace the car they're passing or ride in the left lane. So I started passing on the right again.
The problem is that one person taps their breaks, the person behind them slams their breaks, and the ones behind and to the side all do the same.
I bet that 95% of traffic jams you see, where there's never an indication of a reason (i.e. a wreck) are caused by this exact behavior.
Meanwhile, I will usually follow a bit closer than I should. But, if I'm in traffic, I'll pull back and create a nice gap. If someone fills it, I'll gradually slow down until the gap opens again. At the same time, if the person in front of my hits their breaks, I won't until I'm sure I need to. I often don't and the person behind me and behind them therefore often don't either.
It might take me a bit longer to get through the road than if I was tailgating, but 200 cars back they'll be happy that they aren't stuck in a traffic jam or in a wreck because of my breaking. Their throughput is greatly increased.
so many people seem unwilling to even get up to the speed limit, let alone exceed it by a few miles per hour, as if you're going to get a ticket for 48 in a 45... I know the police aren't going to give me a ticket for 5 miles over, and I often get passed by cops when doing so.
I know. This is exacerbated when there's a police car driving along with you. Too many people slow down and hang back one car-length behind, filling all lanes. Meanwhile, if I can get to the front of the pack, I'll readily pass a cop going the speed limit by going 2-3 miles over. They just don't care - nor should they as long as I'm using my signals, not tailgating or swerving, and visibly paying attention to the road.
Very true. As an emergency responder I absolutely could never administer this - or really anything else except the oxygen I'm trained to provide.
But EMT service as my office is about 7-8 minutes away. That's not soon enough for a heart attack (and thus we have our emergency responder program), but it's soon enough to administer the blue.
I've tried to take notes on a computer. The view is so transitory that I can't recall it. Think of the simple act of scrolling the window causing me to forget the information. For me, at least, the same thing just doesn't happen if I just wrote it by hand on paper, even when I turn the page.
Dealing with my memory in a world that doesn't afford me time to hand write everything is something that I have to manage in my job. I think fear of forgetting something utterly important is what keeps me in line.
The point of working in academia is to seek knowledge and share it with others.
I think for a nontrivial some, the point of working in academia is to have a guarantee of a next paycheck regardless of economic conditions. Copyright only serves to further enhance that guarantee, at least when held by the author.
I never actually reread my notes in college. It was the act of writing that made me learn the material.
When I had to study for a test, I'd use the text book and the homework. But if I needed to remember something, I could picture the page I wrote it on, picture the correct part of the page, and read my note. I just doesn't work that way when I type on a computer.
Generations defines Generation X as anyone born from 1961 to 1981. Interestingly, it defines Generation Y as those born from 1982 to 2000, and so the oldest members of Generation Z (2001- ) would be in grade school.
That also makes me wonder whether people are going to lose fine manual dexterity as a result. Already kids do less manual craft (like building models) in favour of computer games. I wonder if lack of fine motor training will result in a generation that is unable to do anything more accurate with their hands than push buttons.
I think you're overlooking the effect that a few decades of text messages and complicated video game controllers has on manual dexterity. Studies linked before on Slashdot indicated that a typical teenager today has better manual dexterity in his or her thumbs than someone age 25 or older, thanks to extensive use texting at the ages where motor skills are still developing.
Meanwhile, the typical Playstation controller has far more just "buttons"; a typical game might require use of the direction buttons on one hand, with simultaneous use of the analog stick on the other hand and several fingers for firing. The overall coordination required to operate the game, in my opinion, more than compensates in terms of dexterity for the possible loss in variety of actions.
Slashdot Mirror
I understand they're working on yet another Prius generation, for release around 2011 (either 2011 or 2012 model year) that will use lithium ion batteries instead of nickel metal hydride and will have plug-in support.
By then I assume they'll be able to easily top 230 MPG.
As stated in the summary, that's the EPA's rating, not GM's rating.
While I agree with you in your evaluation, keep in mind that detractors can point to the "government" (EPA) and to GM and say they're the same thing.
They're excited to bring the most fuel efficient car yet out.
I assume when they apply the same new parameters to the Tesla roadster, it will come out at 550 MPG or some similarly useless bullet point.
It's not vaporware once public betas are available for evaluation. The "vapor" part implies it doesn't exist at all, not that it just hasn't released yet. The beta can reveal a product to be vapor, if the product in the beta doesn't match the features of the pre-beta hype. But that just means the pre-beta hyped product was vapor. The crappy beta product is real.
I think this applies both for software production and for the Chevy Volt.
So you could inject this dye, then. What's the problem?
All those MS commercials mention the computer brands by name, and all of those brands include this.
If Microsoft is going to bundle their OEMs' brand names into their ads, they have to accept that the mistakes of those OEMs reflect on their advertisements.
Great, so now Walmart can simply tie my purchases to my credit card and know who I am as I walk in the door on subsequent visits, or walk in the door of any other store they share data with, as long as anything on my person has an RFID tag I wasn't able to find and destroy.
Oh, and anyone else with an RFID scanner who can match it to my face can make the same connection, no credit card required.
Wow, you've actually just made it sound even worse than it was.
If you send something in for warranty repair, you have to expect that those reviewing the device and making the repair can and will retrieve information about the device in order to determine how it broke. It's part of any continuous improvement process.
I devised methods to store records on my products, which can be retrieved when the products are returned for RMA. From those records I can help figure out how the product was used, and if that use affected the need for RMA.
We then use that data to either tell the customer (via friendly visit from the local FAE) that they are messing up their own products through misuse, or we use the data to fix a part of the design or produce a new product that fits the application better.
If you never send the product in for RMA, I never have access to your data. And if you're really paranoid (or a classified government agency), we provide a tool for you to scrub all data before you send the module to us. Just ask.
Cash for Clunkers was originally funded at $US 1 Billion. Congress is negotiating this week to add an additional $US 2 Billion to the program. The original intent of the program was to stimulate the auto industry, encourage consumers to buy more fuel efficient cars, while removing older less efficient cars from the roads permanently. Key provisions of the program were compromised during its initial passing, which result in only slight gains with respect to carbon emissions, particularly when the carbon cost of producing the new vehicle is accounted for.
Despite the program being neutered, people are actually buying cars significantly more efficient than the ones they turn in:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914602,00.html
Except the shopping buggy would also tell Walmart that you owe for the clothes you're wearing, and your purse, and everything inside it, since all those RFID tags are likely still present and activated.
It's a useful technology that is - in virtually every application - poorly thought out. It's not just the risk of abuse that's the problem, it's the lack of planning for consequences of its use.
Do you think PHB will sign a purchase req for $500 to Taylor Facegarden, when they could instead sign one for $1000 to Sun Microsystems, Inc.?
oh contraire.
Well that's simple then. You guys need an on-staff EMT, or need to train one of your existing employees as an EMT.
Where do you work, so I can be sure never to visit? I'd expect any ski resort to have an EMT on hand.
It's funny, reading this article all I can think about are those Microsoft commercials where the customer wants to buy a laptop under $1500, and wants to get the best deal. They don't mention that the deal includes a pre-installed BIOS rootkit just waiting to be activated by a zero-day Windows exploit.
There are some people that should recognize they should never be in the 40%. If you drive a 1990 Geo Metro, for example, you should know that your car can't accelerate to take advantage of a pass-on-the-right opportunity to unglue traffic, and should instead be part of the rule-following majority.
Likewise, if there's a high-end sports car in your clump, you may wish to give them space to break free. The driver is more likely to be a jerk (yes I drive one) so he may cut you off in an unsafe fashion anyway (though I don't). Plus he can cut and accelerate to get out of the way, potentially breaking up the jam. And, once he's free, he'll run as radar detector for the next few miles at least, allowing you to go any speed up to his without risk of being pulled over.
Driving in Germany last year was a pleasure, even if the rental company gypped us and stuck us with an Opel Vectra.
On the open road, we could go as fast as the rental company allowed. We were never passed on the right, but in turn always stayed right to let others pass us. Even when going 120MPH and passing someone going 80MPH, there was open space on the road to allow the Benz to the left to pass us going 160MPH.
On regular highways, the speed limits were always very reasonable for the road conditions, and intersections were roundabouts so there often wasn't an arbitrary reason to slow down and be clumped.
Even when the freeways had speed limits, I figured that Germans were reasonable people with regard to safe speed, and if they felt a speed limit was necessary on this road, so be it. Most speed limit signs are electronic so they can be disabled when not necessary.
Then I got back to Texas. =( Within a day I realized that waiting patiently for traffic to unwind via left-lane passing would never work, since so many people cut up from the right or pace the car they're passing or ride in the left lane. So I started passing on the right again.
One that hogs the bus?
The problem is that one person taps their breaks, the person behind them slams their breaks, and the ones behind and to the side all do the same.
I bet that 95% of traffic jams you see, where there's never an indication of a reason (i.e. a wreck) are caused by this exact behavior.
Meanwhile, I will usually follow a bit closer than I should. But, if I'm in traffic, I'll pull back and create a nice gap. If someone fills it, I'll gradually slow down until the gap opens again. At the same time, if the person in front of my hits their breaks, I won't until I'm sure I need to. I often don't and the person behind me and behind them therefore often don't either.
It might take me a bit longer to get through the road than if I was tailgating, but 200 cars back they'll be happy that they aren't stuck in a traffic jam or in a wreck because of my breaking. Their throughput is greatly increased.
so many people seem unwilling to even get up to the speed limit, let alone exceed it by a few miles per hour, as if you're going to get a ticket for 48 in a 45... I know the police aren't going to give me a ticket for 5 miles over, and I often get passed by cops when doing so.
I know. This is exacerbated when there's a police car driving along with you. Too many people slow down and hang back one car-length behind, filling all lanes. Meanwhile, if I can get to the front of the pack, I'll readily pass a cop going the speed limit by going 2-3 miles over. They just don't care - nor should they as long as I'm using my signals, not tailgating or swerving, and visibly paying attention to the road.
Very true. As an emergency responder I absolutely could never administer this - or really anything else except the oxygen I'm trained to provide.
But EMT service as my office is about 7-8 minutes away. That's not soon enough for a heart attack (and thus we have our emergency responder program), but it's soon enough to administer the blue.
I've tried to take notes on a computer. The view is so transitory that I can't recall it. Think of the simple act of scrolling the window causing me to forget the information. For me, at least, the same thing just doesn't happen if I just wrote it by hand on paper, even when I turn the page.
Dealing with my memory in a world that doesn't afford me time to hand write everything is something that I have to manage in my job. I think fear of forgetting something utterly important is what keeps me in line.
The point of working in academia is to seek knowledge and share it with others.
I think for a nontrivial some, the point of working in academia is to have a guarantee of a next paycheck regardless of economic conditions. Copyright only serves to further enhance that guarantee, at least when held by the author.
I never actually reread my notes in college. It was the act of writing that made me learn the material.
When I had to study for a test, I'd use the text book and the homework. But if I needed to remember something, I could picture the page I wrote it on, picture the correct part of the page, and read my note. I just doesn't work that way when I type on a computer.
Generations defines Generation X as anyone born from 1961 to 1981. Interestingly, it defines Generation Y as those born from 1982 to 2000, and so the oldest members of Generation Z (2001- ) would be in grade school.
That also makes me wonder whether people are going to lose fine manual dexterity as a result. Already kids do less manual craft (like building models) in favour of computer games. I wonder if lack of fine motor training will result in a generation that is unable to do anything more accurate with their hands than push buttons.
I think you're overlooking the effect that a few decades of text messages and complicated video game controllers has on manual dexterity. Studies linked before on Slashdot indicated that a typical teenager today has better manual dexterity in his or her thumbs than someone age 25 or older, thanks to extensive use texting at the ages where motor skills are still developing.
Meanwhile, the typical Playstation controller has far more just "buttons"; a typical game might require use of the direction buttons on one hand, with simultaneous use of the analog stick on the other hand and several fingers for firing. The overall coordination required to operate the game, in my opinion, more than compensates in terms of dexterity for the possible loss in variety of actions.