Re:Cute, but impractical
on
239 MPG Car
·
· Score: 1
Interesting post, but a few points should be made:
(1) Quit cracking up your cars. If you can't drive it, PARK it and call a cab.
(2) Put a turbocharger on it and it should reach its top speed much faster.
(3) Saab has been making a "rolling steel cage" for years now, with "lots of energy-absorbing panels"... truly indestructible? No, but then nothing man-made ever is.
(4) If you can't drive, but insist on trying, do yourself a favor and buy a Saab. You MAY live to be glad you did.
Re:Population control device
on
239 MPG Car
·
· Score: 1
Only one, and that's assuming that they don't need a bag of groceries.
"...that parts of the USA, such as the eastern seaboard, have population densities that are more comparable to Europe."
Moral of the story: Stay the hell outta those places!
In the U.S., the "high incidence of mechanical problems" was due to the fact that, in their rush to get these vehicles to market, the U.S. automakers chose to modify their existing (gasoline) engines to run on diesel. This was unwise for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that diesel engines require a much greater compression ratio. The engines should have been redesigned in order to properly, reliably function with diesel fuel. The early U.S. cars sold to run on diesel were, to put it plainly, garbage. They were low-power, unreliable junk. They should certainly NOT be used to judge the viability of diesel engnies in cars.
Re:You've yet to see station selling suitable fuel
on
239 MPG Car
·
· Score: 1
"Given that this is the fuel that *all* (bar none!) trucks use,..."
Oops! Sorry, Grab, but having driven many trucks of various sizes, shapes and functions, I can assure you that many of them have gasoline engines. However, your point is otherwise quite valid; diesel fuel is available anywhere. And I suppose we could always add a little chicken fat to it, if we had some around...
Okay, I'm convinced! I'm gonna sue! When I was about four I got my hand caught in a Kenmore washer's wringer, and it pulled me in clean up to the shoulder! (Most of you folks won't remember the old wringer washers, so this will make no sense to you, but in those days it was a great modern convenience.) Anyway, as a result of this injury, I've never been able to pitch a fast ball, and my right arm hurts everytime I have to do the laundry. So I'm gonna sue Sears, Roebuck & Company to recoup all the money I'd made had I been able to throw a fast ball. They should have had signs on that infernal machine to tell me to leave it alone until I was at least six (or old enough to read the signs... whichever came first).
Come on, folks, think about it. Get real, here. Do you want to sue everyone who ever produced a popular product? I have here on my desk a lamp with a 60 Watt bulb. If I touch the bulb, it's going to burn the hell out of my hand. But I knew it was a lamp when I bought it, and I knew it took a 60 Watt bulb, and I am fully aware that a 60 Watt bulb will generate heat. So if I'm dumbass enough to grab hold of that bulb, and it blisters my hand, who's fault is that?
God elevated us above other creatures in two major ways: He gave us the ability to reason, and He gave us opposable thumbs. IMO, those who demonstrate a pronounced inability to reason should have their thumbs surgically removed. Otherwise, they can be very dangerous to the rest of us. Look at it this way: if that poor woman can do that much damage to herself with opposable thumbs and a cup of coffee, what the hell might she do with a gallon of gasoline? Some people are just too damn stupid to be allowed to operate thumbs.
I've studied the facts of the case, and the elderly (and I'm sure, very sweet) lady has my deepest sympathy. However, as an old coffee drinker myself, I insist on my coffee being HOT. Any joint that serves me less-than-hot coffee will get it back. My mother, who is 80, likes her coffee hotter than I do. We have both carefully calculated this situation, and concluded that it is unwise to be dumping this stuff on your crotch. Anyone who does this, either intentionally or through carelessness, should hold themselves responsible for the ensuing discomfort. Coffee is SUPPOSED to be hot. When served, it SHOULD be just a bit too hot to drink; it will cool. People who add cream and sugar to it will find that it cools even more rapidly. Personally, I don't eat (or drink) at McDonald's, and have absolutely no use for them. But that was a bullshit case. As a gesture of goodwill, perhaps McDonald's should have offered to cover any medical expenses, but I think the court would have been amiss to have even required that. We must all take responsibility for our own actions. These damned lawsuits tend to negate personal responsibility, encouraging stupidity. Don't blame the education system, folks, just look in the mirror... we're doing it to ourselves, and to our children. (I'd like to write more on this, but I just shot myself in the ass with a Colt 45, and I have to call my lawyer. And then my doctor).
Why would anybody want a robot that runs on WINDOWS? I want one that'll run on FLOORS! I want it to get me a coldbeer and let the damn cat out. Is that too much to ask from a robot?
You may be right, but this whole mess has gotten me pretty scared. I'd been planning to start a glass business... you know, replacing damaged car Windows, home Windows, etc... and calling my business "Windows". I guess I'll look into the other alternative I'd considered, which is building and repairing "Gates". Damn, I wonder if anybody's trademarked that yet?
I remember this, as I was living in Atlanta at the time. I think this same thing happened to a number of restaurants there, but there was one called "Olympic Flame" which I frequented. It was then owned by a fine, sweet, hard-working couple from (I believe) Korea, and they had great sandwiches. They were forced to change their name. I'm not a hard man to get along with, but that really pissed me off. That place had been there for years, and these fine people were busting their asses every day to make a living. They had done nothing to warrant such harrassment. Bottom line: Some names should not be available to trademark. That should apply to any name in common use for a hundred years or so. I also wonder why the Olympic outfit didn't sue Olympia Beer... guess they didn't want to have to pay their lawyers that much money. Bastards!
"Actually, it's the Slashdot posters who need to improve their thinking skills."
Indeed, it is! And may I be the first to heartily welcome you to our number!
}:~)
Damn, Terry... just read your post while sitting over here in the East (the Right-Coast), and my ass is feeling colder already. 'Scuse me... I gotta get a blanket or something...
Thanks, but no thanks... I'll KEEP my "regressive" tax cuts. You want space explored? Then get off your ass and explore it yourself... but not with MY dime.
"...the American west was TOTALLY devoid of life."..."Before the original Americans started sending wagons into the west,..."
One moment, please! The American west was NOT totally devoid of life... and the original Americans were already there. The American west abounded with life and a rich human culture long before any wagons were sent there. There existed tribes of people who had lived in those lands for thousands of years before any of my European ancestors ever saw the Mississippi River. I am a White man of European decent. The "original Americans" were people of generally darker complexion to whom my people inaccurately referred as "Indians". I take great pride in many of the achievements of my Country, but I am shamed by the concept that we White folks somehow brought "life" into the West. The fact is, we damn near extinguished it there... the humans, the Bison, and the land itself.
If you were making a joke, please excuse my response; I suppose it extended beyond the scope of my sense of humor.
Damn, Bruce, I'm beginning to get the idea that you don't much like MS! A couple of years ago, I figured that there was no hurry... that OSS would catch up and surpass MS in its own sweet time. But now I think MS has come to the same conclusion and has decided to take certain actions to avoid or, at least, postpone the inevitable. So heads up, all you OSS developers out there! The race is on! MS is pulling out all the stops to kick your OpenSource asses! They'll stop at nothing! They'll buy Senators, Congressmen, even the DOD if they can find the "Money-Man". (I wish I could help by writing some cool Linux programs, but I have trouble remembering my PIN so haven't gotten into coding just yet.) C'mon, Linux! You guys can do it!
NOTHING is more vile or repulsive than censorship. Therefore, any software used for such a purpose should be censored. (Never mind... I'll just get another cuppa coffee).
Alas, yet another anti-American asshole! You sons of whores must be schooling or something!
Fact: Most citizens of the U.S.A. (I cannot speak for the rest of the hemisphere) are morally bound to do what is right simply because it IS right. Do we think we are morally superior to the citizens of other countries? That depends on the country, and more to the point, the individual citizen.
Do I believe myself morally superior to people who post these anti-American flames? You bet your sorry ass I do.
ShieldW0lf, I am an American (of the United States), and you, by contrast, are an asshole. To presume that Americans (citizens of any nation in the Western Hemisphere) are morally lacking demonstrates an extreme ignorance on your part. Further, to presume that the countries of America have some sort of monopoly on evil exposes you as a hopelessly stupid asshole. I can only hope that you don't live long enough to reproduce, and pass your ignorance and prejudices along to future generations.
Seems to me broadband is like every other computer upgrade I've ever made. I had no idea how slow my old 486DX with 8MB RAM was until I played with something else, and then I HAD to upgrade. I've been through such processes several times, and for me the idea of going BACK is downright scary. I don't want to go back to a PIII 450 box, although it could do everything I required of it, and I don't want to go back to a dial-up Internet connection, even though it would save me a few bucks. We all tend, I think, to forget how damn pokey things were just a year or two ago, and maybe it would be a valuable experience for us all to have to return to those times, just for a few hours. It would give us all something else to be thankful for.
If I were going to build (or buy) a motorcycle, that sumbitch would FLY. Why should my computer be any different? It's not so much (in my case) a real *need* for speed, it just feels so damn good!
Re:I am sure I am not the only one bothered by thi
on
Human-Mouse Hybrids?
·
· Score: 1
"as a PhD-level biochemist/molecular biologist,..." Hmm. Interesting post, but I found it absolutely fascinating that, with your obvious education, you only saw fit to capitalize the P, D, O, and K. Please enlighten my ignorant ass: what's up with that?
What I find troubling is that, after centuries of civilization's great thinkers trying tirelessly to build a better mousetrap, now some damned idiots decide that it would be really cool to build a better mouse. This does not sound like a good idea to me. Maybe we should let the mice concern themselves with their own improvement, while WE keep working on those traps.
"Certainly NASA is more careful about O-rings than they used to be". I should hope so! And more careful about E-clips, too... both Solar and Lunar E-clips! It's the little stuff that'll getcha.
I would really love to see it; from what I've read it sounds like a great movie. But if Disney is making a dime off of it, I'll make damn sure it isn't MY dime. Call me old-fashoned, but I still believe that politicians should only be bought with VOTES... and Disney obviously doesn't share my belief on this.
Slashdot Mirror
Interesting post, but a few points should be made: (1) Quit cracking up your cars. If you can't drive it, PARK it and call a cab. (2) Put a turbocharger on it and it should reach its top speed much faster. (3) Saab has been making a "rolling steel cage" for years now, with "lots of energy-absorbing panels"... truly indestructible? No, but then nothing man-made ever is. (4) If you can't drive, but insist on trying, do yourself a favor and buy a Saab. You MAY live to be glad you did.
Only one, and that's assuming that they don't need a bag of groceries.
"...that parts of the USA, such as the eastern seaboard, have population densities that are more comparable to Europe." Moral of the story: Stay the hell outta those places!
In the U.S., the "high incidence of mechanical problems" was due to the fact that, in their rush to get these vehicles to market, the U.S. automakers chose to modify their existing (gasoline) engines to run on diesel. This was unwise for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that diesel engines require a much greater compression ratio. The engines should have been redesigned in order to properly, reliably function with diesel fuel. The early U.S. cars sold to run on diesel were, to put it plainly, garbage. They were low-power, unreliable junk. They should certainly NOT be used to judge the viability of diesel engnies in cars.
"Given that this is the fuel that *all* (bar none!) trucks use,..." Oops! Sorry, Grab, but having driven many trucks of various sizes, shapes and functions, I can assure you that many of them have gasoline engines. However, your point is otherwise quite valid; diesel fuel is available anywhere. And I suppose we could always add a little chicken fat to it, if we had some around...
Okay, I'm convinced! I'm gonna sue! When I was about four I got my hand caught in a Kenmore washer's wringer, and it pulled me in clean up to the shoulder! (Most of you folks won't remember the old wringer washers, so this will make no sense to you, but in those days it was a great modern convenience.) Anyway, as a result of this injury, I've never been able to pitch a fast ball, and my right arm hurts everytime I have to do the laundry. So I'm gonna sue Sears, Roebuck & Company to recoup all the money I'd made had I been able to throw a fast ball. They should have had signs on that infernal machine to tell me to leave it alone until I was at least six (or old enough to read the signs... whichever came first). Come on, folks, think about it. Get real, here. Do you want to sue everyone who ever produced a popular product? I have here on my desk a lamp with a 60 Watt bulb. If I touch the bulb, it's going to burn the hell out of my hand. But I knew it was a lamp when I bought it, and I knew it took a 60 Watt bulb, and I am fully aware that a 60 Watt bulb will generate heat. So if I'm dumbass enough to grab hold of that bulb, and it blisters my hand, who's fault is that? God elevated us above other creatures in two major ways: He gave us the ability to reason, and He gave us opposable thumbs. IMO, those who demonstrate a pronounced inability to reason should have their thumbs surgically removed. Otherwise, they can be very dangerous to the rest of us. Look at it this way: if that poor woman can do that much damage to herself with opposable thumbs and a cup of coffee, what the hell might she do with a gallon of gasoline? Some people are just too damn stupid to be allowed to operate thumbs.
I've studied the facts of the case, and the elderly (and I'm sure, very sweet) lady has my deepest sympathy. However, as an old coffee drinker myself, I insist on my coffee being HOT. Any joint that serves me less-than-hot coffee will get it back. My mother, who is 80, likes her coffee hotter than I do. We have both carefully calculated this situation, and concluded that it is unwise to be dumping this stuff on your crotch. Anyone who does this, either intentionally or through carelessness, should hold themselves responsible for the ensuing discomfort. Coffee is SUPPOSED to be hot. When served, it SHOULD be just a bit too hot to drink; it will cool. People who add cream and sugar to it will find that it cools even more rapidly. Personally, I don't eat (or drink) at McDonald's, and have absolutely no use for them. But that was a bullshit case. As a gesture of goodwill, perhaps McDonald's should have offered to cover any medical expenses, but I think the court would have been amiss to have even required that. We must all take responsibility for our own actions. These damned lawsuits tend to negate personal responsibility, encouraging stupidity. Don't blame the education system, folks, just look in the mirror... we're doing it to ourselves, and to our children. (I'd like to write more on this, but I just shot myself in the ass with a Colt 45, and I have to call my lawyer. And then my doctor).
Why would anybody want a robot that runs on WINDOWS? I want one that'll run on FLOORS! I want it to get me a coldbeer and let the damn cat out. Is that too much to ask from a robot?
You may be right, but this whole mess has gotten me pretty scared. I'd been planning to start a glass business... you know, replacing damaged car Windows, home Windows, etc... and calling my business "Windows". I guess I'll look into the other alternative I'd considered, which is building and repairing "Gates". Damn, I wonder if anybody's trademarked that yet?
I remember this, as I was living in Atlanta at the time. I think this same thing happened to a number of restaurants there, but there was one called "Olympic Flame" which I frequented. It was then owned by a fine, sweet, hard-working couple from (I believe) Korea, and they had great sandwiches. They were forced to change their name. I'm not a hard man to get along with, but that really pissed me off. That place had been there for years, and these fine people were busting their asses every day to make a living. They had done nothing to warrant such harrassment. Bottom line: Some names should not be available to trademark. That should apply to any name in common use for a hundred years or so. I also wonder why the Olympic outfit didn't sue Olympia Beer... guess they didn't want to have to pay their lawyers that much money. Bastards!
"Actually, it's the Slashdot posters who need to improve their thinking skills." Indeed, it is! And may I be the first to heartily welcome you to our number! }:~)
Damn, Terry... just read your post while sitting over here in the East (the Right-Coast), and my ass is feeling colder already. 'Scuse me... I gotta get a blanket or something...
Thanks, but no thanks... I'll KEEP my "regressive" tax cuts. You want space explored? Then get off your ass and explore it yourself... but not with MY dime.
"...the American west was TOTALLY devoid of life."..."Before the original Americans started sending wagons into the west,..." One moment, please! The American west was NOT totally devoid of life... and the original Americans were already there. The American west abounded with life and a rich human culture long before any wagons were sent there. There existed tribes of people who had lived in those lands for thousands of years before any of my European ancestors ever saw the Mississippi River. I am a White man of European decent. The "original Americans" were people of generally darker complexion to whom my people inaccurately referred as "Indians". I take great pride in many of the achievements of my Country, but I am shamed by the concept that we White folks somehow brought "life" into the West. The fact is, we damn near extinguished it there... the humans, the Bison, and the land itself. If you were making a joke, please excuse my response; I suppose it extended beyond the scope of my sense of humor.
".... That damage can't be undone." Um, might I suggest that, in such cases, one might do well to change his/her username?
Damn, Bruce, I'm beginning to get the idea that you don't much like MS! A couple of years ago, I figured that there was no hurry... that OSS would catch up and surpass MS in its own sweet time. But now I think MS has come to the same conclusion and has decided to take certain actions to avoid or, at least, postpone the inevitable. So heads up, all you OSS developers out there! The race is on! MS is pulling out all the stops to kick your OpenSource asses! They'll stop at nothing! They'll buy Senators, Congressmen, even the DOD if they can find the "Money-Man". (I wish I could help by writing some cool Linux programs, but I have trouble remembering my PIN so haven't gotten into coding just yet.) C'mon, Linux! You guys can do it!
NOTHING is more vile or repulsive than censorship. Therefore, any software used for such a purpose should be censored. (Never mind... I'll just get another cuppa coffee).
Alas, yet another anti-American asshole! You sons of whores must be schooling or something! Fact: Most citizens of the U.S.A. (I cannot speak for the rest of the hemisphere) are morally bound to do what is right simply because it IS right. Do we think we are morally superior to the citizens of other countries? That depends on the country, and more to the point, the individual citizen. Do I believe myself morally superior to people who post these anti-American flames? You bet your sorry ass I do.
ShieldW0lf, I am an American (of the United States), and you, by contrast, are an asshole. To presume that Americans (citizens of any nation in the Western Hemisphere) are morally lacking demonstrates an extreme ignorance on your part. Further, to presume that the countries of America have some sort of monopoly on evil exposes you as a hopelessly stupid asshole. I can only hope that you don't live long enough to reproduce, and pass your ignorance and prejudices along to future generations.
Hmph! I've never had Broadband pee on my carpet!
Seems to me broadband is like every other computer upgrade I've ever made. I had no idea how slow my old 486DX with 8MB RAM was until I played with something else, and then I HAD to upgrade. I've been through such processes several times, and for me the idea of going BACK is downright scary. I don't want to go back to a PIII 450 box, although it could do everything I required of it, and I don't want to go back to a dial-up Internet connection, even though it would save me a few bucks. We all tend, I think, to forget how damn pokey things were just a year or two ago, and maybe it would be a valuable experience for us all to have to return to those times, just for a few hours. It would give us all something else to be thankful for. If I were going to build (or buy) a motorcycle, that sumbitch would FLY. Why should my computer be any different? It's not so much (in my case) a real *need* for speed, it just feels so damn good!
"as a PhD-level biochemist/molecular biologist,..." Hmm. Interesting post, but I found it absolutely fascinating that, with your obvious education, you only saw fit to capitalize the P, D, O, and K. Please enlighten my ignorant ass: what's up with that?
What I find troubling is that, after centuries of civilization's great thinkers trying tirelessly to build a better mousetrap, now some damned idiots decide that it would be really cool to build a better mouse. This does not sound like a good idea to me. Maybe we should let the mice concern themselves with their own improvement, while WE keep working on those traps.
"Certainly NASA is more careful about O-rings than they used to be". I should hope so! And more careful about E-clips, too... both Solar and Lunar E-clips! It's the little stuff that'll getcha.
I would really love to see it; from what I've read it sounds like a great movie. But if Disney is making a dime off of it, I'll make damn sure it isn't MY dime. Call me old-fashoned, but I still believe that politicians should only be bought with VOTES... and Disney obviously doesn't share my belief on this.