Unlikely. Pluto's orbit doesn't come close to intersecting with that of Mars, and circularizing a Pluto-sized object's orbit after the huge Mars collision event would require... another huge collision event. [Un]fortunately, most of the debris in the Sol system has been cleared out by the current set of planets, so most of this stuff will remain speculation because the evidence is gone by now.
A related article over at SpaceFlightNow indicates that the researchers were specifically looking for a scenario that wouldn't vaporize Mars. And I quote:
"We set out to show that it's possible to make a big hole without melting the majority of the surface of Mars," Aharonson says. The team modeled a range of projectile parameters that could yield a cavity the size and ellipticity of the Mars lowlands without melting the whole planet or making a crater rim.
After cranking 500 simulations combining various energies, velocities, and impact angles through the GPS division's Beowulf-class computer cluster CITerra, the researchers narrowed in on a "sweet spot"--a range of single-impact parameters that would make exactly the type of crater found on Mars. Although a large impact had been suggested (and discounted) in the past, Aharonson says, computers weren't fast enough to run the models. "The ability to search for parameters that allow an impact compatible with observations is enabled by the dedicated machine at Caltech," he adds.
So planetary destruction isn't guaranteed, though 10^29 Joules is an incomprehensible amount of energy. Saying it was 100 billion gigatons of TNT might as well be "a gazillion tons"... though I wonder if that's a metric ton or an imperial ton.
I fail to see why there would be *any* compulsion to sue. You're missing the three *necessary* elements to have a contractual relationship:
1) an offer must be extended
2) the offer must be accepted
3) there must be an exchange of consideration
Without these three elements, you've got squat. In your scenario, you've got an offer and acceptance - "I'll set up the Pizza Hut, and you'll do marketing and advertising." "Okay." - but if you don't contribute anything to the pot, the contract isn't in-place yet. (Note - "consideration" doesn't necessarily mean cash, but that's usually the easiest way to seal the deal.) In your scenario, if I open up an Italian restaurant across the street, do you expect to be able to sue me because it's a restaurant like yours? You might not like my behavior, but there's no law prohibiting it.
In Google's case, providing access to the API toolset wasn't something specific to LimitNone, so they'll have difficulty proving that an offer was extended. Saying "we don't plan on making a competing offering" isn't a non-compete agreement. NDAs and NCAs exist for a reason, and they're executed in proper contract-fashion. LimitNone might have some traction with the UI design, but without a proper contract vehicle in place, it's an uphill battle. Having RTFA, I failed to see the words "breach of contract," and that's significant considering that the statement was issues by the lawyers. If there was a contract, I'd expect to see mention of it. The lawyers are claiming "misappropriation and fraud," which tends to indicate that a contract doesn't exist.
I wouldn't expect Google to settle out of convenience, as that would set the "easy money" precedent for more nuisance lawsuits.
I'm glad someone else remembers this. For you whippersnappers in the audience, Nixon announced the Space Shuttle program in 1972, effectively destroying the existing Apollo/Saturn structures put in place by JFK. There was much fanfare about "re-usable" this and "return-to-earth" that, but in the end the Saturn V was replaced with a much-less-capable vehicle (Shuttle payload capacity is about 1/4 that of a Saturn V, and it's not capable of leaving LEO.) Disassembling JFK's legacy was a political priority for Nixon, and he used the Shuttle as a vehicle to do so [pun intended.] Folks at NASA who pointed out the lack of Emperor's Clothing were rapidly dismissed. Nixon did irreparable harm to NASA's culture, resulting in the risk-averse bureaucratic behemoth we have today.
The LHC is "mostly harmless." After all, it's only bashing Large Hadrons together. Now, the Ginormous Hadron Collider (GHC) is another matter all together. It's been giving me the stink-eye for weeks now. I wouldn't turn my back on it for a minute.
My 1950s-era tract house does not have axles, and is quite permanently affixed to it's foundation. I'll thank you to refrain from calling it a "doublewide," in spite of the dimensional similarities. Sheesh, some people.
Home schooling isn't an option for us - we have... complications. The local private schools either have a 5-year waiting list, or are very faith-biased. For now, augmented public schools are the only viable option. We're in process of relocating, and schools are a top priority. Actually, the crummy school system is one of the primary reasons we want to move.
We're in the same situation. Our 2nd-grader (just promoted to 3rd, woo hoo,) usually finishes testing early, and is rewarded/punished with the "sit quietly until the others finish." She's prohibited from doing additional activities, because it might be perceived as a reward, and that's not "fair" to Bobby, because he never gets rewarded for finishing last. So no one gets rewarded.
Further, my daughter has already figured out how to game the system. They typically don't correct homework... again, identifying and correcting mistakes might give Bobby low self-esteem, so they avoid the issue all together. Should be fun watching Bobby try to balance his checkbook in a few years. So my daughter has adopted the "D-minus is passing" mentality for homework. She already has identified that doing the work correctly is substantially harder than slamming down a reasonable-looking random answer, and the end-result at school is exactly the same. Damn, I didn't expect to have to deal with this until at least middle-school.
The wif and I are currently conspiring to create out-of-classroom activities that emphasize application of the theory she's learning in school. The school system is biased against such activities - they're difficult to grade, and distract from the all-important budget-linked standardized testing (don't get me started...)
My house is 26-feet wide. I'd expect more than 400 lbs of payload capacity out of a vehicle that size.
For comparison, a Cessna 152 is generally the same size, and has a 500+ lb payload capacity. I'd rather see a fleet of autopilot 152s doing forward support.
I worked on a UAV program in the 1980s (back when they were called RPVs.) We went through several iterations of wing configurations. Joined wings, of almost any configuration, had absolutely bizarre aerodynamic interactions near the intersections. It's very complicated to get right, and usually doesn't provide an overall benefit - one particular aspect, like max cruise speed, may be improved, but at the expense of *everything* else.
The wings on this aircraft don't seem designed for the mission profile described. Supporting forward infantry is a short-range low-speed mission profile. I expect the wings to have a low rake angle, and to be fairly chunky across the airfoil section. Low-speed wings are blunt and fat; high-speed wings are angled and skinny.
At best, this is an "artist's misconception" drawing. Avionics, engine and fuel are going in the fuselage, as there's no room internal to those wings for anything but structure. Where did the payload go? Oh, "inside"... with everything else. (The main site is slashdotted, so I'm working off an article from an Australian site.)
In the late 1980s, I had the pleasure of observing some Red Team training activities at Fort Irwin in California. This is the US Army's premiere force-on-force training environment. They have a remarkably competent Opposing Force unit, and they're quite skilled at using non-US equipment and tactics against the visiting Blue Team battalions. Yes, this is big stuff - training at the battalion and brigade level.
In addition to begging the question, he has chosen a horrible "car analogy" basis. Horrible because it's ironic - the automotive manufacturers openly support the aftermarket modders. There's plenty of legal precedent stating that you actually own you vehicle - i.e. you're not under any obligation to use Mopar oil filters in your Chrysler product. But way beyond that, the auto manufacturers provide factory drawings to third parties for the express purpose of making replacement or accessory parts. They don't necessarily share the implementation details, but the specs are available.
The automotive market isn't nearly as "closed" as Mr. Jaaksi thinks. If it were, the hood/bonnet on your car would be welded shut, and the only service opportunity would be at the dealership. Oh, and the manufacturer could download code to your vehicle any time they saw fit, altering the service interval information on a whim. The car would be instructed to cease operation if service procedures weren't followed to the letter. And let's not gloss over the restriction to use only factory-authorized roads... You wouldn't buy a car like that. Why would you buy the equivalent phone/anything?
I think you're missing the point. The volumetric energy density of batteries isn't up to the task. It doesn't matter if it's a pickup truck or a motorcycle - they all seem to go about 35 miles on a charge. Why? Because energy density is Wh/l or Wh/kg, and smaller vehicles carry fewer liters or kilograms of battery. Banging that lower energy storage against a lower energy requirement of the smaller vehicle - hey! about the same effective range. Imagine that.
Have a look through the projects over at EV Album. Most of the folks are "hoping" to get 30-40 miles of range. All manner of budgets, motors and battery chemistries are represented. The results aren't stunning.
Biodiesel and butanol represent renewable energy storage methods that are compatible with the current distribution infrastructure. Both may be synthesized from renewable feedstocks (that aren't food, dammit.) Moving toward all-electric is desirable, but it's not the immediate next-step. Battery storage densities need to increase by 10x (though 5x would probably be good enough.) The power distribution grid needs to be upgraded too.
What? Why can't we just "plug in?" Let's compare the electrical power requirements of a current-day EV. Running a 6+6 flooded lead acid cell pack (six in front, six in back,) you've got 144V at about 50Ah. A full charge is 7.2kWh (we'll ignore the charging losses for now.) To charge in one hour, which the batteries will object to, requires 7.2kW. With a 120VAC source, which rectifies to a bit over 165VDC, you'll need about a 50A source. Don't have one of those at the office, do you? How about spreading that charge out over several hours? Okay, let's use an entire 15A branch circuit - you'll need 3.5-ish hours to charge the battery.
I'll add some reference numbers. My electric power bill (looking at it now) has a one-year historical use chart on the back. My 4-person 3-bed residential usage is about 1000kWh for 30 days, or about 33kWh per day. My anemic EV needed 7.2kWh twice a day - outbound trip and return trip, recharging at the office. I'm going to need to increase my electrical usage by almost 50% to convert to EV transportation. The current electrical grid is barely adequate for the existing load. Oh, and don't forget that my wif has a vehicle too, so converting our family to EVs will double our existing electrical load.
The biggest issue with transportation is storage of energy. Gasoline and diesel have pretty decent energy densities - roughly 35MJ/kg. From both a mass and volume perspective, liquid fuels are compatible with the needs of vehicles. Batteries need at least a 10x increase in capacity to become viable for traction applications. The best LiFePO4 and NiZn batteries just don't store enough energy. The bleeding-edge EV guys are struggling to get 50 miles on a full charge. You can do about 10x that in your car, right?
If you want a better interim solution, grow the biodiesel algae and refine the fuel into butanol. Butanol is compatible with gasoline distribution methods, though you'll suffer a slight reduction in range due to the lower energy density. Long term - adopt the Army's One Fuel Forward attitude, and make it a national priority. Get rid of gasoline as a motor fuel, and drive everyone toward diesel. Algae-based biodiesel is the only viable contender for fuel production, and it's not tethered to a feedstock that's also food. Using food as motor fuel is criminally stupid.
FlexLM is a license manager that's been around for 20 years. You'll typically see it in corporate environments. It's horrible. It was twitchy and horrible back when it was introduced, and it's maintained that legacy of horribleness to this day. I have a full-license OrCAD installation on my laptop, and FlexLM regularly shoots itself in the head. This is an example where the DRM crap obstructs me from using the purchased product. It'll take me a couple of days to sort out which application scrogged the license file (several apps use FlexLM, and none play nice.) This is a regular occurrence, and it's one of the reasons I despise copy protection methods. I'm not using a bootleg copy of the product, yet I'm treated like I am.
That's actually a very reasonably policy. "We expect your undivided attention in this legal matter. We'll value your time accordingly."
The last jury selection I attended, everyone in the room was concerned about being chosen for the multi-week domestic abuse case. Several single-parents tried to be excused, but all were denied because covering for their kids was considered "an inconvenience" and not a necessity. I saw exactly one person be excused from jury duty prior to the selection process - an elderly woman on oxygen and taking hallucinogenic meds. If you're not doped-up and can fog a mirror, you qualify for jury duty in the States.
I did a little searching, and Maryland is par for the course on jury comp. The data is a little stale, but it's representative. Your employer can't legally fire you while you're on jury duty, but he can force you to burn all your leave and then take a leave-of-absence (i.e. no pay.) $15 per day won't cover beans. Minimum wage in the US is currently $5.85/hr, moving up to $6.55/hr in July. $15 is about 2.5 hours of minimum-wage labor. A full-time minimum-wage employee is earning $46.80/day. Basically, regardless of your employment status, jury duty in the States is "punishment."
Wow, the last time I went for jury duty (US, DC metro area, 2006) we got $15 per day compensation. Period. No meals, transportation, or parking expenses. I was there for about 6 hours, so the state values my time at less than $2.50 per hour. I understand exactly why folks in the US don't want to participate in jury duty.
On a daily basis, the Circuit Court for Baltimore County compensates each juror $15 plus provides validated parking in a County garage. If you are empanelled on a petit jury for more than five days, starting on Day # 6, your compensation will increase to $50 per day. Maryland law does not state that your employer has to pay you while you serve as a juror; however, the court will provide you with certification of attendance.
Without an atmosphere, you'll be totally dependent on soil extraction for materials. It's unrealistic that you'd be bringing anything in really large quantities from the earth. That said, lunar soil is pretty much devoid of Carbon and Nitrogen. Both are necessary for sustaining human and plant life. That's a pretty huge impediment to a sustainable human presence on the moon.
There's plenty of metal and oxygen, and plenty of sunlight, so it might be a better plan to send up a fleet of teleoperated machines to prep the place for a future human presence. Might take a couple of decades to do, but we probably need that time to figure out the other issues.
I've taken the auto train. It's expensive. Almost all minivans are "oversize vehicles," which cost more. The car carriers are built on a 1970s transportation model where most cars were mid-sized sedans. Amtrak hasn't upgraded it's rolling stock to account for the popularity of the minivans.
We got a 2-bunk cabin, which is much nicer than trying to sleep in the standard coach seats. Overall costs were about $1600 (in 2003,) not including the additional drive from Sanford FL to Sarasota FL. The main benefit of the auto train is being able to do something else - get up, walk around, sit in the lounge car, have a meal, etc.
However, the economics make this a very expensive trip. Travel time is comparable to driving. In today's costs: our Toyota minivan gets 24 MPG. Round trip is about 1200 miles, using 50 gallons of gasoline. At $4 per gallon, fuel costs are $200. The kids won't sit still for 16-hours of driving, so we split the drive into two days. Hotel costs us $150 or so. If we ate at restaurants for three meals each day, add another $200 in food. So driving costs me about $550, or about 1/3 that of taking the Auto Train. It's less expensive to purchase coach seating on the Auto Train, but that's not really an option if you have small kids.
As a straw-man, I'll check prices for a flight+car from DC to Orlando. AirTran will get me four round-trip flights (2x adult, 2x kids) hopping through Atlanta for $900. Total flight time is about 4 hours. I can rent a mid-sized sedan from multiple vendors for under $300/week.
Hopping over to Amtrak's website... Standard coach fare is $450 plus $514 for the minivan. That's three coach seats - the infant is supposed to be lap-carried. Fat chance of that. Upgrading to the fourth seat for the small monkey brings the fare up to $540+$514 = $1054. Upgrading to the small family bedroom increases the round-trup fare to $2083 total. Tough to justify the Auto Train.
The local voting supervisors are there to make sure the meatspace portion of the voting process works withing bounds - confirmation of registered voters, one vote per person, no proxy voting, anonymity of voters (i.e. his boss isn't looking over his shoulder,) etc.
In modern society, the voting fraud is electronic and can be perpetrated from the comfort of your local coffee shop. The local machines will all work properly. All the local checks and balances will total properly. The vote totals will be sent back to the regional aggregation centers, and that's where the fraud will happen. The classic Man in the Middle will intercept the totals, or the aggregation center will have back-door code installed by someone who hasn't worked there for years. Since there's a disconnect between vote submission and aggregation, that presents a fundamental weak point just asking to be exploited. The confirmation mechanism uses the same flawed aggregation path, so it is subject to the same exploitation.
Make the voters feel comfortable. Give them an enjoyable experience. Make them feel like their vote counts. The rest is out of your hands.
I just skimmed the entry requirements PDF doc, and there are a bunch of kickers. First, the semiconductor device must be manufactured in the US. Second, the light output requirements exceed that of currently available LEDs:
- The 60W replacement must have >90 lm/W output
- The PAR-38 replacement must have >123 lm/W output
So unless you have access to a semiconductor fab line in the US, you won't be participating in this contest.
Slashdot Mirror
Unlikely. Pluto's orbit doesn't come close to intersecting with that of Mars, and circularizing a Pluto-sized object's orbit after the huge Mars collision event would require ... another huge collision event. [Un]fortunately, most of the debris in the Sol system has been cleared out by the current set of planets, so most of this stuff will remain speculation because the evidence is gone by now.
I fail to see why there would be *any* compulsion to sue. You're missing the three *necessary* elements to have a contractual relationship:
1) an offer must be extended
2) the offer must be accepted
3) there must be an exchange of consideration
Without these three elements, you've got squat. In your scenario, you've got an offer and acceptance - "I'll set up the Pizza Hut, and you'll do marketing and advertising." "Okay." - but if you don't contribute anything to the pot, the contract isn't in-place yet. (Note - "consideration" doesn't necessarily mean cash, but that's usually the easiest way to seal the deal.) In your scenario, if I open up an Italian restaurant across the street, do you expect to be able to sue me because it's a restaurant like yours? You might not like my behavior, but there's no law prohibiting it.
In Google's case, providing access to the API toolset wasn't something specific to LimitNone, so they'll have difficulty proving that an offer was extended. Saying "we don't plan on making a competing offering" isn't a non-compete agreement. NDAs and NCAs exist for a reason, and they're executed in proper contract-fashion. LimitNone might have some traction with the UI design, but without a proper contract vehicle in place, it's an uphill battle. Having RTFA, I failed to see the words "breach of contract," and that's significant considering that the statement was issues by the lawyers. If there was a contract, I'd expect to see mention of it. The lawyers are claiming "misappropriation and fraud," which tends to indicate that a contract doesn't exist.
I wouldn't expect Google to settle out of convenience, as that would set the "easy money" precedent for more nuisance lawsuits.
So, the experiment containment unit should have one-meter-thick walls made from Doritos?
I'm glad someone else remembers this. For you whippersnappers in the audience, Nixon announced the Space Shuttle program in 1972, effectively destroying the existing Apollo/Saturn structures put in place by JFK. There was much fanfare about "re-usable" this and "return-to-earth" that, but in the end the Saturn V was replaced with a much-less-capable vehicle (Shuttle payload capacity is about 1/4 that of a Saturn V, and it's not capable of leaving LEO.) Disassembling JFK's legacy was a political priority for Nixon, and he used the Shuttle as a vehicle to do so [pun intended.] Folks at NASA who pointed out the lack of Emperor's Clothing were rapidly dismissed. Nixon did irreparable harm to NASA's culture, resulting in the risk-averse bureaucratic behemoth we have today.
The LHC is "mostly harmless." After all, it's only bashing Large Hadrons together. Now, the Ginormous Hadron Collider (GHC) is another matter all together. It's been giving me the stink-eye for weeks now. I wouldn't turn my back on it for a minute.
The secret is in the past:
Interviewer: Mr. Gates, what is best in business?
Gates: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women.
My 1950s-era tract house does not have axles, and is quite permanently affixed to it's foundation. I'll thank you to refrain from calling it a "doublewide," in spite of the dimensional similarities. Sheesh, some people.
A tip o' the hat, regardless.
Home schooling isn't an option for us - we have ... complications. The local private schools either have a 5-year waiting list, or are very faith-biased. For now, augmented public schools are the only viable option. We're in process of relocating, and schools are a top priority. Actually, the crummy school system is one of the primary reasons we want to move.
>You see these people on American Idle ...
That's just wonderful. Please tell me it was intentional.
We're in the same situation. Our 2nd-grader (just promoted to 3rd, woo hoo,) usually finishes testing early, and is rewarded/punished with the "sit quietly until the others finish." She's prohibited from doing additional activities, because it might be perceived as a reward, and that's not "fair" to Bobby, because he never gets rewarded for finishing last. So no one gets rewarded.
... again, identifying and correcting mistakes might give Bobby low self-esteem, so they avoid the issue all together. Should be fun watching Bobby try to balance his checkbook in a few years. So my daughter has adopted the "D-minus is passing" mentality for homework. She already has identified that doing the work correctly is substantially harder than slamming down a reasonable-looking random answer, and the end-result at school is exactly the same. Damn, I didn't expect to have to deal with this until at least middle-school.
Further, my daughter has already figured out how to game the system. They typically don't correct homework
The wif and I are currently conspiring to create out-of-classroom activities that emphasize application of the theory she's learning in school. The school system is biased against such activities - they're difficult to grade, and distract from the all-important budget-linked standardized testing (don't get me started...)
My house is 26-feet wide. I'd expect more than 400 lbs of payload capacity out of a vehicle that size.
For comparison, a Cessna 152 is generally the same size, and has a 500+ lb payload capacity. I'd rather see a fleet of autopilot 152s doing forward support.
I worked on a UAV program in the 1980s (back when they were called RPVs.) We went through several iterations of wing configurations. Joined wings, of almost any configuration, had absolutely bizarre aerodynamic interactions near the intersections. It's very complicated to get right, and usually doesn't provide an overall benefit - one particular aspect, like max cruise speed, may be improved, but at the expense of *everything* else.
... with everything else. (The main site is slashdotted, so I'm working off an article from an Australian site.)
The wings on this aircraft don't seem designed for the mission profile described. Supporting forward infantry is a short-range low-speed mission profile. I expect the wings to have a low rake angle, and to be fairly chunky across the airfoil section. Low-speed wings are blunt and fat; high-speed wings are angled and skinny.
At best, this is an "artist's misconception" drawing. Avionics, engine and fuel are going in the fuselage, as there's no room internal to those wings for anything but structure. Where did the payload go? Oh, "inside"
In the late 1980s, I had the pleasure of observing some Red Team training activities at Fort Irwin in California. This is the US Army's premiere force-on-force training environment. They have a remarkably competent Opposing Force unit, and they're quite skilled at using non-US equipment and tactics against the visiting Blue Team battalions. Yes, this is big stuff - training at the battalion and brigade level.
"Red Team Wins," and they generally do.
In addition to begging the question, he has chosen a horrible "car analogy" basis. Horrible because it's ironic - the automotive manufacturers openly support the aftermarket modders. There's plenty of legal precedent stating that you actually own you vehicle - i.e. you're not under any obligation to use Mopar oil filters in your Chrysler product. But way beyond that, the auto manufacturers provide factory drawings to third parties for the express purpose of making replacement or accessory parts. They don't necessarily share the implementation details, but the specs are available.
... You wouldn't buy a car like that. Why would you buy the equivalent phone/anything?
The automotive market isn't nearly as "closed" as Mr. Jaaksi thinks. If it were, the hood/bonnet on your car would be welded shut, and the only service opportunity would be at the dealership. Oh, and the manufacturer could download code to your vehicle any time they saw fit, altering the service interval information on a whim. The car would be instructed to cease operation if service procedures weren't followed to the letter. And let's not gloss over the restriction to use only factory-authorized roads
I think you're missing the point. The volumetric energy density of batteries isn't up to the task. It doesn't matter if it's a pickup truck or a motorcycle - they all seem to go about 35 miles on a charge. Why? Because energy density is Wh/l or Wh/kg, and smaller vehicles carry fewer liters or kilograms of battery. Banging that lower energy storage against a lower energy requirement of the smaller vehicle - hey! about the same effective range. Imagine that.
Have a look through the projects over at EV Album. Most of the folks are "hoping" to get 30-40 miles of range. All manner of budgets, motors and battery chemistries are represented. The results aren't stunning.
Biodiesel and butanol represent renewable energy storage methods that are compatible with the current distribution infrastructure. Both may be synthesized from renewable feedstocks (that aren't food, dammit.) Moving toward all-electric is desirable, but it's not the immediate next-step. Battery storage densities need to increase by 10x (though 5x would probably be good enough.) The power distribution grid needs to be upgraded too.
What? Why can't we just "plug in?" Let's compare the electrical power requirements of a current-day EV. Running a 6+6 flooded lead acid cell pack (six in front, six in back,) you've got 144V at about 50Ah. A full charge is 7.2kWh (we'll ignore the charging losses for now.) To charge in one hour, which the batteries will object to, requires 7.2kW. With a 120VAC source, which rectifies to a bit over 165VDC, you'll need about a 50A source. Don't have one of those at the office, do you? How about spreading that charge out over several hours? Okay, let's use an entire 15A branch circuit - you'll need 3.5-ish hours to charge the battery.
I'll add some reference numbers. My electric power bill (looking at it now) has a one-year historical use chart on the back. My 4-person 3-bed residential usage is about 1000kWh for 30 days, or about 33kWh per day. My anemic EV needed 7.2kWh twice a day - outbound trip and return trip, recharging at the office. I'm going to need to increase my electrical usage by almost 50% to convert to EV transportation. The current electrical grid is barely adequate for the existing load. Oh, and don't forget that my wif has a vehicle too, so converting our family to EVs will double our existing electrical load.
The biggest issue with transportation is storage of energy. Gasoline and diesel have pretty decent energy densities - roughly 35MJ/kg. From both a mass and volume perspective, liquid fuels are compatible with the needs of vehicles. Batteries need at least a 10x increase in capacity to become viable for traction applications. The best LiFePO4 and NiZn batteries just don't store enough energy. The bleeding-edge EV guys are struggling to get 50 miles on a full charge. You can do about 10x that in your car, right?
If you want a better interim solution, grow the biodiesel algae and refine the fuel into butanol. Butanol is compatible with gasoline distribution methods, though you'll suffer a slight reduction in range due to the lower energy density. Long term - adopt the Army's One Fuel Forward attitude, and make it a national priority. Get rid of gasoline as a motor fuel, and drive everyone toward diesel. Algae-based biodiesel is the only viable contender for fuel production, and it's not tethered to a feedstock that's also food. Using food as motor fuel is criminally stupid.
FlexLM is a license manager that's been around for 20 years. You'll typically see it in corporate environments. It's horrible. It was twitchy and horrible back when it was introduced, and it's maintained that legacy of horribleness to this day. I have a full-license OrCAD installation on my laptop, and FlexLM regularly shoots itself in the head. This is an example where the DRM crap obstructs me from using the purchased product. It'll take me a couple of days to sort out which application scrogged the license file (several apps use FlexLM, and none play nice.) This is a regular occurrence, and it's one of the reasons I despise copy protection methods. I'm not using a bootleg copy of the product, yet I'm treated like I am.
That's actually a very reasonably policy. "We expect your undivided attention in this legal matter. We'll value your time accordingly."
The last jury selection I attended, everyone in the room was concerned about being chosen for the multi-week domestic abuse case. Several single-parents tried to be excused, but all were denied because covering for their kids was considered "an inconvenience" and not a necessity. I saw exactly one person be excused from jury duty prior to the selection process - an elderly woman on oxygen and taking hallucinogenic meds. If you're not doped-up and can fog a mirror, you qualify for jury duty in the States.
I did a little searching, and Maryland is par for the course on jury comp. The data is a little stale, but it's representative. Your employer can't legally fire you while you're on jury duty, but he can force you to burn all your leave and then take a leave-of-absence (i.e. no pay.) $15 per day won't cover beans. Minimum wage in the US is currently $5.85/hr, moving up to $6.55/hr in July. $15 is about 2.5 hours of minimum-wage labor. A full-time minimum-wage employee is earning $46.80/day. Basically, regardless of your employment status, jury duty in the States is "punishment."
Here's an example from Baltimore County, Maryland.
Without an atmosphere, you'll be totally dependent on soil extraction for materials. It's unrealistic that you'd be bringing anything in really large quantities from the earth. That said, lunar soil is pretty much devoid of Carbon and Nitrogen. Both are necessary for sustaining human and plant life. That's a pretty huge impediment to a sustainable human presence on the moon.
There's plenty of metal and oxygen, and plenty of sunlight, so it might be a better plan to send up a fleet of teleoperated machines to prep the place for a future human presence. Might take a couple of decades to do, but we probably need that time to figure out the other issues.
I've taken the auto train. It's expensive. Almost all minivans are "oversize vehicles," which cost more. The car carriers are built on a 1970s transportation model where most cars were mid-sized sedans. Amtrak hasn't upgraded it's rolling stock to account for the popularity of the minivans.
... Standard coach fare is $450 plus $514 for the minivan. That's three coach seats - the infant is supposed to be lap-carried. Fat chance of that. Upgrading to the fourth seat for the small monkey brings the fare up to $540+$514 = $1054. Upgrading to the small family bedroom increases the round-trup fare to $2083 total. Tough to justify the Auto Train.
We got a 2-bunk cabin, which is much nicer than trying to sleep in the standard coach seats. Overall costs were about $1600 (in 2003,) not including the additional drive from Sanford FL to Sarasota FL. The main benefit of the auto train is being able to do something else - get up, walk around, sit in the lounge car, have a meal, etc.
However, the economics make this a very expensive trip. Travel time is comparable to driving. In today's costs: our Toyota minivan gets 24 MPG. Round trip is about 1200 miles, using 50 gallons of gasoline. At $4 per gallon, fuel costs are $200. The kids won't sit still for 16-hours of driving, so we split the drive into two days. Hotel costs us $150 or so. If we ate at restaurants for three meals each day, add another $200 in food. So driving costs me about $550, or about 1/3 that of taking the Auto Train. It's less expensive to purchase coach seating on the Auto Train, but that's not really an option if you have small kids.
As a straw-man, I'll check prices for a flight+car from DC to Orlando. AirTran will get me four round-trip flights (2x adult, 2x kids) hopping through Atlanta for $900. Total flight time is about 4 hours. I can rent a mid-sized sedan from multiple vendors for under $300/week.
Hopping over to Amtrak's website
The local voting supervisors are there to make sure the meatspace portion of the voting process works withing bounds - confirmation of registered voters, one vote per person, no proxy voting, anonymity of voters (i.e. his boss isn't looking over his shoulder,) etc.
In modern society, the voting fraud is electronic and can be perpetrated from the comfort of your local coffee shop. The local machines will all work properly. All the local checks and balances will total properly. The vote totals will be sent back to the regional aggregation centers, and that's where the fraud will happen. The classic Man in the Middle will intercept the totals, or the aggregation center will have back-door code installed by someone who hasn't worked there for years. Since there's a disconnect between vote submission and aggregation, that presents a fundamental weak point just asking to be exploited. The confirmation mechanism uses the same flawed aggregation path, so it is subject to the same exploitation.
Make the voters feel comfortable. Give them an enjoyable experience. Make them feel like their vote counts. The rest is out of your hands.
I just skimmed the entry requirements PDF doc, and there are a bunch of kickers. First, the semiconductor device must be manufactured in the US. Second, the light output requirements exceed that of currently available LEDs:
- The 60W replacement must have >90 lm/W output
- The PAR-38 replacement must have >123 lm/W output
So unless you have access to a semiconductor fab line in the US, you won't be participating in this contest.