Did you even read TFA? It clearly states in the section called "Longstanding relationship":
'In any case, Wired has been using North Shore for a number of years. I found some online gripes about the North Shore letters dating back to 2002 (and you can see one of the firm's letters for yourself at http://urbanideas.com/images/nsa.jpg).'
Clearly, the linked image is not the letter that McMillan (the subject of the article) received. Of course, this would only be clear if you actually read the article before posting a negative comment about it's relevance.
It wouldn't take much to block the GPS signal... just drive next to trees.
I live in Northern California, and I used to do GIS for a living. GPS reception is very poor for most of the north part of the state, having to wait for more than 5 minutes or more to get enough of a signal to get a clear reading, each reading being only accurate within 40 feet horizontally and even less vertically. If they assume WAAS (a ground based semi-corrected signal), the signal can get down to 15 feet horizontally, but that is a pretty big assumption. It will work in the big valleys and large cities without tall buildings, but not under bridges or through tunnels.
I am assuming that they are just getting raw distances (which are going to be wildly inaccurate), without any culling based on road ownership. There really isn't a way for them to know if you are driving on a road, or on your farm, parallel to the road. I don't see how this would possibly survive the inevitable lawsuits.
-Tiskel
I reccomend a pretty good book called "Religion Explained".
I cannot remember the book's author, but it lays out all of the common beliefs as for why people believe in gods, and distills them down to the physiological abnormalities of the human brain that we have inherited from being prey on the plains of Africa.
After reading this book, I stopped trying to argue with people who belief in irrational things and have begun to accept that they can't help it, their brain just works that way. Kind of like people who are color blind, or those who are tone deaf. They can't percieve the same things those of us not afflicted with their problems can, so they will never understand why we keep using the same arguements to show they are wrong.
Do you really think that any of the great artists like Michaelangelo or Da Vinci would not be considered scientists if they were making their creations today? The best artists became that way because of years of scientifically studying the world around them.
I have noticed that many people who believe in any kind of diety are unable to appreciate the beauty in the natural world around them without assigning some supernatural reason for it. The beauty of nature was actually used by a minister at my wife's church as proof of god's existance... I pity those who cannot just enjoy something (and they pity me for not being able to look at something mechanical and wondering how it works... they couldn't care less).
Slashdot Mirror
Did you even read TFA? It clearly states in the section called "Longstanding relationship":
'In any case, Wired has been using North Shore for a number of years. I found some online gripes about the North Shore letters dating back to 2002 (and you can see one of the firm's letters for yourself at http://urbanideas.com/images/nsa.jpg).'
Clearly, the linked image is not the letter that McMillan (the subject of the article) received. Of course, this would only be clear if you actually read the article before posting a negative comment about it's relevance.
It wouldn't take much to block the GPS signal... just drive next to trees.
I live in Northern California, and I used to do GIS for a living. GPS reception is very poor for most of the north part of the state, having to wait for more than 5 minutes or more to get enough of a signal to get a clear reading, each reading being only accurate within 40 feet horizontally and even less vertically. If they assume WAAS (a ground based semi-corrected signal), the signal can get down to 15 feet horizontally, but that is a pretty big assumption. It will work in the big valleys and large cities without tall buildings, but not under bridges or through tunnels. I am assuming that they are just getting raw distances (which are going to be wildly inaccurate), without any culling based on road ownership. There really isn't a way for them to know if you are driving on a road, or on your farm, parallel to the road. I don't see how this would possibly survive the inevitable lawsuits. -Tiskel
I agree. How is this one fraud when all of the links on the site are valid, and they aren't asking for any information?
I reccomend a pretty good book called "Religion Explained".
I cannot remember the book's author, but it lays out all of the common beliefs as for why people believe in gods, and distills them down to the physiological abnormalities of the human brain that we have inherited from being prey on the plains of Africa.
After reading this book, I stopped trying to argue with people who belief in irrational things and have begun to accept that they can't help it, their brain just works that way. Kind of like people who are color blind, or those who are tone deaf. They can't percieve the same things those of us not afflicted with their problems can, so they will never understand why we keep using the same arguements to show they are wrong.
Don't hate them, pity them.
Do you really think that any of the great artists like Michaelangelo or Da Vinci would not be considered scientists if they were making their creations today? The best artists became that way because of years of scientifically studying the world around them.
I have noticed that many people who believe in any kind of diety are unable to appreciate the beauty in the natural world around them without assigning some supernatural reason for it. The beauty of nature was actually used by a minister at my wife's church as proof of god's existance... I pity those who cannot just enjoy something (and they pity me for not being able to look at something mechanical and wondering how it works... they couldn't care less).