No, you won't be breaking any 0-60 records, which might make it difficult for the MURKA! FUCK YEAH! crowd to accept
Dude, the "MURKA! FUCK YEAH!" crowd does 11-second quarter mile drag races in their 1000+ HP Cummins Dodge Rams.
This isn't the '80s; diesels are not like those old shitty Oldsmobiles anymore. Even my lightly-modded MK4 Volkswagen diesel can beat a stock Mk4 GTI in a drag race. (And before you say "but that's modded" keep in mind that a new VW diesel has 140 HP, which is the same as a Civic, but has way more torque.)
In principle, I agree with the sentiment that trying something out, realizing that it doesn't work and stopping it is good.
However, the underlying problem is that they set themselves up for failure because they didn't just say "we want ethanol fuel, and we'll let industry figure out the most efficient way to produce it," they said "we want ethanol, and we're going to subsidize a stupid way of producing it."
Now the question is, will they understand that they failed at regulation, or will they (mistakenly) think biofuels failed as a solution?
Oh, I know. I only really said it in the "even if I accept your premise and give your argument every advantage possible, you're still wrong" sense.
I haven't bothered to give it enough thought to decide whether I'd actually believe it (although I now default to extreme skepticism for any NSA claims).
I'd like to see blinking red ( ~= stop sign rules) get a lot more usage in normal cycles, instead of just as a "the timing circuit is busted" backup. Maybe a second setting as well (blinking yellow?) equivalent to a yield sign.
In my city we have blinking yellow (as part of the failsafe mode) for intersections where the major street has much more traffic than the minor street.
The trouble is, half the people don't understand what blinking yellow means and stop anyway. The uncertainty and confusion that ensues makes the intersection work perhaps even more poorly than it would as an all-way blinking red.
I'm a big fan of roundabouts, but they're a whole lot more expensive (including additional right-of-way) than adding a traffic light to an existing all-way stop. They're also not particularly appropriate for situations where the major street carries much more traffic than the minor street (think of a 6-lane avenue intersecting a 2-lane connector), which we tend to build a lot of in the suburbs.
The privacy issue is that in principle there's no reason why the cameras couldn't be reprogrammed to track and log everybody's license plate all the time (including those legally traversing the intersection), building up a 4th-Amendment-violating database.
It sucks a little less if you have Thermostatic Radiator Valves on each radiator. These control flow into each radiator individually, so you can set the temperature you want for each room. But one radiator must have no TRV, otherwise it's possible to damage the boiler when it tries to pump against a closed system. So you get situations where the TRV-less radiator is blasting out unwanted heat; or where the main thermostat clicks off, so the boiler isn't on, while rooms are cold. So it still sucks.
Put the main thermostat near the TRV-less radiator?
Another way to reduce accidents is to have a count-down timer next to the light. I have never seen these in America
If there's a countdown pedestrian signal and the intersection phase is controlled by the pedestrian movement (i.e., there's not so much traffic that the light has to stay greener for more time than it takes a pedestrian to get across), then you can use the pedestrian countdown as a green light countdown.
I wonder how much more heat you're pumping out to heat that "frost protected" home to "comfortable" than you'd have used just leaving it "moderately comfortable" at all times.
How much "more"? Less than zero, that's how much "more."
The energy required to maintain a difference in temperature between an object and its surroundings is proportional to the difference in temperature. Therefore, it takes less energy to let the house cool off (minimizing delta-T some of the time) and then warm it up again than it does to keep it warm the whole time (in winter, or vice-versa in summer). This is true regardless of insulation (which only affects the speed at which the cooling off or warming up happens).
I've had programmable thermostats in the past, but programming them (not to mention setting the clocks to track DST changes) has always been enough of a hassle that I've always reverted to "one temperature, all the time".
Is having them heat or cool at exactly the right time that big a deal? Why not just split the difference -- leave the clock set 30 minutes ahead -- and then set the "home" (conditioned) intervals 1 hour longer to compensate?
It's slightly less optimized, but it still saves tons of energy compared to "one temperature, all the time"
share data with the world about the expiration date on the cottage cheese stashed in the crisper drawer [1]
What, you don't like the idea of teenage griefers writing "LOL, stupid noob don't know cottage cheese don't go in the crisper! #Lrn2Fridge" on your TwitBook feed?
Regardless of the truth, the NSA will not get credit. If they did stop a malware attack, most Americans won't believe it. If they didn't, I'm sure they wouldn't bother trying to appeal to a dubious populace.
I'll happily believe the NSA stopped the malware attack in question, and I'll happily give them credit for it.
However, it does not give them even a single tiny shred of excuse for all the unconstitutional totalitarian treason, for which I will continue to call for their prosecution.
The trouble with NoScript is that you end up having to make an (at least temporary) exception for almost every site you go to in order to use it at all.
(Not to mention you also need exceptions for things like ajax.googleapis.com, which will surely integrate the functionality of googleanalytics.com if enough people start using anti-tracking technologies.)
On the contrary, encryption of basic-tier cable was NOT ALLOWED until FCC 12-126 was adopted on October 10, 2012, as a result of intense brib...err, "lobbying" by the cable TV industry.
This seemed to be a fairly big product category about 5 years ago, but since then it's dropped a lot, and in the MacOS space, has evaporated - I can't find a single currently-shipping product like this for the Mac. (Whether for USB or for Mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt - there are some USB ones, but none with Mac software.)
Get a HDHomeRun. It connects via Ethernet and provides TV to any device on your network that cares to consume it (including Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS and Android, albeit sometimes using third-party software). It is also compatible with most DVR software, including MythTV.
Note that there are a couple of versions. You don't want the HDHomeRun Prime, since that's designed for CableCard only and does not have ATSC support.
The telco/cableco industry owns the FCC, which is why cablecos are now allowed to encrypt basic cable and force everyone to extra-cost rented boxes (or put them through hell if they have the audacity to ask for a CableCard so they can use their own equipment).
But as an American, I could not care less how bad the proverbial boogeymen "other countries" are. It is the US government that has the power to arrest me, not the goons running some random African hellhole.
Even though I pay $119\month for Internet, TV and Showtime\Starz from Verizon, if I were to drop my TV it would still be $109\month for just the Internet. This is how they abuse their monopoly.
With Comcast, (a basic tier of) Internet + basic cable (i.e., broadcast channels) is $40/month. Internet by itself? $5 more!
If that's not a desperate attempt to inflate subscriber numbers, I don't know what is.
You could try getting a PC ATSC tuner and downloading your program guide data off the Internet. Then you not only have guide data longer in advance, but you get DVR functionality too.
I know many people who still have cable television simply because it was cheaper to have a cable + Internet bundle than it was cable alone
You mean "cheaper than Internet alone," right? That's the situation I'm stuck with (neither DSL nor even Wi-Max works at my house), and words cannot express how much I resent Comcast for it.
The monitor I had was a Philips 109B20 19" CRT Monitor that did 2048 x 1536 maximum resolution at 60 Hz. I've found an old forum threads somebody talking about getting it for $220 in July 2001, which sounds about right. (At the time, I was playing the original Half-Life, not Quake 3).
As for "who am I trying to impress," my only aim was to point out that 720p, which somebody thought was a decent resolution, has been pitiful for quite some time now.
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Dude, the "MURKA! FUCK YEAH!" crowd does 11-second quarter mile drag races in their 1000+ HP Cummins Dodge Rams.
This isn't the '80s; diesels are not like those old shitty Oldsmobiles anymore. Even my lightly-modded MK4 Volkswagen diesel can beat a stock Mk4 GTI in a drag race. (And before you say "but that's modded" keep in mind that a new VW diesel has 140 HP, which is the same as a Civic, but has way more torque.)
In principle, I agree with the sentiment that trying something out, realizing that it doesn't work and stopping it is good.
However, the underlying problem is that they set themselves up for failure because they didn't just say "we want ethanol fuel, and we'll let industry figure out the most efficient way to produce it," they said "we want ethanol, and we're going to subsidize a stupid way of producing it."
Now the question is, will they understand that they failed at regulation, or will they (mistakenly) think biofuels failed as a solution?
Oh, I know. I only really said it in the "even if I accept your premise and give your argument every advantage possible, you're still wrong" sense.
I haven't bothered to give it enough thought to decide whether I'd actually believe it (although I now default to extreme skepticism for any NSA claims).
In my city we have blinking yellow (as part of the failsafe mode) for intersections where the major street has much more traffic than the minor street.
The trouble is, half the people don't understand what blinking yellow means and stop anyway. The uncertainty and confusion that ensues makes the intersection work perhaps even more poorly than it would as an all-way blinking red.
I'm a big fan of roundabouts, but they're a whole lot more expensive (including additional right-of-way) than adding a traffic light to an existing all-way stop. They're also not particularly appropriate for situations where the major street carries much more traffic than the minor street (think of a 6-lane avenue intersecting a 2-lane connector), which we tend to build a lot of in the suburbs.
The privacy issue is that in principle there's no reason why the cameras couldn't be reprogrammed to track and log everybody's license plate all the time (including those legally traversing the intersection), building up a 4th-Amendment-violating database.
Put the main thermostat near the TRV-less radiator?
If there's a countdown pedestrian signal and the intersection phase is controlled by the pedestrian movement (i.e., there's not so much traffic that the light has to stay greener for more time than it takes a pedestrian to get across), then you can use the pedestrian countdown as a green light countdown.
How much "more"? Less than zero, that's how much "more."
The energy required to maintain a difference in temperature between an object and its surroundings is proportional to the difference in temperature. Therefore, it takes less energy to let the house cool off (minimizing delta-T some of the time) and then warm it up again than it does to keep it warm the whole time (in winter, or vice-versa in summer). This is true regardless of insulation (which only affects the speed at which the cooling off or warming up happens).
Is having them heat or cool at exactly the right time that big a deal? Why not just split the difference -- leave the clock set 30 minutes ahead -- and then set the "home" (conditioned) intervals 1 hour longer to compensate?
It's slightly less optimized, but it still saves tons of energy compared to "one temperature, all the time"
What, you don't like the idea of teenage griefers writing "LOL, stupid noob don't know cottage cheese don't go in the crisper! #Lrn2Fridge" on your TwitBook feed?
Only for people too stupid to program a normal $30 programmable thermostat.
I'll happily believe the NSA stopped the malware attack in question, and I'll happily give them credit for it.
However, it does not give them even a single tiny shred of excuse for all the unconstitutional totalitarian treason, for which I will continue to call for their prosecution.
The trouble with NoScript is that you end up having to make an (at least temporary) exception for almost every site you go to in order to use it at all.
(Not to mention you also need exceptions for things like ajax.googleapis.com, which will surely integrate the functionality of googleanalytics.com if enough people start using anti-tracking technologies.)
On the contrary, encryption of basic-tier cable was NOT ALLOWED until FCC 12-126 was adopted on October 10, 2012, as a result of intense brib...err, "lobbying" by the cable TV industry.
Get a HDHomeRun. It connects via Ethernet and provides TV to any device on your network that cares to consume it (including Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS and Android, albeit sometimes using third-party software). It is also compatible with most DVR software, including MythTV.
Note that there are a couple of versions. You don't want the HDHomeRun Prime, since that's designed for CableCard only and does not have ATSC support.
The telco/cableco industry owns the FCC, which is why cablecos are now allowed to encrypt basic cable and force everyone to extra-cost rented boxes (or put them through hell if they have the audacity to ask for a CableCard so they can use their own equipment).
But as an American, I could not care less how bad the proverbial boogeymen "other countries" are. It is the US government that has the power to arrest me, not the goons running some random African hellhole.
With Comcast, (a basic tier of) Internet + basic cable (i.e., broadcast channels) is $40/month. Internet by itself? $5 more!
If that's not a desperate attempt to inflate subscriber numbers, I don't know what is.
You could try getting a PC ATSC tuner and downloading your program guide data off the Internet. Then you not only have guide data longer in advance, but you get DVR functionality too.
You mean "cheaper than Internet alone," right? That's the situation I'm stuck with (neither DSL nor even Wi-Max works at my house), and words cannot express how much I resent Comcast for it.
In contrast, other non-profit (public) hospitals, like Grady in Georgia, make the news when they manage to break even!
The answer to that is "too bad, this is what you get."
Or maybe, "well now you know how I felt all those times you made me eat my vegetables!" (Not that Linux is unpalatable, of course...)
When it comes to computers, the parent-child relationship often tends to get reversed.
Alright, I did some research:
The monitor I had was a Philips 109B20 19" CRT Monitor that did 2048 x 1536 maximum resolution at 60 Hz. I've found an old forum threads somebody talking about getting it for $220 in July 2001, which sounds about right. (At the time, I was playing the original Half-Life, not Quake 3).
As for "who am I trying to impress," my only aim was to point out that 720p, which somebody thought was a decent resolution, has been pitiful for quite some time now.
Kim Jong Un grew up in fucking Switzerland. If he wanted out, he had his chance to get out.