And the comments about identity theft are ridiculous, as most sensible people adjust their browsing/net use when using unknown networks to reflect their uncertainty in its security. Great, now how many internet users fall under the category of "sensible people"? Given the number of people I see on the internet that are unaware of simple things like when and if they will get that "tax rebate", I suspect the number that realize their vulnerability when borrowing someone else's connection to be rather low.
"One ton" of air conditioning power is 12,000 BTU/hr, which wiki (sorry, too lazy to do the math myself) claims is 3517 watts (not counting the inefficiency in converting electrical watts to actual heat transfer, meaning actual power required to get one ton of AC is higher). This part of your analysis is incorrect. Air conditioners move more heat than the energy they require to operate, expressed as the coefficient of performance (COP). More modern A/Cs, COP is generally in the 3-3.5 range, so a one ton window unit would require about 1000-1200 watts.
Outside of Lebanon, I don't see this as being a huge concern. (And calling it a "privacy" issue seems a bit of an understatement.) The local governments aren't sufficiently motivated to fill potholes, let alone install IEDs specifically targeted at me. Yeah, and for the 99.999% of us that don't normally travel with armed guards and live in gated compounds, the government (or anybody else who takes an interest) has much simpler avenues available for tracking and assassination.
You can be sure that if the government were to mandate encryption on the basis of reducing the IED threat, folks would be on here complaining about "security theatre", etc.
In a "perfect world" where everybody hit their intended target on the first shot every time, your statement would be true. However, you are aware that people miss on occasion, right? And that those bullets can travel a LONG ways? I can't recall ever hearing about someone being killed be a "stray knife".
Note: I am not advocating for gun control. But trying to say that knives or bats can cause the same level of mayhem is silly.
they don't accidentally kill innocent bystanders blocks away. ... i run at him with a knife, you jump in the way and get stabbed and die. That's a hell of a jump.
I think some people are too quick to dismiss this based on the argument that the laws of thermodynamics say that it can't work. But they don't take into account that ICEs are only like 25% efficient, so it would seem that it is at least feasible that there could be some synergistic (sorry for the buzzword) effect that could increase the overall combustion efficiency even if the hydrogen itself was a net loss.
I am not saying that I am convinced that it does work, but just that it cannot be dismissed out of hand using only conservation of energy arguments.
as a amateur pilot it blows my mind that a commercial pilot would freak out about such a failure and continue to throttle up. You have a large number of other indicators you can use. Even in pitch black night and thick fog you have some indicators they teach you in flight school to make it so you dont hit the ground at full throttle. You need to read the wikipedia link. The GP summary of the events is somewhat misleading. They didn't just throttle up and drill into the ground under control. The pilots believed they were at risk of stalling and deployed the slats. They were in fact going much too fast and one of the slats was ripped off the plane leading to a loss of control. Compounding the problem was that an alarm that was supposed to indicate a frozen pitot tube failed to go off.
"What's to stop you starting work at 8am instead of doing exactly the same thing and calling it 9am instead? You'd finish at 4pm instead of pretending it's 5pm, and still get your evening."
My boss. Well, actually I could probably do that. But then my daughter's daycare has to agree to open an hour earlier, which means her teacher has to agree to go to work an hour earlier, my co-workers have to agree that all meetings will end an hour earlier in the afternoon, etc, etc.
You've been lucky. I don't fly that often (probably less than 2 dozen times total) and I have had to deal with several luggage fuckups. One was on the way to grandma's funeral. I got to wear my dad's suit the next morning and my wife hit an early morning sale so she didn't have to wear a sweatshirt and jeans. I was rather steamed that it took fifteen hours for the luggage to make the trip from a connecting airport that was less than 3 hours away by car. Another was when we gate checked my daughters stroller and the freaking stroller didn't make it from the jetway to the plane.
A tuition bill is not extended credit. The university will not complete its services (allowing you to finish class, recording grades, and releasing transcripts) before the bill is paid. In many cases tuition is due before the semester even starts.
I find it curious that it is such a sure thing that the tank won't survive re-entry but that the sensitive electronics that the U.S. is "really" concerned about would apparently remain unscathed.
"Everyone involved who has no connection to the military"
I am a little confused about how somebody with no connection to the military could be "involved" with this. Could you elaborate about who these people are? I think what you mean are scientists that could know what they are talking about but have no actual knowledge about the particulars of this satellite.
"Certainly"? Not certainly. Natural selection is the process by which some animals survive better than others by having certain traits. Horses that run faster are less likely to meet the glue factory before reproduction than slower horses, for example. It's still 'natural selection', it's just that environment has changed. No, that would be artificial selection.
I think it is a neat idea. I can't believe it is new, among other things because I've had it. Never done anything about it, but there, I thought about it before.
Beyond that I think it is far too simple to warrant a 20 years monopoly. I suspect it is not "gravity powered lamp" that he is patenting but "lamp powered by weights gliding down a ballscrew turning a rotor which fires some LEDs".
I totally agree. For example, cellphones, Blackberries, etc, make it easier for us to stay in touch with people far away while increasingly distancing ourselves from those right around us. And now, instead of having the kids bugging you in the car, you just pop a DVD in for them. Even having listening to the DVD audio is too much to ask, you say? Upgrade to the wireless headphones!
Median income != Middle Class in the US. A family making a combined income of $48 is maybe on the VERY poor side of the edge of middle class living in the US. Of course much of it is geography based, but, I live in the SE of the US....AR, TN, LA, AL, GA..that area...and lower middle of the middle class is generally about $81k-$85K...topping out about $120K-$150K. You gotta make that much to have a decent house in a decent neighborhood, and your kids in many areas have to go to private schools, which costs a bundle....
$35K-$40K was middle class when "I" was a kid...in the mid 70's-early 80's.
Roughly a quarter of U.S. families make $75K or more per year. Are you saying that three-quarters of the population isn't even lower middle class? How could that be considered "middle" class then?
Ensconced in your upper middle class lifestyle, you are failing to see that true middle class is not a decent house and private school, it is a good enough house and public school. Noting personal, it is a common phenomenon.
You must live in a high cost of living area and thus have a rather distorted view of how income is distributed in the rest of the country. According the the US Census the median family income in 2006 was ~$48K.
I agree that I don't see why they are calling it a "tax rebate". It has nothing to do with what taxes you paid. People who paid a lot get nothing and some who paid nothing get something. I guess calling it a welfare check or handout would not be very politically savvy.
4. The police check it out. Turns out your iris matches the photograph watermark. You'll get convicted and everyone laughs at what a stupid criminal you are, except the tough guys who post on Slashdot and explain how you should be killed like the rabid dog you are. I tell the police the camera was stolen, they search my house and find no traces of kiddie porn, and life goes on. In fact, based solely on an anonymous tip and unidentifiable watermark, they probably wouldn't even be able to get a warrant to do the search in the first place. If you wanted to frame me so bad, it would probably be easier to just break into my house and plant hard evidence.
One, that depends on how much research people do. Honestly most people I know don't shop around so it's perfectly plausible that someone might just go straight to Amazon and buy it without looking for a better price.
Two, I'm not clear on the difference between "overcharging" and "overpricing." If they sometimes accidentally charge too little, maybe sometimes they accidentally charge too much. That's all I mean. To me "overcharging" would be advertising an item for $20 and then charging their credit card for $30 and hoping the customer doesn't notice. Offering an item for more than it can be bought elsewhere is usually just bad business. If a customer is happy with paying that inflated price though, that is their problem.
Slashdot Mirror
You can be sure that if the government were to mandate encryption on the basis of reducing the IED threat, folks would be on here complaining about "security theatre", etc.
In a "perfect world" where everybody hit their intended target on the first shot every time, your statement would be true. However, you are aware that people miss on occasion, right? And that those bullets can travel a LONG ways? I can't recall ever hearing about someone being killed be a "stray knife".
Note: I am not advocating for gun control. But trying to say that knives or bats can cause the same level of mayhem is silly.
I think some people are too quick to dismiss this based on the argument that the laws of thermodynamics say that it can't work. But they don't take into account that ICEs are only like 25% efficient, so it would seem that it is at least feasible that there could be some synergistic (sorry for the buzzword) effect that could increase the overall combustion efficiency even if the hydrogen itself was a net loss.
I am not saying that I am convinced that it does work, but just that it cannot be dismissed out of hand using only conservation of energy arguments.
You need to read the wikipedia link. The GP summary of the events is somewhat misleading. They didn't just throttle up and drill into the ground under control. The pilots believed they were at risk of stalling and deployed the slats. They were in fact going much too fast and one of the slats was ripped off the plane leading to a loss of control. Compounding the problem was that an alarm that was supposed to indicate a frozen pitot tube failed to go off.
"What's to stop you starting work at 8am instead of doing exactly the same thing and calling it 9am instead? You'd finish at 4pm instead of pretending it's 5pm, and still get your evening."
My boss. Well, actually I could probably do that. But then my daughter's daycare has to agree to open an hour earlier, which means her teacher has to agree to go to work an hour earlier, my co-workers have to agree that all meetings will end an hour earlier in the afternoon, etc, etc.
You've been lucky. I don't fly that often (probably less than 2 dozen times total) and I have had to deal with several luggage fuckups. One was on the way to grandma's funeral. I got to wear my dad's suit the next morning and my wife hit an early morning sale so she didn't have to wear a sweatshirt and jeans. I was rather steamed that it took fifteen hours for the luggage to make the trip from a connecting airport that was less than 3 hours away by car. Another was when we gate checked my daughters stroller and the freaking stroller didn't make it from the jetway to the plane.
A tuition bill is not extended credit. The university will not complete its services (allowing you to finish class, recording grades, and releasing transcripts) before the bill is paid. In many cases tuition is due before the semester even starts.
Depends on the state. In North Carolina there is a separate property tax on cars (collected by the counties) that is based on the value of the car.
I find it curious that it is such a sure thing that the tank won't survive re-entry but that the sensitive electronics that the U.S. is "really" concerned about would apparently remain unscathed.
"Everyone involved who has no connection to the military"
I am a little confused about how somebody with no connection to the military could be "involved" with this. Could you elaborate about who these people are? I think what you mean are scientists that could know what they are talking about but have no actual knowledge about the particulars of this satellite.
Beyond that I think it is far too simple to warrant a 20 years monopoly. I suspect it is not "gravity powered lamp" that he is patenting but "lamp powered by weights gliding down a ballscrew turning a rotor which fires some LEDs".
I suppose we should never have another electrical device patented because "using electricity to do stuff" is so obvious?
I totally agree. For example, cellphones, Blackberries, etc, make it easier for us to stay in touch with people far away while increasingly distancing ourselves from those right around us. And now, instead of having the kids bugging you in the car, you just pop a DVD in for them. Even having listening to the DVD audio is too much to ask, you say? Upgrade to the wireless headphones!
"Visitors will experience the look of tomorrow by watching Disney actors playing a family of four preparing for a trip to China."
Probably just their normal daily commute to work.
$35K-$40K was middle class when "I" was a kid...in the mid 70's-early 80's.
Roughly a quarter of U.S. families make $75K or more per year. Are you saying that three-quarters of the population isn't even lower middle class? How could that be considered "middle" class then?Ensconced in your upper middle class lifestyle, you are failing to see that true middle class is not a decent house and private school, it is a good enough house and public school. Noting personal, it is a common phenomenon.
You must live in a high cost of living area and thus have a rather distorted view of how income is distributed in the rest of the country. According the the US Census the median family income in 2006 was ~$48K.
I agree that I don't see why they are calling it a "tax rebate". It has nothing to do with what taxes you paid. People who paid a lot get nothing and some who paid nothing get something. I guess calling it a welfare check or handout would not be very politically savvy.
True, the summary does say extra-solar, but the "misleading headline" merely says "alien".
But these aren't the first.
Two, I'm not clear on the difference between "overcharging" and "overpricing." If they sometimes accidentally charge too little, maybe sometimes they accidentally charge too much. That's all I mean. To me "overcharging" would be advertising an item for $20 and then charging their credit card for $30 and hoping the customer doesn't notice. Offering an item for more than it can be bought elsewhere is usually just bad business. If a customer is happy with paying that inflated price though, that is their problem.