(1) No. Certain fixed costs (i.e. engineering, etc) don't change much whether you have one track or three or four. A large proportion of the costs is in initial design, environmental studies, and engineering -- laying down steel or asphalt is cheap by comparison.
(2) If we're going to be building rail networks, we could also build nuclear power stations to power them. Even with fossil fuel stations, it's easier to control emissions from a few point sources than from millions of cars, trucks, and buses.
The screen on a Model 3 is annoyingly big and perfectly placed to be damaged if you (say) stick a pair of skis down the middle. I was thinking more like a 5 or 6 inch OLED screen in front of the driver -- that's all that's really needed if you're not doing navigation and don't have cameras.
Nah, that's what its cameras would be for. On the other hand, it's Arizona. Drivers with a grudge would bide their time, then take potshots at the thing at their leisure.
Solution, quietly leak the non-US firmware that "unlocks" the speed limiter. A lot of jurisdictions would not care, since once the car is sold, the jurisdiction over it is primarily state, not Feddle-meddle.
Solution: carry less luggage. Most people don't actually use even 50% of the crap they pack on a trip. Unless you're a salesman with samples or are hauling tools, you probably don't need it.
A lot of people drive Smart cars or even motorcycles on highways, and relatively few of them die from the experience. It's more dangerous, but stop exaggerating the danger.
As to where -- go to Arizona, rural California, parts of New Mexico, and West Virginia. Even roads in rural New Jersey are sometimes that way. Part of the road from Long Beach Island to Philadelphia (Hwy 72) is two lanes, uncontrolled access, posted at 55 mph.
55 or 65 mph (90 or 110 km/h) on uncontrolled-access roads is very common in parts of the US. There are highways with warning blinkers for at-grade crossings (rather than ramps) posted at those speeds.
Tall hatchbacks = real cars crippled in the name of style. Taller cars are more tippy, handle more poorly, and are less fun to drive. Give me the damn hatchback it's based on, already. Except this is America, so they don't sell them, because Americans are too vain to be seen in a "cheap" car.
Even a hatchback or small wagon works fine for going up a mountain. You can even tow a light camping or utility trailer with many cars. Besides, how much "stuff" do you need for a camping trip anyway? If you're going to be hiking, may as well stick to what you can carry in a backpack without your spine failing.
I like a layabout culture -- all work and no play makes boys and girls dull.
Italian police: the issue isn't the machine guns. The issue is the willingness to use firearms that exists in the US. I'd much rather have cops with machine guns with restricted rules of engagement and strict training (Carabineri are military) than poorly-trained, trigger-happy cops with pistols.
French speed cameras: at least the rules are known (10 km/h over the limit and a fine in the mail), but the actual limits are much more reasonable (130 km/h or 80 mph). And automating the enforcement means fewer human cops on the roads. Not as much excuse for pulling someone over for speeding, pawing through their car like a drunken gorilla, and making cash or jewelry disappear. Or just stealing the car, claiming you were a drug courier because you had some money on you.
I don't see a class to get a fishing license as unreasonable -- at least, you'll know about things like catch limits, fish that are legal to catch, where fish are safe to eat, etc.
It may not influence currently-enrolled students, but it may influence the next incoming classes. Also, being a research physician and professor isn't a bad life. Decent pay, interesting research and people, good work/life balance. Better quality of life than being (say) a surgeon on-call 25/8/366.
It's a good way to test your date -- show up on a bicycle, on foot, or in a bubble-car. If they aren't interested because you don't drive a Range Rover, might as well know sooner rather than later.
The solution is to make the crumple zones and bumpers "virtual" by encouraging installation of auto-braking systems on new cars. The best kind of accident is one that never actually occurs.
It's about the height of a normal car -- if you can't see it from a Camry, you won't see a child crossing the street either. Turn in your license until you can go for an eye exam. Or at least turn off the cell phone and stop browsing Facebook while driving.
I believe it -- old 1950s VW bugs were that way. So are many motorcycles. When you run out of gas, the motor starts to sputter, and you flip a lever that picks fuel up at a lower point in the tank.
Solutions: better collision avoidance (autobrake) tech on cars, and better driver training. And don't be so cowardly -- it's still safer than a bicycle or motor-scooter. Driving need not be an arms race, unless you want suburbanite hausfraus getting Unimogs because OMG, an 18-wheeler might hit you and think about the cheeeeeeldren.
What does an electric car really need? A little OLED screen to show speedometer, battery charge, and warning messages/turn signals/light status.
A lot of other stuff can be dispensed with. Windows are sliding, so no power needed. Electric chairs in a two-seater are pretty silly. What else? Maybe a USB music player, two dials for fan and air temperature, a reverse/off/forward switch.
As to how safety standards can be met: EU has a safety category for light 4-wheel vehicles known as "quadricycles." They have to meet the same (lax) safety standards as three-wheel motorbikes.
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(1) No. Certain fixed costs (i.e. engineering, etc) don't change much whether you have one track or three or four. A large proportion of the costs is in initial design, environmental studies, and engineering -- laying down steel or asphalt is cheap by comparison.
(2) If we're going to be building rail networks, we could also build nuclear power stations to power them. Even with fossil fuel stations, it's easier to control emissions from a few point sources than from millions of cars, trucks, and buses.
The screen on a Model 3 is annoyingly big and perfectly placed to be damaged if you (say) stick a pair of skis down the middle. I was thinking more like a 5 or 6 inch OLED screen in front of the driver -- that's all that's really needed if you're not doing navigation and don't have cameras.
Nah, that's what its cameras would be for. On the other hand, it's Arizona. Drivers with a grudge would bide their time, then take potshots at the thing at their leisure.
Solution, quietly leak the non-US firmware that "unlocks" the speed limiter. A lot of jurisdictions would not care, since once the car is sold, the jurisdiction over it is primarily state, not Feddle-meddle.
Solution: carry less luggage. Most people don't actually use even 50% of the crap they pack on a trip. Unless you're a salesman with samples or are hauling tools, you probably don't need it.
Drive on the extreme right or on the sidewalk. Also, this is downtown Scottsdale, are there actually 45 mph streets?
not so great for foods that need to be picked and chosen, like fruits/veggies/meats/fish.
A lot of people drive Smart cars or even motorcycles on highways, and relatively few of them die from the experience. It's more dangerous, but stop exaggerating the danger.
Are you saying Texas will need an electric bench now that courts are making lethal injection too difficult? Oyyyy, don't mess with Texas.
As to where -- go to Arizona, rural California, parts of New Mexico, and West Virginia. Even roads in rural New Jersey are sometimes that way. Part of the road from Long Beach Island to Philadelphia (Hwy 72) is two lanes, uncontrolled access, posted at 55 mph.
55 or 65 mph (90 or 110 km/h) on uncontrolled-access roads is very common in parts of the US. There are highways with warning blinkers for at-grade crossings (rather than ramps) posted at those speeds.
Tall hatchbacks = real cars crippled in the name of style. Taller cars are more tippy, handle more poorly, and are less fun to drive. Give me the damn hatchback it's based on, already. Except this is America, so they don't sell them, because Americans are too vain to be seen in a "cheap" car.
Even a hatchback or small wagon works fine for going up a mountain. You can even tow a light camping or utility trailer with many cars. Besides, how much "stuff" do you need for a camping trip anyway? If you're going to be hiking, may as well stick to what you can carry in a backpack without your spine failing.
If it's a 3-wheeler, it bypasses a lot of NHTSA standards, so it may very well be legal, even in the over-regulated USA.
I like a layabout culture -- all work and no play makes boys and girls dull.
Italian police: the issue isn't the machine guns. The issue is the willingness to use firearms that exists in the US. I'd much rather have cops with machine guns with restricted rules of engagement and strict training (Carabineri are military) than poorly-trained, trigger-happy cops with pistols.
French speed cameras: at least the rules are known (10 km/h over the limit and a fine in the mail), but the actual limits are much more reasonable (130 km/h or 80 mph). And automating the enforcement means fewer human cops on the roads. Not as much excuse for pulling someone over for speeding, pawing through their car like a drunken gorilla, and making cash or jewelry disappear. Or just stealing the car, claiming you were a drug courier because you had some money on you.
I don't see a class to get a fishing license as unreasonable -- at least, you'll know about things like catch limits, fish that are legal to catch, where fish are safe to eat, etc.
It may not influence currently-enrolled students, but it may influence the next incoming classes. Also, being a research physician and professor isn't a bad life. Decent pay, interesting research and people, good work/life balance. Better quality of life than being (say) a surgeon on-call 25/8/366.
It's a good way to test your date -- show up on a bicycle, on foot, or in a bubble-car. If they aren't interested because you don't drive a Range Rover, might as well know sooner rather than later.
The solution is to make the crumple zones and bumpers "virtual" by encouraging installation of auto-braking systems on new cars. The best kind of accident is one that never actually occurs.
Yeah, they kind of are. Bad example. How about a Hummer H2, or a GMC Yuck-one?
It's about the height of a normal car -- if you can't see it from a Camry, you won't see a child crossing the street either. Turn in your license until you can go for an eye exam. Or at least turn off the cell phone and stop browsing Facebook while driving.
I believe it -- old 1950s VW bugs were that way. So are many motorcycles. When you run out of gas, the motor starts to sputter, and you flip a lever that picks fuel up at a lower point in the tank.
Solutions: better collision avoidance (autobrake) tech on cars, and better driver training. And don't be so cowardly -- it's still safer than a bicycle or motor-scooter. Driving need not be an arms race, unless you want suburbanite hausfraus getting Unimogs because OMG, an 18-wheeler might hit you and think about the cheeeeeeldren.
What does an electric car really need? A little OLED screen to show speedometer, battery charge, and warning messages/turn signals/light status.
A lot of other stuff can be dispensed with. Windows are sliding, so no power needed. Electric chairs in a two-seater are pretty silly. What else? Maybe a USB music player, two dials for fan and air temperature, a reverse/off/forward switch.
It's defined as a quadricycle -- a light 4-wheel car for street use in the EU that has to adhere to lower safety standards than larger cars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
As to how safety standards can be met: EU has a safety category for light 4-wheel vehicles known as "quadricycles." They have to meet the same (lax) safety standards as three-wheel motorbikes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...