You also need to be prepared for state laws making it illegal for a municipality to intrude into what should be commercial space. (This has already happened, but I don't know in how many states, or which ones. IIRC it was somewhere near Chicago, but not Illinois.)
Yes, agreed. Excellent point.
You're right in that the fight will eventually likely go State-level and maybe even Federal. Still, the effort has to start at the local level.
As a corollary, make just about everything a crime and that gives the gov't carte blanche to get tangled up in your life, any time, for any reason.
"Did you really think we want those laws observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them to be broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against... We're after power and we mean it... There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with."
- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
Has anyone told those in power that AS (and equally '1984', 'BNW', Animal Farm, etc) was/were NOT intended as instructions?
You can attack Ayn Rand all you want, but she's not alone (see works cited above) and events seem to be unfolding in eerily-similar ways to not only significant portions of AS, but also to those other 'future Dystopian world' books.
But at least we have cool pocket-sized Telescreens, and not those silly console-sized things from the B/W movie! Double-plus good!
Do not, however, be prodded into becoming violent in return, as then you can be labeled extremist, violent, and dangerous and your cause minimized in the public's mind.
Like you can control that. Agent Provocateur. [wikipedia.org]
Two words:
"Code word"
Or, "code [sign/ribbon/badge/hat/etc etc etc]".
Passed out to members before a protest/assembly/march or whatever. Run anyone away that doesn't have/know it, and video/publicize the attempted false-flag/provocateur actions.
IF you are pissed at your options, make this proposal to your City council next time the Franchise Agreements come up for renewal. MAKE them work for you, they are your Public Servants (or should be)
Exactly, but don't be either surprised or dissuaded when they play the 'make up procedural rules as they go' game to block your proposal and/or your speech (out of order!).
They will most likely need to be removed/impeached/voted out, as long-time city council members where franchise agreements have been the norm often begin to feel *entitled* to these deals and the graft they bring.
It will take those concerned to do door-to-door canvassing/petition drives, peaceful public assembly/protest, buying advertising in local media channels, and other forms of community organizing and education to affect real change.
Be prepared for a lot of push-back, up to and including possibly even arrests and 'crowd control' measures by law enforcement used. There is a lot of money and power at stake, and it won't be surrendered easily by those who seized it. Do not, however, be prodded into becoming violent in return, as then you can be labeled extremist, violent, and dangerous and your cause minimized in the public's mind. Publicize locally and globally video and photos and stories of any violence and/or corrupt/illegal/unconstitutional actions of local law enforcement/court systems/judges used against your peaceful effort for constructive change and battle against corruption.
"the allegations against Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche reveal a culture of deeply-rooted corporate arrogance, combined with a conscious disregard for the rule of law and the protection of public health and the environment."
"the allegations against top US political parties and leaders reveal a culture of deeply-rooted political arrogance & corruption, combined with a conscious disregard for the rule of law and the protection of public Rights, freedom. and the Rule of Law."
Netflix might not have a choice, but how in hell can I complain to the content owners in a way that they would listen other than with my wallet and not pay for a shitty streaming service.
My solution? I don't watch TV at all, haven't for 6-7 years or more now, I don't even own a TV anymore. Same with movies. I have a few favorite old movies I watch occasionally, but nothing newer than ~8-10 years old and most much, much older.
There's plenty to do for entertainment outside of movies/TV shows. There's F2P online games galore, YouTube, and plus I'm a musician so there's always picking up an instrument.
I've found I don't even miss TV/newer-movies, particularly as the quality of both have gone to shit anyways.
As far as cable/ISP, I have Charter internet @$60/mo, and if/when they raise prices, that cord will get cut, too. There's Barnes & Noble and a number of other businesses near me that offer free WiFi, and so I'll build a Pringles-can antenna.
I've worked with government IT and it's behind the time everywhere. It's not a conspiracy. It's a constantly budget conflict.
When you have budget X and it's near impossible to get funding. This kind of stuff happens on a regular basis. IT winds up just making it work.. good enough for as long as they possibly can. Like a poor person or minimalist trying to get 50 years out of their old pickup.
Bullshit!
They'd just prefer spending our money that they confiscate under threat of deadly force on spying on the private communications of regular US citizens (particularly those who oppose the current regime and/or their policies/actions) and not on systems to keep them accountable to those citizens.
By requesting a search that should have netted his own earlier FOIA requests, and didn't, Ryan Shapiro was able to demonstrate the inadequacy of the index-term search the FBI is using. Clever.
He'd better hope they don't decide to make an example of him and charge him under CFAA or some other law, regulation, or Act for exposing the inadequacy of a government computer system or something along those lines. It wouldn't even matter if they knew beforehand that they couldn't get a conviction, the process is the punishment.
The Rule of Law is dead in the US. The "law" now depends on who you are, who you know (and what you know about them), and how much money and power you have.
How do you expect MS to sell their new POS if they can.t cripple the old one?
Spot on. They know good and well that the hardware can keep operating for years.
Imagine if this idea takes hold in the auto industry? "Gee, the new car models came out, so my old model car got bricked by the manufacturer!" The only real difference is the amount of money involved.
This move by MS may just be class-action material, that is, if the US Department of (in)Justice and/or Congress/POTUS doesn't run interference for MS. Maybe MS can get some of that retroactive/ex post facto lawmaking goodness we've seen with the NSA/telecoms/surveillance issue to give MS immunity from past lawbreaking.
After all, in today's US, the "rule of law" depends on who you are, who you know (and what you know about them), and how much money and power you have. People like Hillary or Trump could blowtorch babies to death live on TV and walk away. People like us get years in PMITA prison for making bank deposits/withdrawals that some bureaucrat decides looks like it could possibly be considered "structuring" if one squints real hard.
After that book, delve into his other 'facts': [link]
But, that's not the book under discussion. Just as Metallica sucking since they sold out doesn't make their earlier works less good, what someone writes in one book does not affect the accuracy or insightfulness of another book.
Please point out to us the factual errors in "The Creature From Jekyll Island" if you want to make a relevant reply. "But...but...look at this other thing he wrote at a different time!" has no relevance...good, bad, or indifferent...to the work being discussed.
The criminal negligence we continue to see at all levels of government and quasi-government within the realm of "cyber security" is shocking.
Sadly, the criminality is not limited to government "cyber security", but pervades every government branch and agency and both major parties.
As far as the Chinese connection goes, one has to wonder what exactly all those laundered & bundled "donations" from the Chinese to Democrat campaigns, foundations, PACs, etc etc were intended to buy?
There are also many disparate groups who wish to collapse the US, each in service to their own agenda, but with many interim goals in common (and the enemy of my enemy...) and the banking/currency system is one of the prime targets in any such effort.
I don't get what's so hard for people to understand. Government is just people and people suck (basic human nature has not changed much in over 5,000 years) and seek wealth & power over duty, so the only practical way to keep government relatively honest and in-check is to make government as weak, decentralized, and local as possible so that those in government have very little to sell in the way of power/influence/control and know they face actual prosecution if they are caught, while also making it less attractive for those who might want to buy influence.
The FDIC is a private corporation serving private banks who use the private entity known as the Federal Reserve to earn a spread on your deposits.
How the whole Federal Reserve system came to be and who created and runs it is some deeply disturbing shit. Add the fact that the US has no gold reserves, not even the gold they supposedly hold for other nations. It's all been looted.
A good read on the history behind the creation of the US Federal Reserve is "The Creature From Jekyll Island: A Second Look At The Federal Reserve" by G. Edward Griffin.
Now we'll know what color crayon she uses when she "writes" her books.
To be honest, I already know more about Sarah Palin than I ever wanted to. I could die happy if I never heard another word about her.
[chuckles] Yeah, Palin is no match for a female Democrat intellectual powerhouse like sophisticated NYC-born Sheila Jackson Lee, or a male Democrat intellectual like Hank "Guam will tip over" Johnson.
I don't see that telephone conversations should be legally different now that we're using different technology.
Somehow they are along with a host of other rights and constitutional prtections, see: NSA, FISA, PATRIOT Act I & II, NDAA for a start along with incremental encroachments that stretch back decades.
Why?
Same reasons they've used to frighten people out of their privacy and civil rights and expand the scope and power of government going that's been the drum-beat for decades, now.
"Terrists, pedos, and mass-shooters, Oh My! Shut up and give Us more Power or you'll Die!"
You have to consider that, with so many of the recent attackers already having been known to US intelligence like the Tsarnaev brothers, there is the distinct possibility that they are being intentionally allowed to happen in order to generate the necessary public fear to allow them to grab more power and control. Looking at the "Fast and Furious" debacle criminal attempt to create pressure to limit/infringe US 2nd Amendment rights, it would not seem out of character for those currently in power in both parties.
Just wanted to point out that one peoples' "problem" is another set of peoples' "tools for control of people".
The "energy problem" could be effectively "solved" in a few years and without raping the environment or climate, but that destroys a means of control and profit for those at the very top (and I don't necessarily mean politicians/heads-of-State) so the status quo is maintained as much as possible. Any changes are in small, incremental steps and strictly controlled/regulated in a top-down manner so innovation is also discouraged.
Much like the world produces more than enough food to feed everyone yet there is still starvation, so there is the potential for nearly limitless and cheap energy for all and yet we still have "energy crisis".
It's politics and the desire of a few to control the lives of many that stand in the way of solving both problems (and many, many others as well). In other words, base human nature combined with apathy in combating it and working to rise above it, are once again our own worst enemies.
Renouncing US citizenship now requires a $2500USD (IIRC) payment
How in the FUCK can a country make me PAY to stop being a Citizen? That CANNOT be legal, and it sure as HELL isn't Constitutional!
Ha! They can because they have many large angry men with guns that enforce their will despite anything written on some old piece of parchment.
We're lucky they still let people leave the US at all! The virtual Berlin Wall around the US keeps getting higher and higher as more and more people and businesses flee the US which is rapidly approaching banana-republic status regarding individual rights & freedom (and tax rates), as well as Rule of Law (some animals are more equal than others).
I'm honestly considering moving abroad for a better opportunity since my wife is medical, she can work anywhere, and she has a particular set of skills that are in high demand everywhere.
You might be surprised at how valuable your American IT skills and experience are in some places outside the US. You might be able to find a place where both you and your spouse's skills pay well enough to make you relatively well-off by local standards and not-impoverished even by US standards.
If you do not renounce US citizenship you'll still be paying US income taxes and possibly others I'm unaware of. Renouncing US citizenship now requires a $2500USD (IIRC) payment and clearance checks against any tax debts or legal obligations/warrants/etc plus checks against the various TLA lists (both those we're aware of and those we're still unaware of).
I'll take a small box and put a big red button on it and label it "Planetary Core Detonator", put it on a bench in a park, and then we can put to death anyone that pushes the button for attempted mass murder, genocide, and crimes against humanity for trying to destroy the Earth. They had the intent, right?
"Mens Rea" is not the only factor. Other factors must be present, like means and opportunity.
If they just took some random idiot hater with no means or opportunity (knew nothing about bombs or bomb-making, had no explosives or means to obtain them, had no van or money/credit to buy/lease/rent one) and supplied him with means and opportunity (supplied him with the things I listed above), that is not only entrapment, it's a ringing alarm bell that the system is out of control and needs to be dealt with.
Scenario 1: Pilot crashes the plane to the mountain. No help from pods as there was no accident. Scenario 2: Big country fires a missile to destroy the plane. Unlikely for the pods to help as whole system probably explodes. There are some scenarios where this can help. E.g. if pilot realizes that he has lost control of the plane and there is enough altitude for parachutes to open.
So what is needed is some statistics. How big impact could this really have?
Then we should compare this to some alternative methods, e.g. robot pilots, more strict airplane control etc. And compare cost vs. amount of saved lives. It should also be remembered that new technology always has some unexpected problems, so people will get killed because of this technology if it is taken into use.
Most commercial aircraft accidents happen at take-off and landing and at under 2,000ft altitude (bird strikes, wind shear anomalies, etc). Standard parachute systems don't have time to deploy and dissipate sufficient velocity before impact to be of any worth. The only way a modular system as described could be effective for the majority of scenarios that involve very low altitudes with current tech is if the modules were equipped with a computer-controlled rocket braking/thruster system and automated landing system.
In the US the one area of air transportation infrastructure that is both in the worst state and probably one of the largest factors in air transport safety is the air traffic control system. It's been a mess since at least the 1970s. There were still vital systems and equipment that dated from the '70s in service up to the late '90s (and there may still be some in service I'm unaware of).
There have been a few half-hearted attempts to throw money at the problem but, as usual, most of the money is squandered on upgrade projects in the hands of the usual politically-connected cronies and the money mysteriously evaporates in endless cost-overruns, delays, and failures to deliver.
If the goal was actually to make a relatively large improvement in air safety and a wise appropriation of funds (if they are tied to effective and pragmatic oversight combined with meaningful penalties), the US' air traffic control system would be a great place to start.
That's not for the FBI to decide. The FBI is an investigatory organization. They exist to find the facts, and present them to a Federal prosecutor.
That prosecutor can certainly weigh all kinds of factors for if they choose to indict or not. The FBI should only deal with facts.
Did they in this case? Who the hell knows.
Every other Executive-branch Department/Agency/etc has been politicized, from the IRS to the DoJ, EPA to BLM, even the SCOTUS in the Judicial branch has become blatantly politicized and their decisions agenda and ideology driven.
Why would anyone think the FBI, with a long and sordid history of political shenanigans, would now be the exception?
The Rule of Law is pretty much dead in the US. How much and how serious the law-breaking you can get away with (and how much government protection/defense you receive against it) is simply a function of how much power, wealth, and status you have. The more power, wealth, and control that is given to government, is effectively given to those people in charge in the government, and that is a valuable commodity. The more power/wealth/control for sale, the more attractive it is to buy and the risks for selling it more worth the taking vs the rewards.
It's simple human nature. People suck. Particularly the types of people who seek political power. That's why it is wise to not allow government power to be centralized or strong. The stronger, larger, and more centralized the government, the more corrupt it is or becomes, and the less freedom the people enjoy while having ever more of their money confiscated to pay for the ever-expanding government behemoth.
Quick! We'd better give the government more power & control, and billions/trillions more of our money to fix it!
On the other hand it might be able to wear-level better by choosing different patches of the tire to ride on. This looks like an idea waiting for materials science and manufacturing application thereof to catch up to it, though. Needs treads, too.
He does mention that this being a prototype and he not being some big corporation, he had to use OTS materials (and likely why he's tried to sell it to major tire companies with material resources).
The ability to switch tread patterns combined with the omnidirectional movement capability could be very useful in off-road, all-terrain vehicles of all sorts, from sport-recreational to heavy construction/earth-moving equipment, rescue vehicles, and special military vehicles.
Tractor-trailers with the ability to park their trailer/container sideways and pack a space end-to-end would greatly increase cargo density for transfer/shipping and lower costs and likely reduce shipping time. I would think it would be a boon for logistics.
I could also see versions more tuned for forward/reverse travel for passenger cars and even high performance vehicles using fly-by-wire systems to precisely control the side-force amount and direction applied by each wheel in real-time to greatly increase control and stability at high speed from wind, buffeting, surface conditions and imperfections, etc etc and minimize friction to the road surface to increase fuel efficiency and range of safe driving speed possible.
The ability to select treads for weather/surface conditions is also a plus here. I could envision a standard selection as dry/high-speed, wet/high-speed, (highway driving) snow/ice low/medium speed, omni medium-speed ('standard' city/suburb driving), offroad/low-med speed.
Material science and engineering has some amazing synthetic and carbon-fiber/microfiber and nano-tube based materials coming down the pike, many just waiting for an application where they can be put to use while as a side-effect also driving further research and progress. This might be such an opportunity.
That's because the percentage of US households that own guns has also dropped steadily over the past two decades.
That's according to numbers provided by a "GSS" (General Social Survey) conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. Confirmation bias and political agenda bias are to be expected.
Both the NRA and GOA (Gun Owners of America) have seen large upticks in new members, so I have strong doubts as to the accuracy of such studies published by anti-gun groups like the Violence Policy Center and particularly when the data used comes from a university (which are generally very liberal-leaning to begin with) in a city where the politics are strongly anti-gun.
Otherwise, people that think like you could clean up Chicago already. Those guns are already illegal. Go and take them. The rest of us would love to see you try.
The way to solve it is to allow law abiding citizens to own and carry firearms. The problem will be self-correcting, as criminals are cowards that prefer their victims helpless and unarmed, which is why crime & violence in Chitcago, with its' extremely restrictive gun laws, is so much higher than elsewhere.
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe you need to re-calibrate your sarcasm meter.
Just saying.
Strat
You also need to be prepared for state laws making it illegal for a municipality to intrude into what should be commercial space. (This has already happened, but I don't know in how many states, or which ones. IIRC it was somewhere near Chicago, but not Illinois.)
Yes, agreed. Excellent point.
You're right in that the fight will eventually likely go State-level and maybe even Federal. Still, the effort has to start at the local level.
Strat
As a corollary, make just about everything a crime and that gives the gov't carte blanche to get tangled up in your life, any time, for any reason.
"Did you really think we want those laws observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them to be broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against... We're after power and we mean it... There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with."
- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
Has anyone told those in power that AS (and equally '1984', 'BNW', Animal Farm, etc) was/were NOT intended as instructions?
You can attack Ayn Rand all you want, but she's not alone (see works cited above) and events seem to be unfolding in eerily-similar ways to not only significant portions of AS, but also to those other 'future Dystopian world' books.
But at least we have cool pocket-sized Telescreens, and not those silly console-sized things from the B/W movie! Double-plus good!
Strat
Do not, however, be prodded into becoming violent in return, as then you can be labeled extremist, violent, and dangerous and your cause minimized in the public's mind.
Like you can control that. Agent Provocateur. [wikipedia.org]
Two words:
"Code word"
Or, "code [sign/ribbon/badge/hat/etc etc etc]".
Passed out to members before a protest/assembly/march or whatever. Run anyone away that doesn't have/know it, and video/publicize the attempted false-flag/provocateur actions.
Strat
IF you are pissed at your options, make this proposal to your City council next time the Franchise Agreements come up for renewal. MAKE them work for you, they are your Public Servants (or should be)
Exactly, but don't be either surprised or dissuaded when they play the 'make up procedural rules as they go' game to block your proposal and/or your speech (out of order!).
They will most likely need to be removed/impeached/voted out, as long-time city council members where franchise agreements have been the norm often begin to feel *entitled* to these deals and the graft they bring.
It will take those concerned to do door-to-door canvassing/petition drives, peaceful public assembly/protest, buying advertising in local media channels, and other forms of community organizing and education to affect real change.
Be prepared for a lot of push-back, up to and including possibly even arrests and 'crowd control' measures by law enforcement used. There is a lot of money and power at stake, and it won't be surrendered easily by those who seized it. Do not, however, be prodded into becoming violent in return, as then you can be labeled extremist, violent, and dangerous and your cause minimized in the public's mind. Publicize locally and globally video and photos and stories of any violence and/or corrupt/illegal/unconstitutional actions of local law enforcement/court systems/judges used against your peaceful effort for constructive change and battle against corruption.
Strat
"the allegations against Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche reveal a culture of deeply-rooted corporate arrogance, combined with a conscious disregard for the rule of law and the protection of public health and the environment."
"the allegations against top US political parties and leaders reveal a culture of deeply-rooted political arrogance & corruption, combined with a conscious disregard for the rule of law and the protection of public Rights, freedom. and the Rule of Law."
Strat
Netflix might not have a choice, but how in hell can I complain to the content owners in a way that they would listen other than with my wallet and not pay for a shitty streaming service.
My solution? I don't watch TV at all, haven't for 6-7 years or more now, I don't even own a TV anymore. Same with movies. I have a few favorite old movies I watch occasionally, but nothing newer than ~8-10 years old and most much, much older.
There's plenty to do for entertainment outside of movies/TV shows. There's F2P online games galore, YouTube, and plus I'm a musician so there's always picking up an instrument.
I've found I don't even miss TV/newer-movies, particularly as the quality of both have gone to shit anyways.
As far as cable/ISP, I have Charter internet @$60/mo, and if/when they raise prices, that cord will get cut, too. There's Barnes & Noble and a number of other businesses near me that offer free WiFi, and so I'll build a Pringles-can antenna.
Screw the greedy bastards.
Strat
I've worked with government IT and it's behind the time everywhere. It's not a conspiracy. It's a constantly budget conflict.
When you have budget X and it's near impossible to get funding. This kind of stuff happens on a regular basis. IT winds up just making it work.. good enough for as long as they possibly can. Like a poor person or minimalist trying to get 50 years out of their old pickup.
Bullshit!
They'd just prefer spending our money that they confiscate under threat of deadly force on spying on the private communications of regular US citizens (particularly those who oppose the current regime and/or their policies/actions) and not on systems to keep them accountable to those citizens.
Strat
By requesting a search that should have netted his own earlier FOIA requests, and didn't, Ryan Shapiro was able to demonstrate the inadequacy of the index-term search the FBI is using. Clever.
He'd better hope they don't decide to make an example of him and charge him under CFAA or some other law, regulation, or Act for exposing the inadequacy of a government computer system or something along those lines. It wouldn't even matter if they knew beforehand that they couldn't get a conviction, the process is the punishment.
The Rule of Law is dead in the US. The "law" now depends on who you are, who you know (and what you know about them), and how much money and power you have.
Strat
How do you expect MS to sell their new POS if they can.t cripple the old one?
Spot on. They know good and well that the hardware can keep operating for years.
Imagine if this idea takes hold in the auto industry? "Gee, the new car models came out, so my old model car got bricked by the manufacturer!" The only real difference is the amount of money involved.
This move by MS may just be class-action material, that is, if the US Department of (in)Justice and/or Congress/POTUS doesn't run interference for MS. Maybe MS can get some of that retroactive/ex post facto lawmaking goodness we've seen with the NSA/telecoms/surveillance issue to give MS immunity from past lawbreaking.
After all, in today's US, the "rule of law" depends on who you are, who you know (and what you know about them), and how much money and power you have. People like Hillary or Trump could blowtorch babies to death live on TV and walk away. People like us get years in PMITA prison for making bank deposits/withdrawals that some bureaucrat decides looks like it could possibly be considered "structuring" if one squints real hard.
Strat
After that book, delve into his other 'facts':
[link]
But, that's not the book under discussion. Just as Metallica sucking since they sold out doesn't make their earlier works less good, what someone writes in one book does not affect the accuracy or insightfulness of another book.
Please point out to us the factual errors in "The Creature From Jekyll Island" if you want to make a relevant reply. "But...but...look at this other thing he wrote at a different time!" has no relevance...good, bad, or indifferent...to the work being discussed.
Strat
The criminal negligence we continue to see at all levels of government and quasi-government within the realm of "cyber security" is shocking.
Sadly, the criminality is not limited to government "cyber security", but pervades every government branch and agency and both major parties.
As far as the Chinese connection goes, one has to wonder what exactly all those laundered & bundled "donations" from the Chinese to Democrat campaigns, foundations, PACs, etc etc were intended to buy?
There are also many disparate groups who wish to collapse the US, each in service to their own agenda, but with many interim goals in common (and the enemy of my enemy...) and the banking/currency system is one of the prime targets in any such effort.
I don't get what's so hard for people to understand. Government is just people and people suck (basic human nature has not changed much in over 5,000 years) and seek wealth & power over duty, so the only practical way to keep government relatively honest and in-check is to make government as weak, decentralized, and local as possible so that those in government have very little to sell in the way of power/influence/control and know they face actual prosecution if they are caught, while also making it less attractive for those who might want to buy influence.
Strat
The FDIC is a private corporation serving private banks who use the private entity known as the Federal Reserve to earn a spread on your deposits.
How the whole Federal Reserve system came to be and who created and runs it is some deeply disturbing shit. Add the fact that the US has no gold reserves, not even the gold they supposedly hold for other nations. It's all been looted.
A good read on the history behind the creation of the US Federal Reserve is "The Creature From Jekyll Island: A Second Look At The Federal Reserve" by G. Edward Griffin.
https://archive.org/details/Cr...
Strat
"...a research file on Sarah Palin."
Now we'll know what color crayon she uses when she "writes" her books.
To be honest, I already know more about Sarah Palin than I ever wanted to. I could die happy if I never heard another word about her.
[chuckles] Yeah, Palin is no match for a female Democrat intellectual powerhouse like sophisticated NYC-born Sheila Jackson Lee, or a male Democrat intellectual like Hank "Guam will tip over" Johnson.
Strat
I don't see that telephone conversations should be legally different now that we're using different technology.
Somehow they are along with a host of other rights and constitutional prtections, see: NSA, FISA, PATRIOT Act I & II, NDAA for a start along with incremental encroachments that stretch back decades.
Why?
Same reasons they've used to frighten people out of their privacy and civil rights and expand the scope and power of government going that's been the drum-beat for decades, now.
"Terrists, pedos, and mass-shooters, Oh My! Shut up and give Us more Power or you'll Die!"
You have to consider that, with so many of the recent attackers already having been known to US intelligence like the Tsarnaev brothers, there is the distinct possibility that they are being intentionally allowed to happen in order to generate the necessary public fear to allow them to grab more power and control. Looking at the "Fast and Furious" debacle criminal attempt to create pressure to limit/infringe US 2nd Amendment rights, it would not seem out of character for those currently in power in both parties.
Strat
Good post, well thought out.
There's just this part:
...our energy supply problem.
Just wanted to point out that one peoples' "problem" is another set of peoples' "tools for control of people".
The "energy problem" could be effectively "solved" in a few years and without raping the environment or climate, but that destroys a means of control and profit for those at the very top (and I don't necessarily mean politicians/heads-of-State) so the status quo is maintained as much as possible. Any changes are in small, incremental steps and strictly controlled/regulated in a top-down manner so innovation is also discouraged.
Much like the world produces more than enough food to feed everyone yet there is still starvation, so there is the potential for nearly limitless and cheap energy for all and yet we still have "energy crisis".
It's politics and the desire of a few to control the lives of many that stand in the way of solving both problems (and many, many others as well). In other words, base human nature combined with apathy in combating it and working to rise above it, are once again our own worst enemies.
Strat
Ha! They can because they have many large angry men with guns that enforce their will despite anything written on some old piece of parchment.
We're lucky they still let people leave the US at all! The virtual Berlin Wall around the US keeps getting higher and higher as more and more people and businesses flee the US which is rapidly approaching banana-republic status regarding individual rights & freedom (and tax rates), as well as Rule of Law (some animals are more equal than others).
Strat
I'm honestly considering moving abroad for a better opportunity since my wife is medical, she can work anywhere, and she has a particular set of skills that are in high demand everywhere.
You might be surprised at how valuable your American IT skills and experience are in some places outside the US. You might be able to find a place where both you and your spouse's skills pay well enough to make you relatively well-off by local standards and not-impoverished even by US standards.
If you do not renounce US citizenship you'll still be paying US income taxes and possibly others I'm unaware of. Renouncing US citizenship now requires a $2500USD (IIRC) payment and clearance checks against any tax debts or legal obligations/warrants/etc plus checks against the various TLA lists (both those we're aware of and those we're still unaware of).
Strat
Mens Rea, Guilty mind, aka Criminal Intent.
Great!
I'll take a small box and put a big red button on it and label it "Planetary Core Detonator", put it on a bench in a park, and then we can put to death anyone that pushes the button for attempted mass murder, genocide, and crimes against humanity for trying to destroy the Earth. They had the intent, right?
"Mens Rea" is not the only factor. Other factors must be present, like means and opportunity.
If they just took some random idiot hater with no means or opportunity (knew nothing about bombs or bomb-making, had no explosives or means to obtain them, had no van or money/credit to buy/lease/rent one) and supplied him with means and opportunity (supplied him with the things I listed above), that is not only entrapment, it's a ringing alarm bell that the system is out of control and needs to be dealt with.
Strat
Scenario 1: Pilot crashes the plane to the mountain. No help from pods as there was no accident.
Scenario 2: Big country fires a missile to destroy the plane. Unlikely for the pods to help as whole system probably explodes.
There are some scenarios where this can help. E.g. if pilot realizes that he has lost control of the plane and there is enough altitude for parachutes to open.
So what is needed is some statistics. How big impact could this really have?
Then we should compare this to some alternative methods, e.g. robot pilots, more strict airplane control etc. And compare cost vs. amount of saved lives. It should also be remembered that new technology always has some unexpected problems, so people will get killed because of this technology if it is taken into use.
Most commercial aircraft accidents happen at take-off and landing and at under 2,000ft altitude (bird strikes, wind shear anomalies, etc). Standard parachute systems don't have time to deploy and dissipate sufficient velocity before impact to be of any worth. The only way a modular system as described could be effective for the majority of scenarios that involve very low altitudes with current tech is if the modules were equipped with a computer-controlled rocket braking/thruster system and automated landing system.
In the US the one area of air transportation infrastructure that is both in the worst state and probably one of the largest factors in air transport safety is the air traffic control system. It's been a mess since at least the 1970s. There were still vital systems and equipment that dated from the '70s in service up to the late '90s (and there may still be some in service I'm unaware of).
There have been a few half-hearted attempts to throw money at the problem but, as usual, most of the money is squandered on upgrade projects in the hands of the usual politically-connected cronies and the money mysteriously evaporates in endless cost-overruns, delays, and failures to deliver.
If the goal was actually to make a relatively large improvement in air safety and a wise appropriation of funds (if they are tied to effective and pragmatic oversight combined with meaningful penalties), the US' air traffic control system would be a great place to start.
Strat
That's not for the FBI to decide. The FBI is an investigatory organization. They exist to find the facts, and present them to a Federal prosecutor.
That prosecutor can certainly weigh all kinds of factors for if they choose to indict or not. The FBI should only deal with facts.
Did they in this case? Who the hell knows.
Every other Executive-branch Department/Agency/etc has been politicized, from the IRS to the DoJ, EPA to BLM, even the SCOTUS in the Judicial branch has become blatantly politicized and their decisions agenda and ideology driven.
Why would anyone think the FBI, with a long and sordid history of political shenanigans, would now be the exception?
The Rule of Law is pretty much dead in the US. How much and how serious the law-breaking you can get away with (and how much government protection/defense you receive against it) is simply a function of how much power, wealth, and status you have. The more power, wealth, and control that is given to government, is effectively given to those people in charge in the government, and that is a valuable commodity. The more power/wealth/control for sale, the more attractive it is to buy and the risks for selling it more worth the taking vs the rewards.
It's simple human nature. People suck. Particularly the types of people who seek political power. That's why it is wise to not allow government power to be centralized or strong. The stronger, larger, and more centralized the government, the more corrupt it is or becomes, and the less freedom the people enjoy while having ever more of their money confiscated to pay for the ever-expanding government behemoth.
Quick! We'd better give the government more power & control, and billions/trillions more of our money to fix it!
Strat
On the other hand it might be able to wear-level better by choosing different patches of the tire to ride on. This looks like an idea waiting for materials science and manufacturing application thereof to catch up to it, though. Needs treads, too.
He does mention that this being a prototype and he not being some big corporation, he had to use OTS materials (and likely why he's tried to sell it to major tire companies with material resources).
The ability to switch tread patterns combined with the omnidirectional movement capability could be very useful in off-road, all-terrain vehicles of all sorts, from sport-recreational to heavy construction/earth-moving equipment, rescue vehicles, and special military vehicles.
Tractor-trailers with the ability to park their trailer/container sideways and pack a space end-to-end would greatly increase cargo density for transfer/shipping and lower costs and likely reduce shipping time. I would think it would be a boon for logistics.
I could also see versions more tuned for forward/reverse travel for passenger cars and even high performance vehicles using fly-by-wire systems to precisely control the side-force amount and direction applied by each wheel in real-time to greatly increase control and stability at high speed from wind, buffeting, surface conditions and imperfections, etc etc and minimize friction to the road surface to increase fuel efficiency and range of safe driving speed possible.
The ability to select treads for weather/surface conditions is also a plus here. I could envision a standard selection as dry/high-speed, wet/high-speed, (highway driving) snow/ice low/medium speed, omni medium-speed ('standard' city/suburb driving), offroad/low-med speed.
Material science and engineering has some amazing synthetic and carbon-fiber/microfiber and nano-tube based materials coming down the pike, many just waiting for an application where they can be put to use while as a side-effect also driving further research and progress. This might be such an opportunity.
Strat
Expecting human nature to change to match your product's limitation is a fool's journey.
Tell that to the collectivists who are in favor of various styles of socialist or communist forms of government.
Strat
That's because the percentage of US households that own guns has also dropped steadily over the past two decades.
That's according to numbers provided by a "GSS" (General Social Survey) conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. Confirmation bias and political agenda bias are to be expected.
Both the NRA and GOA (Gun Owners of America) have seen large upticks in new members, so I have strong doubts as to the accuracy of such studies published by anti-gun groups like the Violence Policy Center and particularly when the data used comes from a university (which are generally very liberal-leaning to begin with) in a city where the politics are strongly anti-gun.
Strat
Otherwise, people that think like you could clean up Chicago already. Those guns are already illegal. Go and take them. The rest of us would love to see you try.
The way to solve it is to allow law abiding citizens to own and carry firearms. The problem will be self-correcting, as criminals are cowards that prefer their victims helpless and unarmed, which is why crime & violence in Chitcago, with its' extremely restrictive gun laws, is so much higher than elsewhere.
Strat