Check out the Great Oxygenation Event for even a better example; cyanobacteria produced so much pollution (in the form of free oxygen) that they killed off most other life on the planet.
Let's say X is a constant, and is always equal to 5. It is not logically (or physically) possible to say "From now on, Y will be equal to X. But we're going to change the value of Y as we see fit.
I think there's an error, in that you're not using a consistent definition of "value". You can offer an official EXCHANGE RATE of, say, dollars to Argentine Pesos (and that's not really a random example), and then inflate a currency. In the long term, this doesn't really WORK, since everyone who can will just buy dollars with pesos and bankrupt your exchange office because there's no equivalent trade back to pesos, but it's not tautological.
Tesla should have concentrated on producing a credible hatchback, Volkswagen Golf competitor they could sell worldwide. If they could get a section of that market then things would change very rapidly.
Just like Nissan has with the Leaf? Or Mitsubishi with the i-Miev? Or Honda with the Fit Electric? Chevy Spark? Focus Electric?
There's a whole lot of competition in that market; I don't think it'd be unfair to credit Tesla's relative success with the fact that they DIDN'T try to do that.
HEALTHY markets are zero or negative inflation. Take computer-related equipment: every year, you get more bang for the buck (even when you consider they're inflated bucks). That's called deflation.
No, no, no. You cannot parcel up "deflation" and "inflation" on a per-market basis, then use that to determine the strength or weakness of a currency.
A deflationary currency is a bad thing; you simply have to remember that an economy thrives on people buying things from each other, and breaks down when they stop doing so. It's a bit more complicated, obviously, but primarily you need to be concerned when people have an incentive not to do so.
Deflation causes a breakdown in this in that it becomes acceptable to get "returns" (i.e. increase in worth) for a currency by simple stuffing it in a mattress. This is very harmful, not least because it's a positive feedback loop; the more people stuffing currency in their mattresses, the smaller the money supply, and the faster the currency deflates. See the Great Depression for an example.
For nearly 300 years, inflation was essentially zero in North America, and we had a healthy economy (arguably the healthiest in the world).
If by "essentially zero" you mean "inflation and deflation of double-digits year over year", I suppose that's half-true. It doesn't make for a stable economy, though. And just for kicks, you should look for all of the "Panics" that happened in 19th century America, you might be surprised at the number and their severity.
We need to end the Fed, and re-instate a hard money standard. Just those two things would fix many of our ills.
This is very, very much not the case. Why do you think the "Great Moderation" happened? Why do you think that not a single nation in the world is using a "hard money" standard anymore?
It's far past time we kicked these adherents of failed and discredited Keynesian theory out of government economics. Sadly, Janet Yellen, new Fed chief, is a staunch Keynesian and a fan of the "new" Phillips Curve, which was demonstrated pretty thoroughly to be wrong about 20 years ago.
Wait, what? The "new" Phillips curve has only been around since 1995, so I'm not sure how it could have been demonstrated to be wrong before then.
Fair enough, but keep in mind that this is comparing with 1960s turbine technology; we have far better turbines available today.
Also, the turbine can spin at its optimal speed since it wouldn't be physically connected to anything, meaning optimal efficiency, no lag, and basically everything that was a problem about the Chrysler is made moot.
If I swipe my debit card today, the payment processor doesn't transmit actual dollar bills and coins on the spot. Over simplifying, the transaction is logged and my bank will guarantee to pay the seller at some point in the future.
For many transactions, I expect that Bitcoin will be used the same way.
This implies that Bitcoin will lose the only legitimate claim it has to being better than existing currencies.
I thought it was volatility. No, wait... it was a pyramid scheme. Or rather, because the US won't accept it for taxes. Or was it because it's deflationary? Heck, I just don't know any more."
Are you implying that Bitcoin can only have one problem?
Alas for the busybodies, there isn't really all that much evidence (outside the lab) that the use of cellphones is causing calamities on our highways.
Of course there isn't, how the hell would you prove that? Ask the person after a crash if they were talking on their phone when it happened?
I've been hit by someone who I'm pretty sure was talking on a cell phone. I've seen people on phones make incredibly stupid decisions in traffic, swerve into other lanes, go 10mph below the speed limit, etc. The only other time I've seen that is when people are eating or reading (yes, reading) in the driver's seat.
So there's anecdotal evidence, lab evidence, and a good reason for not having substantial real-world data.... why do you not think that it's happening?
So, what was the point of your comment? To say that having the fucking state dictate every single tiny detail of our lives is somehow better than living as free men, because there's a slight improvement on the odds you'll be alive for another couple of minutes? Or maybe you just get your rocks off denigrating the position of others? Dunno; I'm not you, and glad for it.
Here's my point, if I have one: Don't be such an unbearable pussy, that you feel compelled to dictate to others how they should live their lives. It's a real dickhead move, and frankly a lot of us are sick of hearing about how you feel there should be a ban or regulation on everything that scares you.
Fuckin' grow a pair, brah.
Geez, where did this come from? There've been huge improvements in auto safety over the last 40 years, and cars have fixed most of the obvious deathtraps. He was just pointing that out. Besides, children can't make an informed decision whether or not to take safety precautions.
People dying every day isn't a counterargument to "people shouldn't die needlessly".
But a micro SD card can store four gigabytes of key data now, which should be good for the life of the system, so maybe the next step is to embed a one time pad in both the key fob and the car security system.
Erm... I don't think this would be necessarily a good idea. If you move out of range of the car and use the fob, you can record a copy of the next key that will be used in the sequence, and then broadcast it back. Not only would that allow you to unlock the car, but it immediately borks the key fob as well....
APU is the only unusual acronym in the summary. It refers to a chip with both the CPU and graphics processor on the same die. It was previously called Fusion, but trademarks got in the way.
Unfortunate, because it already stands for Auxiliary Power Unit in aerospace. But I think we've passed peak TLA.
As a more libertarian society (yes, we are, like it or not) the government can't just tell us or any private entity what standards we will use, which was the barrier to entry it had the first time we tried to adopt it
This is specifically within the purview of the US Congress. Specifically, see Article 1, Section 8, fifth paragraph:
To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;
If you need to calibrate a thermometer you just made (and don't have a known good thermometer to do it against) freezing and boiling water is a lot easier than messing around with liquid nitrogen.
Ironically, this is one of the few areas in which Fahrenheit has a clear advantage. Human body temperature is roughly 96 degrees under the arm (if that's not precise enough, perhaps you should let someone else calibrate your thermometer?). An ice bath is 32 degrees. That's a difference of 64 degrees, and the point equidistant from the two marks you made is 64 degrees F. Divide by two until you get to degree markings.
Slashdot Mirror
Nature does not pollute itself.
WTF? I mean seriously WTF?
Have you ever seen a volcano? Nature - polluting.
Check out the Great Oxygenation Event for even a better example; cyanobacteria produced so much pollution (in the form of free oxygen) that they killed off most other life on the planet.
Let's say X is a constant, and is always equal to 5. It is not logically (or physically) possible to say "From now on, Y will be equal to X. But we're going to change the value of Y as we see fit.
I think there's an error, in that you're not using a consistent definition of "value". You can offer an official EXCHANGE RATE of, say, dollars to Argentine Pesos (and that's not really a random example), and then inflate a currency. In the long term, this doesn't really WORK, since everyone who can will just buy dollars with pesos and bankrupt your exchange office because there's no equivalent trade back to pesos, but it's not tautological.
Tesla should have concentrated on producing a credible hatchback, Volkswagen Golf competitor they could sell worldwide. If they could get a section of that market then things would change very rapidly.
Just like Nissan has with the Leaf? Or Mitsubishi with the i-Miev? Or Honda with the Fit Electric? Chevy Spark? Focus Electric?
There's a whole lot of competition in that market; I don't think it'd be unfair to credit Tesla's relative success with the fact that they DIDN'T try to do that.
HEALTHY markets are zero or negative inflation. Take computer-related equipment: every year, you get more bang for the buck (even when you consider they're inflated bucks). That's called deflation.
No, no, no. You cannot parcel up "deflation" and "inflation" on a per-market basis, then use that to determine the strength or weakness of a currency.
A deflationary currency is a bad thing; you simply have to remember that an economy thrives on people buying things from each other, and breaks down when they stop doing so. It's a bit more complicated, obviously, but primarily you need to be concerned when people have an incentive not to do so.
Deflation causes a breakdown in this in that it becomes acceptable to get "returns" (i.e. increase in worth) for a currency by simple stuffing it in a mattress. This is very harmful, not least because it's a positive feedback loop; the more people stuffing currency in their mattresses, the smaller the money supply, and the faster the currency deflates. See the Great Depression for an example.
For nearly 300 years, inflation was essentially zero in North America, and we had a healthy economy (arguably the healthiest in the world).
If by "essentially zero" you mean "inflation and deflation of double-digits year over year", I suppose that's half-true. It doesn't make for a stable economy, though. And just for kicks, you should look for all of the "Panics" that happened in 19th century America, you might be surprised at the number and their severity.
We need to end the Fed, and re-instate a hard money standard. Just those two things would fix many of our ills.
This is very, very much not the case. Why do you think the "Great Moderation" happened? Why do you think that not a single nation in the world is using a "hard money" standard anymore?
It's far past time we kicked these adherents of failed and discredited Keynesian theory out of government economics. Sadly, Janet Yellen, new Fed chief, is a staunch Keynesian and a fan of the "new" Phillips Curve, which was demonstrated pretty thoroughly to be wrong about 20 years ago.
Wait, what? The "new" Phillips curve has only been around since 1995, so I'm not sure how it could have been demonstrated to be wrong before then.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P...
We already have stagflation under Obama: high inflation (government inflation figures are just plain B.S.) and high unemployment.
What on earth makes you think we have high inflation?
I think Robin Hanson's commentary on the movie's lack of internal consistency is valid.
Hmm, I'm reminded of the Frederik Pohl quote: "A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam."
Fair enough, but keep in mind that this is comparing with 1960s turbine technology; we have far better turbines available today.
Also, the turbine can spin at its optimal speed since it wouldn't be physically connected to anything, meaning optimal efficiency, no lag, and basically everything that was a problem about the Chrysler is made moot.
If I swipe my debit card today, the payment processor doesn't transmit actual dollar bills and coins on the spot. Over simplifying, the transaction is logged and my bank will guarantee to pay the seller at some point in the future.
For many transactions, I expect that Bitcoin will be used the same way.
This implies that Bitcoin will lose the only legitimate claim it has to being better than existing currencies.
"Is that the problem?
I thought it was volatility. No, wait... it was a pyramid scheme. Or rather, because the US won't accept it for taxes. Or was it because it's deflationary? Heck, I just don't know any more."
Are you implying that Bitcoin can only have one problem?
Note that "gold" also has a finite amount available that gets progressively harder/more expensive to mine.
Both Bitcoin and gold are poor choices as currency for precisely this reason.
he is human and he needs to be loved, just like everybody else does.
But apparently, he goes about things the wrong way.
So I guess the operating idea here is that the people you WANT to be broadcasting ads to are the ones who are demonstrably trying to get some sleep?
Do they think that doing so will make people MORE likely to buy their advertised products? They may be in for a rude shock.
Of course there isn't, how the hell would you prove that? Ask the person after a crash if they were talking on their phone when it happened?
I've been hit by someone who I'm pretty sure was talking on a cell phone. I've seen people on phones make incredibly stupid decisions in traffic, swerve into other lanes, go 10mph below the speed limit, etc. The only other time I've seen that is when people are eating or reading (yes, reading) in the driver's seat.
So there's anecdotal evidence, lab evidence, and a good reason for not having substantial real-world data.... why do you not think that it's happening?
Geez, where did this come from? There've been huge improvements in auto safety over the last 40 years, and cars have fixed most of the obvious deathtraps. He was just pointing that out. Besides, children can't make an informed decision whether or not to take safety precautions.
People dying every day isn't a counterargument to "people shouldn't die needlessly".
As I have no mod points to give, I'll just say THANK YOU for the fascinating post!
But a micro SD card can store four gigabytes of key data now, which should be good for the life of the system, so maybe the next step is to embed a one time pad in both the key fob and the car security system.
Erm... I don't think this would be necessarily a good idea. If you move out of range of the car and use the fob, you can record a copy of the next key that will be used in the sequence, and then broadcast it back. Not only would that allow you to unlock the car, but it immediately borks the key fob as well....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_Accelerated_Processing_Unit
APU is the only unusual acronym in the summary. It refers to a chip with both the CPU and graphics processor on the same die. It was previously called Fusion, but trademarks got in the way.
Unfortunate, because it already stands for Auxiliary Power Unit in aerospace. But I think we've passed peak TLA.
Tim Cook? You're hardly a disinterested third party. :)
Internet Access should be like Library Access.
It is a little different because it is for knowledge, commerce, and entertainmnet.
Why does that make it different? The library is also for knowledge, commerce (though less so), and entertainment.
So instead of dropping bombs, the enemy will just drop disco balls. That ought to be fun.
"Ach! Meine Augen!"
As a more libertarian society (yes, we are, like it or not) the government can't just tell us or any private entity what standards we will use, which was the barrier to entry it had the first time we tried to adopt it
This is specifically within the purview of the US Congress. Specifically, see Article 1, Section 8, fifth paragraph:
To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;
If you need to calibrate a thermometer you just made (and don't have a known good thermometer to do it against) freezing and boiling water is a lot easier than messing around with liquid nitrogen.
Ironically, this is one of the few areas in which Fahrenheit has a clear advantage. Human body temperature is roughly 96 degrees under the arm (if that's not precise enough, perhaps you should let someone else calibrate your thermometer?). An ice bath is 32 degrees. That's a difference of 64 degrees, and the point equidistant from the two marks you made is 64 degrees F. Divide by two until you get to degree markings.
Well, why water? Why not nitrogen?
How exactly would you measure its volume? How would you weigh it?
Sorry, but the title of your comment ("c is an arbitrary constant") isn't true, since c is one of the 5 Planck units.
But try figuring out how big an acre is in any useful unit.
Seriously. Isn't it measured in rods, i.e. ANOTHER unit of length that nobody uses?