The unkillable idea owes its invulnerability in large part to two phenomena: the sunk cost fallacy, and the Abilene paradox.
In short, once a group of people have agreed (even very reluctantly) on a course of action and expended resources in pursuit of the goal, nobody wants to openly admit it was a bad idea to begin with, and everyone will fight to defend it.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that people without much money like the idea of tolls being paid by people with more money. I suspect that if this sort of thing was implemented on the 405, traffic on Sepulveda Blvd. would get a lot uglier that it already is.
So all they have to do is charge a variable congestion toll on the 405.
Judging from the number of single-driver cars I regularly see in the 405 HOV lanes, the congestion toll would probably have to be pretty onerous to be effective. Probably so high as to raise objections about being discriminatory against the 99%.
Just give me any machine that could actually full-tilt bore without stopping at 125MPH. Just one machine like that would make me the best prospector on the planet.
Waymo is still moving cautiously. Chosen users for the Phoenix service will sit in passenger seats, and Waymo will put contractor or employee testers in the driver seat -- although Krafcik said the goal is to remove them eventually.
If you think John Hinckley, Jr. was acting out of a sense of patriotism, then you're the fucking idiot. Hinckley was a batshit-crazy "Taxi Driver" wannabe who was trying to impress the object of his obsession, Jodie Foster. He considered killing Jimmy Carter, then switched to Edward Kennedy, before finally settling on Reagan.
Now multiple that by about 20. That's how many characters you're actually going to generate with your 180 words per minute.
For the purpose of calculating typing speed, a "word" is 5 characters in length, including spaces and punctuation. 180 typed words per minute is 900 characters per minute, or 15 characters per second. That's superhuman typing speed, but not all that impressive for speech.
Decimate: Kill one in every ten
That doesn't sound very useful.
That's the ancient meaning, but it isn't quite complete the way you've stated it. It's actually, "to select by lot and kill every tenth person". But since the 18th century, the usual meaning is "to destroy a great number or proportion". Common synonyms are exterminate, massacre, eradicate, and annihilate.
Pretty big. Now, in keeping with the recent article regarding favorite sci-fi movies, here's what has to be the biggest spider ever, from 1955's "Tarantula".
Wake me up when these scrubs invent a way to time travel. So I can go back in time and prevent slavery from ever being a thing in the USA. I'll be a hero to every black person in the USA.
Inventing time travel would be the easiest part of this project.
Weren't the 70s a time of extremely high fuel prices and high interest rates?
Fuel prices definitely jumped. To nearly a dollar a gallon for regular gas. Fuel costs more now than it did then, but not 6 times more (the change in the purchasing power of a dollar from then to now). Mortgage interest rates peaked at around 18% (4.5x higher than today), but home prices were much, much lower than they are now, so even with high interest rates, the cost of home ownership was lower relative to today. I couldn't find a source that related prices in 1970 to prices within the last few years, but this one says the US median cost of a home in 1970 was $24,640, compared to $450,990 in 2004 (18x).
When you look at inflation, you have to account for what's inflated in cost. If fuel costs less but food costs more, that's a lot worse than fuel costing more and food costing less.
The comparison of 1970 to 2014 in terms of "dollar purchasing power" is, of course, some sort of average that is difficult to apply to individuals. If you have a lot of mouths to feed, then food prices are dominant. If you're single and have a long commute and drive a gas hog, then fuel prices are significant. If you're trying to buy a house in the middle of a housing bubble, then home prices are a big deal. If you're a hermit living in the middle of nowhere and raise your own food, then nothing matters much.
See, that just goes to show you how risky it is to use a phone while driving... AC managed to accidentally tap both the Preview AND submit buttons before they finished typing!
Slashdot has a preview button?
Try using the desktop view. There's a link at the bottom of the front page.
First, I seriously doubt 90% of people are reading text messages while driving 50 miles an hour.
I hope you're right. I can attest that in So Cal many people are reading and typing text messages on the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass, where the average speed is around 6 mph. On the bright side, it does make it easier to find gaps to change lanes into when it's time to move to the right as you slowly approach your exit.
And what about the cops that constantly drive using their mobile phones? I see it all the time.
I can't speak for other jurisdictions, but in California, perAssembly Bill No. 1785, which took effect on Jan 1 of this year, emergency services personnel operating emergency services vehicles are exempt from laws concerning mobile device use in vehicles.
Here's the full text of the new law:
23123.5. (a) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while holding and operating a handheld wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communications device unless the wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device is specifically designed and configured to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation, and it is used in that manner while driving.
(b) This section shall not apply to manufacturer-installed systems that are embedded in the vehicle.
(c) A handheld wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device may be operated in a manner requiring the use of the driver’s hand while the driver is operating the vehicle only if both of the following conditions are satisfied:
(1) The handheld wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device is mounted on a vehicle’s windshield in the same manner a portable Global Positioning System (GPS) is mounted pursuant to paragraph (12) of subdivision (b) of Section 26708 or is mounted on or affixed to a vehicle’s dashboard or center console in a manner that does not hinder the driver’s view of the road.
(2) The driver’s hand is used to activate or deactivate a feature or function of the handheld wireless telephone or wireless communications device with the motion of a single swipe or tap of the driver’s finger.
(d) A violation of this section is an infraction punishable by a base fine of twenty dollars ($20) for a first offense and fifty dollars ($50) for each subsequent offense.
(e) This section does not apply to an emergency services professional using an electronic wireless communications device while operating an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in Section 165, in the course and scope of his or her duties.
(f) For the purposes of this section, “electronic wireless communications device” includes, but is not limited to, a broadband personal communication device, a specialized mobile radio device, a handheld device or laptop computer with mobile data access, a pager, or a two-way messaging device.
That in itself would be a very interesting result and not something I can see the average american agreeing with.
Interesting? The interesting part would be finding the average American still gives a shit enough to do something about protecting the Constitution.
A lack of action against unconstitutional actions that take place every day tends to imply that The People are agreeing with it.
It's pretty difficult for the average American to "do something about protecting the Constitution", other than supporting political candidates who appear to support it; just to make it more unlikely, most politicians theses days are too busy pandering to their bases' self-interests to concern themselves with Constitutional matters. Having said that, I just wanted to point out that the categories Ballmer is tracing spending to are quotes from the Preamble, and not the legally binding parts of the Constitution. The Supreme Court is never going to overturn a law because it violates "promote the general Welfare" or "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity".
It's "secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity," not 'prosperity.'
Correct. It's also from the Preamble, which neither confers nor restricts any rights or powers. Constitutional Law begins with Article I. The Preamble is a statement of the purpose of the Constitution, but it's not legally binding.
If you're that much of a coward to not suffer the consequences of your actions, what else are you trying to hide?
Why does this have a familiar ring to it? Oh, yeah. It's the essence of the "If you haven't done anything wrong, why is your privacy so important to you" argument.
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The unkillable idea owes its invulnerability in large part to two phenomena: the sunk cost fallacy, and the Abilene paradox.
In short, once a group of people have agreed (even very reluctantly) on a course of action and expended resources in pursuit of the goal, nobody wants to openly admit it was a bad idea to begin with, and everyone will fight to defend it.
Actually, the poor like tolls more than those who would actually pay them: The survey found that support for tolls was higher among low-income individuals (58 percent support for tolls) than among high-income individuals (42 percent support for tolls).
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that people without much money like the idea of tolls being paid by people with more money. I suspect that if this sort of thing was implemented on the 405, traffic on Sepulveda Blvd. would get a lot uglier that it already is.
So all they have to do is charge a variable congestion toll on the 405.
Judging from the number of single-driver cars I regularly see in the 405 HOV lanes, the congestion toll would probably have to be pretty onerous to be effective. Probably so high as to raise objections about being discriminatory against the 99%.
Just give me any machine that could actually full-tilt bore without stopping at 125MPH. Just one machine like that would make me the best prospector on the planet.
That's been done (in a movie, anyway).
No it doesn't. Suburb is from Latin suburbium, from sub- close to + urbs a city.
From TFA:
On the other hand, you don't know who has physical access to your TV before you buy it, do you?
There are a bunch of sweateners used.
Please pay attention. We are discussing chemicals that make sodas artificially taste sugary, not chemicals that make you artificially perspire.
It almost worked with Ronnie Reagan
If you think John Hinckley, Jr. was acting out of a sense of patriotism, then you're the fucking idiot. Hinckley was a batshit-crazy "Taxi Driver" wannabe who was trying to impress the object of his obsession, Jodie Foster. He considered killing Jimmy Carter, then switched to Edward Kennedy, before finally settling on Reagan.
Now multiple that by about 20. That's how many characters you're actually going to generate with your 180 words per minute.
For the purpose of calculating typing speed, a "word" is 5 characters in length, including spaces and punctuation. 180 typed words per minute is 900 characters per minute, or 15 characters per second. That's superhuman typing speed, but not all that impressive for speech.
where do you go if you want to continue to grow your company and maintain your omnipotence?
Heh. If your omnipotence needs to be maintained, you're not really omnipotent.
Decimate: Kill one in every ten That doesn't sound very useful.
That's the ancient meaning, but it isn't quite complete the way you've stated it. It's actually, "to select by lot and kill every tenth person". But since the 18th century, the usual meaning is "to destroy a great number or proportion". Common synonyms are exterminate, massacre, eradicate, and annihilate.
Pretty big. Now, in keeping with the recent article regarding favorite sci-fi movies, here's what has to be the biggest spider ever, from 1955's "Tarantula".
Wake me up when these scrubs invent a way to time travel. So I can go back in time and prevent slavery from ever being a thing in the USA. I'll be a hero to every black person in the USA.
Inventing time travel would be the easiest part of this project.
Weren't the 70s a time of extremely high fuel prices and high interest rates?
Fuel prices definitely jumped. To nearly a dollar a gallon for regular gas. Fuel costs more now than it did then, but not 6 times more (the change in the purchasing power of a dollar from then to now). Mortgage interest rates peaked at around 18% (4.5x higher than today), but home prices were much, much lower than they are now, so even with high interest rates, the cost of home ownership was lower relative to today. I couldn't find a source that related prices in 1970 to prices within the last few years, but this one says the US median cost of a home in 1970 was $24,640, compared to $450,990 in 2004 (18x).
When you look at inflation, you have to account for what's inflated in cost. If fuel costs less but food costs more, that's a lot worse than fuel costing more and food costing less.
The comparison of 1970 to 2014 in terms of "dollar purchasing power" is, of course, some sort of average that is difficult to apply to individuals. If you have a lot of mouths to feed, then food prices are dominant. If you're single and have a long commute and drive a gas hog, then fuel prices are significant. If you're trying to buy a house in the middle of a housing bubble, then home prices are a big deal. If you're a hermit living in the middle of nowhere and raise your own food, then nothing matters much.
See, that just goes to show you how risky it is to use a phone while driving... AC managed to accidentally tap both the Preview AND submit buttons before they finished typing!
Slashdot has a preview button?
Try using the desktop view. There's a link at the bottom of the front page.
First, I seriously doubt 90% of people are reading text messages while driving 50 miles an hour.
I hope you're right. I can attest that in So Cal many people are reading and typing text messages on the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass, where the average speed is around 6 mph. On the bright side, it does make it easier to find gaps to change lanes into when it's time to move to the right as you slowly approach your exit.
And what about the cops that constantly drive using their mobile phones? I see it all the time.
I can't speak for other jurisdictions, but in California, perAssembly Bill No. 1785, which took effect on Jan 1 of this year, emergency services personnel operating emergency services vehicles are exempt from laws concerning mobile device use in vehicles.
Here's the full text of the new law:
People tend to not follow laws that they think are irrational
People tend to not follow laws that they think are inconvenient
That in itself would be a very interesting result and not something I can see the average american agreeing with.
Interesting? The interesting part would be finding the average American still gives a shit enough to do something about protecting the Constitution.
A lack of action against unconstitutional actions that take place every day tends to imply that The People are agreeing with it.
It's pretty difficult for the average American to "do something about protecting the Constitution", other than supporting political candidates who appear to support it; just to make it more unlikely, most politicians theses days are too busy pandering to their bases' self-interests to concern themselves with Constitutional matters. Having said that, I just wanted to point out that the categories Ballmer is tracing spending to are quotes from the Preamble, and not the legally binding parts of the Constitution. The Supreme Court is never going to overturn a law because it violates "promote the general Welfare" or "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity".
It's "secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity," not 'prosperity.'
Correct. It's also from the Preamble, which neither confers nor restricts any rights or powers. Constitutional Law begins with Article I. The Preamble is a statement of the purpose of the Constitution, but it's not legally binding.
Inflation.
US median income in 1970: $7,701
US median income in 2014: $53,013
$7,701 1970 dollars equivalent worth in 2014: $46,987
Median income growth over inflation: 12.8%
When you become president you give up some privacy in exchange for a huge amount of power. That power must be scrutinized by the electorate.
Some, or all? Or just most? Or just everything everyone decides they want at any time?
Let's not forget: driving for Uber is 100% volunteer.
While driving a cab is, as everyone knows, involuntary servitude.
If you're that much of a coward to not suffer the consequences of your actions, what else are you trying to hide?
Why does this have a familiar ring to it? Oh, yeah. It's the essence of the "If you haven't done anything wrong, why is your privacy so important to you" argument.