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User: supervillainsf

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Comments · 76

  1. Re:Google doesn't have a monopoly on ANYTHING. on The EU Has a Plan To Break Up Google · · Score: 1

    A monopoly is a direct attack on the free market and therefore upsets true free market believers.

    There is nothing inherently wrong with a monopoly. If I build a widget that no other company cares to build - I have a monopoly and that is perfectly ok. The problem comes when I abuse my monopoly position in the widget market to either stifle competing widget manufacturers or unfairly benefit my sprocket offerings - which is essentially what the EU Commission is accusing Google of doing. Does Google do this? I don't know and honestly I don't care. But, then again, I don't spend a whole lot of time using Google products so I guess that somewhat speaks to their (lack of) ability to manipulate markets for their non-search related services.

  2. Re:Just Tack on a Fee on Driverless Cars Could Cripple Law Enforcement Budgets · · Score: 1

    Whenever I have seen them they have been in the #2 or #3 lane (with four lanes total) and generally going with the flow. I have never seen one noticeably impede traffic. I do recall once "needing" to get around one that was pacing traffic to the right with an open lane in front and heavier / faster traffic left, but it wasn't a big deal. I don't recall having ever seen one in heavy freeway commute traffic so I don't know how they operate in that environment. The few times I have seen them when they appear autonomous driving in city traffic. They have been well behaved, but that was light traffic conditions in mostly residential areas. The two times I have seen them in heavy surface street traffic, it appeared that the human was in control and was doing stupid crap (coincidently both events happend at the same intersection).

    A slightly tangental note - they have this big spinning LIDAR (? I assume) on the roof of the vehicle. I'm pretty sure that thing is damn expensive and I admit I would be sorely tempted tot liberate one if they were all over the neighborhood. Also, it appears to make the roof rack unusable, so the weekend warrior types would need to find some other way of dragging their bikes / kayaks / foam top surfboards around if that continues to be a part of the sensor array.

  3. Re:Just Tack on a Fee on Driverless Cars Could Cripple Law Enforcement Budgets · · Score: 1

    I see google cars on a regular basis - On the freeway they are frequently ~10mph over the limit. I read this article last night so today when I encountered one I made a point to check to see if it was being driver operated or not. It appearted, though I am not positive that it was running autononomously. If CHP felt like enforcing the actual speed limit they definately ticket. Also anectodtal, but twice I've been cut off by them when the drivers got impatient while waiting for a left turn arrow and have jumped out of the turn lane into traffic going straight, so while the AI of the car might not make mistakes, the abillity to override the car means the driver can still make all sorts of violations.

  4. Re:Sounds reasonable on US Government To Study Bitcoin As Possible Terrorist Threat · · Score: 1

    The real reason you go through the scantron is to keep you from packing hundreds to your torso and walking out of the country.

    What if I forgot a #2 pencil and used a pen - can the scantron still see them?

  5. Re:So I was sitting behind a Gbus/Fbus on 85 today on Protesters Show Up At the Doorstep of Google Self-driving Car Engineer · · Score: 4, Informative

    Except for the fact that there is no city bus that runs from San Francisco or Berekely to Mountain View, so the competition would be with CalTrain which is owned by Amtrak. As for Bus service, anyone who does the SF - South Bay commute will be familiar with Bauer's busses and they are a private company doing exactly what you are saying can't be done. So, the whole "can't compete with gubment" thing is a bit stupid in this context.

  6. Re:My Mazerati does 185 on Ferrari's New Car Tech Idea: Make Car Go Really Fast · · Score: 1

    If you don't even know how to spell Maserati, I seriously doubt you own one.

    Whoosh - that's the sound of a Maserati passing over your head.

  7. Re:Good to see intelligence rewarded for once. on Curiosity Rewarded: Florida Teen Heading to Space Camp, Not Jail · · Score: 1

    If the GP had children of their own, would they not know what children are like? Thus, if they do not know what children are like, they clearly have none of their own. And, yes, I have intentionally posted something redundant in order to point out your redundancy.

    I know quite a few parents who have no idea what children are like. You presume a level of interaction with ones spawn that is not necessarily present.

  8. Re:Ready made missile cloak? on Make Your Own Invisibility Cloak With a 3D Printer · · Score: 2

    Why would you need to be invisible to radar to hang out in front of Starbucks?

  9. Re:Mandatory gun ownership on Ask Slashdot: What Planks Would You Want In a Platform of a Political Party? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think there's something to this, but I think it should be an annual hunting trip. The kids will actually have to kill something, clean it and eat it. Might even have the side benefit of helping people understand that meat doesn't originate in the grocery store.

  10. Re:NO, FUCK YOU on UK Privacy Watchdog: 'Right To Be Forgotten' On the Web Unworkable · · Score: 1

    If you're worried about it, I'd suggest not using g+ to log into sites that don't require it. Also, just stop using any web service that doesn't respect the privacy rights you require. In fact, I see a business opportunity right there - you should build a google/facebook/whatever competitor that is totally private and secure and doesn't track anything - people will flock to it and you'll make money hand over fist, i'm sure.

  11. Re:Hate to defend M$ in any way, but on Microsoft, Partners Probed Over Bribery Claims · · Score: 1

    Yup, it's why the whole "expediter" industry exists - to isolate American business from the "bad things" while still being able to operate in countries where you can't even get the most basic permits without money being passed under the table.

  12. Re:There may still be some money stashed in a matt on Obama Administration To Allow All Spy Agencies To Scour Americans' Finances · · Score: 2

    Out of curiosity, could you expand on how you do it. Cash only seems like a difficult proposition with car/rent/mortgage/paychecks etc. Thanks in advance

  13. Re:I know why. on Hit the Wrong Button, Drone Goes Boom · · Score: 4, Funny
  14. Re:It's called the key on Driver Trapped In Speeding Car At 125 Mph · · Score: 1

    If you read other articles it is mentioned that his car is modified for an unspecified handicap and couldn't be turned off or shifted into neutral. The police had even patched him into a call with an engineer from Renault who was unable to solve the problem.

  15. Re:It wasn't time on Windows 8 Sales Below Projections · · Score: 2

    It's really called the Charm Bar? Sounds like a hookup spot for Twinks.

  16. Re:materials... on Man Arrested At Oakland Airport For Ornate Watch · · Score: 1

    Dude, he's probably one of the maker set and built a watch from an arduino. The only crime is against efficient system design.

  17. Re:Fracking on Canadian Island's Historic Hot Springs Dry Up After Earthquake · · Score: 1

    I have some really good friends from Canada and they all seem to have a sense of humor so I can only assume you have some totally irrational dislike of your southern neighbors that impairs your sarcasm detector, or you're just dumb as shit.

  18. Re:cold fusion fraud again? on Scientists Turn Air Into Petrol · · Score: 1

    I know, right! I was so suprised when I found out that our grid in the United States was powered by one big plant in the middle of the country. And even more suprising is that it is fueld by the bodies of all the uninsured people we heartlessly let die on the front steps of our hospitals. But then again I guess that explains the constant black outs we experience here. Dumbass!

  19. Re:Well, that explains it on Counterfeit Air Bag Racket Blows Up · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't RTFA, but there's not a single thing in TFS saying the "counterfeits" are defective or dangerous. Indeed, no one's been hurt. Sounds like it's just a case of trademark infringement, a practice that usually saves the consumer money.

    Let me translate your post:

    "I got really poor marks in reading comprehension and am way too lazy to actually click on a link and spend a whole 2 minutes of my life reading something that isn't distilled down to LCD levels, but I really felt the need to post something that demonstrates my bias"

    Thank you for posting I am a better person for reading your intelligent comment.

  20. Re:Wikileaks DDos attacks? on FBI Executes 40 Search Warrants For 'Anonymous' · · Score: 1
  21. Re:(Un)Surprising on China Strangles Tor Ahead of National Day · · Score: 3, Informative

    Um, 8 years is not "a lot" later.

    Furthermore, you should probably do a little research on:
    a) Japans war with China
    b) Japans request that we stop providing aid to China
    c) why the U.S. placed an embargo on Japan
    d) how that ties in to the bombing or Pearl Harbor.

    Add a bit of general WWII history and then we can have an intelligent conversation about this topic

  22. Re:(Un)Surprising on China Strangles Tor Ahead of National Day · · Score: 4, Informative

    see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Massacre for evidence to invalidate your claim.

  23. Re:Microsoft is pure genius on Mainstream Press "Cringes" At Win7 Launch Parties · · Score: 1

    The GP didn't say he installed in on his computer either, just that he said he'd been using it. Perhaps he has a test lab as well. You also ignore the possiblity of:
    a) virtual machines
    b) multi-boot
    c) Spare fucking computers laying around.
    So, based on what appears to be a total lack of intelligent thought on your part prior to posting your very informative opinion, it seems that nothing you say matters either.

  24. Re:Absolute Bullshit on The Unexpected Patents of Steve Jobs · · Score: 1

    While not made by me, how about this one. Or maybe all of these. Glass staircases have been around for a while and really aren't all that impressive.

  25. Re:Covered By Twenty Percent of the Bill of Rights on Bill Would Declare Your Blog a Weapon · · Score: 1

    Yes, just as we saw with the FISA amendment. First Obama said he would fight to get rid of the telecom immunity Then when he flopped I seem to remember some supporters here spewed the same constitutional scholar crap saying he would probably get rid of the immunity clause when he was elected. Now we see that was completely false. The only thing that his being a constitutional scholar means is that he has a good idea of what rights of the people he's violating as he's doing it.