They don't provide any actual data or proof on the site.
So they're lying?
I find it hard to believe that out of 189 packages, that enough were lost in total that branded because that would mean a minimum of 11/189 packages were lost, and the USPS has never had anywhere near a 5% loss rate in my experience.
Conclusion: This isn't accidental loss, it's deliberate. Somebody at the USPS saw packages with "Atheist" written on them and did something.
This is only one sample and not repeated, therefore not proof.
A 10:1 ratio is a massive statistical anomaly.
What I would like to see is the distribution of the missing parcels. I would check the tracking on the missing packages and see if they were on the same truck. If they were on the same truck did that truck have an accident?
Marked/unmarked packages were sent to the same addresses on the same day. If they were separated and put on different delivery trucks then there's still a problem.
Even then that might not necessarily prove anything(it might not even prove that the problem is in the US). They didn't post any tracking data(if they had any), so it's incredibly difficult to pinpoint exactly where the holdup was. For instance the hold-up could have been customs(Either on the German side or the US side), and shipping with a different carrier might mean that it goes through a different customs office which could skew the data. An interesting experiment, but their lack of rigor does not really lend a whole lot of creedance to their conclusion(and explicitly fingering USPS is certainly not warranted given the evidence they have presented).
So instead of getting all indignant over this experiment, why not do one of your own? All it costs is a few stamps + empty envelopes.
So international/transatlantic handling of Deutsch Post is also a possible culprit? They should have shipped from USA to eliminate the international (as in not within EU economic zone) variable..
Which part of "the only difference was what was written on the box" is confusing you?
I was under the impression (I had read it somewhere, as I recall, from a commenter on this site or Fark) that pilots wore the special laser safety glasses when landing or taking off now because of this.
Um, no.
Laser light is just visible light. Blocking visible light from entering a pilot's eyes isn't a good idea.
I do think the punishment is a bit harsh for a 19 year old first offender who probably had no idea that what he was doing was so dangerous.
You know how I can tell you didn't read the article...?
FTA: "The US Attorney prosecuting the case said: "Gardenhire basically argued that it wasn't dangerous, that he couldn't have known it was dangerous - that basically he was just bored and entertaining himself. The judge found the facts didn't bear that out and his behavior was reckless and very dangerous."
We aren't told what the "facts" are but apparently he was given that sentence because he *did* know what he was doing.
I have a crazy idea... how about airlines give pilots protective eyewear, and if some bored kid starts shining a laser around, the pilot grabs said eyewear and puts it on?
It only takes a millisecond to dazzle somebody with a laser.
2 Weeks of prison he probably wouldn't do it again.
Yeah, but that wouldn't make headline news and warn other people.
A message needs to be sent. Too bad it's a 19 year-old taking the fall for this one, but it's probably no loss to society. Some other 19 year-old were killed on motorbikes this week, too, and some of them drank themselves to death. So it goes.
Slashdot Mirror
"all the PCs are on 24x7 anyway and consuming resources..."
They may start consuming a lot more resources if you max out their CPUs.
Think: If bitcoins were worth more than the electricity they need to make them then there'd be big players in the game.
The people who do this sort of thing are also in your government and education system. Making policies that affect you.
They don't provide any actual data or proof on the site.
So they're lying?
I find it hard to believe that out of 189 packages, that enough were lost in total that branded because that would mean a minimum of 11/189 packages were lost, and the USPS has never had anywhere near a 5% loss rate in my experience.
Conclusion: This isn't accidental loss, it's deliberate. Somebody at the USPS saw packages with "Atheist" written on them and did something.
This is only one sample and not repeated, therefore not proof.
A 10:1 ratio is a massive statistical anomaly.
What I would like to see is the distribution of the missing parcels. I would check the tracking on the missing packages and see if they were on the same truck. If they were on the same truck did that truck have an accident?
Marked/unmarked packages were sent to the same addresses on the same day. If they were separated and put on different delivery trucks then there's still a problem.
Even then that might not necessarily prove anything(it might not even prove that the problem is in the US). They didn't post any tracking data(if they had any), so it's incredibly difficult to pinpoint exactly where the holdup was. For instance the hold-up could have been customs(Either on the German side or the US side), and shipping with a different carrier might mean that it goes through a different customs office which could skew the data. An interesting experiment, but their lack of rigor does not really lend a whole lot of creedance to their conclusion(and explicitly fingering USPS is certainly not warranted given the evidence they have presented).
So instead of getting all indignant over this experiment, why not do one of your own? All it costs is a few stamps + empty envelopes.
Be sure to report back here with the results.
The phrase is "righteous dude".
Jesus was a hook-nosed Arab hippie who enjoyed a good piss-up as much as the next man.
(According to the Bible...)
That would be why they did the control experiment where they shipped them to other countries apart from the USA.
No, it's a feature. Go read their website.
You know how I can tell you didn't bother clicking the link before posting...?
Worse? How could it be any worse...?
So international/transatlantic handling of Deutsch Post is also a possible culprit? They should have shipped from USA to eliminate the international (as in not within EU economic zone) variable..
Which part of "the only difference was what was written on the box" is confusing you?
All I can see is a plain white shoe.
What feature identifies it as 'atheist'?
That'd be the soles...(!)
No, really. It's the soles. Go to their web site and look for yourself.
I was under the impression (I had read it somewhere, as I recall, from a commenter on this site or Fark) that pilots wore the special laser safety glasses when landing or taking off now because of this.
Um, no.
Laser light is just visible light. Blocking visible light from entering a pilot's eyes isn't a good idea.
most of these lasers don't have the power to actually do eye damage
They can leave you blinded for several minutes even without permanent damage.
and it'd be incredible luck to actually hit somebodies eye.
Nope, it's easy. That's why lasers are useful for aiming guns.
Pupil size/movement is irrelevant.
eg. Can you shine a flashlight in somebody's eyes from 100m away? What about if they're walking?
Remember when they passed that law against __________, and now no one does __________ anymore? Hmm? Yeah, neither do I.
So we should have no laws? I mean, they're useless, right?
What would you replace them with? Lynch mobs?
I do think the punishment is a bit harsh for a 19 year old first offender who probably had no idea that what he was doing was so dangerous.
You know how I can tell you didn't read the article...?
FTA: "The US Attorney prosecuting the case said: "Gardenhire basically argued that it wasn't dangerous, that he couldn't have known it was dangerous - that basically he was just bored and entertaining himself. The judge found the facts didn't bear that out and his behavior was reckless and very dangerous."
We aren't told what the "facts" are but apparently he was given that sentence because he *did* know what he was doing.
I have a crazy idea... how about airlines give pilots protective eyewear, and if some bored kid starts shining a laser around, the pilot grabs said eyewear and puts it on?
It only takes a millisecond to dazzle somebody with a laser.
2 Weeks of prison he probably wouldn't do it again.
Yeah, but that wouldn't make headline news and warn other people.
A message needs to be sent. Too bad it's a 19 year-old taking the fall for this one, but it's probably no loss to society. Some other 19 year-old were killed on motorbikes this week, too, and some of them drank themselves to death. So it goes.
if "laser strikes" are now a potential hazard, why not respond with a practical solution?
Yeah, let's do something so that visible light can't reach the pilot's eyes!
Magnets aren't obviously dangerous. It's not obvious to parents how magnets could kill a toddler.
Lasers, OTOH... which part of "don't point them at aircraft" requires a braincell?
People are buying commercial/scientific lasers and using those.
No they're not, that's just bad journalism.
a) "Commercial/scientific" lasers generally aren't battery powered.
b) People don't spend "commercial/scientific" amounts of money on a laser so they can go out in the garden and point it at passing aircraft.
They shouldn't feel bad. "Ubinglebar" didn't even make the shortlist.
I still try very hard to avoid eBay whenever possible...
Why? I've been buying stuff like that off eBay for about 15 years and never had a problem.
It does look like you would have a hard time putting a shield on the "Pro Mini" as it seems to be a completely different shape/size.
Yes, they're a lot smaller than an Arduino Uno.
An Ethernet module is only four or five wires though, not difficult to connect.