He is responsible for the energy consumption of the entire USA
President Bush may be responsible for setting policy on U.S. energy consumption and conservation but the end responsibility remains that of every U.S. energy consumer. You can't make the government responsible for everything, even if they are an easy scapegoat at times.
We really don't need more draconian regulations and mandates from the government, maybe perhaps a lot more encouragement to be more energy conscious, instead. More carrot, less stick.
This sci-fi device is supposed to counteract such fatal changes in motion. Gene Roddenberry and his gang tried to come up with scientific explanations for a lot of things portrayed in Star Trek.
Oh, come on, now. You haven't taken that technological thinking far enough! <grin>
The automated system is supposed to tell you, "Your credit card account on file has been charged $122.51 for payment of your moving violation and your drivers license has been charged with three points. You have eight points remaining at this point. Additionally, you have been penalized 15 minutes for this infraction, after which, your vehicle will resume normal function."
Of course, if you run out of points, can't pay the fine, or some other "take you in to the station" reason surfaces, THEN the car remains stopped and locked until the police arrive.
Something tells me if the technology ever got as out of control to reach this point, there would be a great black market for GPS spoofing devices.
On the serious side, if this were my company's defective product, I wouldn't have it returned priority overnight, either. If I did, there's a good possibility that it would be shipped via an aircraft. A potentially unstable item such as this is prohibited from being shipped via aircraft without some type of special permission/paperwork. I could be opening my company up to an even larger liability if in the remote case the thing should happen to reignite.
By the time the contributing nations get ready to bail on the ISS, maybe Branson will have his space tourism business started. It might make for the next logical step in that enterprise. Then again, it would be one heck of a remodel job for the ISS.
Well, one interesting thing to note about all of your examples is that all of them sell other things besides CDs. While CDs might be a sizeable portion of their business, it is not the majority share for any of them. I think record^H^H^H^H^H^H music stores would be a better barometer of measuring music media sales because their business health is much more drastically impacted by it.
Then again, the control that record companies most likely want lies within the antiquated model of producing and distibuting a physical, saleable object and not rely upon empowering someone else to reproduce the product, who could theoretically misreport their reproduction numbers. It isn't so much about third parties selling music as it is about third parties reproducing music, authorized or otherwise.
is the penalty for being a college student doing dumb things summary execution?
So what would be the proper procedure to approaching someone that has presented themselves with a strong suspicion of carrying a bomb?
"Excuse me, but may we examine your shirt, we think you might be carrying a bomb."
Recognizing that in a situation where someone wearing an explosive device into an airport is already predisposed to killing themselves in the process of detonating it, what action do you take? You gosh darned want to do whatever is necessary to prevent the bomber from escalating the situation by arming and detonating their device. Unfortunately, split-second lethal force may be all that is available to do this.
I think the law enforcement personnel should be commended that they were able to de-escalate this situation without shooting first and asking questions later.
Doesn't appear that she was that ingenious to build her own oscillating circuit, as there's no DIP IC visible on the breadboard. I'm guessing LEDs with the flashing circuit cast into the plastic packaging of the LED. All I see is LEDs current limiting resistors and wire leads taped down.
I agree, it is rather tacky when she could have ripped the guts out of one of those flashing LED buttons or something similar, or at least take the time to solder the whole thing up on a pad per hole circuit board. Though, I suspect based on the message on her sweatshirt (something to the effect of "socket to me") that the breadboard may have been an integral part of her statement.
They've seen too many versions of the bombs conjured up by Hollywood. Every bomb has some blinking LED(s), ticking/beeping noise, or visible seven segment display, depending on design. If people actually saw what is more likely to be cobbled together to make an amateur designed explosive device, it isn't anywhere as close as sexy-looking at that you see on TV or in the movies. In most cases, your standard kitchen mixer would appear more threatening.
Why is it that airports have special significance?
While you are most certainly correct that there are many other public places that have high concentrations of people in a small area (i.e. subway stations, sporting events) with much less security, perhaps one reason is that many larger airports are international corridors for public transportation. As such, they are perceived to have more vectors for security threats (foreign evil-doers usually don't swim over here). Then again, it might just be the apparent appeal for terrorists to hijack/blow-up/crash commercial airliners, too. Airplanes offer the most effective means of ensuring a higher casualty count. Do something miniscule that causes loss of control of an aircraft and usually everyone on board is killed as they can't flee from the problem very easily.
On a similar tangent, one should be really questioning the effectiveness of the security measures put into place at airports.
So is the case for most votes. What's so special about this one?
FWIW, last time I checked, there's 100 seats in the U.S. Senate. If the Dems really wanted it to pass, all they would have had to do was to get a few more of their party to actually cast a vote.
If the threat is primarily visual, then change out the monitor to a nice ol' amber monochrome display. He'll pretty much be left with trying to satiate his urges with ASCII art.
Granted, this solution might be rather crippling on permissible usage of the computer as well.
One conceivable solution would be to subcontract out hardware design and development and then just have whoever is manufacturing it put the Google brand on it. Basically, Google supplies the specs, software and supporting infrastructure and someone else pumps out the widgets. Then, marketing of said widget is done virally (e.g. "invite a friend to try Google __________ beta.").
If there had been no Microsoft, the internet would be what USENET was back in the day: something used by geeks and scientists and not much else. In that sense, I think he's right.
I'd disagree on this one issue. I think stuff like NCSA Mosaic and Eudora had a part in making the internet friendlier to the masses. If not that, one could arguably say that mega BBS services like AOL and Prodigy were the precursors before melding the internet into their offerings. Web/file/mail servers were largely (if not almost entirely) running on Unix/Linux platforms around the time the internet was released fully to the public domain. MS basically just happened to have a popular OS for the XT platform at the time. If MS had not been around, these apps/service software would probably just have been developed for a different OS.
Microsoft didn't invent the GUI (which likely had a big part in making the internet popular), just one of many who developed and refined it into what it is today. In doing so, they're following exactly the path you made in your last point.
Two very good points, but I'm going to make one nitpick about the second one: reciprocating piston cumbustion engines have relatively low ceilings on maximum RPM.
Don't forget that there's other designs, such as the Wankel engine or the jet turbine engine that can run at comparable rotational speeds to most motors. But worth noting about both of these examples, they still suffer from the problem from your first point (they don't like to stay running below a certain RPM).
it's more compact than a fully mechanical transmission for such huge power would be.
And also one heck of an easier way to transmit power to the wheels through swiveling trucks without having to deal with some ginormous reactive torques.
...DirecTV, et al who used smart cards for their subscription service had wished they had spent a little more to have a unique physical card interface designed for their own use rather than rely upon one that is off of the shelf? While recognizing that this would increase production costs and really wouldn't be much of a deterrent against someone willing to build up their own physical interface (or part one out of an old receiver), it could have made for a better means of deterring the casual bootlegger or more conclusive proof of illegitimate activity (i.e. "why is your smart card reader torn apart on your bench and connected to a socket torn out of an old receiver?"). Mind you that a physical repackaging wouldn't be the magic bullet.
I suppose someone could've done a cost-benefit analysis, but I doubt it.
I wholeheartedly agree, but they don't remove suspended solids or do much to remove odor (other than to perhaps mask it).
Something tells me that the marketing point of view was taken to draw more attention to the product ("hey, look! this can save lives!") rather than selling it on where most of the buyers are going to be, the military and extreme outdoors recreationalist types.
Presumably it's disposable, and considering that it's probably the bulk of the cost, the whole bottle would be disposed/recycled at the end of its usefulness...which I might add is projected at 4,000 - 6,000 liters of filtered water, according TFA.
Not to mention urine is usually sterile until it exits the body. The real question is whether the filter will remove any/enough of the waste products that the body is trying to rid itself of to make such a recycling loop acceptable for more than a couple of passes.
Upgrades will have to be made, but they will be easy to handle
I wish they were. But unfortunately, you see a lot of this every time they try to fix transmission capacity issues.
You're right, off-peak is a big part of the equation, but there's more to it when it comes to getting all of that extra capacity to where it's needed. There's a fair amount of excess generation capacity sparsely populated regions, but there isn't always a way to get enough of that power into denser megapolises when it's needed, such as during a heatwave. The dynamics of energy consumption are such that you need to have a certain amount of extra capacity to account for periods of peak demand and lack of transmission capacity that would move power from areas with a generation surplus to those that are temporarily deficient.
One caveat is that the electric transmission capabilities are not up to the task of something like this. Yes, in theory there is sufficient power generation capacity, but moving there isn't a strong enough transmission infrastructure to move this capacity around to where it would be needed. That's one of the reason there's so much extra generation capacity to be found.
Slashdot Mirror
President Bush may be responsible for setting policy on U.S. energy consumption and conservation but the end responsibility remains that of every U.S. energy consumer. You can't make the government responsible for everything, even if they are an easy scapegoat at times.
We really don't need more draconian regulations and mandates from the government, maybe perhaps a lot more encouragement to be more energy conscious, instead. More carrot, less stick.
FWIW, Google: Inertial Dampening Field
This sci-fi device is supposed to counteract such fatal changes in motion. Gene Roddenberry and his gang tried to come up with scientific explanations for a lot of things portrayed in Star Trek.
Oh, come on, now. You haven't taken that technological thinking far enough! <grin>
The automated system is supposed to tell you, "Your credit card account on file has been charged $122.51 for payment of your moving violation and your drivers license has been charged with three points. You have eight points remaining at this point. Additionally, you have been penalized 15 minutes for this infraction, after which, your vehicle will resume normal function."
Of course, if you run out of points, can't pay the fine, or some other "take you in to the station" reason surfaces, THEN the car remains stopped and locked until the police arrive.
Something tells me if the technology ever got as out of control to reach this point, there would be a great black market for GPS spoofing devices.
Yes, I get your humor bit.
On the serious side, if this were my company's defective product, I wouldn't have it returned priority overnight, either. If I did, there's a good possibility that it would be shipped via an aircraft. A potentially unstable item such as this is prohibited from being shipped via aircraft without some type of special permission/paperwork. I could be opening my company up to an even larger liability if in the remote case the thing should happen to reignite.
By the time the contributing nations get ready to bail on the ISS, maybe Branson will have his space tourism business started. It might make for the next logical step in that enterprise. Then again, it would be one heck of a remodel job for the ISS.
But, at that bit rate, can you honestly say you can tell the difference with your own ears?
Well, one interesting thing to note about all of your examples is that all of them sell other things besides CDs. While CDs might be a sizeable portion of their business, it is not the majority share for any of them. I think record^H^H^H^H^H^H music stores would be a better barometer of measuring music media sales because their business health is much more drastically impacted by it.
Then again, the control that record companies most likely want lies within the antiquated model of producing and distibuting a physical, saleable object and not rely upon empowering someone else to reproduce the product, who could theoretically misreport their reproduction numbers. It isn't so much about third parties selling music as it is about third parties reproducing music, authorized or otherwise.
So what would be the proper procedure to approaching someone that has presented themselves with a strong suspicion of carrying a bomb?
"Excuse me, but may we examine your shirt, we think you might be carrying a bomb."
Recognizing that in a situation where someone wearing an explosive device into an airport is already predisposed to killing themselves in the process of detonating it, what action do you take? You gosh darned want to do whatever is necessary to prevent the bomber from escalating the situation by arming and detonating their device. Unfortunately, split-second lethal force may be all that is available to do this.
I think the law enforcement personnel should be commended that they were able to de-escalate this situation without shooting first and asking questions later.
Doesn't appear that she was that ingenious to build her own oscillating circuit, as there's no DIP IC visible on the breadboard. I'm guessing LEDs with the flashing circuit cast into the plastic packaging of the LED. All I see is LEDs current limiting resistors and wire leads taped down.
I agree, it is rather tacky when she could have ripped the guts out of one of those flashing LED buttons or something similar, or at least take the time to solder the whole thing up on a pad per hole circuit board. Though, I suspect based on the message on her sweatshirt (something to the effect of "socket to me") that the breadboard may have been an integral part of her statement.
They've seen too many versions of the bombs conjured up by Hollywood. Every bomb has some blinking LED(s), ticking/beeping noise, or visible seven segment display, depending on design. If people actually saw what is more likely to be cobbled together to make an amateur designed explosive device, it isn't anywhere as close as sexy-looking at that you see on TV or in the movies. In most cases, your standard kitchen mixer would appear more threatening.
While you are most certainly correct that there are many other public places that have high concentrations of people in a small area (i.e. subway stations, sporting events) with much less security, perhaps one reason is that many larger airports are international corridors for public transportation. As such, they are perceived to have more vectors for security threats (foreign evil-doers usually don't swim over here). Then again, it might just be the apparent appeal for terrorists to hijack/blow-up/crash commercial airliners, too. Airplanes offer the most effective means of ensuring a higher casualty count. Do something miniscule that causes loss of control of an aircraft and usually everyone on board is killed as they can't flee from the problem very easily.
On a similar tangent, one should be really questioning the effectiveness of the security measures put into place at airports.
Thanks for the clarification. I was under the impression that the particular vote in question was settled by a simple majority.
So is the case for most votes. What's so special about this one?
FWIW, last time I checked, there's 100 seats in the U.S. Senate. If the Dems really wanted it to pass, all they would have had to do was to get a few more of their party to actually cast a vote.
If the threat is primarily visual, then change out the monitor to a nice ol' amber monochrome display. He'll pretty much be left with trying to satiate his urges with ASCII art.
Granted, this solution might be rather crippling on permissible usage of the computer as well.
One conceivable solution would be to subcontract out hardware design and development and then just have whoever is manufacturing it put the Google brand on it. Basically, Google supplies the specs, software and supporting infrastructure and someone else pumps out the widgets. Then, marketing of said widget is done virally (e.g. "invite a friend to try Google __________ beta.").
I'd disagree on this one issue. I think stuff like NCSA Mosaic and Eudora had a part in making the internet friendlier to the masses. If not that, one could arguably say that mega BBS services like AOL and Prodigy were the precursors before melding the internet into their offerings. Web/file/mail servers were largely (if not almost entirely) running on Unix/Linux platforms around the time the internet was released fully to the public domain. MS basically just happened to have a popular OS for the XT platform at the time. If MS had not been around, these apps/service software would probably just have been developed for a different OS.
Microsoft didn't invent the GUI (which likely had a big part in making the internet popular), just one of many who developed and refined it into what it is today. In doing so, they're following exactly the path you made in your last point.
Two very good points, but I'm going to make one nitpick about the second one: reciprocating piston cumbustion engines have relatively low ceilings on maximum RPM.
Don't forget that there's other designs, such as the Wankel engine or the jet turbine engine that can run at comparable rotational speeds to most motors. But worth noting about both of these examples, they still suffer from the problem from your first point (they don't like to stay running below a certain RPM).
And also one heck of an easier way to transmit power to the wheels through swiveling trucks without having to deal with some ginormous reactive torques.
...DirecTV, et al who used smart cards for their subscription service had wished they had spent a little more to have a unique physical card interface designed for their own use rather than rely upon one that is off of the shelf? While recognizing that this would increase production costs and really wouldn't be much of a deterrent against someone willing to build up their own physical interface (or part one out of an old receiver), it could have made for a better means of deterring the casual bootlegger or more conclusive proof of illegitimate activity (i.e. "why is your smart card reader torn apart on your bench and connected to a socket torn out of an old receiver?"). Mind you that a physical repackaging wouldn't be the magic bullet.
I suppose someone could've done a cost-benefit analysis, but I doubt it.
I wholeheartedly agree, but they don't remove suspended solids or do much to remove odor (other than to perhaps mask it).
Something tells me that the marketing point of view was taken to draw more attention to the product ("hey, look! this can save lives!") rather than selling it on where most of the buyers are going to be, the military and extreme outdoors recreationalist types.
Presumably it's disposable, and considering that it's probably the bulk of the cost, the whole bottle would be disposed/recycled at the end of its usefulness...which I might add is projected at 4,000 - 6,000 liters of filtered water, according TFA.
Not to mention urine is usually sterile until it exits the body. The real question is whether the filter will remove any/enough of the waste products that the body is trying to rid itself of to make such a recycling loop acceptable for more than a couple of passes.
I wish they were. But unfortunately, you see a lot of this every time they try to fix transmission capacity issues.
You're right, off-peak is a big part of the equation, but there's more to it when it comes to getting all of that extra capacity to where it's needed. There's a fair amount of excess generation capacity sparsely populated regions, but there isn't always a way to get enough of that power into denser megapolises when it's needed, such as during a heatwave. The dynamics of energy consumption are such that you need to have a certain amount of extra capacity to account for periods of peak demand and lack of transmission capacity that would move power from areas with a generation surplus to those that are temporarily deficient.
Nope, it's in engineering. We're taught to despise Marketing folk. :-D
One caveat is that the electric transmission capabilities are not up to the task of something like this. Yes, in theory there is sufficient power generation capacity, but moving there isn't a strong enough transmission infrastructure to move this capacity around to where it would be needed. That's one of the reason there's so much extra generation capacity to be found.