Not the way I read it. If you plan to launch every six weeks, you may well end up with one unit on a launch pad being assembled, refurbished or upgraded while another is being launched. Be nice to have a place for that one to land. Remember that these things are BIG (and getting bigger) and that transporting them to a launch site is a non-trivial problem. If you land them at the launch site, you don't have to spend time and a lot of money moving them to the site later. OTOH, I have no idea what the constraints are on "Return To Base" for these things.
The downside is, of course, that if anything goes wrong with the launch or landing, you're potentially down two or even three launchers instead of just one.
"...cramming in the digital signals with the existing analog AM/FM broadcasts using IBOC/HD Radio..... which hasn't been a success."
I'm probably incredibly stupid, but I never saw much point to US FM/HD. If the content broadcast on HD is already on the analog channel, the quality on the analog channel will be fine. Why do I need a super duper, new, digital technology to get an improvement I can't notice? And if they just want to broadcast alternate content there's subcarrier audio which works fine, still allows older hardware to get the main channel just like HD, and is actually compatible with some existing gear. The whole thing strikes me as change for the sake of change.
"Here we go again. This reminds me of a boy, a boy who loved to cry wolf."
Exactly. If you were out to cripple the US electric grid, would you really start with an office computer in small municipal power company (fewer than 20000 customers) in the middle of nowhere? About the only significant feature to Burlington Electric is that it has three decades of experience operating a 25MW wood powered power plant. I suppose that might somehow have some weird significance although I can't imagine how.
A good idea most likely. Offhand, I would think that things like keys and shoes have to be recognized by their optical or auditory or something signature. But signatures for real world objects (other than ping pong balls and the like) are tricky because they differ with the viewing angle. Identification tags designed to have recognizable signatures no matter where they are viewed from might help a lot. (Not that I actually know squat about object recognition).
"That's assuming that the system can correlate 'x' and 'X'"
Indeed, not all that easy.
But probably doable -- given a couple of decades of R&D and a lot a often hilarious real-world testing. And there will probably be some real, viable, applications of the technology. But overall it looks like the company that gave us Bob and Clippy is setting up to annoy the bejessus out of us again.
"so weather climate change may not be from my truck afterall? "
Of course not. Changes in the Earth's magnetic field are known to be caused by Microsoft software. You can help by switching to Unix and by supporting further research to refine the settled science in this area.
"I'm not at all familiar with the Pentagon papers, but the Climategate ones were really overplayed. There's nothing juicy in there - no evidence of a cover-up or efforts to falsify data."
No. If anything it is underplayed.. Mann, Briffa et al deliberately, and inexcusably, obscured the fact that the tree ring proxie data they largely depended on shows Northern Hemisphere temperatures to have dropped since 1960. No one thinks that's true. That's called the "Divergence Problem" (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... ).and if revealed in their paper would certainly have called the validity of their analysis into question.
Their conduct is clearly inexcusable. If you think, as you seem to, that's OK, may I suggest that it's time to take your value system in for a check up.
"These seem to not be driving very well as they are also known to drive on the bicycle lane."
Being picky, but reality is the opposite I think. Uber's self driving cars make right hand turns from the traffic lane whereas California law requires them to pull right into the bicycle lane (if there is such) before turning right. I believe that Uber has acknowledged that's a problem.
"Is Autopilot different from normal cruise control?"
My understanding... Yes. In addition to managing velocity, "Autopilot" keeps the car in its lane and tries to prevent it from running into things. At least things in front of the vehicle. AFAICS it's just an overhyped version of the Adaptive Cruise Control systems that many car manufacturers have been playing with for a decade or two.
I'm not a big fan of Wikileaks for the same reason the Snowden cites -- their failure to redact personal information of no public interest. Credit card numbers, passwords, etc from their releases. But surely the issue with the DNC eMails and similar data dumps -- the Pentagon Papers, the Climategate eMails, etc are their existence and authenticity. Who, other than folks who have been caught with their hand in a cookie jar, cares who leaked them?
And while I'm here, isn't a sad comment on American governance that I find Snowden, and even the Russians vastly more credible than the NSA?
I personally think this is a great idea. But I think many of the non-Tesla drivers on the road are going to HATE it when they are forced to drive sensibly until they can find a place to pass. Especially if other automakers take it up.
"Speak for yourself. I normally open a bunch of websites I read, and then just middle-click to open the articles I find interesting in separate tabs. You can quite easily end up with dozens of articles."
I reckon that's OK if it works for you.... as long as you don't then complain that your browser is slow.
Complaining about browser performance if you have a zillion windows open simultaneously seems sort of like complaining that your Mercedes SUV with a 6 liter engine gets lousy gas mileage.
If Uber charges $21.22 and the airport shuttle is $12.00 (see the head post above) why would anyone not in a hurry use Uber? And if one were seriously in a hurry -- say to catch a flight or make a meeting -- wouldn't they just grab the first cab in the queue?
"You can believe all you want, but investments in solar and wind are sky-rocketing.the race between fossil and green is over, and won convincingly by solar and wind"
Oh good. Then we can dispense with the bribes (politely known as "incentives") paid to wind and solar power producers?
Given the dismal state of computer security, why on Earth would anyone with half a brain think that a fully cashless economy is a desirable goal? Depending on digital cash seems to me entirely too much like renting a residence at the base of an elderly dam with water seeping from visible cracks.
> How much computing power would you need to make this all happen?
Tightly programmed by folks who know what they are about? Surprisingly little. The US Air Defense system deployed in the late 1950s had regional computers that each covered several states and processed radar data from a dozen sites each, tracked several hundred aircraft, talked to adjacent regions, controlled fighters and air defense missiles, talked to manual AA sites, etc. All on computers comparable in processing power to an IBM PC-XT.
Programmed with modern technology on an Intel CPU? A hell of a lot I should think. But probably doable if you don't mind an occasional BSOD.
There's also a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) that is -- by intent -- not all that easy to alter/replace although it could be done if you are really determined to do so.
"What useful information could this V2V actually provide that is more than provided by blinkers and brake lights?"
Good question.
Answer: In congested situations, blinkers and brake lights are often supplemented by cues like driver hand motions, eye-contact, lack of eye contact, head nods, aggressive vehicle motion, etc that would be next to impossible for autonomous vehicles to detect and interpret. Intervehicle communication would go a long way toward resolving that.
But there are a plethora of pragmatic concerns. To name just two.:
1. How is Vehicle A to be sure that the vehicle it is communicating with is the one 20 meters in front and to it's left rather than the similar one 40 meters away to its rear that is trying to negotiate permission to get out of its parking place?
2. How is Vehicle A to be sure that it's "situation map" includes all the objects and vehicles it needs to know about?
I'm not at all sure this is going to work out as well as is envisioned. Or indeed, work out at all.
Slashdot Mirror
Not the way I read it. If you plan to launch every six weeks, you may well end up with one unit on a launch pad being assembled, refurbished or upgraded while another is being launched. Be nice to have a place for that one to land. Remember that these things are BIG (and getting bigger) and that transporting them to a launch site is a non-trivial problem. If you land them at the launch site, you don't have to spend time and a lot of money moving them to the site later. OTOH, I have no idea what the constraints are on "Return To Base" for these things.
The downside is, of course, that if anything goes wrong with the launch or landing, you're potentially down two or even three launchers instead of just one.
"...cramming in the digital signals with the existing analog AM/FM broadcasts using IBOC/HD Radio..... which hasn't been a success."
I'm probably incredibly stupid, but I never saw much point to US FM/HD. If the content broadcast on HD is already on the analog channel, the quality on the analog channel will be fine. Why do I need a super duper, new, digital technology to get an improvement I can't notice? And if they just want to broadcast alternate content there's subcarrier audio which works fine, still allows older hardware to get the main channel just like HD, and is actually compatible with some existing gear. The whole thing strikes me as change for the sake of change.
"Here we go again. This reminds me of a boy, a boy who loved to cry wolf."
Exactly. If you were out to cripple the US electric grid, would you really start with an office computer in small municipal power company (fewer than 20000 customers) in the middle of nowhere? About the only significant feature to Burlington Electric is that it has three decades of experience operating a 25MW wood powered power plant. I suppose that might somehow have some weird significance although I can't imagine how.
"That was Moses, not Jesus."
That was God, not Moses who was only following orders. Reference:Exodus 11
A good idea most likely. Offhand, I would think that things like keys and shoes have to be recognized by their optical or auditory or something signature. But signatures for real world objects (other than ping pong balls and the like) are tricky because they differ with the viewing angle. Identification tags designed to have recognizable signatures no matter where they are viewed from might help a lot. (Not that I actually know squat about object recognition).
"That's assuming that the system can correlate 'x' and 'X'"
Indeed, not all that easy.
But probably doable -- given a couple of decades of R&D and a lot a often hilarious real-world testing. And there will probably be some real, viable, applications of the technology. But overall it looks like the company that gave us Bob and Clippy is setting up to annoy the bejessus out of us again.
"so weather climate change may not be from my truck afterall? "
Of course not. Changes in the Earth's magnetic field are known to be caused by Microsoft software. You can help by switching to Unix and by supporting further research to refine the settled science in this area.
"We need to build a wall to protect ourselves from these particles, and we need to build it quick."
And we'll make the Solarians or Venusians or Martians pay for it.
After all these years, Clippy finally gets his big break!!!
"I'm not at all familiar with the Pentagon papers, but the Climategate ones were really overplayed. There's nothing juicy in there
- no evidence of a cover-up or efforts to falsify data."
No. If anything it is underplayed.. Mann, Briffa et al deliberately, and inexcusably, obscured the fact that the tree ring proxie data they largely depended on shows Northern Hemisphere temperatures to have dropped since 1960. No one thinks that's true. That's called the "Divergence Problem" (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... ).and if revealed in their paper would certainly have called the validity of their analysis into question.
Their conduct is clearly inexcusable. If you think, as you seem to, that's OK, may I suggest that it's time to take your value system in for a check up.
"These seem to not be driving very well as they are also known to drive on the bicycle lane."
Being picky, but reality is the opposite I think. Uber's self driving cars make right hand turns from the traffic lane whereas California law requires them to pull right into the bicycle lane (if there is such) before turning right. I believe that Uber has acknowledged that's a problem.
"Is Autopilot different from normal cruise control?"
My understanding ... Yes. In addition to managing velocity, "Autopilot" keeps the car in its lane and tries to prevent it from running into things. At least things in front of the vehicle. AFAICS it's just an overhyped version of the Adaptive Cruise Control systems that many car manufacturers have been playing with for a decade or two.
I'm not a big fan of Wikileaks for the same reason the Snowden cites -- their failure to redact personal information of no public interest. Credit card numbers, passwords, etc from their releases. But surely the issue with the DNC eMails and similar data dumps -- the Pentagon Papers, the Climategate eMails, etc are their existence and authenticity. Who, other than folks who have been caught with their hand in a cookie jar, cares who leaked them?
And while I'm here, isn't a sad comment on American governance that I find Snowden, and even the Russians vastly more credible than the NSA?
I personally think this is a great idea. But I think many of the non-Tesla drivers on the road are going to HATE it when they are forced to drive sensibly until they can find a place to pass. Especially if other automakers take it up.
"Speak for yourself. I normally open a bunch of websites I read, and then just middle-click to open the articles I find interesting in separate tabs. You can quite easily end up with dozens of articles."
I reckon that's OK if it works for you. ... as long as you don't then complain that your browser is slow.
Complaining about browser performance if you have a zillion windows open simultaneously seems sort of like complaining that your Mercedes SUV with a 6 liter engine gets lousy gas mileage.
"Even trying to save the page locally requires that it be reloaded. It's become nearly impossible to check a page's actual content."
Oh well. Most likely it's OK. Go ahead and ship it.
If Uber charges $21.22 and the airport shuttle is $12.00 (see the head post above) why would anyone not in a hurry use Uber? And if one were seriously in a hurry -- say to catch a flight or make a meeting -- wouldn't they just grab the first cab in the queue?
"You can believe all you want, but investments in solar and wind are sky-rocketing.the race between fossil and green is over, and won convincingly by solar and wind"
Oh good. Then we can dispense with the bribes (politely known as "incentives") paid to wind and solar power producers?
I'm told GM has changed it's ways. Of course, they've been telling us that for four decades or so. But maybe it really is different this time.
"Well, I know this is a crazy idea, but the sensor could note when it can't "see" clearly and notify the driver."
The rear proximity sensors on my wife's 2013 Hyundai do exactly that. I would assume other current vehicles do the same thing.
Given the dismal state of computer security, why on Earth would anyone with half a brain think that a fully cashless economy is a desirable goal? Depending on digital cash seems to me entirely too much like renting a residence at the base of an elderly dam with water seeping from visible cracks.
I was under the impression -- apparently mistaken -- that The Donald is the world's greatest expert on business. Why would the WGEOB need advice?
> How much computing power would you need to make this all happen?
Tightly programmed by folks who know what they are about? Surprisingly little. The US Air Defense system deployed in the late 1950s had regional computers that each covered several states and processed radar data from a dozen sites each, tracked several hundred aircraft, talked to adjacent regions, controlled fighters and air defense missiles, talked to manual AA sites, etc. All on computers comparable in processing power to an IBM PC-XT.
Programmed with modern technology on an Intel CPU? A hell of a lot I should think. But probably doable if you don't mind an occasional BSOD.
"unique ID? It's called a license plate number."
There's also a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) that is -- by intent -- not all that easy to alter/replace although it could be done if you are really determined to do so.
"What useful information could this V2V actually provide that is more than provided by blinkers and brake lights?"
Good question.
Answer: In congested situations, blinkers and brake lights are often supplemented by cues like driver hand motions, eye-contact, lack of eye contact, head nods, aggressive vehicle motion, etc that would be next to impossible for autonomous vehicles to detect and interpret. Intervehicle communication would go a long way toward resolving that.
But there are a plethora of pragmatic concerns. To name just two.:
1. How is Vehicle A to be sure that the vehicle it is communicating with is the one 20 meters in front and to it's left rather than the similar one 40 meters away to its rear that is trying to negotiate permission to get out of its parking place?
2. How is Vehicle A to be sure that it's "situation map" includes all the objects and vehicles it needs to know about?
I'm not at all sure this is going to work out as well as is envisioned. Or indeed, work out at all.