With a key, you switch it to 1 and can run accessories. You switch it to 2 and the ignition computer is powered. Switch and hold it to 3 and you crank. You decide exactly how to start your engine.

With the newer systems, you just push the button and it decides what to do. You lose the control. What if you want to crank for a while because it won't start? What if you want to switch it to position 2 and push-start a manual transmission car? You can't.

I like the standard keys. And really, just because one manufacturer happened to use a defective part, we lose them? Key switches have been around for decade and are reliable. Just fix the reliability issue in that one model and that's it.

We need a universal service directive similar to the one that was in place for landline POTS telephones.

The Internet has become as essential today as telephone service was before it. Why shouldn't it be subject to the same rules?

And no, an expensive cellular data plan with a low cap is NOT an adequate substitute. If the providers want to argue that wireless service will suffice, then they need to make it compete on price and data volume with wired services.

Dude, you're disappointed someone didn't get killed for "being wrong on the internet."

C'mon, perspective.

I think I could watch a two hour film of just unit record equipment in action and be happy. Damn stuff was mesmerizing, how it handled, read and punched thousands of cards at ridiculous speeds.

We really did pull off some mechanical genius with this stuff back then. It may be obsolete but it's still cool, and it makes me wonder why we can't seem to design printers that don't start jamming after a few hundred pages anymore.

Smooth, instant acceleration no matter what your current speed. It's mind blowing when you first experience it.

I don't get how people can "miss" the sound of a regular engine, and having to shift. A good computer analogy would be "missing" having to manually input bootstrap code to get your machine going. Sure, it can be a nice bit of nostalgia, but it's a requirement of antiquated technology that no longer applies in the case of the Model S.

I so wish I could afford that car. I hope they can get the price of its successor down into the 30s; I will jump on that SO quick.

Newer phones have location chipsets that support both GPS and GLONASS. Do they figure out automatically that the GLONASS information is bad and switch to using GPS exclusively?

I've noticed much increased performance since I upgraded to a phone that uses both systems, especially in cities with a lot of tall buildings like NYC and Chicago.

SHUSH. I'm not old. Really, I'm not. 2020 is still the distant future, so there.

" “some form of KERS” would be inevitable on production cars after 2020."

I'm hoping that by then, electric cars (with regenerative braking) are starting to become the norm.

Really, 2020? With the pace technology develops, this might as well be Star Trek.

It shouldn't cost more to "rent" a two year old movie to stream online that it does to BUY it in the bargain bin. Not only that, but many older movies aren't available to rent at all, only for "purchase" (which, when bought online is really a long-term rental anyway due to DRM).

Get the rental prices down. Let me pay $2-$3 to watch a movie rather than $6-$10. And for the love of Princess Celestia, when you PAY for content online, it should look good! No compression artifacts, no buffering. Let me pull down the whole thing, or maybe half of it before watching to ensure a good experience.

Did Fluke actually request this? Or did Customs do this of their own volition?

If it's the latter, Fluke should step up and allow them to make a one time exception for this shipment. It would generate considerably goodwill for the company and show that they're not bullies keeping the little guy down.

If they DID request this, then fuck them all with a chainsaw, seriously.

Did you hear that? That was the sound of millions of religious zealots pressing their palms harder against their ears and screaming LA LA LA even louder.

One fundamental issue is that corporations have this crazy idea that it's the job of companies like Google, ISPs and cloud service providers to enforce their copyrights.

Umm, it's NOT. It's the job of the content owners to enforce their copyrights, send take-downs, and so on.

Companies like Google, ISPs, cloud service providers, etc. do not have the time or resources to enforce copyright. We can't expect them to without driving the cost of service even higher than it already ridiculously is.

(Of course, the fact that Comcast now owns NBC means that the ISP and content owner are one.. which blurs this thinking and is also quite dangerous; I'm still pissed that regulators let that happen.)

All fungi can fuck off. Seriously.

From what I read, it looks like they sold the fuel at "full cost", rather than "market rate".

Does this mean they sold the fuel at the same cost NASA paid for it? If so, what's the big deal? NASA is a government agency, not a business. They don't have to sell fuel at a profit.

It's not like they were giving it away or losing money on it!

Arguably, simply holding your phone to your ear and talking on it is a lot less distracting than LOOKING at the phone and tapping to find map directions.

Why is the former illegal, while the latter is okay? Either make them both illegal, or make it okay to *talk* on the phone as well.