Automatic transmissions are common (perhaps universal) on scooters and have been used on motorcycles in the past. The newest BMWs have ability to shift without pulling the clutch lever or reducing the throttle. From http://www.motorcycledaily.com... "The BMW Gear Shift Assistant Pro, available as a factory option, represents a world first for production motorcycle manufacture. It enables upshifts and downshifts to be made without operation of the clutch or throttle valve in the proper load and rpm speed ranges while riding."

You'd have to restrict that to old motorcycles. My '98 has ABS and fuel injection, both of which used programmed electronics. Newer bikes include systems such as CAN Bus, traction control, fly by wire throttles and more. Except for things like air bags, seat belts and bumpers, motorcycles use a lot of technology found in automobiles.

I disagree completely. A program resembles literature on two levels.

First, the code itself uses an extremely rigid grammar to express the requirements of the program. This expression can be simple or complex; clear or muddled. The extent to which the author (in every sense of the term) expresses these clearly and elegantly determines how likely the code is to succeed at its original purpose as well as how easy it will be to maintain.

Secondly, the UI (if present) is also a realization of the ideas behind the program. The clarity with which the ideas are expressed in the UI will have a major impact on the usefulness of the program.

I do not see a fundamental distinction between decoding code and written language. Both are abstract symbols assembled to form constructs and actions according to a set of more or less flexible rules. Many of the higher parts of language such as metaphor also have corresponding aspects in coding. (e.g. patterns.)

And much like with literature which can be written in a multitude of languages, code can likewise be written in a multitude of languages. I think there are more similarities than differences.

GOP Quit? Are you kidding? I think they wrote the contract. Who else would use phrases such as 'the entire healthcare reform program is jeopardized.' and 'the entire health insurance industry at risk.' I wonder if somewhere in the document it states 'and people, young and old, will die' as that seems to be the refrain from anyone in the GOP when it comes to the ACA.

Completing the work is likely to be a tall order and I'm sure there will be more rough spots but I hardly think it means the end of the health care industry, health insurance industry or civilization as we know it.

Shoot, the insurance industry owns too much of our government for anything truly bad to happen to them. More likely any rough spots will be used to justify some response that is profitable for the health insurance industry.

It will take very little time to train the doctor to sling burgers and fries. That's the crux of the problem.

Work that could be done may be limitless but the willingness of those with money to pay for it is not. You mention biotech as an alternative but who is investing in biotech w/out the possibility of making piles of money? We have problems because pharmaceuticals that lack potential for large profits don't get research $$$. The need is there but the money isn't.

Capitalism does a great job of allocating resources efficiently. It seems to be a lot less effective at distributing wealth when there is a surplus of labor and the increasing level of automation reduces the need for human labor at nearly all levels.

Are the French legal guidelines broader than the US legal guidelines. Broader than what the NSA and CIA are known to do? Narrower than what the French are known to do?

Thanks to Snowden we know the US agencies have exceeded their legal boundaries (or at the very least operated in secret to avoid any legal or constitutional challenge.) What is the situation in France WRT their intelligence agencies and their laws.

Several weeks ago I was driving from Michigan to Indiana on an interstate highway. Ordinarily my carrier (Verizon) has good coverage along interstate highways and I had a strong signal but was unable to place a call. I tried several times and nothing happened after I dialed the number and pressed the call button until the phone reported something like "unable to place the call - try again later." I wonder if the ISP was monitoring cell phones in the area or if Verizon's equipment was just fubar.

I was with you until the last paragraph. Many production cars will transition to oversteer when the throttle is abruptly closed by an inexperienced driver. By inexperienced driver I mean anyone without performance driving training. They go into a curve a little too hot and the car starts to understeer. They turn the wheel and the car continues to plow on. They turn the wheel more and lift off the throttle. The weight transfers to the front, the already turned front wheels bite and snap the car deep into the corner.

Watch for skid marks on big sweepers. They usually go toward the inside of the curve, illustrating this point.

Did you even read that Wikipedia article? Here's a quote: "Eight committees investigated the allegations and published reports, finding no evidence of fraud or scientific misconduct"

Thanks for the citation but I suggest that you read it first as it does not support your conclusion.

And slipshod editing.

Absolutely! But that's a couple seconds to confirm that they're idiots and then a couple seconds for them to respond. If it is a short left turn signal, it may already change to red before the idiot moves out of the way. I doubt that their inattention would be construed as justification for me to urn the red light.

Bravo!

Texting at red lights too often turns into texting at green lights. I really hate sitting through a light cycle because the idiot in front of me hadn't noticed that the light had changed.

Problem is that not only drivers are losing jobs to automation. Lots of jobs are affected. That means more people are chasing fewer jobs and that drives pay down. Why do you think income inequality is growing so fast? We are not inventing new jobs as fast as old jobs are going away.

Ummm. No.

Dave Cutler moved from DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) to MSFT to help manage the development of NT which at the time was a derivative of OS/2. At one point it was named NT OS/2. It did not serve MSFT to retain the OS/2 moniker though much of the code lived on. Early NT error messages identified the OS as OS/2. Little or none probably remains today, but that's where NT came from.

In any case, NT and VMS were as similar as apples and oranges.

That's my recollection. Hard to find citations though other than to point out that Dave Cutler was project manager for NT which was well under way on his arrival.

Raises hand. That would be me. I don't know how to buy wine in the first place except to know that some wines are sweeter than others and there are reds vs. whites and the pink ones that fall in between.

Of course, that means I don't have to spend a lot of money on wine in order to be happy with my purchase. I suppose I do better selecting beer which I consume several times in a month. If this app gives me some way to evaluate wine in the first place it could be a win for me. However I'm a little skeptical that a chemical analysis can characterize the flavor sufficiently to accomplish this goal. The other obstacle to this endeavor is the sheer number of wines tat seem to be available.