Didn't you say that quote was without batteries? ..You could let the snow just melt off, couldn't you? And that is $10,000 saved every 8 years after. Doesn't sound too bad to me.

Did you read the summary? Panel prices have dropped 80% in 5 years. Math from a couple of years ago is obsolete.

How long would it have taken to recoup the $10,000 in saved electricity costs?

What type of hardware are the 'attempts per second' values derived from?

Let's supplement our computing resources at these critical moments with total situational awareness. All available data that can be scavenged about the bus and its occupants is instantly aggregated. We already know the list of occupants via a combination of cell tracking and facial recognition from cameras on the bus and on consumer devices on the bus. We know the physical characteristics of these occupants, their health, their wealth, any lawyers in their circle of friends and family.

We know the structural composition of the bus, we have its history of crash testing data. We know all other vehicles, buildings, public property, pedestrians, and other objects of value in the immediate vicinity; we can determine the probability of damage and costs associated. We can utilize cloud-accessible clusters for instant simulations and calculations.

With such incredible processing capability and quick reflexes, it may make sense to equip vehicles with special mechanisms, like strategically placed actuators that can instantly send the car into other directions faster than mere rubber on asphalt can provide. Also interesting to note that safety features such as airbags and seatbelts can be actuated prior to impact being sensed.

Heck, while we're at it, let's allow big-brother overrides. When a terrorist threat is imminent, we can purposefully direct the vehicle to crash into the terrorist and avert disaster. We can also use other vehicles to smash into a vehicle to give it extra 'oomph' and avoid a potential catastrophe. Oh, the possibilities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War 625,000 total casualties
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Iraq_War 110,000 or 150,000 or 600,000+ depending on the source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan_war ~13,500

The lowest estimates still place Iraq + Afghanistan casualties at 125,000. Not a "day in the park."
Upper estimates exceed Civil War casualties. ..Or are we only counting Americans?

Are these incredibly simple patents actually defended in court, or are they acquired only to make headlines and scare small businesses from attempting to encroach on the turf of these big corporations?

IANAP, but if what you say is accurate, it seems 'highly charged plasma' would consist of more free electrons per ion on average.. Effectively, more electrons are stripped from the atoms. Which is precisely what it says in the article. I was also confused by the use of the term "supercharged", as it appears to connote highly charged, and not the "supercharge" related to supersymmetry.

I am surprised the data they gathered here is new. It would seem prudent for scientists to gather data on the absorptance spectrum for all elements, ever since these properties were first discovered. Some kind of frequency-varying emitter & charge detection mechanism to generate the data. Perhaps this is an effect that requires stable, precise frequencies that would be impractical to discover over a wide-range of frequencies for all elements?

I see what you did there.

Perhaps a regimen must be devised to optimize beneficial effects of marijuana. For instance, if creativity is boosted, but memorization and familiarization are hampered, it would make sense to spend some time studying the elements of the programming problem beforehand, "preloading" the mind with the task at hand. Then smoke up, and see where your boosted creativity takes you. With an explicit list of effects from smoking marijuana, one could devise an appropriate strategy.

Littering is wrong and CCTV is an excellent enforcement tool. But the thought of the government prosecuting my children for doing so during their immature years, that's just not right. Now if the CCTV feeds were used to monitor & then provide evidence to the parents to allow them to punish their own children, that would actually be quite useful.

So it's reasonable for strangers to fondle our children? Is SCOTUS is full of pedos?

Good thing our alternative, Obama, is not dishonest.

Except.. didn't he promise to shut down Guantanamo, end warrantless wiretaps, and restore habeas corpus? Perhaps your +5 Insightful is evidence Obama is a better liar than Romney.

By that standard, every politician is a phony. The candidate's presentation before any class of the electorate is dictated by what renders the statistically greatest opinions. Most people have IQs floating around the 100 range and apparently by assuming a posture of "I am one of you guys" works best. I don't think you can become President if you're not a phony while campaigning.

I am curious, do you believe Romney is not capable of helping the middle class and improving the economy solely because has always been rich? I hate to point out the obvious, but such a person would naturally have a rich person's notion of an "ugly car." I'm curious if you believe his personality dictates the decisions he would make, or if it's something perhaps you never thought out..? For instance, he's known for pushing universal healthcare in Massachusetts. Does this position follow your assumptions?

Odds are, anyone attaining status of Democratic/Republican Presidential candidate is very likely to be rich, or backed by rich people. This doesn't necessarily mean that person is more concerned with appeasing people of the same class. Such an assumption is likely to leave you disappointed in your options for most elections.