What would an asteroid be doing in a near-Earth orbit?

I am sure 9 vs 1 is a statistically significant difference.

Whether the nature of branding affects the results remains unproven, as you say.

I never said that chess was machine learning.

>And google search and translate isn't really learning, they're just statistical systems that given the best result based on the data they've gathered.

And what exactly is your definition of learning?

Machine learning and more broadly AI has had tremendous success recently. Google search is some sort of machine learning program. Pretty useful, no?

I am not even talking about speech recognition, chess machines, auto-focus in your camera and so on.

> You don't state why, but I'm guessing for intimidation/control purposes.

Correct.

> It is also in the FSB's interest to have people underestimate their powers so they will be incautious, using systems they believe are secure which the FSB can crack.

I doubt it. Perhaps for NSA it is true, but most of FSB's power is based on raw force and intimidation, not any particular competence.

And people who are really serious about security would use more secure systems in any case.

This is a report in a newspaper citing unspecified sources. Moreover, it is in FSB's interest to have people believe that they are more capable/powerful then they really are. A large grain of salt is definitely in order.

Clinton did not inhale. Now we know the reason.

Not quite. The liquid will dry up pretty quickly and the chances of contamination will decrease dramatically. Certainly, the chances are higher than in a single use bag, but not that much higher. Moreover, what percentage of food poisoning is due to the in-bag contamination? I don't have any data but hard to imagine it being very large.

Presumably, raw meat and such would be in a plastic bag or package within the reusable bag and whatever leaks would be a small amount.
After that it needs to touch something that you eat raw without washing too much. It is not impossible, but does not seem too likely to cause problems. Certainly, the same thing can happen within a single use bag.

The authors, on the other hand, are claiming huge percentage increases in food poisoning. Had to believe.

What does predicting the stock market have to do with economics?

Even if it is neither of those it can still be a win if it is non-toxic or easy to dispose of.

In every modern society many services are provided by the government and cannot be provided by a private enterprise. Is it possible in principle -- how do I know? Is communism possible? There is not law of nature saying it is impossible, but there is no reason to think it is possible either.

Are you saying that property tax is not paying for road building/maintenance?

Well, property tax is also a tax. As far is the rest of the fees, I think only a very small portion of the road system is covered by that.

The point is that you cannot live in a modern society without using certain government services (at the federal, state or local levels) paid by taxes.
To say that every service can be provided by a commercial enterprise is plainly ridiculous.

  There are certainly alternatives to the income tax, e.g., sales tax, property tax, etc. Each one of them has advantages and disadvantages.