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Comment Re:Nothing. (Score 1) 209

I'm thinking of when the kids are just old enough to start being latch-key. Myself, I'd set it up for passive data while only sending an alert if the difference is something like three to five standard deviations off the average. I specifically moved to a place where I feel comfortable about my kids (eventual) ability to run around until dinner time, but at least for quite some time yet, they'll be young enough that missing a bus transfer on the way home could be a time when my early intervention would really be appreciated.

Comment Re:Nothing. (Score 2) 209

I don't know - with the research they've done over the past few decades about circadian rhythm, I can see a lot of benefit from lighting that responds in both intensity and color to time and or motion. Likewise with HVAC. But neither of these needs the outside 'net.

Where I really see benefit from external communication would be mostly Boolean data such as whether the kids made it home from school, is there a break in the dog's underground fence line, is moisture pooling where it's not supposed to, or whether the CO/smoke detector has alerted. For information that goes in instead of out, I could also see a benefit for automatic storm shuttering when NOAA issues a severe thunderstorm warning and an automatic disabling of the sprinkler system if the county passes a watering moratorium (i.e. save me from fines if I'm absentminded and forget about turning it off).

Comment Re:Why at a place of learning? (Score 1) 1007

Here is a link to a paperback translation of all three of Augustine's commentaries on Genesis. It's actually pretty interesting to read how his thinking developed as they were written at different phases of his life. In english the titles are: "A Refutation of the Manichees", "Unfinished Literal Commentary on Genesis," and "The Literal Meaning of Genesis." Of course it was all originally in Latin and, if you read that (which I don't), the original texts are archived several places on the internet.

Comment Re:For Starters (Score 1) 320

I enjoy driving my six speed stick on a nice windy country road, but it was less enjoyable whenever I had to drive in stop and go for an hour or two each way from work. I'd have paid for something which would let me read a book the same way I usually did while taking public transit. As adoption goes up I'd expect improved transit times as inter-vehicle communication should be able to significantly ease congestion problems. Eventually I can see non-automated cars prohibited from freeways, at least during commuting hours.

Comment Re:Why at a place of learning? (Score 4, Interesting) 1007

Where's a better place for a discussion which may introduce truth and actual intellectual debate? Maybe someone there will point out a real conservative viewpoint such as Augustine's from around AD 400 which by using the text of the Bible alone came up with the conclusion that a strictly (simplistic) literal interpretation was impossible and also never intended. Augustine also pointed out that some of the greatest damage that can be done to the Church is by scientifically-ignorant believers who attempt to lecture scientific experts about how the experts are wrong in their views.

Unfortunately for Christians, and just about every other group ever organized with a human membership component, ignorance at the adult stage is usually manifest in a self reinforcing mindset and not one welcome to instruction.

Comment Re:Automated digesting (Score 1) 173

Still doesn't solve the vendor infotisements. No way they're going to rely on your subscription to an RSS when they can shoot you a direct email. Some of their communication wouldn't be useful without a very vast array of RSS servers on their end either (i.e. notifying you of a sales rep change, etc...). RSS is good, but I don't think it'd get all of the topics nine-times mentioned.

Comment Re:Another dorky one? (Score 1) 38

If they're using light field tech it should be of variable focus (i.e. what you look at is what gets into focus). If they can do the computation fast enough (again a big if) your eyes would never notice (again assuming appropriate displays - which don't exist yet). Even if they get variable focus (and parallax and other imaging tricks), I think "indistinguishable" augmented reality will still be limited by two major factors which I don't see any tech ready to touch in the near future: full visible spectrum color space (can't be done with just RGB), and more importantly - total brightness and contrast ratio (i.e. match the output of the sun (as perceived by the eye) and the dynamic contrast range of the human eye).

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