[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080768/]
Launching a drone out of a submarine (in the movie's case, to gather air samples and get video of major cities) has been done before, in movie form anyhow.

Batteries discharge when doing nothing. What if the 1.1kWh is the normal for just sitting there like if it wasn't even in the car, plus some trickle for things like the clock and other persistant items? This might say more about the batteries' charge decay rate than the rest of the system causing a drain (though I do figure, fairly, there's a little more than just the clock and expected no-load decay at issue here).

The whole battery had to be replaced at cost to the owner and the Honda CEO was nowhere to be seen.

This would be because people will buy a Honda regardless of whether the dealer or company or CEO is a prick or not, where Tesla is trying to get itself a foothold in the market and Elon feels personally responsible if there's a defective product because it reflects badly upon the company. A hundred million Hondas Thousands of Teslas.

The learning curve gets climbed.

I started to write this as a joke, but now I'm not so sure. For all we glorify perseverance, sometimes it's idiotic.

I just think of the old phrase, "why does man climb a mountain? because it's there"... really, is that a valid reason?
Granted, I spent most of a day getting a WiFi card to work with Linux on a circa-2000 notebook and will likely erase the hard drive in the near future. It's the challenge or the adventure or... well, ego, okay?... even if there's really no point in an endeavor. The more dangerous without a tangible reward, the better.

I have mod points but I already posted so I can merely suggest this get my proxy +1.

a) I recall there being experiments in the 1980s where rodent brains were wired to where the mouse would press a bar to get a jolt to its pleasure center, and it would procede to bang that bar until it passed out.
b) The news and hospitals are filled with people who have already proven that psychoactive drugs such as PCP and angel dust, and of late methamphetamins, will have a "will to perservere" at whatever they're doing (be it tweaking with the heat sinks on a stereo or trying to release demons from one's brain with a hand drill and a piece of metal coat hanger) that lasts for days or until incidental death, whichever comes first.

There is, outside the city of Seattle, a certain company with a legendary history in the world of tech support. It has been known as... ACS, now a Xerox company.

Considering the turnover rate for ACS employment, there's always space answering phones for Verizon Wireless through them.

And half of the people I've worked with in the Internet industry ten years ago passed through their doors in the last five.

But as for "Mujib Gandaharik", he goes to the top of the list.

I'm betting the 'losing' end of the situation didn't discuss this with the 'finding' end.

Former OSS: "Shh, we don't know about that. YOU don't know about that. It doesn't exist."

is not merely sentience, but whether one is paying taxes. Taxpayers are paying the salaries of those who decide cases like this.

Also: "right turn, Clyde." *whack*

I'm a Washington resident so I'm in the statistical minority that do pay tax on Amazon's goods. The ruling doesn't help those who live in the place where the business is located, understandably, only those who do not -- and in the case of Amazon, since the source can be anywhere, that list of "nots" is rather subjective or narrow in light of 'substantial nexus'.

Washington has sales tax paid at purchase. (Local to me it's 9.2%)
Oregon has a state income tax -- so save those receipts.

Thus both states tax their goods, just one more delayed than others, with the benefit that Washingtoninans love shopping in Oregon since they don't pay sales tax and Oregonians (like Alaskans) say "no tax" when purchasing stuff in Oregon.

gets replaced.

It proves people still read, and not just the tossoff-of-the-day about vampires. I've never read Catcher despite my English minor, but I'd be more apt to read these three stories not only because they're p1r4t3d but as silent testimony that people still value literature.