Academic experiments have external results, publishing findings as scientific research. Business experiments have internal results, data mining with the goal of increasing profits (via providing better value to the consumer, at least in capitalist theory).

Well, at least, I can hope the results stay internal to the business. As with data mining in general, that's not always the case. But perhaps this becoming a mainstream topic will end with a framework on which to judge companies that release "experiment" data about their customers.

Seriously, back in 2004 I was trying to get a phone WITHOUT a camera because I couldn't have a camera at work. Despite being in an area (Washing D.C Metro Area) where this is a requirement for the better part of the majority of the population it was extremely difficult. I never upgraded the phone as a result.

I stopped in several stores and asked about it and was politely informed that the stores do not get to decide what phones they carry. Their corporate parents do - the execs at AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, etc; which means they make it based on what profit margins and policies they want to set forth. So if they want everyone to have a camera, then so be it.

Now adays those same big carriers are trying to push everyone towards the profit centers around the smart phones. AT&T policy is that if you have a keyboard you need an SMS/TXT plan; but if you have a touch screen then you need a (far more costly) data plan.

Agreed on the first two; disagree on the last. So no, a very small minority (probably well under 10%) would qualify. It's just not sustainable to do otherwise.

Define "decent basic income". You'll have all ranges from "at poverty level" to "I want a million dollars per year" depending on who you talk to. So it's just a non-starter. That's not to say that some programs (e.g Food Stamps) shouldn't compensate for "poverty level and below", but the kind of program we're discussing above can't sustain anything other than "those that are completely and provably incapable of work" - and "incapable" does not mean "too lazy" but being legally disabled (even temporarily).

As much as I might like to make it work on an honor system, people are generally too corrupt to do so; therefore it (sadly) has to be testable with legal consequences for fraud.

The inflation over the last 100 years is substantial; especially the inflation in the last 35 years is substantial.

There is nothing that dictates that wages and prices HAVE to go up; only economists. A well balanced economic system would not require inflation.

There is that in white collar jobs.

This goes to show how out-of-touch you are. Get your head out of the sand.
There's lots of people doing general labor - look at the construction sites, janitors, cleaning staff. It's REQUIRED that someone fill those positions until we get sufficiently advanced robots to do it for us - which is still a very long way off. Many economists point to these areas as why we need illegal immigrants because they think it is below the level of any citizen to do those jobs; an attitude that does have to change.

So it's known that Airline pilots don't learn to fly in India; they come to the US to learn to fly.
Why? Because there are too many permits required to fly any where it's just not feasible to learn in India.

I think the 800 mile requirement would be if the "fill up" were to take hours like it does now. Like he said, if he had a 300 mile range and the ability to fully recharge in 10 minutes, it would take the time that a gas car takes now.

As long as your Karma is "Excellent", you're ok.

I wonder if in some future code, those with >50 karma will have rollover errors. :)

Start Screen? Never used it.

If I get a Win8/WinServe2012 system, first thing I do is install ClamShell. Never see the Start Screen after that, but it brings a lot of saneness to the UI; fortunately I don't have to go the Control Panel much as that would still be a foo bar with some settings only in the "Classic" Control Panel and others only in the settings wizard available through the Start Screen. In the end, no matter what I do it's a PITA to use.

That is one of the few cases where I agree that programs like Social Security are required. Those programs shouldn't be available to the general populus, only those that really need them - the exceptions instead of the rule. This would also make such programs more easily fundable and solvent.

National programs that are extended to the general populus will never be sustainable and will result in either insolvency or the destruction of the nation and/or currency.

False. Advanced in Technology does not necessitate increased specialization. The only thing that really drives the "raising the bar" issue here is inflation and the long held beliefs that you have to have inflation - you can't keep the currency stable or have deflation.

Historically, inflation and deflation act together to maintain a stable currency. Currently we're operating under deluded policies that try to only have one without the other.

Agreed. But P2P applications (e.g BitTorrent, and what remains of Napster/etc) and similar systems to push that. ISPs fought back with limits.

Not necessarily as that might propogate pretty quickly. That kind of attitude is also what led to the very extensive bloat in disk utilization among applications, especially those targetting Windows Users.

<tt>&lt;quote&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;i class="fa-caret-down"&gt;His manner is coarse&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's not "coarse", it's abusive. Namecalling, mocking, ridicule, hyperbole. That's abuse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;i class="fa-caret-down"&gt;you must admit that he's gotten the job done.&nbsp; Linux advances on schedule, patches get incorporated, code gets tested, and all proceeds smoothly.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I sacrificed a chicken yesterday and successfully committed code. You must admit that the ritualistic sacrifice got the job done.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;("Getting the job done" does not, and has never required being abusive to others. Getting the job done while being abusive is not proof that being abusive is required or even was part of, "getting the job done.")&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/quote&gt;Heh M$ bytchboi troll<nobr> <wbr></nobr>...&nbsp; such a sensitive&nbsp; ridiculed faggboi who NEEDS the iron abusive bootheel to get work done&nbsp;<nobr> <wbr></nobr>... take a pointed slapdown-shaft up the *zzwhole and shutup. </tt>

You have that pretty much backwards. Without Linux, GCC wouldn't matter to anyone.

What you probably mean is that without Linux, gcc wouldn't have mattered to anyone that matters to *YOU*.

If he hadn't pinpointed the problem, how would he know that gcc was to blame in the first place?

It's absolutely a waste of space. The * character uses considerably more real-estate than the letter i, which if drawn without serifs, is possibly the tiniest letter in the alphabet.

My implication is that "unlimited" means it is ultimately limited only by available technology, which has no set limit in how good it can get, and so is still really unlimited.