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Comment I'm torn on this (Score 1) 493

It would be an invasion of privacy, sure. I mean, if this were any other sort of medical records, we probably wouldn't care at all. I mean, if anyone proposed a national registry of "broke their leg skiing" or "genetically predisposed to be an alcoholic", we wouldn't be having this conversation.

On the other hand, there are so many idiots (compared to, say, 15 years ago) out there refusing to vaccinate their kids because they are listening to idiot celebrities like Jenny McCarthy, that something should be done to protect people who cannot get vaccinated (like very young children).

I don't know. It's one of those things where I don't think there is a simple answer that would work.

Comment Re:well (Score 2) 557

The accord which removed all of the nukes from Ukraine was a brokered deal. In return, Russia agreed not to mess with the territorial integrity of Ukraine. (We can see how well that worked.) But considering that leaving the nukes in Ukraine would have only made it a major problem for Ukraine, Russia, NATO, etc., it was a good call to make at the time.

All you had to do was trust that Russia would abide by the terms of the accord, which, to be honest, they did, for 18 years.

Comment Re:Annex? (Score 5, Informative) 313

Yeah... you know, back when Ukraine broke off from Russia, they made a deal with Russia over Ukraine's nukes. Basically, when Ukraine declared independence, they had what amounted to the third largest nuclear stockpile in the world.

In exchange for turning over all their nukes to Russia, Russia agreed not to interfere with Ukraine's territorial integrity. (Translation: If you voluntarily turn over your nukes, we won't mess with your new country.)

Fast forward from then (1994) to now, and oh look, Russia ignored that treaty in seizing the Crimea region. So color me particular unwilling to believe that if Russia gets a moon base that they won't try and ignore that treaty if it suits them.

Comment Re:A Lose - Lose situation (Score 3, Informative) 193

I don't know when it airs where you are, but here, The Colbert Report airs at 11:30 pm, and Late Night with David Letterman normally starts at 11:35 pm.

I suspect there's going to be some changes in viewership numbers and demographics when Colbert takes over the show, but it's not going to be from going on the air a whole five minutes later.

Comment Re:The spokesman for the AHA said... (Score 1) 408

Homeopathy provides, at the very least, the strong psychological effect of placebo.

The very most it provides is also the placebo effect. Well, I take that back. If you're using the standard 30C dilution with water (which at this point, stands 0% change of containing the original substance), you're staying hydrated.

Privacy

Volkswagen Chairman: Cars Must Not Become 'Data Monsters' 89

Nerval's Lobster writes "While automakers from Tokyo to Detroit rush to sprinkle their respective vehicles with all sorts of sensors and screens, the chairman of Volkswagen Group has warned about the limits of data analytics for automobiles. 'The car must not become a data monster,' Martin Winterkorn told an audience at the CeBit trade show in Germany, according to Re/code. 'I clearly say yes to Big Data, yes to greater security and convenience, but no to paternalism and Big Brother.' At the same time, Winterkorn endorsed a closer relationship between tech companies such as IBM and the auto industry, and highlighted Volkswagen's experiments with autonomous driving—both of which will necessarily infuse automakers (and his company in particular) with more data-driven processes. The question is which policies from which entities will ultimately dictate how that data is used. Winterkorn isn't the first individual to voice concerns about how automakers (and their partners) store and analyze all that vehicle data. At this January's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, a Ford executive drew considerable controversy by suggesting that Ford collects detailed information on how customers use its vehicles. 'We know everyone who breaks the law, we know when you're doing it. We have GPS in your car, so we know what you're doing. By the way, we don't supply that data to anyone,' Jim Farley, Ford's global vice president of marketing and sales, told show attendees. Farley later attempted to clarify his statement to Business Insider, but that didn't stop a fierce debate over vehicle monitoring—and certainly hasn't stopped automakers and tech companies from collaborating over more ways to integrate data-centric features to vehicles."

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