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Comment Re:Summary doesn't support headline (Score 1) 306

by Mr D from 63 (#48255549) Attached to: We Are All Confident Idiots

I know this is petulant and pedantic, but Dunning-Kruger is statistical, and only reflects the naturalness of a lack of detailed introspection.

More over, some people are genuinely competent at things. I want to object to the notion that it's an inescapable human failing, because Dunning and Kruger's research didn't show that. Just a strong overall trend.

I think it stands to reason that those who don't know the details or have a depth of understanding on a subject can oversimplify things and believe the basis or solutions are simpler than they really are. I see this a lot in discussion of technical issues on /., where some can gloss over all the complications they are not aware of and propose solutions that seem quite logical when the underlying details are not considered . But, as you pointed out, one can understand the depths of a subject and have confidence in their answer as well. The better you know a topic, the better you know your limits within that topic as well.

Submission + - USA Today's Susan Page: Obama admin most 'dangerous' to media in history (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: At some point, a compendium of condemnations against the Obama administration’s record of media transparency (actually, opacity) must be assembled. Notable quotations in this vein come from former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson, who said, “It is the most secretive White House that I have ever been involved in covering”; New York Times reporter James Risen, who said, “I think Obama hates the press”; and CBS News’s Bob Schieffer, who said, “This administration exercises more control than George W. Bush’s did, and his before that.”

USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page has added a sharper edge to this set of knives. Speaking Saturday at a White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) seminar, Page called the current White House not only “more restrictive” but also “more dangerous” to the press than any other in history, a clear reference to the Obama administration’s leak investigations and its naming of reporter James Rosen as a possible “co-conspirator” in a violation of the Espionage Act.

Submission + - Radical 4-in-1 Piston Engine Promises Hybrid-Like Efficiency (gizmag.com)

Submitted by Zothecula
Zothecula writes: One of the many challenges facing engine designers is the need to increase power output while simultaneously retaining or improving efficiency. Although a four-cylinder engine is still an engineering marvel, there remain many friction points that reduce energy output. Namikoshi Electronics of Japan believes its unorthodox 4-in-1 concept engine could provide an alternative powerplant to the automobile industry.

Comment Re:So can I buy it in the next state over? (Score 1) 256

by Mr D from 63 (#48208821) Attached to: Michigan Latest State To Ban Direct Tesla Sales

Those services are also provided by independent garages, usually at much lower prices.

Not when the garages are not privy to manufacturer information or parts. To this day, there are some things that small garages have limited ability to perform that dealers can.

These laws were never, even in theory, about protecting the customer. They were about protecting existing dealer networks.

In theory, they were also about the consumer. In practice, not so much. What good is a warranty with no service location nearby to perform the work? At one time, the choices of cars were a lot more limited, consumers were stuck with a few manufactures. Things have evolved over time, so those issues are no longer as big a deal as they were.

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Math is like love -- a simple idea but it can get complicated. -- R. Drabek

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