Who around here trusts "The Internet" ???

Wouldn't blind trust be considered digital illiteracy?

Agreed that police misconduct is criminal. However, we have only ourselves to blame. A Grand Jury could indict misbehaving police as easily as any ham sandwich. Smeone just needs to take a complaint to them (write the foreman), they will investigate (subpoenae) as they see fit. But they uniformly decline.

Why is a good question -- I believe our population is very heavily propagandized. And not only by the obvious commercial interests. The local TV news focus on violence ("if it bleeds, it leads") conditions much of the law-abiding populace to desire greater police protection and so to tolerate misbehaviour.

Traditionally, parachutes (strictly, drogue chutes) are used from these speeds. Other drag increasers (flaps) would also work. So would shutting off the motive force!

If you insist upon friction brakes, then you know you'll have a problem with heat removal. For that, water is best. Either pumped supply or static fill, just let the steam blow out of hub-wards pressure valves at 15-100 psig on hollow rotors..

"Moby Dick" has not been updated since originally released in 1851! Nearly all literature is similarly stuck at version 1.0 . Few Navy Manuals / Publications see updates more than every few years.

Perhaps you are thinking of adding to the collection? Rethink your acquisitiveness and participation in the hysteria of new-is-better. Or let the USN rethink it for you!

The difficulties are only in people's minds -- especially those who seek justification to push projects. If someone deploys a weapon, they are responsible for all foreseeable consequences. Whether that weapon is a slug of dumb lead, smart missile or robot.

Even if the weaponeer did not intend the effects they are still responsible, perhaps as manslaughter rather than murder. The capabilities and risks are hardly concealed. OTOH, if they were careless nor negligent, then their responsibility increases. Nothing new here, just salesmen trying to assuage and belay responsibility of the buyers.

If I happen to think Al Franken is a moron on the basis of past actions, does that mean I have to agree with the FCC? Ouch! Easier to re-examine Franken!

You may not like Fortran's I/O, but for the subject matter (tables of numbers), IMPLIED DO loops work a lot nicer than repeated printf() calls in `c`. Contrary to n00b whining, FORMAT statements can be your friend.

Of course Fortran is horrible with strings, mostly because it is older than strings!

Please note, the cops probably _like_ the "restriction": When asked, it permits them to answer "It is illegal for us to comment", or to a judge "We cannot comment without violating our contractual agreements." People forget judicial privilige overrides contract.

As as posted by another, the use of the database could violate some data-protection law saying "access to this DB is restricted to ongoing official police investigations". Not to stalk GFs! So LAPD has to make the bogus claim that all drivers in LA are under investigation. Otherwise, their use of the tag readers tied to the tag owner DB would be illegal. And everything found thereafter excluded from evidence as "fruit of the poisoned vine". Not something they want to contemplate.

On those "free speech zones" -- if there is such a security problem that some people must be isolated, then _everyone_ must be isolated. No "friendlies" on the parade route, "antis" elsewhere -- that is a 14th Amendment violation (Equal Protection) which becomes effectively a 1st Amendment violation by reducing the reach of some speech.

I, for one, dislike my history being sold to other merchants. Even if it means I pay more for a service, privacy has value. I slways opt-out, but this sort of marketing is deeply invasive and subject to NSA-esque abuse in targetted cases.

Oh dear, yet another Harvard BizSch / Big Business canard that FOSS is governed by the contraints of closed software. Resources only matter when they are restricted -- ie only [certain] employees can fix the code.

FOSS does not have this restriction _AT_ALL_ and that is one of it's greatest strengths. Torvald's "With enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow." Yes, limited resources may mean it takes a while for an offical patch (still quicker than MS) but unofficial patches can and are generated by anyone interested and capable within minutes.

Look, I'm as revolted by some of the campaign finance scandals as anyone. But I'm also very cautious of well-meaning reform attempts that likely will have totally different effects once they work their way through. Laws always do -- wrongdoers adapt in generally undesireable ways. Worse, I fear the scandals and reform is just a deliberate smoke-screen for a power grab.

To my knowledge, the US and Japan are the only G-8 countries with independent legislators. Everywhere else, the parties control lists/seats because they control the money. The UK/ca/AU/nz Prime Ministers are effectively elected dictators -- remember how Tony Blair (UK-L) put down three successive (perfectly reasonable) backbencher revolts over Iraq? That does not in any sense resemble democracy.

I'm afraid if US Reps/Sens do not control their own funds & re-elections, the money/power vacuum will be filled by someone else, most likely the D&R Party Central Committees. Which will give them (the Prez) power, and remove the legislature as a check on the executive.

For those who worship the sanctity of contract, please remember one cannot legally contract slavery. And that is what long non-compete clauses amount to -- the inability to market your skills ties you to the employer. Trade secret protection is a very different thing used as a smoke-screen. Unequal barganing power and contracts of adhesion are further aggravations.

Recording visuals in California might be legal. Not sure -- they do have anti-papparazi laws. IIRC Recording voice is not legal there without all party consent.

However, the real legal problem with the tag scanners is not the scanning but their automagically accessing a database to determine car status. California has a law allowing access to the tag database only in pursuit of a proper police investigation. Not in pursuit of girlfriends or for others!

LAPD _has_ to [farcically|revealingly] claim everyone in "under investigation" for legal cover, especially to avoid "fruit of the poisoned vine" exclusion of evidence. Expect more "parallel construction" of false evidence origins. Whether this survives courts & appeals is just another indicator of the corruption of America.

... that you know of!

BlueCoat may be the best of a bad breed, but that just encourages complacency. Far better to choose less-insecure software (anything-but-IE) and instill some security consciousness into users. Filters might have a "training-wheels" place for learners, but reliance is dangerous.