So a, presumably, leading scientist balked at doing some research work for, presumably, sound technical and professional reasons, but all it took was the prospect of winning $100 to persuade her otherwise.
Except that she lost $10. If she was purely financially motivated, she would have faked a negative result, and collected the $100.
The area of the EU, which is likely what the OP was actually discussing
The OP explicitly wrote "all of Europe".
The important part is the population density.
No! That is NOT important. Only the density is specific locations is important. It makes no sense for rates in downtown Philadelphia to be high because there is a lot of empty land in Arizona.
All of Europe is about 1/2 the size of the US. Size matters.
Area of Europe: 10.18 million km
Area of USA: 9.827 million km
So "All of Europe" is slightly larger than the USA, not "half the size".
The map you use as a citation is NOT a map of Europe. It is not even a map of the European Union.
Your apparent point, that ISP rates are proportional to population density, is also wrong. Remote areas of Finland and Sweden have very low population density, yet still have more bandwidth and better prices than some large American cities.
Improvements made to the system to increase server performance usually also wind up being good for desktop users.
Not really, and this is widely known and has been discussed repeatedly in many different forums including the kernel dev list.
Servers and desktops have largely different requirements and require different tunings. A task scheduler thats awesome for a server will generally suck for workstations and the same is true in the opposite direction. Some things are specific to the types of work loads involved. Desktops run a few threads and need them to respond in a specific way. Servers run tons of threads (as a general rule) and need them to respond in a different way.
The only way its 'good for the desktop' is because your desktop requirements are non-existent and aren't putting any stress on the system. In these cases, you're not going to notice any improvements anyway most likely.
Linux is and always had been tuned for the server side. You don't use Linux as an audio editing workstation for instance. Theres a reason.
Having more than 4 Mbps is nice, but not necessary for basic web browsing, youtube etc.
"Broadband" is more than "basic web browsing". Here is the proper, formal definition of broadband: I have enough bandwidth to get my work done even while my teenage daughter is watching a movie on Netflix.
Not only is 4/1 not nearly enough, it needs to be symmetrical.
Does it really? I agree with the first part, but not necessarily the second. Let's say, 20/4 or 20/5, someplace thereabouts, as a reasonable minimum to be called "high speed" (what we should be using rather than "broadband".) And even that's insulting given a global comparison. Regardless, most of us really don't need to stream HD from our homes. Most people who need to do that need a SLA anyway. But 1 Mbps is horribly paltry these days, it makes it annoying even to send full-quality photos.
Some ways to protect yourself from this:
Here are some other, more long term, ways to protect yourself:
1. Vote for candidates that support individual rights.
2. Do not vote for any candidate that says we need more cops and tougher sentencing.
3. If in doubt, do NOT vote for anyone that is endorsed by the police union or prison guard union.
4. If your state has a referendum process (most western states do, most eastern states don't) then vote for an end to drug prohibition when it appears on your ballot.
OK, so I have five plausible choices for reliable internet access where I live: Dialup at about 31.2kbps, EDGE GPRS, satellite, or one of two crappy local WISPs. The least crappy one gives me 5Mbps when things are going well. It's fine for one person, but when two people in a household are using it, the result is that at least one person suffers.
A 4Mbps connection is enough to pay your bills and use Wikipedia, and to run updates or torrent at night, but it's still fairly frustrating. Life seems to begin around 10Mbps now. I suspect I could limp along with 7. I'm not even watching 1080p content (obviously) nor do I particularly care. I'd just like 720p to work reliably.
Perhaps my WISP is poorly peered, to boot. But 5Mbps ain't enough for me to not be frustrated, real world. Yeah, it's worlds better than dialup, which was just barely adequate for email when the connection was working well. But that's not really an interesting data point; we all know dialup is awful given today's data sizes.
And yet those issues won't go away with an AI driving your car. IN fact, it may be yet one more thing that has to be added to the regular maintenance list that people like to ignore.
I suspect that you're going to have to have a pretty high-end inspection of your car done fairly regularly in order to get insurance for your self-driving car. It depends on much of the equipment being in tip-top shape, and it's just as dependent as you are on the rest.
The Lego Mindstorm kit is fairly good for entry level robotics
I second this. If you are a beginner, Mindstorms is a great place to start. I coach a robotics club, and even 3rd and 4th graders can program the default GUI. The 5th and 6th graders use a Scratch interface, and some of the more advanced kids have moved on to C (actualy NXC or Not eXactly C). The older kids are also working to add their own sensors and actuators, using thermistors, photo diodes, LEDs, mini motors, etc. Although kids can use it, there is plenty to challenge an adult.
They are a little pricey
Yes, they are pricey, but so are the alternatives. If your budget is tight, you can pick up a cheap NXT on eBay. Lots of people are upgrading to EV3 and selling their old kits.
I'm so weary of this country. Where in the world can I go that respects individual liberties?
Instead of running away, you need to stand and fight. As bad as America is, there is no place where individual rights are more respected. Get involved. Work to end drug prohibition, which is the root of so many problems. Speak out about stupid laws. Most importantly, stay informed, and vote.
I don't have any problem with confiscation as long as a crime was committed and the defendant proven guilty.
You should have a problem with it. Even if the defendant is guilty, the punishment should be decided by a judge, not a cop. The current system, where the police department can keep what they confiscate, gives them a HUGE incentive to fabricate evidence.
If being a speed servo is a challenging job for you, I suggest that driving is right out.
Great suggestion. How exactly would one do that? I'm the first to admit. I suck at driving. I'm pretty good on a racetrack
but everyday driving I am a hazard to myself and others. I live 5 miles outside of town. There is no public transportation.
Either move closer, learn to concentrate, or embrace the self-driving auto when it arrives, I guess. At least you've got options.
You obviously know nothing about electronics and magic smoke
You obviously know nothing about LED power supplies vs. electronic ballasts for CFLs.
I don't know a lot about gold mining, but I think that is not true in the US at least.
We've been mining the USA for a lot longer than we've had an EPA. I live in Lake County, CA and I have an RO filter because there's a hell of a lot of stuff around here in the water which is harmful for three big reasons. The first reason is that the area is volcanic, the second is that it's agricultural, and the third is not just silver mining but also outright cinnabar mining. Luckily, I live on the side of the lake which is relatively clean. Clear Lake has a lot of thermal turnover, though...
If all else fails, lower your standards.
