The problem with this logic is that "read-only" access still implies that the unprivileged system can poke the privileged one and cause it to do something.

No, "read-only" implies exactly the opposite of that. The privileged system (ECU) should be sending exactly the same signals to the interface whether the non-privileged system (infotainment) is connected to it or not. The ECU shouldn't be able to even know the difference.

The part were they get less biodiesel from the crop than they use to get the crop

Oh, the part that's a lie? Got it.

let's be realist: is it your daily commuter, or is it your weekend fun car?

Until last week, it was my daily commuter (60 mile round trip). The only reason it isn't now is that I just started a new job that's close enough to commute by bicycle. The thing may be 25 years old, but it's only got 85K miles on it and is in great condition (except for the fact that it has a tape deck, pop-up headlights and only one airbag, you'd think it was brand new).

I admit, it's also my fun car since I use it for autocross, too.

FYI, before I bought the Miata, I'd been doing the same commute for years in my 1996 pickup truck with 215K miles on the odometer. My wife is now using it for her 50 mile round trip daily commute. That's actually more impressive, since the truck is much more worn-out than the Miata even though it's newer.

My newest car, a 1998 VW, is currently partially-disassembled because the transmission broke. Clearly, age isn't everything.

Is it also a "pre-electronics" car? Do you expect it to last as long as you?

It's got electronic fuel injection, but it's pre-ODBII. I don't expect any individual part on the car to last forever, but certainly I expect it to be repairable (or even upgradable) indefinitely as long as the chassis doesn't rust out.

Good luck with that, since the industry is going the opposite direction

Fuck the industry! I refuse to buy any new car because of this. (And I'm not just saying that: my new (to me) daily driver is a 1990 Miata. If it weren't for this bullshit, I'd have a pre-order in for a 2016 one right now.)

Damnit! I have mod points, but I already posted. Somebody mod this up please; the parent is exactly right.

There's no reason why the infotainment system can't have read-only access to the engine control module (with write access physically prevented by the hardware). You won't be able to modify the engine management without physical access to the car, but that's the way it should be anyway.

Fuck off, fascist.

First, materials (primarily steel) comes from non-US locations (eg China).

So either use US steel, or hold China to the same environmental standards! You seem to think we some how "can't" do that, when really we only choose not to.

Second, incidental mining operations are carbon positive. Fugitive dust emissions...

Most dust is not made of carbon. (Exceptions include coal and carbonates like limestone, but those are not greenhouse gases unless you chemically decompose them. So don't do that!)

vehicular/equipment like gennies all running on coal/diesel for obvious reasons

What part of "run the equipment on biodiesel" did you not understand?

Those kinds of arguments are uniformly bullshit, because they assume that the construction and decommissioning activities, etc. somehow can't possibly also run on energy derived from the same source!

Equipment used to build nuclear plants can run on electricity generated by (previously-built) nuclear plants.

Feedstock for biodiesel can be harvested by farm equipment running on biodiesel.

Photovoltaic panel factories can run on solar electricity.

Or you can mix and match!

The idea that green power isn't "really" green because you need fossil fuels to build it is fucking moronic.

People defending Snowden as a pro-american whistleblower that should be pardonned by US authorities.

As one of those people, I'm very willing to forgive Snowden (and the journalists who are sorting through/releasing the info) if he accidentally mixed some disclosures of legitimate* NSA actions in with the many, many illegitimate ones.

Important caveats:

1. This assumes that (a) the release is accurate and (b) that Snowden is responsible for it. At the moment, we have no reason to believe that either is the case. In particular, I contend that it's much more likely for disclosures of legitimate* NSA activities to be falsely attributed to Snowden as a smear campaign than to be genuinely done by him.
2. You may notice that I used the word "legitimate" with an asterisk. By this I mean "legitimate from the US perspective." Other countries my disagree, but they don't get to decide what is and isn't legal under US law. They're free to defend themselves, of course... (Similarly: I don't get upset about foreign spy agencies attempting to attacking the US; I get upset at the NSA if it fails to stop them.)

So, let me get this straight: you want to keep the shitty status quo in telecom because "OMG the 'Free Market' is great!," but calling a third-party IT guy (the equivalent of your plumber example) when your router has a problem would be terrible?

I was actually half-trolling (implying that the US is no longer a first-world country), but intentionally wrote it so that it could be interpreted either way.

Besides, the US does use the metric system for a lot of things, including most manufacturing and science. A lot of goods people buy are really created in metric sizes, which are then converted when they print the label.

Zero first-world nations still use imperial measurements.

So would you rather we put a gun to your head and make you cough up $50 and have $10 of it go to waste, or put a gun to your head and make you cough up $80 ($40 plus another $40 to make sure the first $40 wasn't wasted)?

(Note that those are the only two choices. We have a gun to your head, remember? Refuse to choose and we pull the trigger.)

Seattle is a special case: apparently, your Internet access is fucked up because you keep electing shitty city councilpeople who make rules that ISPs hate. You should quit doing that.