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Comment Re:I can't wait. (Score 1) 327

Seat heaters can do quite a lot to increase core body temperature, and they're often less than 100W. A 1000W heater properly designed should have no trouble staving off hypothermia. The bigger problem with your hypothetical scenario is that the power of the batteries decreases as well at low temperatures. Thankfully the truly life,threatening temperatures are a corner case. Most of the population doesn't live there.

Comment Re:What a waste of effort. (Score 1) 349

Wait a second there ... [citation needed] on that one. I find it very difficult to believe the seatbelts cost that much. There were many safety changes mandated starting in 1967, lots of them serious lifesavers. Here's a period article on the subject which highlights how much the industry had to do to cope with it. Of course it also shows how the driver training versus safety aid debate was raging even then, with the muscles car era in full swing.

Comment I quote from a 1974 Road and Track article (Score 1) 349

Specifically, a review of the Mazda Rotary Engine Pickup. In 1974 cars had the truly horrible seatbelt interlock system, which would kill the ignition if you didn't put the seatbelt on at the right time. Pickup trucks were exempt from the requirement, as well as many other safety requirements, leading to the following lovely little snippet of text:

"We found the Rotary's cab refreshing in one way: it is devoid of a bunch of buzzers and warning lights and the seatbelt interlock system afflicting today's passenger cars. Once again, we are left to our own judgment as to whether to belt up (we always do), or whether to leave the key in the ignition switch when leaving the pickup. It was nice. We felt almost like grown-ups again."

I have disabled my car's seatbelt buzzer. It's a much calmer place now. I still wear my belt every time.

Comment Re:Yes, interesting. (Score 1) 345

Those specs stink.

If the two sensors are being used to cross-check each other, they need to run in opposite directions. 0v-5v for the one sensor, 5v-0v for the other. That's the only way to get anything close to a sensible cross-check. Of course you won't be able to spot a shot at the crossover, but that should be easy to determine.

Comment Re:Maybe this explains Toyota's problems (Score 1) 114

> an experienced driver knows that in a battle between engine and brakes, the engine will win, so it's utterly vital to get the engine out of play early on.

No. The brakes win on any car modern enough to have seatbelts - provided that you brake like you mean it. If you drag the brakes for two miles before deciding to actually get on them, of course the fluid will long since have boiled. That is what happened in this case. If you make the 'I need to stop now, this car is out of control' call and use the brake with authority you can bring the car to a complete stop.

I'm more worried about the start-stop button. Taking a three second press to turn off in some circumstances is obvious to us (PCs do the same thing) but would it be obvious in a car? We will end up with a label because of this, just you watch.

Comment Re:great story (Score 1) 492

Pardon, correcting myself. The Chroma is stored separately from the Luma in each tape format, but decks didn't let you get the signals in or out any way other than composite until the Super versions. This effectively made them the same as if the signals were stored in a composite fashion. Either format has something like 30 lines of chroma resolution anyway, so it is hardly much of a race there.

Comment Re:great story (Score 1) 492

You're just plain inaccurate. First: the GP post already mentioned the loss in resolution when they went to Beta II. Second, no, only the Super versions of both formats store the signal in a split fashion. The regular versions do not. Last, the first one-piece camcorder was the Betamovie. The tapes were completely identical to the home decks.

Comment Our state has a program like this already (Score 1) 425

It's called Running Start. You can substitute the last two years of high school with two years of community college and still receive a high school diploma. I graduated community college and high school at the same time. Then if you transfer to a state university or college you will already have your first two years of general education completed. It's a great program and basically costs nothing; the college receives the money that the high school would have received from the state anyway.

Comment If you can't repull (Score 2, Informative) 608

The HPNA Coax adapters are only about $70, and the best solution if you can't repull new Category 5 cable. Google Products shows plenty of stores with them in stock. You will get 100Mbit and the reliability of the ones I've used has been quite good. They are also available in phone line versions if that's the sort of wiring you have around.

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