Hmm, I'm reminded of the Frederik Pohl quote: "A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam."

Fair enough, but keep in mind that this is comparing with 1960s turbine technology; we have far better turbines available today.

Also, the turbine can spin at its optimal speed since it wouldn't be physically connected to anything, meaning optimal efficiency, no lag, and basically everything that was a problem about the Chrysler is made moot.

This implies that Bitcoin will lose the only legitimate claim it has to being better than existing currencies.

"Is that the problem?

I thought it was volatility. No, wait... it was a pyramid scheme. Or rather, because the US won't accept it for taxes. Or was it because it's deflationary? Heck, I just don't know any more."

Are you implying that Bitcoin can only have one problem?

Both Bitcoin and gold are poor choices as currency for precisely this reason.

But apparently, he goes about things the wrong way.

So I guess the operating idea here is that the people you WANT to be broadcasting ads to are the ones who are demonstrably trying to get some sleep?

Do they think that doing so will make people MORE likely to buy their advertised products? They may be in for a rude shock.

Alas for the busybodies, there isn't really all that much evidence (outside the lab) that the use of cellphones is causing calamities on our highways.

Of course there isn't, how the hell would you prove that? Ask the person after a crash if they were talking on their phone when it happened?

I've been hit by someone who I'm pretty sure was talking on a cell phone. I've seen people on phones make incredibly stupid decisions in traffic, swerve into other lanes, go 10mph below the speed limit, etc. The only other time I've seen that is when people are eating or reading (yes, reading) in the driver's seat.

So there's anecdotal evidence, lab evidence, and a good reason for not having substantial real-world data.... why do you not think that it's happening?

So, what was the point of your comment? To say that having the fucking state dictate every single tiny detail of our lives is somehow better than living as free men, because there's a slight improvement on the odds you'll be alive for another couple of minutes? Or maybe you just get your rocks off denigrating the position of others? Dunno; I'm not you, and glad for it.

Here's my point, if I have one: Don't be such an unbearable pussy, that you feel compelled to dictate to others how they should live their lives. It's a real dickhead move, and frankly a lot of us are sick of hearing about how you feel there should be a ban or regulation on everything that scares you.

Fuckin' grow a pair, brah.

Geez, where did this come from? There've been huge improvements in auto safety over the last 40 years, and cars have fixed most of the obvious deathtraps. He was just pointing that out. Besides, children can't make an informed decision whether or not to take safety precautions.

People dying every day isn't a counterargument to "people shouldn't die needlessly".

As I have no mod points to give, I'll just say THANK YOU for the fascinating post!

Erm... I don't think this would be necessarily a good idea. If you move out of range of the car and use the fob, you can record a copy of the next key that will be used in the sequence, and then broadcast it back. Not only would that allow you to unlock the car, but it immediately borks the key fob as well....

Unfortunate, because it already stands for Auxiliary Power Unit in aerospace. But I think we've passed peak TLA.

Tim Cook? You're hardly a disinterested third party. :)

Why does that make it different? The library is also for knowledge, commerce (though less so), and entertainment.