I'd like to see the CIA claim credit for the "Flying earthenware vessel" spotted over Edo Japan in 1180 AD.

I guess they were doing really early recon for WWII. Just to make sure the Japanese weren't hiding anything...

LK

I saw something in the early 80s. I'm not trying to ascribe them to an extraterrestrial origin but they were peculiar.

What I saw wasn't a group of U2 planes in formation. I suppose it could have been A-12 Avenger IIs, but there's no evidence that they ever fielded airworthy aircraft. So, they're still unknown to me and thus it's accurate to call them UFOs.

What's funny to me is that even though I didn't know it at the time, they were moving away from an area with a nuclear research facility that employs a fair number of people in the area. I was a kid, I didn't know anything about the lab or what they did there so the significance of their path didn't occur to me until I was an adult.

LK

One of them would be the Borg...
The Borg (sounds Swedish) didn't see themselves as evil or believe that their mission was unjust. They wanted to add other civilizations to their own, making both sides better. The Borg did not have the problems most civilizations have such as crime, starvation, jealousy, etc. Who wouldn't want that?

Another good example is the Emperor...
The Emperor wanted to bring order to a chaotic galaxy. Sometimes, the only way is with an iron fist.

The Reapers is one more...
Reapers were changed against their will. What they became was not their fault.

Any position can change depending on the perspective. People... or cyborgs... don't see themselves as evil They are doing what they think is best, twisted as it may be.

And here, mass shootings tend to only take place in areas that prohibit or have severely curtailed the carrying of firearms.

LK

I think you are missing the point. Global Warming is the reason we have not been seeing as many hurricanes.

If it rains, it's global warming. If it doesn't rain, it's severe global warming.

Doubtful. Solar power and other "renewables" are not consistent. I suppose the exceptions are some thermal and water motion systems but those sources are so rare as to be inconsequential.

Electricity cannot be stored efficiently. Thus, power plants need to generate more than the expected peak energy required at any given time. In the case of solar panels, that utility-generated power must be available for use as the solar panel output varies.

The reality is that IF economical storage of electricity ever exists, it will come to the utilities FIRST, industrial use SECOND and individual use far later. Economies of scale apply. Every electrical utility would love to have such tech available. Currently, they must generate at or above the historical/expected peak need at any time. The higher the peak demand, the higher the cost to customers.

Better technologies for individual users to reduce electrical draws would be displays that use primarily reflective light. That would also be much better for human eyesight. Passive heat dissipation and concentration would be really helpful. Imagine how much energy is used for displays and cooling of electronics. I have no idea your age but before home computers and cell phones existed, home use of electrical power was much lower. Things as simple as electric irons and ovens use a huge amount of power because they're huge resistors. Lower-power processors in smartphones would be great. The primary reason they have been getting larger is to have larger internal batteries. Larger screens on them are secondary reasons. Marketing promotes the large screens as a benefit because that's more attractive to people than a thicker device. Of course, the new ones are more like small clipboards, not a radio you can put in a pockets...but I digress.

This comment wasn't "insightful."

Profit IS a requirement because profit is needed to pay for upgrades/maintenance and other contingencies. The alternative is taxing citizens repeatedly at varying rates to match needs.

It's also not as simple as setting a percentage or total profit allowable. Suppose there's a major unexpected accident. The money to repair must come from somewhere. Suppose the population grows quickly or the electrical demands grow quickly such as when people started buying large screen TVs. Investment money must come from somewhere and it must be available when needed.

I suppose that it depends on the employer. I'm salary so I get no overtime but if I work over 40 hours in a week, I can take time off during the next week.

I like that arrangement. I make a good salary so I don't care about earning slightly more money and having it taxed at a higher rate. I'd rather reclaim some time during the next work week.

If the need arose, occasionally, I'd be willing to put in an 80 hour week in exchange for having the next week off.

LK

I don't care what most commuter routes are like. Where I live, that's how they are.

No thank you. I have an automobile.

LK

That makes me feel better about the traffic situation in my city. I live 15 miles from the heart of downtown and on evenings, it's a 20-25 minute trip. Though, I only really go downtown for work.

In the morning it's a 35-45 minute drive. If I took the bus, it would be come a 75-90 minute trip. I have no desire for that nonsense.

LK

I can read quite well, I'm just not going to do it on a bus full of strangers. I read to learn and relax, I can't focus on learning or relax when I'm surrounded by screaming children, unshowered hipsters and the downtown oddballs who frequent public transportation in this area.

LK

Public transit is a necessary evil.

It turns an 8:30 work day into a 10-12 hour work day.

LK

A couple of years ago, I met the guys from thedailywtf.com and as the only black guy at the table, I was asked my opinion on what should be done to get more "diversity" in technology. My answer was "Nothing. The last thing we need is to have more people getting into this field if they don't have a love of it."

There are two problems, as I see it.

First, there is the racism that exists in western society.
Second, there is the anti-intellectual facet to some parts of African American culture.

Racism is complex. It takes many forms, on one hand you have the outwardly hostile racist who just plain doesn't like people of #Race and then you have what Michael Gerson dubbed "the soft bigotry of low expectations". That is manifest where many people, who think they're progressive, automatically assume that a black person is less skilled than his white or asian counterpart. I have a very Anglicized name. It's not Demetrialis or some other ridiculous nonsense like that. When people get emails from me and speak to me on the telephone, they almost never assume that I'm black.

Occasionally, when I meet someone who has only seen my resumè or spoken to me of the phone, I can see the surprise in their face when instead of a skinny white guy, they find a 6'2" 250 pound black dude.

In September, there was a teacher strike at the local district and I addressed the school board. You wouldn't believe how many left-handed compliments I received about "how well spoken" I am.

The anti-intellectualism present in African American culture is extremely destructive. I have experienced it. In large parts of the US, any black kid who is smart, who achieves academically, who has college and career aspirations is derided as acting white. I have been accused of "thinking that[I'm} white". Fortunately, I had strong parents who gave me a much different message at home and reinforced it constantly.

I traveled in different circles, I had many groups of friends, all of them distinct. Of the core group of black guys with whom I hung out when we were growing up, two of us have never been to prison; three have and one is still there. Of the white guys who were my friends, none of them have been to prison.

We all grew up in the same area. At most, five miles separated all of the various neighborhoods. There's a reason why there's such a high rate of incarceration among the black guys. There's a reason why most of the white guys went to college. We were all middle-class. None of us had particularly wealthy parents. The white guys usually heard the message that education or training was important. It was necessary to go out there and be the best person you can be. A lot of the black guys, not all and certainly not most but a lot, were primarily concerned with getting money and bitches. Fast money and lots of bitches.

These things have consequences that last far beyond childhood.

I have a M.S. degree and I work a good job in tech. I'm the only black guy in my department. I was the only black guy in my last department and the one before that(I replaced the previous only black guy when he went back to school for his Doctorate) and the one before that and the one before that. It's not the industry's fault. It's mostly not the fault of racism. It's mostly the fault of a society, subculture and families that don't impress upon young black people, the value of education.

I love tech. I love the people. I love spending my entire day surrounded by geeks.

I find far more camaraderie in that than I do among people who share none of my interests or life experiences beyond being black.

LK

You either misunderstand or are mischaracterizing the situation.

Virtually no one says that all white people are racists.

There is an element of racism in western society and in general white people benefit from it.

I'm not saying that it's an excuse for failure or that it makes certain bad decisions any less bad but let's not kid ourselves about the fact that it's reality.

LK

How do you prove standing unless you disclose the identity of the client?

I can't sue to assert your rights.

LK