I think the companies knew that multiple contracts were an option, but judging from the press coverage in the week or two leading up to it, the business pundits thought it would be the traditional multiple proposals, one winner option.

I don't know what will happen if both deliver a fully functional vehicle by 2017 within the budget. We still could be in the Y stage of the process, e.g. the YF-22 and YF-23 fighter technology demonstrators which were functional aircraft leading to the choice of the YF-22 to go into production as the F-22.

NASA could also go head post-2017 with both companies supplying vehicles and launches. We'll have to see.

Not Boeing alone, and not SpaceX alone. This is the best possible outcome for NASA, not reliant on a single supplier like before.

The fact that to deliver the same development and certification process costs $1.6 billion less for SpaceX over Boeing is also interesting. Some are already saying that it is a bigger win for Boeing and that SpaceX is a backup plan, but since the amounts are what the two companies bid on the project, it shows how economical SpaceX believes they can be.

And that there are two companies still competing should reduce the risk of deliberate cost-overruns and delays. If one can get to full certification a year or more ahead of the other, it will be a huge blow to the second-place finisher's chances to win the final operational contract.

And according to Kathy Lueders at the press conference, both companies bid on the same process, so SpaceX believes they can do it for nearly half the price of Boeing.

It takes that long because trying to keep every tiny porthole and edge in the exact same place, and the paint work the specific colour so that that geeks and nerds don't write up 1000 pages on their blog about the horrific damage and destruction.

It took a couple of weeks to build because the model maker had a rough guide of x decks and y windows and slapped it together from bits and pieces and painted it to work on the screen. The poor restorer has to keep that work accurate.

As long as the rotation pattern isn't discernible from past numbers and the number is only valid for a single transaction, then collisions shouldn't be a security issue. In fact not letting the full 1000 numbers cycle before re-randomizing the list would probably be a good thing.

As long as the randomization isn't predictable, and attempting to process a transaction with an invalid CVV forces a regeneration of a new one, it could be an incredibly hard system to crack. Then again, they could just be using a statically salted rand() call :)

Several weeks of delay != 11 days. At best you can call it a couple of weeks, but that's still pushing the definition.of couple.

Go SpaceX, beat the bastards.

One day Facebook is going to tell you the answer to your mother's maiden name question appears to be incorrect.

It will start by downloading the wrong size image first, then repeatedly redownload the image each time the screen refreshes or resizes until you run out of mobile data.

It's because society has spent centuries observing how immoral individuals use lack of regulation to rape, pillage and torment those less capable of defending themselves, whether it be via trade, relationships or employment, and has decided as a group to regulate those areas to protect those incapable of protecting themselves.

Yes, some regulations go too far, and others don't go far enough, and a lot are outdated because society evolves too fast. But it is needed, and changes are needed too.

If German society as a whole thinks Uber is getting a bum deal with this ruling, then they must tell the authorities in no uncertain terms that they think that. Not just a vocal minority as is happening now. If the majority don't do so when given the opportunity, then they do have concerns about clean and safe vehicles and properly trained drivers which Uber needs to address before society will trust them.

Definitely agree with you there. Sex while driving for one, anything to do with non-hands-free devices while driving for another. :)

Says the chap who has fallen for the desperate propaganda by the coal, oil and burning-the-forests industry to not have to lose their businesses.

See, propaganda can come from any direction.

Penguins are actually 1%ers, look at how they wear tuxedos all the time.

Is MasterCard a bank or a franchise? In South Africa, I cannot get a MasterCard or Visa that isn't an offering by a separate financial services provider, unlike American Express or Diner's Club. MasterCard gets transaction fees from vendors and the annual anniversary fee from myself. The FSP holds the account and the actual credit/debit balance.

Not defending the cop, but have a read of the law itself, not the FAQ. https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc23123_5.htm.

Paragraph e in the section permits it for emergency services personnel in the course of their duties.

A lot of road rules have emergency services exclusions. e.g. driving against the flow of traffic, ignoring control and command signs and lights, ignoring speed limits etc. They ARE expected to be trained to do so safely and only when absolutely unavoidable. If the LA County Sheriff's Department didn't instruct the deputy properly, then they should be held liable.

Some of us do understand it. Others define it as a copyable bunch of electrons because that allows them to steal movies and TV shows and games without listening to their conscience.

Others, like myself, understand digital is still property, but do it anyway because our own countries don't show these things on anything like an acceptable schedule. And we partly mollify our consciences by buying the DVDs later.