The current lot of patent trolls can exist in the shadows since their businesses do not depend upon the goodwill of the public.

It stands to reason that a company in the public eye, and one that is already painfully aware of and carefully 'managing' public image issues around the world, would be an improvement over the current seemingly anonymous patent trolls. It is not remotely a perfect solution, but it may be a step towards public accountability for abuses of the abject mess that is the current "patent system."

Why weren't there a dozen robotics applications based on the Segway? It runs on minimal power, seems like a logical platform for security robotics and more. There's even an ATV version that works off pavement.

I don't know... I saw a real live astronaut say that Star Trek was his inspiration -- surely it was not the technical accuracy that inspired him. Maybe ok to inspire kids to aspire to a profession by making it, um, interestinger than reality... once they arrive at the reality it gets interstinger for different, nuanced, reasons.

Isn't the current movement towards optimization of expensive assets that idle 95% of the time - like cars (UBER); spare bedrooms (AirBnB) etc?

So there's certainly a really advanced multi-material 3D printer in our future -- probably with integrated circuit board printing and a bunch of other crazy futuristic options) but even if I bought one when it arrives on the scene, it is going to be a rather pricey item (with pricey consumables) that sits around unused a lot of the day and night . Just like like my car and my spare bedroom.

So won't we skip a step of owning the pro grade 3D printer -- just like a future generation of car buyers will skip the personal ownership step and just go right to having an UBER subscription?

Isn't it more likely that the local FedEx Office (formerly kinkos) will have one (or two) of these Super 3D printers, and I can send my design file (or phone based micron-level scan, if TFA is correct) and have Amazon Prime Now delivery.bring my printed functional Star Trek phaser in an hour, just in time for me to stun that damned neighbor kid who keeps getting on my lawn after school?

Why can't a used car dealership be established to sell Teslas?

They could conveniently have a service department that is trained and certified to fix -- surprise -- Teslas, Teslas, and Teslas?

I, for one, welcome our new robot underlords.

Serious question... The trees use that water, like you said, but then doesn't it pass into the atmosphere, so it is effectively 'lost' for 'local use' through evaporation? Where does it show up from there?

I have no idea, but it seems that the usable water passes through the almond / walnut orchard, then is blown somewhere, maybe the Rockies?

For that matter, imagine I built an industrial size evaporator in California, and the intake was fresh water, with the output equal to the intake. So I've 'used' the water -- and not consumed a single gallon ... but 've made it unavailable to my community, I think.

Since when is a statistical sample of 37% not adequate? Is there any other case where the entirety of a group is sampled at anywhere near that rate?

Mark One EyeBall ?

If you like the dark ages, move to Detroit. FTFY

They's is?

Reading the Fine Article shows the sample sizes were statistically above zero, by a little. Several pairs of subjects reported positive-ish results.

This Sunday, Sunday, Sunday... Let's Get Rrrrready to Rrrrrumble ... It's a Code Throwdown

Taking Uber to gun show, check.

Since there's less canon to violate than Trek, and it's not a reboot... maybe?