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Comment Re:Pointing out the stark, bleeding obvious... (Score 1) 247

China does have reasons for improving matters: Pollution is literally killing its citizenry.

They are being far too slow about it, and making bad rules about it (air filters in manufacturing being madatory, but not actually required to be used?), but progress is being made.
Their current government is taking (small) steps in the right direction.

External pressure (including naming-and-shaming) is definitely needed in order to get the Chinese to improve on this, both on a inter-governmental level, and on a consumer level.

Issue then becomes that, as China introduces Environmental and Labor laws, companies will shift production to other countries, where they can still pollute and abuse; China is a symptom, not the problem.

Comment Re:Pointing out the stark, bleeding obvious... (Score 1) 247

Imagine for a minute what it would take to make a world wide commitment to shut down 100% of all fossil fuel power within 30 years. A few small measures aren't going to do it, it will have to become priority one, and not just in the US or Europe, but worldwide.

European climate package of 2008 dictate that by 2020, 30% of all energy use must come from renewable sources.
Denmark's current climate policy target 100% renewable energi by 2050 (35 years from now).
Both goals are considered fully possible.
It isn't exactly a 100% global commitment, nor exactly 30 years, but it is doable, and there are people (and governments) with the will to do this - simply leaning back and saying, "it's hopeless" will get us nowhere.

Before you say, "ah, but DK is a small country", consider that several individual states in the US are smaller/denser, and could pursue the same goal since, you know, "America #1!!!".

9 US states are smaller by area (43k sqkm, Maryland = 32k sqm)
30 US states are smaller by population (5m6, Minnesota = 5m4)
42 US states have lower population density (333/sqmi, Pennsylvania = 286/sqmi)

Finally, if you need a different reason than "perhaps climate change is caused by humans", then I think we have several of these. Example:
http://www.bbc.com/news/scienc...

Comment Re:Death traps. (Score 1, Insightful) 451

My prophecy:
Self driving cars will be better than humans in 99,99% of the situations within 3 years. Sadly it will take another 5 to wide scale adoption and yet another 10 years for human driven cars to be banned to racetracks.

Irrelevant - the moment a self-driving car has an accident that causes loss of life, there'll be a public outcry against them, and a demand that they be banned for being too unsafe, statistics-be-damned.

Comment Re:Two things (Score 1) 247

I understand your view, here's theirs:

Facebook can be accessed from [random country]. Anything you post on Facebook is available (viewable) in said [random country]. Thus, you've broken the law in [random country].

No amount of arguing, wishing, debating, dreaming or really anything else non-cash-related will change this.

Comment Re:Hmmm .... (Score 1) 127

Purely curious: How often do "neutron stars or black holes merge." ?

Basically, if I understood correctly, these devices test for a specific output of a fairly specific type of event; a type of event that is outside of our ability to cause, or to accurately predict(?).

So, to verify that they work, and that the theory is sound, we turn them on and wait some time until they all "go ping" ?

Again, merely being curious, since I'm thinking I'm missing something ....

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