Granted. However, the problem with public cars is, that because of the societal dictate of a 9-5 workday, everybody needs the car at the same time. Further, because of the layout of the typical city (businesses in the core, residences on the outskirts) the cars would be spending half of their travel time empty. In the morning, they would go to the outskirts, pick up people, and drop them off downtown. Then they would drive empty back out to the outskirts to pick up the next batch of travellers. The reverse would happen during the evening. If we had more homogeneous city layouts, mixing residential and business, commutes would be shorter and public cars more effective. Why, for example, do we not have combined office/residential buildings? It would sure cut a lot of commuting if all a person needed to do to get to work was to take the elevator.

What part of "affordable, on-demand, point to point, weather-resistant transportation" did you not understand?

What people want is affordable, on-demand, point to point, weather-resistant transportation for themselves and their cargo. Until the transporter gets invented, the automobile is the closest thing we have.

What would happen if the Russians just decided to keep the International Space Station going unilaterally? Is there anything critical to the operation of the ISS that only the US can provide?

Or is the ISS getting so old - seals are starting to leak, parts are getting brittle with age and the harsh environment of space - that it's safer to ditch it than to continue to use it?

All in all, it seems like quite a waste to splash a hundred and fifty billion dollar microgravity research station, especially when they're planning on adding new modules to it next year, and in 2017.

We'll build our own station... with blackjack and hookers!
In fact, forget the station.

It's not a matter of adding an RTG. It is a matter of *substituting* a pile of solar panels with an RTG. Solar panels aren't exactly massless. So the tradeoff is mass per watt, not simply mass.

When it comes to RTGs vs solar, the basic rule of thumb I've read is that solar is good sunward of the asteroid belt, and RTG is better outward of the belt.

... and I'm almost out of ketchup. However neither has any bearing on ESA's Philae mission.

No, what's weird is that you're still using pennies.

Can any of these biomimetic technologies be put to a better use: a low power, sunlight readable, full color display system?

What places in Toronto are these not requirements?

Laws trump contracts pretty much everywhere and in every circumstance.

Is your car driven by someone with CPR training?
Is your car driven by someone who has passed a criminal background check?
Is your car required to have snow tires?
...

It's about more than mere automobile safety.

There are security issues with handling, storing and transporting tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cash that the apartment complex would rather not deal with.

You have a far better chance of winning the top prize in every major state lottery for the next ten years.

Imagine a picture of a robot holding up a motherboard, captioned with the words "Alas, poor Yorick..."