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Comment Make batteries? (Score 4, Informative) 362

I was under the impression that Tesla vehicles used banks of off-the-shelf 18650 Li-ion batteries. Panasonic is their current supplier if I recall. Even their proposed battery plant in the southwest is really a place for Panasonic to manufacture batteries for Tesla. Yes, they package them well and I'm sure they have some great controls and associated hardware and software, but is there really something groundbreaking about their batteries specifically? They already make a powertrain for Toyota - a move that hasn't produced a fraction of the buzz and money as their own vehicles. Not sure I understand this suggestion.

Comment Re:Reminds me of Music Club Subscriptions... (Score 1) 157

For one thing, this isn't USPS. It's UPS. I expect the laws are different for that.

For another, the part apparently wasn't addressed to him. It was misdelivered. If someone else's mail ends up in your mailbox, you don't get to open it and keep whatever's inside. If it's not addressed to you, you're not allowed to open it at all.

Transportation

Drones On Demand 49

mikejuk (1801200) writes "Gofor is a new company that is promoting the idea of drones on demand. All you have to do is use the app to request a drone and it shows you were they are and how long before one reaches your location. You want to take the ultimate selfie? Scout ahead to see if the road is clear or just find a parking space? No problem just task a drone to do the job. For the photo you simply flash your phone camera at it and it pinpoints your location for an aerial selfie. If it is scouting ahead then it shows you what awaits you via a video link. See the promo video to see how it might work. Flight of fancy? Possibly but the company claims to be operational in five US cities." I wish my car had a drone for instant scouting of traffic-jam alternates.

Comment Re:How much does it cost to upgrade? (Score 5, Informative) 245

It costs a lot more than a new PC to upgrade thousands of PCs. Imaging, deployment, backup/restore processes for the end users is just the beginning. Upgrading dozens, hundreds, or thousands of individual customized applications to be compatible with Windows 7 is an absolute nightmare. I know all about this just from upgrading my relatively small workplace from XP to 7. It was a fight just to get core, mission critical apps to work with IE 9; 10 and 11 are out of the question. Lots of cash to vendors and app support folks, lots of cash to deployment specialists, lots of overtime. Adds up to a LOT of money.

By the way: $9 million over 680,000 PCs is $13 per PC. That's less than we paid per PC to have a contractor come in and physically install new machines at desks, and completely ignores the cost of OS licensing, hardware, support, and the thousands and thousands of man hours the IT department spent with associated tasks.

Submission + - Ferrari Fan page creator ousted by Ferrari, Kid Sues (autonews.com)

ganjadude writes: Sammy Wassem started the Facebook fan page for Ferrari when he was 15 and eventually grew it to over 500,000 followers. In 2009, the company congratulated him on the site's success, but said that "legal issues" forced it to take over the administration, according to Automotive News Europe. Wassem could still use the site, but managers had oversight.

Wassem asked Ferrari for financial compensation to keep working on the page but continued creating content on it for the next four years. Eventually, the company terminated his administration rights. In 2013 he and his father Olivier filed the lawsuit against the business alleging it owes payment over 5,500 hours of work and copyright infringement for taking over the page. They are asking for 10 million Swiss francs ($11.3 million).

Comment Re:Don't blame others for user error. (Score 1) 394

Gears-Plural, more than one Gear-Singular, only one

It has a gear. It does not have gears.

I'm sure you'll now come in asking about reverse.

Wow, so many of you who can't count to two? A gear is useless without ANOTHER gear coupled to it. A single ratio gear driven coupling transmission system requires at least TWO gears to work. One connected to the output. One connected to the input. Those gears are coupled (teeth of one drive the teeth of the other).

Yet there are a dozen posts by transmission and gear experts who seem to think that one free floating gear magically transfers power to someplace without another gear meshed to it. Wow. Just... wow.

Comment Re:Wikipedia ruined the internet (Score 1) 517

That doesn't demonstrate that it's all about the money. Some preachers know that they're selling BS, others actually believe their derp. I think Ham is an emotional thinker, and actually believes the nonsense he spouts.

I don't. He cherry picks too much - especially when confronted with conflicting biblical "evidence" where he either ignores the conflict or cherry picks himself off into a different direction.

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