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Comment: Re:Symbols can out-last Objects (Score 1) 713

by Copley (#39984397) Attached to: Icons That Don't Make Sense Anymore

It does suck... but it's now firmly ingrained in the UK driver psyche (we've all developed a hard-wired eyeball --> braking foot link!)

I tried to find out why that specific icon was selected (it certainly won't have been at random - there's a whole bunch of careful research and testing that takes place for all UK signage - I once had a work colleague who'd worked in the Dept. of Transport signage labs... she was totally obsessed with sign layout, lettering, etc.), but I can't find the full story.

Comment: Symbols can out-last Objects (Score 1) 713

by Copley (#39983935) Attached to: Icons That Don't Make Sense Anymore

The meaning of a symbol can extend way beyond the lifetime of the object it is based on.

In the UK the sign for a speed camera shows a Hasselblad-type bellows camera, not because these cameras are in common use, but because the symbol is highly-recognisable when travelling along a road at speed - much more so that a generic, rectangular digital camera symbol would be.

(Plus, with OSs like iOS, the concept of manually 'saving' a document is almost redundant - the average Joe is moving to systems where documents are simply created and then auto-magically sync'd to some central cloudy place)

Comment: Re:I would be very concerned (Score 1) 532

by Copley (#34951484) Attached to: Electronics In Flight — Danger Or Distraction?

I'd like to see some sources for your claim for "...an almost complete restart of many of the aircrafts systems". This sounds more than a little sensationalist to me.

The problem of RF interference is not a new one. Engineers do actually consider the issue when designing systems. Just about every electronic device in production today (and especially safety-critical ones) is shielded to prevent just the scenario you are claiming.

When was the last time your laptop/TV/car/cellphone crashed due to you making a call?

Comment: Tourists?! (Score 5, Interesting) 446

by Copley (#34322384) Attached to: Kuwait Bans DSLR Cameras Use For Non-Journalists

"Tourists are to be affected by the new laws..."

What tourists?! I live and work in Kuwait... As a country, it's really not a tourist hotspot! Any tourist coming here, even if they took snaps of the the most interesting features, would leave with only images of scrubby desert, busy highways, shopping malls, a few skyscrapers, and the Kuwait Towers.

But, yes, it's a daft rule, and it may well affect the local amateur photography enthusiasts. However, Kuwaiti law is not consistently applied: If you're a Kuwaiti citizen, you'll often get away with something that a non-Kuwaiti would not - especially if you have a bit of 'wasta' (i.e. your father knows the second-cousin of the minister's uncle!)

Comment: Re:Uber-silly (Score 2, Insightful) 218

by Copley (#33626968) Attached to: Helicopter Crashes While Filming Autonomous Audi

I think you're over-estimating the attention that many people pay to what's going on. For some drivers, your above list would be more like (1) Oh crap, I can't find the track I want on my iPod. (2) Just got to text my BF. (3) How does my hair look in the mirror? (4) Whoops, almost hit that cyclist when I pulled out without looking - better wind down my window and call him a dick.

I think the research into these autonomous systems will never lead to entirely self-driving cars, but instead will lead to driver-assist type systems where dangers ahead (e.g. approaching a corner too fast) that aren't being heeded by the driver, will cause the car to react instead.

Comment: Re:Brother Glitch23 (Score 1) 999

by Copley (#31464648) Attached to: Texas Approves Conservative Curriculum
Wow! Although I don't share your religious beliefs, your writing is excellent, and summarises exactly what I've always understood to be the basis of Christian teaching.

The warped, bastardised corruption of those teachings that we see today on TV, and spewed from the mouths of so-called Christians, is so far removed from these basic tenets of love and forgiveness as to be unrecognisable.

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