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Comment: Re:Boomerangs. It's Australia. (Score 1) 113

what do Australians call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A stick!

Technically a boomerang is any of a class of bent throwing sticks. They are not all designed to return to the thrower - the ones used as hunting weapons are thicker and heavier. The kink in the middle gives the stick an axis on which to turn, stabilising it and allowing it to be thrown further and with more accuracy.
The returnable boomerangs are curved on one side and flat on the other like an aeroplane wing.

Comment: Re:Just turn off the car? (Score 1) 911

by HeadlessNotAHorseman (#39684651) Attached to: Mandatory Brake-Override Proposed For All Cars

The thing that everyone forgets is that while you are in a rational state of mind, it is very easy to think through the safest options. But in a state of panic, rationality is literally impossible. The brain shuts down into a panic mode, and you no longer have control. So the design of the vehicle must be such that in a panic mode it responds to the driver's instinctive actions (most likely to slam on the brakes) accordingly.
For example, I know exactly what I would do if my cars brakes failed: downshift the gears, horn on when/if I can, and gently apply the handbrake to bring myself to a stop. But in reality, if my brakes did fail, I would probably panic and just keep pressing the pedal until I had an accident (unless it happened on a long straight stretch of road where I'd have time to overcome the panic.

Comment: Re:Dur (Score 1) 244

by HeadlessNotAHorseman (#39605377) Attached to: Canadian Telcos Lobby Against Pick-and-Pay TV

The risk in having customers pick and choose the channels they want is that over time, all of the channels will start trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator, and you'll wind up with a bunch of clones. Having a bunch of specialty channels means that there is (theoretically) more variety to choose from at any given time.

Comment: Re:mistake #1 (Score 1) 227

In Australia you must get consent before applying first aid, unless they are unconscious and cannot provide consent. This leads to an interesting potential situation where a bleeding person could refuse consent, and you have to wait until they pass out before attempting to apply first aid. If you apply first aid against consent, you can be charged with assault, so in the training they teach you to always ask first.

The Australian first aid law also talks about "duty of care" - if you are trained in first aid you have a duty of care in basically any situation in which you have a relationship with the person requiring aid. For example, if a friend, family member, or work colleague required first aid and I refused, I could be charged with negligence. If I was walking down the street and saw someone have a heart attack, or saw a horrific car crash, I would be under no legal obligation to help (moral obligation notwithstanding). However, if I were to talk to the victim, e.g. ask if they are ok or need help, then a relationship has been established and I would be legally obligated to apply first aid until a trained responder arrived.

Comment: Re:Ever hear of a "map"? (Score 1) 516

It's easy to be critical, but there are many people who do not have strong spatial reasoning skills for whom reading a map is actually quite difficult. They respond much better to verbal instructions. Maps have long given a technological advantage to those with a spatial reasoning bent - GPS just evens the playing field.

I personally prefer to use a map, but a GPS is a great tool for me in an unfamiliar area when I approach unexpected traffic conditions, or make a wrong turn accidentally, or need to make a detour. It saves me having to pull over and do the whole map thing. When I do use the GPS I turn the sound off (I find the verbal instructions offputting) and just glance at it now and again. It can be done safely (it takes no more time than glancing at my speedo), so really the safety issue is more about the driver than the technology.

Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact. -- George Eliot

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