I block third party cookies. What happens when I land on a page that uses Disqus? I have to coax the browser to log me in to Disqus. And - that is just the way I want things to be. Disqus doesn't need to know where I browse, or what I'm reading, unless and until I CHOOSE to summon Disqus.

Children, if you're going to dabble in the arcane arts, you must learn to control those demons - or you will find that the demons control YOU!

Amen, Brother!

I may have the slimmest chances of fighting the terrorists. There is no fighting a dozen snooping neighbors who anonymously drop a dime on your ass every time you do ANYTHING "unusual".

"Sheriff, he's singing in the shower! His voice is AWFUL! No one would sing in the shower with a voice like that. I think he's signaling someone. OF COURSE he's a terrorist - her terrifies ME!!"

What - instead of a secret decoder ring, there will be a secret decoder red book? Cool!

No - I actually expect it to stop in Texarkana for fifteen minutes, to toss off the six to twelve bags that are tagged for the ArkLaTex area. They USED TO do exactly that. FedEx STILL does that. UPS does the same. Which means, if FedEx or UPS carries my package to Texarkana then delivers it to me directly, it's an on time shipment. If FedEx or UPS carries the package to Texarkana, then hands it off to the USPS, it's an on time shipment. If ANYONE hands off the package to the USPS before arrival at Texarkana, the shipment is going to be one to three days late.

Huh, wut? Who invented Unix? I always though Bell Labs got credit for that. Now it's Lucent and/or Alcatel? Why are we finding it necessary to rewrite history?

"failed to deliver on time" and "overnighted for $4 from Amazon"

I've been on both sides of that same street. Newegg failed to deliver on time - they refunded my shipping. Amazon failed to deliver on time, they refunded my shipping. But, both have delivered on time, as well.

And, neither can take credit or blame. No matter which shipper they use, that shipper usually hands off the package to the USPS. It seems to depend on exactly WHERE they hand it off to the USPS, whether my package will arrive in time.

I've tracked packages going THROUGH Texarkana, TO Dallas, Tx, sitting there for a day or more, to be loaded onto another truck back to Shreveport, then finally being loaded onto delivery trucks bound for local post offices.

So, the package actually passes by me, 20 miles away, on Interstate 30. It arrives 180 miles away, in Dallas, to be shipped to Shreveport, 100 miles away, and finally trucked yet again to my home town.

Some better, some worse. But, our computers aren't as literal, as precise, as fast. Our computers benefit from all sorts of weird short circuits and other weird crap.

I think our brains are both something more and something less than a "computer".

More accurately, men and women can assign values to Shakespeare's works, enter those values into a computer, then manipulate those values in any manner they so wish.

The computer is not interpreting Shakespeare. The computer is manipulating mathematical equations that people interpret as Shakespeare.

The inanity is, that supposedly educated people - IT people who make a living with computers - people who have been exposed to computer SCIENCE - can pretend that programs are anything other than complex mathematical formula.

WTF does "compute" mean, anyway? Computing, by definition, is the manipulation of numbers.

You've found a new way to manipulate numbers? Copyright to your little heart's content. File your patent paperwork here in the circular file.

I'm making a note for my round the world motorcycle tour:

DO NOT visit Ethiopia or Togo or Liberia - - -

Those countries give even more credence to the philosophy that a biker doesn't WANT to be seen.

(To clarify, a biker should never assume that he is visible. He should assume that the idiot in the car or the truck doesn't see him, and will wait until the worst possible moment to take the bike's lane. There's no point in wearing hi-vis clothing, because that only encourages the cagers to challenge you for your portion of the road.)

I'm sorry, but I think you misunderstood the 85th percentile.

When there is no speed limit posted, people drive what they think is safe. Roughly 85% are going to drive safe speeds, or slower than safe speeds. Another 5 to 10% are going to push things a little bit. That top 5% is pushing things more than just a little. So, you watch the highway, to see how fast people are going, then set the speed limit to the 85th.

Most of those 5 to 10% who were pushing things a little bit, will VOLUNTARILY SLOW DOWN to the new speed limit. First, the difference probably isn't much - they don't feel very inconvenienced, if at all. Second, keep in mind that there WAS no speed limit - now there is one. MOST people will make some attempt to obey a sensible speed limit.

That remaining 5%? They knew all along that they were pushing things. With the imposition of a speed limit, they are likely to slow down, and conform to the flow of traffic. If not - then they'll pay the ticket.

In such a case, the flow of traffic will be at or near the posted speed limit. Contrast that with what we see around most cities. 40% or less is actually doing the speed limit. Doing the speed limit actually makes you a hazard, because your car is the ONLY ONE going that slow.

Or, to state the same thing in a different fashion - any time the majority of traffic is going over the speed limit, the posted limit is WRONG.

I already mentioned this above - but if you support the 0 limit, you better not eat any fresh donuts or bread before driving. You WILL be busted.

Firearm related deaths break down into what, exactly? Do you have the numbers?

Accidental deaths, murders, suicides, police killings, self defense? Do you have any of those?

I find it odd that one pulls such a number out of thin air, but isn't willing to break them down.

GP cited MASS SHOOTINGS specifically, he didn't attempt to make a case for police carrying weapons, or for armed robberies, or anything else.

A fresh donut or a slice of bread would put you over the limit, as well. Or, a dose of many common cold medicines.

You're proposing prohibition then? That hasn't worked out well so far, either for alcohol, or for cannabis.