Please exaplin "because all observable planets, besides earth, show the exact opposite happening" because as far as I can see Jupiter has one heck of a violent storm problem.

The center of the planet is molten. Space is cold. Air temperature is primarly affected by 1) solar input from ground heat and 2) radiative loss to space at altitude. More ground warming means more air rising, which means more cold air falling somewhere else. Making one spot hot is going to push more air up at that point, to balance that more cold air is going to "fall" somewhere else. One dynamic is that land cools quicker than water so we get arctic outflows. The world could get warmer and north america get colder due to all the cold air getting dumped on NA which is ideally shapped for north south air circulation.

You don't think the smoking carcass would own all of the patents and make it impossible for a bunch of new startups to get into the industry?

Patents are assets. Assets are auctioned off in bankruptcy. The owner of a patent benefits from licensing the patent for fees, not from sitting on a patent and preventing anyone from using it.

-jcr

Certainly far more useful than chemistry

Nope. Basic understanding of chemistry can keep people from mixing ammonia and bleach to clean the tub.

-jcr

Speaking as one who had the misfortune of having to try to help kids with no interest at all in computing, back when I was in high school myself, this is a fucking idiotic idea. Coding isn't for everyone.

-jcr

This is why we need a clean separation of church and state. And yeah, the evangelical in OK are going to go nuts once they realize that they MUST allow this garbage.

Why would you limit your people to doing boring, repetitive tasks when they are capable of so much more?

I would say that in a lot of cases, the people are not capable of so much more. If they were capable of more, they would be going those other jobs already, because they pay more, and are more interesting. Most people don't have the skills, any many people would be completely unable to grasp the skills, even if you gave them the opportunity, either because they have absolutely no drive, or because they actually lack cognition skills.

On the other hand, who will do all the required jobs, if you are free to pursue all your own endeavors while having a high (by today's standards) standard of living. Personally I like my job, but I would give it up in a second if I could have the same standard of living while being allowed to stay at home, look after my kids, and pursue my hobbies. There will be jobs that required humans for some time to come (like programming the robots, and other computer systems), who will be willing to do those jobs if there is a system in place that guarantees a high standard of living for all? Will those few who do choose to work be treated like royalty, and paid like the CEOs of today, because most people wouldn't work if they didn't have to.

This will turn into just another way to rape the planet

Oh, for Christ's sake. Why don't you just go freeze in the dark, and quit bitching about people trying to improve the lives of their fellow man?

-jcr

DO NOT buy one of these for your wife or girlfriend. In fact, don't ever acknowledge that you're aware of its existence.

-jcr

And his recent statements suggest Obama thinks some of the NSA's activities should be constrained.

Gosh, if only Obama were their boss and could order them to obey the law!

Oh, wait. Who am I kidding?

-jcr

I did mean suicide, but if any of them come clean like Snowden did, then they should get a pardon.

-jcr

telling them to commit suicide isn't cool.

Your approval is neither sought nor required. The people I'm addressing belong to a criminal organization, and we'd be better off with them.

-jcr

Violating the constitution SHOULD make you feel like shit.

Hint to NSA minions who want to redeem themselves: there is no apology more sincere than hara-kiri. Spill your guts, and we might forgive you.

-jcr

Anytime someone brought in a kid suffering from a disease that could have been prevented by vaccination, I would first ask whether the parent was brain dead.

-jcr

I thought the exact same thing. Seems like there's some kind of contradiction. Even if they were both moving at the speed of light, toward each other it would still take many centuries for them to collide.