Eh, I think I have enjoyed Genda's posts in the past, but AC is right here. There hasn't big a rift this wide between the two dominant American parties since the Civil War. Arguing that they are both the same because the parties still agree on a couple of issues? That really is moronic.

Here's a 30-second list of issues we can all agree the parties have significantly divergent policy approaches toward:

• Gay rights
• Immigration
• Role of Federal govt vs. States' Rights (in various aspects)
• Tax policy
• Relative tax burdens
• Social services (medicare, SS, medicaid, etc.)
• The age of the earth
• Evolution
• Abortion / Womens' reproductive rights

But, y'know... leaders of both parties wear suits. So they're really all the same, right?

While I don't entirely disagree, it's unclear whether he represented himself as licensed/bonded and whether or not he actually is (haven't seen any commenters here check). I suspect there are many situations where, if only for liability purposes, a person will only want to hire licensed and bonded contractors. So this is something that can be mentioned in reviews either way.

That said, you're right. Licensing is no guarantee of competence or ethics. You should see the shit work, performance by a licensed electrician, I've been repairing lately... huge chandelier hanging from drywall toggles, Romex strewn loosely throughout an attic (in, under, on, and around insulation), etc. I'll be sure to include pictures if I write a review on Yelp >_>

Pure protectionism is likely to run into all sorts of issues with trade law, treaties, etc. and can lead to a lot of issues.

Instead, I would like to see "protectionism" based on humanitarian and environmental issues. It really levels the playing field (and incentivizes good treatment of workers) if you slap a tariff on any product manufactured/assembled* by workers earning poverty-level wages, working more than x hours/week under substandard conditions, etc. Environmental issues would likely have to be tackled on country-by-country compliance, but this could be done in a non-arbitrary, transparent, and predictable way.

Raising the selling prices of sweatshop goods will hurt the consumer a little bit, but this seems like a much better way to right the economy while still allowing industries to move with the market.

*Products with numerous subcomponents manufactured in different locations creates obvious challenges. As do some other issues, including fraud. However, these can be worked out... and enforcement and PR mechanisms can have very sharp teeth.

I appreciate a good lie as much as the next guy, but I would have just modded you "Troll" if I hadn't just posted. Since I had, a quick refutation of your opiate-induced rant:

FTC Complying with Made in USA:

I'm a bit perplexed that you equate CNC machines with robots. In my experience, the use of "robot" never extended that far. Robots can be used to change parts in CNC machines, but operators do that just fine too. I have never heard anyone refer to the machines as "robots".

Sounds like they had a great advisor :). Now I might have to hit up google and see if anyone has done rigorous tests with precise equipment... I'm pretty curious how well the different vendors stack up. Overall, I'd agree that the name brands are overpriced. And I used to buy the Kirkland packs from Costco, too.

My main uses are in strobist photography, wireless keyboards and mice. My flashes can burn through 16 AAs on a busy/creative day, so switching to low self-discharge rechargeables has been an incredible investment. By my estimates, I've gotten 200-400 cycles from all of my Eneloops with no noticeable reduction in capacity. But I use a very slow charger and occasionally run them through a refresh cycle.

I can't compare their cold tolerance to alkaline or lithium, but if you have any devices that regularly burn through batteries rapidly I'd consider going the same route. Costco has the occasional sale on a "Super Pack" with charger, 12 AAs and 4 AAAs, and some C and D spacers for $30.

I bought a product very similar to what you're describing: the Sony DSXS100, whose fold-down faceplate reveals a tray. Inside, you'll find a USB connector with an iPhone adapter. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work with the iPhone... but a product like this, updated with bluetooth and perhaps double-DIN with navigation?

I don't actually want my phone in any plug-in dock in the car, though. I want it in something like a cup holder, with the ability to plug in a charger... but I want it to work like bluetooth. The car should be able to automatically connect, even if the phone is still in my pocket. Of course, I also want it to automatically read me any text messages I receive, and respond with "I'll respond later. I am driving right now" or some other canned responses...

The sort of leading material scientists and engineers who would do this sort of research? I suspect they'll be making more than $100k/year. And some likely come with very expensive grad students :)

You're also forgetting that take-home pay isn't everything. Expect an employer to spend somewhere near double the take-home on every employee (medical, retirement, other benefits, their share of taxes and govt programs). So a more realistic figure might be $200k+ for the people who have any real chance of doing this...

Of course it looks like this will all be in the form of grants, and more of a supplement to existing budgets. Plenty of brilliant people already working at Argonne, various universities, corporations, etc. I support initiatives like this even if they're unlikely to succeed. We'll likely learn useful things.

On one hand, that's an awesome project for 8 year olds. I'd be proud! On the other... IANABE (battery engineer?), but from what I believe I understand, that's just one type of load. I am assuming this was a relatively rapid discharge of the batteries, using the exact same motor for the compared batteries, under the same conditions (air conditioned room held at constant temperature, batteries kept at same temps for 12 hours, etc.)? Even if they held all those constant (and battery temperatures have huge impact), further testing may have shown that the "best" batteries were miserable in other tests.

For example, impurities or casing issues or whatever may cause the Ray-o-Vacs to have reduced shelf life (or lower mAh output after, say, 5 years storage). The batteries could perform differently under constant, low loads (e.g. digital clock) or in remote controls. Performance could also be different for strobe type applications (sporadic rapid discharge, sometimes in burst)... or the batteries could handle temperatures differently.

In short, I wouldn't draw too many conclusions from that test. But I'm a bit biased... I use Eneloops for nearly everything these days :) don't even buy alkalines.

For the record, it is far too early to count the cards from GWB. GWB left us with trillions in unfunded liabilities in the form of wars, VA benefits, Medicare Part D, and tax cuts. He also left us highly polarized and unprepared to deal with climate change, extremely high inequality, and a failing economy. We have absolutely no idea how we will solve these problems, or if we will be able to.

The only thing we should expect from the next generation is the writing of history books. And I suspect the Bush chapter will be quite a challenge.

While I hope you are right...

I remember back in the day, Apache ruled the web and everyone laughed at IIS. Embedded systems didn't use Windows because MS products were pitiful in this market. Everyone had an iPod and laughed at those who used Zunes. Microsoft used to pump enormous sums into R&D for search and mobile devices, but it never seemed to get anywhere with marketshare. That sure changed! Hell, I even remember when every other Microsoft Windows release was a laughing stock. People used to make jokes about it.

Microsoft has been wildly successful with relatively low levels of evil, and that should be applauded... but let's not give them too much credit. For starters, many of their products fail and will fail. That's business. But my real gripe: their terrible products largely created the current security market. On many setups, you could effectively root Windows 95 by hitting "escape" at the login screen. Even MS's own products didn't start separating user data from program files until the mid-2000s. Their file system, permissions, and registry have created incredible opportunities for malware. MS(S)E is the equivalent of BP watching a 15 year long oil leak and showing up with some bags of Quickrete. If they finally manage to cap the well 5-10 years after showing up, and end up tanking the anti-virus industry? They'll have finally begun to earn their position as the dominant Operating System. I do love Office, though, at least compared to the competition.

I'm not convinced of this. MIlitary stationed overseas frequently find themselves penny-less... base exchanges, stores, restaurants, etc. just don't find pennies worth carrying. Instead, prices are rounded up or down to the nearest $0.05. I spent a lot of time overseas, and I never heard anyone complain that they missed pennies. Personally, I'm ready to eliminate pennies, nickels, and dimes... going straight to the quarter. A nickel doesn't even buy more than a couple minutes at a parking meter these days.

Currently, nearly every jurisdiction has a sales tax. Tax calculations inevitably produce transactions at the sub-penny level: 7.25% sales tax means a $1 purchase requires 7 + 1/4 pennies. We obviously don't have sub-penny units, so we just round down to 7 pennies. Other transactions round up, I'm sure. In the end, someone could game the system by using advanced models to ensure more purchase combinations result in rounding up, but really... at a penny per transaction? I doubt many businesses would risk the bad publicity... and even if they did, it's probably a lot cheaper for consumers than paying for all that change to be lugged around, counted, and transacted.

In short: This week, I spent several minutes in a grocery store checkout... behind an old woman counting change and looking in her purse for more.

Honest question... are you color blind? The gold vs. silver contrast is glaring to me... I think the dollar coin is the easiest to pick out from a stack.

I assume you are referring to the sacagawea dollar? From "$1.25 snack", it's unlike to be the Susan B. Anthony, and I don't think the silver eagle is in general circulation.

No, it's the same. People just get really confused because the US has states in addition to "the state", and the Head of State is also the Head of Government. In my experience, the average educated professional has no clue on the distinction.

But then we do have the, what are they called? Sovereign individuals? They're the whackjobs who think all government above the county level is illegitimate, and they tend to be closely aligned with libertarians. To them, everything and everyone is "the government"... and that's a bad, scary thing. They also tend to be very concerned that the UN, as part of a zionist New World Order conspiracy, has an army that is planning to invade the US and steal all their guns in the near future. Also, something about Sharia Law and Communism.

Yeah, I had a decent time in Texas, too. It was nice to be called "Slim" by people who actually meant it :). But if I mentioned my views on politics or religion, or told people I was from CA, I got a different version of southern hospitality. I suspect it would have been a very different experience if I was homosexual or dark-skinned.

I actually remember you telling the cowboy story in a previous post, maybe a year or two ago. It's hard to forget events like that...