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Comment Re:Lead By Example (Score 1) 146

If they can access it. I am permitted to write my diary in code. I can send a letter the same way. Why should email be made less convenient?

Siblings are allowed to continue using their invented words into adulthood if they like. We are allowed to have private conversations in an un-bugged room. Phone call: "Meet me at the other place. Bring that thing we talked about.".

Police have never had the RIGHT to access all of our communication. They may be granted permission to TRY if a judge signs off on that but that's all they have ever had.

On a side note, one reason so many people are interested in E2EE is because there have been WAY too many incidents where police skipped the warrant or found a judge with an itchy rubber stamp who just took their word for things and then went on a fishing expedition. They only have themselves to blame for entire populations distrusting them. Meanwhile, tech companies grew tired of the constant stream of "requests" for private information that amounted to a fishing expedition that they decided their best bet is to make sure they cannot provide anything.

Comment Re:Screw the American auto industry (Score 1) 303

You say that as if American auto makers haven't gotten multiple bailouts and other special gifts over the years. You say that as if the U.S. isn't full of malls inhabited by tumble weeds and rats (literally) and doesn't have enough chronically empty residential property to house every homeless person here.

The U.S. is being strangled by the financial and real estate sectors.

Comment Re:Screw the American auto industry (Score 1) 303

The American companies manufacture in China for cheap but sell expensive in the U.S. The huge margin goes to executive management and Wall Street. They COULD profitably manufacture in the U.S. without raising prices, but Wall Street wants it's windfall and CEO needs a new yacht, so that's out.

Comment Re:Screw the American auto industry (Score 1) 303

The complaints are twofold. They moved their manufacturing overseas but didn't cut their prices to reflect the savings. So Americans are getting squeezed from both sides. Consumers can't force them to pull production back to the U.S. but they can (in effect) offshore the top heavy expensive management and Wall Street by buying Chinese. The difference is apparently around $40K on a car.

Different industry, but I have a Chinese 3D printer. It's not perfect, but it cost 20% of what a 3D printer from an American company would cost (which also wouldn't be perfect). All it's missing is a bunch of ugly beige plastic, vendor lock-in on the supplies, and replacement parts made of pure unobtainium. Believe me, I don't miss those "features" at all. It did come with full respect for my right to repair and a wide variety of 3rd party parts readily available.

On a side note, I did consider building a 3D printer from parts, but when I looked in to it, sourcing the parts in the U.S. would have cost me more than buying the ready made (some assembly required) printer from China.

Comment Re: If it can counter act Earth gravity (Score 1) 258

I see no requirement for a GLOBAL rest frame. Ships push against the water all the time, but ocean water is not a global rest frame.

Wild imagination alert here. Imagine a "dark magnet" that could push against dark matter permeating space. Now the whole thing reduces to either a propeller in the water or an electrodynamic tether. Of course, it's not going to be producing one newton per watt.

Comment Re:This should be impossible (Score 2) 90

You're missing the point. Any decent engineer KNOWS that fiber cuts happen. Whether they should or should not is irrelevant, they happen all the time. Having a state's 911 service depending on a single cable not being damaged is piss poor engineering at best.

Side note, always keep a short length of fiber with you. If you get lost or stranded, bury the length of fiber in the ground. When the backhoe shows up to break it, ask the operator for a lift into town.

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