True. However the company I work for (not a lighting company) is devoting a lot of effort to identifying and eliminating counterfeits because of the damage it does to our reputation and our brand. Not to mention the fact that we have to replace "product" that isn't even ours just to maintain good will with the customer.

It seems from the original Guardian article that as much effort was put into analyzing threat response as was put into understanding the reasons behind that response. As much as we don't trust the Chinese we are learning that they also don't trust us. If we begin to understand what we do that makes them uneasy we may just be able to avoid triggering the events we fear most.

I once contacted a company about a CFL that failed spectacularly (near combustion) shortly after I bought it. They informed me that the market is loaded with counterfeits that are garbage and are sullying the reputation of quality CFLs.

I'd guess that a significant percentage of the early failures are counterfeits. I suspect the same is happening with LED based incandescent replacements.

I like the quote but I can't find a reference to it. Maybe Google is blocking it from the search results?

How long did this page take to load on dial up? ;)

Good reminder though. I just today canceled my cable TV/phone. I will be a lot happier with the money in my pocket.

There's an app for that!

I'm not clear on how this will work. How does the system know that a floormat is holding the pedal as opposed to me mashing it to the boards? Sometimes I want to hold the throttle wide open and accelerate as quickly as possible. Turning onto a busy highway is a great example. I can just see some cheap car manufacturer trying to implement a low-cost throttle interrupter and causing pile ups when someone turns into traffic and their engine shuts down in 70mph traffic.

I'm not trying to be a jerk but you might consider rentals.

When I need a pickup truck to haul something I don't go buy one...I rent one for about $20 a day. No insurance, no maintenance, no payments, no tires, etc. We are, after all, talking about hybrids not paying for themselves and we should also consider whether it is financially feasible to own a car versus renting if your need is only occasional. Yes, I own a car...but I don't also need to own a pickup. I just don't need it that often so renting is the perfect solution for me.

Also check out zipcar.com

One issue in the US is that there's no incentive to use diesel in hybrids because we don't use "Euro diesel." Our diesel still uses sulfur as a lubricating agent which is part of what makes it such an extreme polluter and would raise the emission level of a hybrid thereby eliminating any government subsidies. And while we are on the topic of diesel cars in Europe...nothing pisses me off more than seeing 70-80+mpg diesel cars (NOT hybrids) that you can buy all day long in the UK while we have to struggle to get 40-50mpg here. Granted, Euros get better fuel and pay a lot more for it but it's just another indicator that the American auto industry is holding back on what they will develop in the US because they aren't done milking old technology and marketing to the "muscle car" mentality.

Back on topic. I bought my Prius in 2009 and while the financial bottom line may not work out to my advantage I sure like not having to spend $100 every week or two to fill it up. Besides, I really like the car and unless it gets destroyed, stolen or starts having lots of problems I'll keep it.

This sounds similar to senior design projects that were being done when I was studying EE. Contact the nearest university with mechanical and electrical engineering programs and find out what's required to sponsor a senior design team.

Watch the video again and pay attention to the road-going portion toward the end. The body leans as do the wheels. It is more like a motorcycle than a car in this respect and it should keep it from rolling over in all but the most extreme cases. That said, I've never been a fan of the single-front-wheel design for trikes. The increase in weight means you need a lot of braking power. Under hard braking on a motorcycle approximately 70% of the braking is done by the front wheel. If you double the weight of the vehicle you will just push it into a skid. Even with ABS this will translate into dangerously long stopping distances.

Perhaps and appropriate punishment would be a job at Foxconn. At least Apple then has a direct influence on the suffering of the offending individual.

I have a patent pending on that idea. You'll be hearing from my lawyer.

In the comment "some prior art systems" I wonder if they are referring to ray tracing programs like POV-RAY. I recall that was incredibly slow depending on light sources and texture detail but the results were stunning for early 90s technology.

Ask him how long before the meaning of the word "loose" is expanded to include the definition of "lose." That mistake is made so often I expect it will become accepted and eventually considered correct.