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Comment Re:Good chance for a real-world controlled experim (Score 1) 110

I would assume that the accident scenario accounting for 90% of (currently!) unavoidable accidents with trucks is "driver tired or fallen asleep" and "at the end of a traffic jam", and does not involve red lights.

At least for German Autobahns, this is the major scenario involving trucks, also because I heard that truckers tend to disable certain safety features (like LKA and ACC), as they find them annoying.

Comment Re:Well... (Score 3, Insightful) 796

Of course, this shouldn't be legal behaviour for the jurisdiction. He DID turn over all documents, so doesn't that constitute compliance with the All Writs Act? Handing over a password (even if it's not forgotten - and that happened to me twice (!) with encrypted volumes) could mean testifying against yourself - and you don't have to do THAT outside of countries supporting The Inquisition's mode of justice.

Comment Re:"cannot be skipped" (Score 1) 279

I've mostly stopped using websites that offer videos with ads before them. I dislike video as a medium anyway for most uses - because of low information density, and because information doesn't flow at my desired speed and is hard to skip back when I missed something.

More so on mobile, where I have a 1GB monthly data cap and will sure as hell not waste that on advertisements OR videos.

Comment Re:Duh. Because God made it (Score 1) 720

I'd mod you up if I had modpoints, though I know you're +5 already. I also found the subject of the post rather interesting, and the fact that all we can do right now are debatable "best guesses" as to what the necessary conditions for life really are. And if there is one earthlike planet, which could be an "accident" or many.

Comment Re:This is good because of network nature (Score 0) 250

Hell yeah, "asking VW". Essentially, they are "asking" VW in the same way that the mob "asks" for protection money (lest you want a severed horse's head on your doorstep, and more). That is statism. Some agency decides what customers are to buy. On a side note, I always wonder where that notion is coming from that (current) electric cars were "cleaner" overall, given that the electricity they use is not renewable, and the lithium used in batteries is produced from mines you don't want to see.

Comment Reasons for Porsche (Score 1) 254

It's mainly because Porsche is subject to the EU's absurd CO2 emissions limitations, which hit every company alike - no matter if they produce small, lightweight cars that drive a lot in city traffic and don't last as long (like french cars), or if they produce expensive luxury cars. Electric cars don't produce CO2 (directly :-)), and therefore are counted as "not producing CO2". In the end, each company's "fleet average" is calculated.

Also, Porsche is planning ahead for a scenario where E-cars are more than a niche market.

Comment No "right to be forgotten" should exist (Score 1) 67

I am from the EU, and I have severe problems accepting a "right to be forgotten". It basically forces Google (and other search engines) to lie, to knowingly hand out false information. There is a major difference between forgetting things and keeping silent about them. Everyone who scours old information should be aware that with time, the relevance of information often fades. And that is the problem: it *OFTEN* fades, but not always. Some information remains relevant over long periods of time.

Comment Re:Cultural? (Score 1) 479

Yep, it's really pretty much impossible that top management DIDN'T know about that. That's also the current opinion in the German media - casting doubt even on the new chairman of the supervisory board. "Engineers" doing it? At companies like VW, most people in top management have an engineering degree - so yeah, "engineers" did it.

Comment Re:yep, noticed that (Score 1) 70

I even received an unwiped "Warehouse Deals" phablet from an unnamed online vendor (potentially named after a large river), that had personal documents, holiday pictures AND pornographic videos on it. My girlfriend discovered the videos - fortunately right on the first day, while we were playing around with it. Said online vendor then immediately agreed to a further discount. Which was quite a good idea, since in my country, spreading unwanted pornographic material is illegal.

And yes, I also know the previous owner's name, since he had set up two e-mail accounts with real names on the device :-)

Comment There could be reasons for skipping the broccoli.. (Score 4, Insightful) 257

Well, why not just reduce the serving size of the "delicious" food on your plate? Three chicken wings + as much broccoli as you like...

Or, maybe those kids' taste buds are actually signalling them to get the nutritious food first, and eat the unimportant remainder later (or never). What's the nutritious value of broccoli, anyways? There's a reason vegetable gardens used to be wayyyy smaller than the main crops.

Maybe kids are fat because they are being served prepared foods with insane amounts of sugar (as in HFCS), while at the same time their parents are being told that their kids must not go out and play alone, for fear of the ubiquitous imagined child predator. Turn off the internet for their PS4s and put them out in the rain, they'll live (and lose weight, and eventually have fun).

Comment Re:Well... (Score 3, Insightful) 323

I wonder if anyone dares to put this into perspective - i.e. in a comparison with Wall Street practices. Last time I heard, bonuses and pensions over there were at least one order of magnitude higher, and deaths (like suicides) following crises like Lehman Brothers and their followers were actually countable, not dubious statistical numbers.

Also, Mr Winterkorn is still facing charges in Germany, which could lead to his imprisonment (large-scale fraud). I haven't heard from many bankers going to jail.

Comment Re: This legislation brought to you by.. (Score 2) 446

People DID live quite long even in previous centuries (as long as you didn't work in a coal mine or such), and low life expectancy in previous centuries must be adjusted for the insane child mortality in it. If you do so, your improvements over time vanish: (http://www.livescience.com/10569-human-lifespans-constant-2-000-years.html)

Comment Re: Not forced... (Score 1) 302

Whoah, I pay like 650€/year for my 2007 BMW, liability and comprehensive cover included. We have a discount system depending on the number of years without an accident (the insurance had to pay for). Since I've been driving for 20 years without (any major) accident, I'm down to 30% of the reference rate. Our rates are per car, not per driver, and react to type of car, engine hp, km driven/year and some minor details (garage/roadside parker, region, age of driver, other drivers' lowest age etc.)

Comment Re:Not forced... (Score 3, Informative) 302

Are those numbers real? Sounds like a joke given the propensity to sue for absurd damages.
I'm German, I have a coverage of €100.000.000 (!) combined for death, injury and property damage on my private car (though max. €15.000.000 per person harmed). It's really not more expensive than minimum coverage, because the odds are so low, but maybe US lawyers would immediately take their chunk out of it and make it too expensive for everyone.

Minimum coverage here is €1.000.000 for property damage and €7.500.000 for bodily injury. Difference in annual premium is maybe 10-20€ between the two.

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