See, I think that would "turn on" more than it would "turn off."

IMHO, this is the kind of inventive tinkering that should be pushed forward in today's schools. It takes a lot of different skills from across several disciplines to be able to crank something like this out, but once you see it, you realize how simple it really is. It takes imagination and perseverance as well, and that's hard to teach.

I don't mean to start a "Public schools are apathizing our youth!" thread, but I wonder how many kids would really enjoy classes geared towards making useful projects out of surplus crap - a combining of wood shop, metal shop, and electronics classes.

1) Because no one in charge really gives a crap about a station that barely appears on a country's military budget
2) Because the aforementioned station is just a repeater
3) Security thru obscurity = not having to pay guards with guns

Just some thoughts. There is an unmanned 100kw FM transmitter and 305m tower not far from where I grew up in the farm fields of central MN. Huge Pirate Radio can be yours by picking a 7-pin lock.

I don't think it's German... but it IS on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-x9ygQEGA

You're totally trolling and I should be using my points to mod you down, but instead I'll provide a different outlook for your consideration.

Many people in this country still access the internet using a dial-up 56K modem - many of _them_ are achieving only half that speed, due to physical distances and line quality. They cannot access many of the web's features in any kind of timely manner. However, I don't see a requirement in the bill for broadband access to be made available in gratis to all people regardless of creed, color, marital status or disability. In fact, providing any form of internet or multimedia access is not a requirement laid out anywhere in our laws. People of all disabilities still have to pay for their computers, pay for their internet access, and pay for everyday items to maintain their quality of life. So yes, money is a very important factor.

Innovations in multimedia have been made by consumers spending money in that segment (aka Capitalism), not by the government requiring technology companies to make devices to service a minority. If there is a gaping hole in the way information and multimedia is distributed, you would think there would be companies trying to capitalize on providing services to that minority. Because that's the way it has worked in the past. The future is going that way too, on it's own. It does not need help from soon-to-be-outdated government bills.

It's hard. It's expensive. It won't please everyone. But it is totally worth it for future generations. It takes vision, vision beyond the end of our noses, to realize that.

I was unconsciously filling my diapers half a planet away when Margaret Thatcher was in office; please enlighten me with the specifics and the correlations and I will happily entertain and debate them.

Because from what Wikipedia tells me about the mass privatization that occurred in the UK under Thatcher version 2.0, it doesn't directly compare whatsoever. The Chinese are basically telling 2000 factories that they're outdated inefficient dinosaurs and that they no longer deserve to consume energy, whether they can afford it or not. In effect, industrial eugenics. Thatcher turned a bunch of state-owned utilities and industries over to private companies and let them compete, to whatever end they would. In effect, industrial Darwinism.

These are different concepts with different end results.

From a different perspective, China is only able to get this done because they aren't a democracy. If they had to put it up for discussion and a vote, it would be years of delay, but meanwhile an insane amount of energy would be lost during that delay. In this case their government is swift and able to make decisions promptly "for the greater good."

This. Mod. Up. This is what I'm taking away from everything I've seen.

Newsweek can allude to one death "being caused by" the information release, but that's only because it comes in chronological order.

Coincidental and inevitable.

Let's look at this in a different direction: here we have an (informant?) to the US military, presumably native to the area, who must have chosen sides, and his side was against the Taliban. He knew what the consequences of his actions could be, and instead of sticking his head in the sand and saying nothing to nobody, he stuck up for what he believed in. It's unfortunate that he died, but I wonder how many American Revolutionary War vets would have done the exact same thing. It's truly the personification of the Patrick Henry quote, "Give me Liberty, or give me death!"

The information release doesn't change the fact that he made his choice knowing the possible consequences. It only puts a face on the faceless Afghans who are fighting against the Taliban.

Do you ever sleep, or do you just continuously drive your truck?

Unless you're doing delivery routes or you live in a rural area (which the parent's link says you have a 20% chance of), 200 miles of range should cover you for your daily commute. Think about what you're going to do Monday morning. Will you put more than 200 miles on the odometer before you go to sleep? If the answer is no, then an electric car could work for you. Because while you're sleeping, while you're at work, while you're shopping at the grocery store... all the times your car is parked, it could be charging, if the infrastructure is there for it.

Also, I don't know where the 150-200 mile range is coming from; the Leaf is expected to get 100 miles per charge. Even then, it still works as commuter transportation for the masses.

Bought a truck because you like to buy large objects at yard sales once a month? There's no reason it can't be built, and it probably will be as soon as electric cars are mainstream.

However, propane works great for fleet vehicles always returning to a home base. Schwan's figured it out a long time ago. Go here and slide the truck to 1974.

Close, but not quite. The incoming air temperature is raised by use of glow plugs in the intake manifold (and/or other starting aids) to allow the diesel to combust properly. Worn diesel engines still require using glow plugs or other starting aids even in hot weather. The earliest diesel engines had spring-loaded switches to prevent leaving the glow plugs on, which would cause them to fail prematurely and drain the battery, as you suggested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glowplug

What does it really cost to mothball a jet, especially in the climates that Southwest has their hubs in? Hangar and minor maintenance time? I think annual inspections would be required whether the plane put any hours on in that year or not, but inspections are required for all the planes, and it's figured into the ticket price. Really, keeping a few spare planes at key hubs can be figured into the books somewhere. As someone else pointed out earlier, they don't have to be new planes. Currently older planes are sold to other countries, or scrapped for pennies on the dollar. We pay for new planes with our fares.

As a guy who travels extensively, if it meant a decision between keeping a closer departure time or flying in a newer plane, I'd pick staying on schedule, every time. As long as it's safe, I don't care if the carpets are shag green or the tail says TWA.

My car is governed at 128, and I've previously been stopped for doing 94 in a 55. I received a hefty ticket and I paid it. The police did not get an arrest warrant, search my house, or seize my computers.

And that "separate issue" would be the issue at hand. The defendant has everything coming to him regarding speeding and/or reckless driving citations, but that's not why the ACLU is representing him, nor why he's facing 16 years in jail. In that respect, IMHO he is an innocent victim.

I think you missed the last line of his comment.

Lots of people often have psychological problems that manifest themselves into substance abuse problems. Just because someone is a contributing member of society doesn't mean they don't have deep-seated issues. On the contrary, many of society's "contributors" are frustrated or apathetic in life, not just due to their job - people are not an easily solved equation. The ones who have "come clean" know their weaknesses and have made wise, experienced decisions to refuse those substances. However, not all people have those weaknesses.