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Comment Re:Unfortunately (Score 1, Interesting) 473

Ignoring the obvious fact that you're trying to show how awesome you are for not watching all those non-indie films directed by Michael Bay, you know what? Every once in a while a Michael Bay movie is JUST what the doctor ordered. It's big, loud, over the top and the man certainly knows some folks who can make things explode.

Watching indie films doesn't make you better or smarter than other people. From my observations, people who talk about how they only watch indie films are FAR more annoying than the people who only watch Michael Bay movies. The latter generally aren't claiming to be sophisticated due to what they watch on their TV.

Comment Re:Well then, they can pay up to 50 cents and.. (Score 1) 473

No, it's not the "cable TV killer" because in most cases, that's who is providing the broadband pipe. And when it's not ... it's the phone company, which may also be selling you "cable" (See: Verizon FIOS) and/or "on-demand" content.

This is why Comcast wants to double-dip and change you AND Netflix for your internet connection. Without government regulation it will never be cheaper to stream the same content available from the last-mile provider; the last-mile provider will prevent that from occurring.

Comment Re:Low-cost airlines vs. traditional (Score 1) 279

However, because I fly a lot on United and its code share partners, I get a lot of perks. Specifically, I know that if my schedule changes and I need to fly standby, I will be able to get on ahead of pretty much anybody else. Ditto for if my flight is cancelled and I need to be rebooked. It's also worth the extra money to me (especially since I'm not usually the one paying it) to know in advance I won't get a middle seat, will get to board first and not have them run out of overhead luggage space, occasionally get upgraded to first class, and so forth.

Just as an FYI, I'm a business frequent flier with SouthWest, and get all of that with the exception of the first class bit (their 737s don't have first class). Once you hit their "A-List" status they make it so you always get priority and don't even have to worry about when you check in (You're guaranteed A1 - A15 for your boarding pass, though technically if they had more than 15 "A-List" people I suppose that could slip - have never seen it happen) . At some airports they even have an express line at security so you don't have to wait.

You also rack up free flights - free round trip voucher every 16 flights, regardless of distance flown.

Comment Re:This would only increase engine wear. (Score 1) 572

Even if it did shut off, the 20w oil you're running wouldn't go anywhere in a few seconds. 0w20 is 0w cold, 20w hot.

What I meant by "zero weight oil" would be 0w-0, which you're never going to see inside a motor - it would run down to the sump like water :)

Modern oils and engine manufacture really are amazing, which was my point to the original poster. Engines often outlive the vehicle these days as long as you change the oil every once in a while.

Comment Re:This would only increase engine wear. (Score 1) 572

Really? It doesn't take 0w-30? There's a difference ;)

I should have been more specific and said 0w-0, but your comment actually furthers my point.

0W-30 oil is 0w cold, 30w hot. When you shut off the engine for 30 seconds the oil is actually thicker than when it is cold, thus preventing it from running back to the sump in an instant.

Comment Re:This would only increase engine wear. (Score 2) 572

Um, unless you're running zero weight oil in your car (you're not) ... it doesn't run like water back to the sump in 60 seconds.

Your "known fact" is sort of correct when a car has been parked for some time (say, overnight) and you're cold starting it. But even that's a bit of a stretch these days with modern synthetic oils. Tear a motor down even after it's been sitting for weeks and you'll still find oil clinging to the bearing surfaces and pistons/cylinders.

Comment Re:Lowest customer satisfaction rankings (Score 1) 434

And you can occasionally have a good individual experience with Comcast as well. Take for example my current Comcast connection (Denver, CO suburbs). It works. Exceptionally well; I actually get 15Mbit service and I'm only paying for what is advertised as 6Mbit (I suspect this is due to an inept service rep when I purchased service and my account is provisioned incorrectly, but we'll ignore that for the moment). I don't have packet loss, and in 4 years I can only remember one outage.

That fact doesn't outweigh the fact that overall, they suck. Prior to moving to CO 4 years ago I lived in the mid-atlantic (VA/DC/MD/DE) and had comcast in different locations over the years. It was horrible - packet loss, outages, slow speeds, etc. Every time, without exception. But I was never close enough to a CO to get DSL from Verizon except maybe one time at 768Kbps (and Verizon prior to FIOS was never interested in installing RT's in neighborhoods to extend their service area).

The point I was trying to make is that the phone companies are much like Comcast in that they operate as a local monopoly and arguably are ever only slightly better in regard to customer service. You won't ever find them at the top of the list. You're basically presented with a choice between the lesser of two evils, and 'lesser' in this case is often ambiguous.

Comment Re:Lowest customer satisfaction rankings (Score 4, Interesting) 434

Arguably, no, they don't care.

Most monopolies don't. Even in areas where they have to compete against DSL, there's only a small segment of the population that can purchase service that rivals theirs in terms of advertised speed / service. And even then ... who are they competing against? Well ... the phone company, which has a stellar reputation when it comes to customer service ...

Comment Re:Burma (Score 3, Insightful) 149

Not to mention that it's amazingly coincidental that the internet goes away days before the first elections in 20 years.

No election observers, no foreign journalists, no connection with internet. All signs point to the junta cutting off its people from the rest of the world.

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