The hell? I dunno why, but that post above was mine, dunno why it got posted as "anonymous." (must have clicked the checkbox accidentally)

To save everyone the bother:

http://m.xkcd.com/605/

Another tip: xkcd comic usually get a transcript (which helps as an explainer) after a day or two.

Can I get a Tank too? I am not picky, though I wouldn't mind a nice little Sherman :D

IIRC, they *did* blend an iPhone, I think it was a diversion from blending a crowbar...

Have you *looked* at Mario's stats?

It's called Push to talk, I believe:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push-to-talk

My dead-beat nokia feature phone has it coded in, but no surprise it is not carrier supported.

The Hell, that's totally different. So they have a Persian-nisation program, even the French( and Quebecois) have French-ification program and regularly ban non french words from the vocabulary. like banning "email" and insisting it be called "courriel".

But just like the average Pierre on the web doesn't give a fuck what Academie francaise says, no one in iran will give a hoot about what to call pizza. You are making a mountain out of a molehill, bring non-issues in such discussions.

PS. "elastic loaves" makes sense in persian, since that's a rather awkward translation of much more normal persian words. Heck Elastic is a very bad though literal translation. Taking a guess, based on similarities of our dietary culture, they probably differentiate breads made from refined flour, which you call cake/pastry flour, which makes bread more "elastic" than the non-refined variety. My dad recalls there were like atleast 15 different variety of breads, and the pizza dough probably resemble the bread that is made from the "elastic" flour.

Then the Persian grammar nazi barged in and insisted that it *be* named similar to that bread, as the French probably looked on in approval.

I am sorry, but WHAT THE FUCK?

My dad was was posted in Tehran for two years, and and he regularly ate pizza like once a month. I would take you seriously if you weren't spouting such craziness. I mean, where did you *even* get this sort of silly ideas from?

Also beard length and and the insufficiently muslim thing(what does it even mean, anyways?) is Taliban-run Afghanistan, My dad recalls that plenty of men were clean shaven in Tehran, and he had no trouble buying razors.

Seriously people, Iran is not North Korea; heck not every third-world country is the same variety shitness, there is a gradient.

Look, if you want me to take you seriously, stop spouting "infidel" like an ignorant berk.

You may recall, there was a child labour scandal about footballs in Sialkot. The Companies reacted by implementing harsh penalties for child labour, and that was that. Or was it?

You see, while indeed there was child labour involved, it was still preferable to the alternative. It was quick clean work, nothing more dangerous than needle tip, which was easily remedied by a thimble. There was no dangerous chemicals involved, no dangerous work place environment. People used to pick up the materials from the factory, stitch them at home, and return the finished goods next day.

Since it was at home, there was no risk of exploitation, and it was a flexible schedule, which meant that people had the time *and* the money to actually go to school. Women could also join in, without fear of social ostracization. All family members with a free hand could join in, even if they were otherwise immobilised.

Now, however, things are different. People must go to factory grounds, and have age verification. This means that suddenly, a large part of the workforce is unable. Therefore, either they must find other jobs, or be unemployed. The other main industry in Sialkot is leather, and I don't need explain just how bad a tannery is.

Even worse, kids who used to support their education with football money are now left with a job *or* schooling. House wives are now unable to travel to distant factories. People are angry that they are being denied good, clean jobs. Football stitching doesn't pay enough as a main job, but as an extra income, it was invaluable.

I am sure the west was assuaged of the guilt of child labour, but that means that 15 year olds in sialkot are now left with nothing to do.

Sorry, I am not an engineer, so I can't answer this, but as I understand, the CNG running engines don't provide enough *power* on steep climbs, so cars have to switch over to petrol for the climbing portion, then switch back to the cheaper CNG for gentler slopes. Also, AFAIK, it isn't possible to do a diesel/CNG hybrid, and Bigger cars (~2000 cc plus engines) usually don't benefit from CNG.

The point was CNG has already explored these frontiers, and have developed technology to render this commercially feasible.

More specifically, I was referring to the Pump-end of the equation; CNG stations cover about the same area as normal petrol station, and have an automated setup for compression, *cooling*, storing and dispensing gas at the pump; this is *not* a new or difficult thing to do, as americans presume, and you are not to blame, you have most likely not seen CNG pumps in action, so setting up a small commercial gas setup must seem like an awkward proposal, where as it is not.

Oh of course, air would be different, but it's not *entirely* a new setup, they have CNG as a base. Also, apparently MDI already have that end figured out.

At the engine end, yes, the setup is *much* more diverse than CNG, but then again this is why MDI hasn't released a product for ten years; not because they are vapour-ware (ha!) they might as well be, but because they have gone through four different engine designs to counter this problem.

----

Basically, I (and I think I can say the same for Tata Motors) can see value in this setup for tiny daily commute cars. I think this would be feasible for Auto-Rickshaw type of setups.

Here is some some quick responses.

1- No, running around in car with gas full of high pressure tank is the not the end of the world, people (including yours truly) do it with CNG enabled cars.

2- As for compression/decompression energy losses, same as for CNG, you need to cool it it blah blah, and is done so on a commercial scale at every CNG station; therefore can be done.

3- CNG suffers from power problems on steep climbs, same seems to be the case for air. But for regular commute, it's perfect and economical.

4- Air car suffer from low power density (much lower than CNG), but AFAIK, a full tank can last you the usual daily commute, which ought to be enough for a small city car. (which is what it will be able to power anyway, can't carry the load of bigger cars as of yet) And you could charge at work too(regular mains-running onboard compressor apparently take 3-4 hrs), so there is that.

5- MDI realised that air alone won't be enough, so they have been developing hybrid versions themselves.

TL;DR Air could prove to be good for the usual regular commute, since fuel costs will be minimum (air is free, all it will cost is running the compression and pump, which, looking at local CNG setups, will prove to much less than petrol equivalent, if commercially done)

Here is some aircar nerd sites:

- http://www.aircars.tk/

- http://www.cyber-media.com/aircar/index.shtml

(I would take their figures with a grain of salt, but well, the video shows running prototypes, so at least there is *something*)

Yes we are!

GIBE MOAR GREEN CARDS!

Seriously, our hatred of the west ends immediately the moment an option for us to immigrate there becomes available. We are such hypocrites...

Look, generalisations are okay when we have no info, but we should not forget that beyond those broad strokes exist people who have normal lives, and are more concerned with making sure they don't freeze the night rather than, say, cursing all those heathen infidels to death.

I didn't learn this lesson either, until I had spent five years in Kenya; that's when I realised that there is more to those people then being merely a stereotypical bunch of backward savages whose sole purpose is to lose against us in cricket. I would never have imagined that they would teach me to speak better English than my country men, for example, and certainly not that they would give me my passion for reading so strongly that I cannot resist reading the label of cans.

I was pissed then, that my dad was forced to a crappy posting in Nairobi, but now, looking back, I think that was the best possible thing that could have happened to us. I no longer think of people a bunch of generalisations, not after having witnessed my preconceptions being so thoroughly trashed.

I know not every one can visit every place to learn it's background, but in this day and age of Wikipedia and internet resources, I highly encourage people to just take a tumble through webpages at random, and discover a new culture everyday.

For example, recently on reddit, some one was asking for advice about getting out, and I correctly guessed that he was from Mauritius. He was naturally surprised and assumed that maybe I was from there, but actually, I had gone on a info dip on Mauritius on a lark, and therefore I could connect the dots in his comment.

I highly suggest every one to do the same; to sprout out ignorant statements, in this day and age of knowledge access, would be a miserable shame.