So people were actually stranded because they couldn't get into their cars because their keyless fobs wouldn't work? The driver's door should at least have a keyed lock.

The article said people actually had their cars towed to the dealership because they couldn't unlock them, so I'm disinclined to this this is operator error, but a really bad design by asshat engineers. At least the article gives us a clue as to which car companies to avoid in the future: "Cars made by Ford, Lexus, Toyota, BMW and Mercedes were reportedly affected."

My person opinion, no. Automatic fire isn't really that much more dangerous. It's just scarier.

Automatic fire really only has one useful function, and that's for fire suppression. Other than that, it's a big waste of ammo. In fact, while the first version of the M16 could fire fully automatic, I believe the military found this to be a waste of ammo and today's version of the M16s (now called the M4) have a "burst" mode (3 rounds per trigger pull).

I don't think banning semi-automatics would solve much. With just a little bit of practice, one can fire a pump/level/bolt action firearm very quickly. Limiting the the magazine capacity is also another way to "slow down" a shooter, but in reality re-loading doesn't take that long with practice.

An ArmaLite 15 (AR-15) is not an assault rifle. It's a semi-automatic (which means, one trigger pull = one bullet, and the rifle automatically loads another round for you without you having to manual use a pump, lever, or bolt mechanism to load it yourself) rifle than shoots a relatively, albeit incredible fast, small rifle round. Commonly, it can be describe as a varmint rifle.

An assault rifle is normally a rifle that has full auto capabilities (one trigger pull = more than one bullet), firing a small intermediate-sized rifle round. This would include the military version of the AR-15, the M16, as well as the AK47.

Yes, both the M16 and AR-15 look similar, which is why people like yourself can't tell the difference. But, they are not the same gun (despite what the media wants you to think). The AR-15 might look black and scary, but they do come in pink with hello kitty stickers if that's more your style.

For those that didn't get it, it's a quote from Star War Episode 1. The answer is "invasion".

Nothing like security through obscurity.

That would have been awesome back in middle school! I would surely have made it onto the A team then.

This would be great on bridges!

If you want electronic ear plugs that do the same thing as Shooters' earmuff, be prepared to spend a bit more money than $50 to $100. Still, to get a pair of custom molded ear plugs made, it'll only will cost you between $100 to $200, and that's just for simple ear plugs. You add in the electronics and the price will go up a bit (around $50 to $500 depending on what you're getting). Hearing aids aren't much different than these "off-the-shelf" ear plugs, they're just a bit more sophisticated since they can be tuned by a audiologist to address each individual person's needs.

I had a set of custom ear plugs made a couple years ago at a motorcycle shoe and each pair was $55. Quite the bargain. Just recently, I had another set of custom ear plugs made that come with Noise Brakers and those set me back $120 or so directly from manufacturer (they're local to me, so I just stopped by their building).

Do I think hearing aids actually cost $2000 a pair? Absolutely not. So why are they so expensive then? I believe it's due to a serious lack of competition. Most people who get hearing aids are probably getting them through their insurance company or the VA, so costs are a minimal concern to them as they only have to pay their co-pay or deductible. But if you want to buy them direct yourself, the prices are outrageous and most people will just forgo them and suffer in silence. On a whim about a month ago, I went to a Sonus Hearing store and asked how much they charge for earplugs and they wanted $150 just for the impressions! Plus, I would still have to pay whatever the cost was to have the actual earplugs made. Who do they charge so much? Because they can.

Yikes! Thanks for the post. I also have a MyTouch 4G Slide and I was wondering about this. Luckily I only open and use the physical keyboard maybe once a month. I use the Swype soft-keyboard for pretty much everything except for those few occasions.

Back when I drank coffee, I discovered the delights of a french press. The coffee was so much smoother and delicious compared to coffee made with the drip-method. Amazing. Cold brew was also really good too if you like strong, bitter coffee.

Unfortunately, I had to give up caffeine about 16 months ago. I was getting really bad heart palpitations when I worked out (mostly likely PVST). Getting rid of caffeine eliminated 99% of my episodes. I get them once in a while, but now it's due to adrenaline.

The side-benefits of not drinking caffeine have been pretty amazing: I don't wake up tired anymore, I don't get sleepy in the afternoon, I generally feel better all the time. Plus, when I do need to stay up late (i.e. driving late at night), a little bit of caffeine has a huge effect on me now.

You've got some wonderful shots of Portland there. Very nice!

I'm going to have to say no.

Based in 2012 dollars, Microsoft's 1999 value of $619 billion would be equivalent to $851 billion today. Apple still has quite a ways to go.

It's been pretty cool here in the Pacific Northwest all year. In fact, we just had our first day above 90 degrees last Saturday here in Portland.

Oblig: http://xkcd.com/1088/