If you knew the govt was killing Jewish people, coloured people, gays, unionists etc, ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust#Non-Jewish ) you'd think hard about adding yourself to the list, most people don't wish to be martyrs.

I agree, and that's why I use ghostery, it blocks tracking and allows any ad's that don't track.... Which seems to be none of them, but that's their problem to sort out isn't it.

There is a description box which you could put serials in to, although I don't know if that can be changed at a later date, that would be a flaw if true.

Conclusion, running linux makes you rich.

The UK police have regular bike registering events where you can take your bike and register it for free, otherwise the service is commercial and costs money ( http://www.bikeregister.com/ ).

Wiggle.co.uk simply put the serial number on the new bike check list which came with the bike, so all the customer has do do is keep that list, Can't say if other bike merchants do the same.

it's simply rewarding honest behavior.

No, it rewards blagging, it rewards *acting* honest, regardless of whether the person is actually being honest.

It also gives the police more scope than they should have, for example sometimes police will let people off for drink driving, because they get sweet-talked, that's not right and it isn't a fair system where the people best at persuasion and brown-nosing get let off.

within 5 years, the first (partially) self-driving cars will become available.

Partially self-driving cars are already common: Cruise control, ABS, traction control, parallel parking assist, lane assist, auto-braking etc.

I would expect rich people to be better informed and more likely to let others take the risk of the early technology.

I would expect the poorer countries to be more likely to allow the risk especially countries that already have atrocious road safety records - it would be easier for these vehicles to be safer than the bad drivers.

requires predicting when the majority of the world will become "developed", which may very well be never.

"developed" is an ever moving target, the poor people in developing countries already have technologies that we didn't have 50 years ago. And it is often the west that prevents countries from developing by controlling banking and allowing futures contracts.

Unlike a human, an algorithm can control the speed and breaking distance to 1 inch from the next car during an emergency stop

Unless the car in front has better brakes.

Your comment is fallacious because

is wrong. The police had other options, like shoot the tyres, shoot the engine, block the car, use spike strips, smash the windows, use bean bag guns, use taser, use pepper spray etc.

They say there was a child in the car, that child most likely just saw their mother being shot to death by police, do you really think this was the best option?

So, given the choice between disabling the car, boxing her in and arresting her or just shooting her, they shot her. How the fuck is that ok? That's called murder where I come from.

How can you 'remember' something that's pure speculation?

If this gets implemented, Slashdot will lose it's appeal, I'll lose interest and I'm not threatening to leave, I just won't like the site anymore and won't have any reason to visit.

If this goes ahead, it'll be the end of slashdot :-(

The commenting system is what makes slashdot what it is, without it as it currently is, there will be nothing here for us. We won't come here anymore.

Gut slashdot and it will die.

There are now approx' 200,000 bald eagles.

"Only nine bald eagle collisions with turbine blades have been recorded nationally" Ever?

So, what is your point?

"Of 1,428 individuals from across the range necropsied by National Wildlife Health Center from 1963 to 1984, 329 (23%) eagles died from trauma, primarily impact with wires and vehicles; 309 (22%) died from gunshot; 158 (11%) died from poisoning; 130 (9%) died from electrocution; 68 (5%) died from trapping; 110 (8%) from emaciation; and 31 (2%) from disease; cause of death was undetermined in 293 (20%) of cases."

Windmills are the least of their problems.

Man-made structure/technology Associated bird deaths per year (U.S.) :-
Feral and domestic cats : Hundreds of millions [source: AWEA]
Power lines : 130 million -- 174 million [source: AWEA]
Windows (residential and commercial) : 100 million -- 1 billion [source: TreeHugger]
Pesticides : 70 million [source: AWEA]
Automobiles : 60 million -- 80 million [source: AWEA]
Lighted communication towers : 40 million -- 50 million [source: AWEA]
Wind turbines : 10,000 -- 40,000 [source: ABC]

We know that Wind Energy is responsible for the deaths of lots of protected birds.

Wrong.

http://www.sibleyguides.com/conservation/causes-of-bird-mortality/
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/wind-turbine-kill-birds.htm

If some enlightened alien race came to earth and wiped us out after having looked at the atrocious way we treat other humans and all life on this planet, I'd understand. We don't deserve to live here.