There's no requirement to be a physicist other than practicing physics. To be called a Doctor, you need a doctorate, sure. But there's no such requirement for physicist like there's no degree requirement to be a manager or a programmer.

Webster defines it as: "a specialist in physics"
Oxford defines it as: "an expert in or student of physics."

So by those definitions, it could just be someone studying physics book or extremely learned in the field of physics.

This is why I don't see someone putting a ton of effort to get something on a large body like Mars. I could, however, see someone spending all kinds of money trying to lasso an asteroid made of rare/desirable ores.

It could be argued that I don't have to tell you that you will be charged for calling a number that isn't mine.

You probably don't want a 'yes' in there unless you want them recording you agreeing to something.

They're perfecting the system before putting the implants in at birth. ;)

Well shit... make it out of a million and really scare them!

Cable TV started this way too..

We've had a few of these alerts in the Ohio area and people here pretty much ignore them now. They go off in a conference room, everyone knows what it is and they just keep on doing what they were before. Most don't even read them. "Oh, another Amber alert"

It's not that people "don't care". It's that the alert isn't going to amount to anything to someone sitting on a conference or the office. I certainly don't remember what kind of car the alert mentions on my drive home let alone a license plate number.

He also didn't have a regular phone... so how did he call you? Via horse messenger or was it a shout from across the street?

What is the point of a free society if you are not free from tyranny when in public?

Wouldn't it be acceptable to put these plate scanners around high profile locations like banks/schools/etc. so that when something is reported, the cameras can then dump that data to a local alert system that places all patrol cars on alert? The problem I see is getting the hands of the authorities off those cameras unless that data is needed. Perhaps the banks and schools could retain the rights to that data until they voluntarily release it to the authorities to deal with. It would require standardization of reporting and storage. In this case, the bank would report a getaway car and the case is opened. All data collected in this case is retained for as long as the criminals are on the run. When tried and release/committed, the records could then be purged. If no incidents are reported, the data is purged in a few hours.

IMHO, 40 days is too long. The data should exist for as long as the investigation occurs. With plate scanners, that should be measured in seconds. While I disagree with plate scanning in general (people should be held to their driving habits, not their registration practices...) Holding on to that data for longer is just assuming that everyone is guilty of something and until you out what, you retain that data.

Really, it's a matter of being guilty until proven innocent. It doesn't matter if you have the registration paperwork in your car and you are coming from the BMV. If you don't have that registration on the car... guilty. It's assuming that everyone out there is trying to skirt the law and assuming they are all guilty so "scan them all". It's not about waiting until someone does something bad enough to warrant pulling them over. They can be the safest driver in the world, but holy hell... if they forget to update their registration right away they are no better than a common criminal!

The same thing we did before the Amber alert system. The Police would do their jobs and put out an APB hit the streets and keep a lookout for a specific car. Alerting an entire city and "fear mongering" is apparently only a recent event.

Search seems broken though.

http://what3words.com/ocean ... puts you out in the middle of the ocean, but the words are "readable.aahing.everywhere"
http://what3words.com/armpit+of+america ... sucks to be Battle Mountain, Nevada ... but the words there are "ledge.punks.nets"
http://what3words.com/pie ... "drama.ambulances.dice"

I can't figure out how their search works if you don't put in precisely 3 words divided by periods.