They'll try to say that it's only AI that's providing the monitoring and filtering. They'll conveniently omit the part about the AI training itself on your kid's dick pics.

The solar compatible meter does a couple of things. First, it allows solar generated power to go back to the grid if on-site usage is below generated power levels. Second, it communicates with the utility company so they can manage the entire grid. Third, I *think* it both prevents consumer-generated power from leaking onto the grid during outages, and notifies the utility that there is on-site power generation. The last point is critical for safety - If your house is "hot" during an outage, that power can't be permitted to leak onto the grid otherwise it would be extremely hazardous to workers that are restoring service.

The balcony solar kits are supposed to monitor grid power and they're supposed to shut off the power if grid power goes out. That's a lot of *should*. A certified solar compatible meter and panel solves that part of the problem, but it's stupidly expensive due to the regulatory requirements for permits and electricians to do the work. A homeowner can't simply ask the utility company to put in a solar meter. There's more to it and it makes the costs skyrocket.

I've started getting ads in my area (southern california) for "legal" balcony solar add-on kits. Under 2KW systems that as you say, just plug into a socket. Unfortunately they still require the solar meter which requires permits and an electrician, all of which is several times the cost of the actual balcony solar kit.

For an owner like me with a regular meter and panel, I can't just buy one of those kits. I'd have to get the meter and panel modified first. And that's very expensive.

Yes, it'll just become mandatory with credit card or ID age verification even for free accounts.

I foresee almost all online services requiring an age verification (the kind everyone hates when porn services use it) and then an age tiered product being offered. I could easily see a 2 or 3 tier youtube, for example.

Tier 1 would be full adult access no different than today.

Tier 2 would be very limited youth access, utilizing big data to identify when kids are trying to cheat by using multiple accounts. This would have both content and time limits, but the content filters would be fixed based on the most restrictive criteria.

Tier 3 would be "premium" youth, unlocked with a subscription of course. It would by default permit both the restricted youth content, but also educational content that might have otherwise been automatically blocked by the generic tier 2 standard (things like biology class videos, current event discussions, etc). It could also have parental controls that permit modification of usage time limits and various filter settings to allow or block content such as "biology", "politics", "violence", "religion", etc.

They could monetize the crap out of this, especially since many school districts have standardized on google classroom and you can't block youtube without also blocking google classroom, which can't possibly be an accident. Schools using google classroom would have to pay an additional premium to first authorize registered students into the age restricted service tier, and then they'd have to pay AGAIN to unlock educational content that would be somehow mysteriously blocked under the free tier 2 service.

I hate to say it but until it can install solar onto an expensive "100 year" tile roof that is somehow also extremely fragile, I can't be bothered. My stupid 100 year tile roof would cost over $80,000 to replace, and "market rate" maintenance is about $150 PER TILE.

Until solar can be safely installed on THAT kind of roof (very common in my area), it's just something that other people do.

I'm interested in "balcony solar" since apparently it's kind of legal now in more areas, but I don't have the correct meter and installing a solar meter would cost 4x what a top of the line balcony solar kit would cost. If the utility would install a solar meter and associated panel hardware/wiring for free, I'd max out balcony solar tomorrow. As it is, there's zero payout ever due to the up front costs and outdated regulatory hurdles.

Can that robot install a solar-rated power panel and meter? That would be useful.

I've read the book already and I'm re-reading it prior to going to see the movie. The book has about as much "real" science as any Asimov or Heinlein or Pournelle book, and meshes that fairly seamlessly to the "what if" science and plot portions of the book.

My big challenge is to see if I can get my kids to read the book before going to see the movie, and if I can get them to do that while it's still showing in IMAX.

Some areas would need additional legislative work to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles. For example, where I live in California the physical installation of the solar panels requires multiple permits and a structural engineering design, review, and approval process. You can't simply prop some panels up on a flat roof, balcony, or in the back yard because of California's permit-based approach to public safety on private property. A required portion of the balcony solar legislation involves getting approval for installation and use without requiring main panel and meter upgrades/replacement, because that work could cost several times the cost of the actual solar equipment. But the panel mounting itself also needs legislative relief from the existing permitting requirements. A homeowner *should* be allowed to put 4-6 panels pretty much anywhere they want and however they want, but again the engineering design, review, build, inspection, approval permitting process is prohibitively expensive and again can be far more expensive than the actual solar equipment.

Turnabout fair play? Create "uncomfortable" videos using the likeness of the creators of these copyright violating vids. See how they react to hundreds or thousands of fake videos portraying them doing all sorts of things or participating in all sorts of activities.

Lofting the orbit isn't nearly ambitious enough. NASA (Congress) should fund a robust spacex mission to replace/update failed or obsolete systems, and get even more useful life out of the telescope for a fraction of what it cost the last time it was serviced.

But will they release a new iPhone SE? I still want a phone that fits into my pocket.

Is it just me or does it seem like the article consistently used the word "profit" when they mean "revenue"? They're confusing the whole subject by talking about how record profits are ruined by expenses, but profit is what you get after you take expenses out of revenue. Bad AI article, or an author who doesn't really understand how P&L works?

Hopefully this will add incentive for laptop manufacturers to shift back away from soldered-on RAM and offer at least one memory upgrade socket. That way they can ship whatever is affordable now, and market permitting a user can upgrade later on if/when the memory prices are more reasonable.

If all they continue to offer is non-upgradable configurations, people are going to pass on buying new laptops and just keep using older upgradable hardware they already have or can buy refurbished. I already kind of do this myself, but when I do splurge on a new laptop I always get one with upgradable components like main storage and RAM. I'm already grumpy that almost nobody makes laptops with upgradable wifi adapters anymore, but there are still some that have easily upgraded SSDs and RAM. Those are the ones that get my money and I think they'll be more attractive to more people now.

Really, sink a completely full oil tanker? Who's gonna clean that up?

Board and confiscate, yea that might work if anyone has the courage to try it. Sink? Um. Nope. Too much environmental damage doing it that way.