Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Comment Re:Except smart phone owners have lost their minds (Score 3, Insightful) 136

I've taken an approach of working to get rid of my smartphone. I quit most social media years ago, minus Slashdot. I've disabled or deleted all internet browsers. I'm left with a few apps that have become somewhat necessary, like texting and reminders. Uber would be a nice to have since I can't drive right now, but it doesn't work well in the area I live in and planning with a friend is a lot more reliable. There's just not enough people here. I've taken the next step, by accident, of generally carrying the phone in airplane mode. Like the old days, I can wait until I get to someplace where I have WiFi. At this point, It's more or less a dumb phone because almost all of the apps are gone. I just don't need them. With WiFi calling only, the phone element is almost back to being a land line.

Comment Re:For the auto industry, it's even worse (Score 1) 118

they just want BIG vehicles for a really stupid reason

The reason is simple: it's fun.

And I think that's a stupid reason.

....

That doesn't mean I'm okay with it.

FTFY. Whether it's fun or "stupid" is subjective. Big trucks aren't something I find fun, but I appreciate and respect the fact that others do. I personally drive a V8 powered supercar because I find it fun to drive. That's why you need to go back and have a reading session with Webster's Dictionary or dictionary.com. I'm curious if you can name something that you do and that you would call "fun". I'm sure you can come up with things that you find "interesting", but what about "fun"?

If you want to drive a large vehicle for fun, then pay for it with a carbon tax.

They already do (as do I). It's paid for via the higher gasoline taxes we pay because the vehicles get lower MPGs. We therefore buy more gas. And if you want to play the environmental card, I've got 15 solar panels on my roof and an electric bill that ranges between $0 and $16. That savings buys me a lot of gas for my supercar.

Comment Re: For the auto industry, it's even worse (Score 1) 118

Uhm, you know how buses don't have seat belts? Even school busses, as far as sitting students? And poles for on public passengers to hold on to? They're not there because they're not needed. Growing up, I was on a city bus when it was in an accident. Nobody on the bus felt a thing and nobody even knew we'd been in one. We were just wondering why the bus driver suddenly got out of the bus. Somebody got up, looked out of the front and saw that the bus driver had hit a car. We felt nothing because weight transfer matters a lot. Crumple zones are designed to absorb as many forces as possible instead of passing them on to the passengers, but weight difference matters a lot, and often a lot more. The Smart four 2 is a great example of a vehicle that has taken safety to the maximum possible and does its best to absorb accidents. Still, the vehicle is still going to get tossed into the next county if it's hit by anything bigger than a moped. Look up the test runs Mercedes did with it (Smart is a Mercedes brand). The passenger compartment stayed intact, but the car was flung so far that Poland thought it was the opening shot of another German invasion.

Comment Re:HI! No. (Score 1) 118

Among the things I did like in the EU were the bamboo forks. They seemed wasteful to a degree, but they are biodegradable and they were a lot more rigid than some of the plastic silverware given to you in a to-go box or fast food restaurant that you end up having to throw away anyway because they're so flimsy they're useless.

Comment Re:You are not understanding the problem (Score 0) 118

The Nazis tried that. It didn't work out well for the passengers. Too many died on the train ride, and forget about the destination. The showers were terrible, the rooms and meals were free, but otherwise the place felt like a death camp. And before you go all woke on me, my father and fiance are Jewish.

Comment Re:Hello, Private (Score 1) 118

Midwest Express tried this formula and until 9/11, and did quite well with it. The entire aircraft was 2 leather seats on each side of the isle and tons of leg room. It was more or less the classic airline experience, not the "let's pack them in as tightly as we can" experience. Midwest express had a hard time making a comeback because of 9/11 and the overall decline in air travel. As far as my general experiences, when I head to Europe, I'll always go Business or First traveling there. The flights are always overnight and I want to at least have a chance of getting some sleep on the way over. (Hint: once they're closed, do not open the windows. Once they're opened, it's daylight outside and you'll never get back to sleep.) Also, I can sleep in the lay-down seats. I can't sleep in coach, even with help from sleeping meds. Coming back is always daytime and all I need is a chair, so coach it is.

Comment Re:Yay.. (Score 1) 57

Friggin tag not closing properly.

I don't even blame Tesla too much for going for minimalism in its initial design/quote?

Are you talking the original sports car or the Model S? The latter wasn't minimalistic, it was a complete ripoff of a Mazda design.

Comment Re:Yay.. (Score 1) 57

I don't even blame Tesla too much for going for minimalism in its initial design/quote? Are you talking the sports car or the Model S? The latter wasn't minimalistic, it was a complete ripoff of a Mazda design.

Comment Re:Yay.. (Score 1) 57

For you a car is just a tool. For others, they can be status symbols. For others still, if you get the right car and drive it on the right roads, they're unbelievably fun to drive.

Slashdot Top Deals

Build a system that even a fool can use and only a fool will want to use it.

Working...