This tech doesn't replace insurance inspectors, it replaces insurance inspectors on ladders. Keep in mind the flight time of a typical small UAS equipped for aerial photography/inspection is 10-20 minutes. The inspector brings it to the claim site, flies it over the object of interest (roof?) and combines the aerial photos with those he takes from the ground. And the inspector needs to be trained to fly and maintain the UAS properly. Not exactly a plot to put insurance inspectors out of work.

A standard drone prop, running at speed, is functionally equivalent to a razor blade if you encounter it the wrong way (I have a scar on my finger to remind me).

Quote: "I've never heard thematic before. Did you make it up?" Nope. According the the on-line dictionary of acronyms, in addition to "Continential United States", other meanings are: "Contiguous United "and "Contermonus United States". All mean the same thing.

CONUS = Continental United States, i.e. "the lower 48 states"

Come on folks... You can talk about the "far" side of the moon or the "other" side, but remember that the far side is no darker than the near side.

Living in Los Angeles (near Hollywood), I have gotten the impression that the typical split on a movie ticket is 50% for the distributor/studio and 50% for the theater owner. Blockbuster films with an exceptional draw get a bigger percentage for the studio while films that are second run or have been out for a while give more to the theater. Without a doubt, the profit margins are better on the concessions, but to say the theater makes "next to nothing" on the tickets is a misconception.

Recording HD video on a Quadcopter for later transfer after landing (using a Hero camera for example) is much easier than sending HD video back to the operator in real time from 3 miles away. In fact an HD video link with a range of more than 100 feet is not a hobby-level device. I would expect the military version to be encrypted as well (our guys don't want the other guys to see what we are looking at).

Re: Real estate taxes... Renters DO pay real estate taxes. Usually indirectly; the taxes are just a component of the property operating expenses that are figured in when determining what the minimum possible rent is for a "Gross" lease. In a "Net" lease, the taxes are identified explicitly and paid IN ADDITION to the basic rent. In both cases, the property owner gets the tax deduction against rental income. In the case of a business rental (rather than a residential rental), the business owner deducts the entire rent from their gross income as a business expense. Les