Comment Re: Wait a sec... (Score 1) 184
Hillary. ;)
City Sued Over Smart Meter-Related Patent (chicagotribune.com) 60
New submitter wb8nbs writes: Florida patent troll Atlas LLC has filed a suit against the municipality of Naperville, Illinois (paywalled). Atlas claims infringement of their patent on wireless communication where a hub node controls remote node responses. In 2011-2013 Naperville, which owns the local electrical utility network, installed Smart Meters on nearly all customers in its serving area, a move that was bitterly opposed by a small group of residents. The Naperville Smart Meter network uses Zigbee protocol to return readings to their fiber optic collection network. The Atlas suit could have long range implications to the Internet of Things, but it appears they have sued and lost a similar case in Florida.
Comment Re:WTF? (Score 1) 390
Exactly. This isn't pre-crime, this is un-crime.
Comment Re:culture dependent (Score 1) 451
"When holidaying in Texas..."
Umm... As an American can I just say that your travel agent sucks?
Umm... As an American can I just say that your travel agent sucks?
Comment Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N (Score 1) 706
Really? Oops.
Comment Re:LOL (Score 2) 438
Sadly the ram air intake at the front of the structure does little for aerodynamics. There is too much damping material (soup meat) in the chamber to pass through cleanly to the exhaust port. Additionally, the locomotive openings are often shaped in such a way to create lift at higher velocities, thus reducing overall stability.
Comment Re:It was supposed to be Windows 9... (Score 1) 399
Thank you - came here to make sure this exact joke was made.
Comment Re:You can pry my Droid4 from my cold, dead hands (Score 1) 544
It's a Droid. It'll be cold and dead in your fingers long before the reverse is true. (former Droid 1 & 3 owner, and while I did love the keyboards I couldn't keep those things alive for more than two years)
Comment Re:Weakest US President ever (Score 1) 582
OK. You've got a beef with Obama and the current Administration. I have some issues too. That said, pretend that, for some reason you became President, what YOU would do in each of the situations that you mention. We'll wait...
Comment Re:debate? (Score 1) 278
Smoen who ignores sciecne.
Well, they may ignore the science but they're gonna be pretty screwed by climate change nonetheless.
Comment Re:n/t (Score 1) 278
I live in North Carolina (near the coast actually) and when that bit of political BS went through (as a favor to real estate and development companies) I knew that the inmates were running the asylum and common sense (ha freakin' ha) was no longer allowed in the legislature.
Comment Re:It's not a black and white decision (Score 1) 800
What I've not seen here is any mention of the concept of the vehicles communicating with each other. Isn't it conceivable that the vehicles involved could "talk it out" and identify the least harmful course of action (within whatever capabilities they have remaining to them (in the event of prior impact, mechanical failure, etc...))?
Submission + - Texas Family Awarded $2.9 Million in Fracking Lawsuit
martinQblank writes: CNN reports: A Texas family whose home was within a 2 mile radius of 22 Natural Gas wells -one of which was less than 800 feet away- has been awarded $2.9 million by a jury. The family who suffered from a variety of ailments (including nosebleeds, rashes, migraines and more) was advised by a doctor to leave their ranch immediately and see a physician specializing in environmental health.
The defendant in the case, Aruba Petroleum, disagreed with the jury's decision as did other attorneys who are familiar with the energy sector — calling in a "knee-jerk" reaction. Additionally the company noted that they had complied with all applicable environmental regulations.
The family itself? Still in favor of oil and natural gas extraction: "We are not anti-fracking or anti-drilling. My goodness, we live in Texas. Keep it in the pipes, and if you have a leak or spill, report it and be respectful to your neighbors. If you are going to put this stuff in close proximity to homes, be respectful and careful."
The defendant in the case, Aruba Petroleum, disagreed with the jury's decision as did other attorneys who are familiar with the energy sector — calling in a "knee-jerk" reaction. Additionally the company noted that they had complied with all applicable environmental regulations.
The family itself? Still in favor of oil and natural gas extraction: "We are not anti-fracking or anti-drilling. My goodness, we live in Texas. Keep it in the pipes, and if you have a leak or spill, report it and be respectful to your neighbors. If you are going to put this stuff in close proximity to homes, be respectful and careful."
Comment Re:Ethnographic field notes (Score 1) 170
To further this one bit - the batteries on my spiral notebook have NEVER died and extra pens are easy to carry and or find (read steal - if no other option presents itself) when needed.
ANECDOTE: I've got notebooks from 15+ years ago in a filing cabinet. Will they ever be useful to me? Likely not - but at least my kids will understand why I'm crazy if they bother to look through them. That said, having the last year or so's notes readily at hand can be a huge win - especially if you work on longer running projects or programs. Or, heaven help you, you have to maintain legacy products where each relevant detail is painfully pried from an unyielding source.
ANECDOTE: I've got notebooks from 15+ years ago in a filing cabinet. Will they ever be useful to me? Likely not - but at least my kids will understand why I'm crazy if they bother to look through them. That said, having the last year or so's notes readily at hand can be a huge win - especially if you work on longer running projects or programs. Or, heaven help you, you have to maintain legacy products where each relevant detail is painfully pried from an unyielding source.
Comment Re:we'll be greeted as liberators (Score 1) 452
See also: Gone
