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Comment Re:Oh no! (Score 1) 57

I dream a lot lately, too. Mine are also in color. But mine, while they contain dreamlike elements, in that some stuff usually happens that doesn't quite make sense, they're generally about pretty ordinary situations, even if things like people and locations are made-up.

As for why I have frequent dreams, I just associate it with getting good, restful sleep.

Comment Sounds highly implausible ... yet possible (Score 4, Interesting) 57

I couldn't read the full article (paywalled), but the first paragraph mentions night hags, "night mares," succubi, and incubi. These are now all believed to be historical ways of describing the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. Many people who experience this phenomenon describe the experience as terrifying. They see things like a large, shadowy figure at the end of their bed, or crawling toward them, or sitting or pressing down on their chest.

One of the causes of episodes of sleep paralysis can be chronic obstructive sleep apnea. Even if you don't experience sleep paralysis, sleep apnea can also be associated with nightmares.

You know what else is associated with sleep apnea? Stuff like heart disease, COPD, Type 2 diabetes, and even stroke. So, you know ... don't scoff. It's research.

Comment Re:I turned off notifications long ago (Score 3, Interesting) 61

I have mine mostly turned off/opted-out, too. Particularly on my phone, the only notifications that are audible are text messages, which for me are typically from actual people, or important alerts, such as when my bank completes a significant transfer of funds (such as to my landlord). Everything else is muted.

Here's the thing, though: A lot of people don't want to spend the time to prune their notifications. With so many apps and websites defaulting to sending you notifications, it becomes yet another version of mowing the lawn. (And this is probably by design.)

Comment Re:Weeding out is one of the intended roles (Score 1) 113

Weeding out is one of the intended roles of Freshman Calculus.

And what is the societal benefit of "weeding out" an entire cohort of students before they have mastered the topic? It seems to me that the primary purpose is for colleges to avoid scrutiny and duck responsibilities for some deficiencies endemic to the education system.

Comment Re:Ummmm.... (Score 1) 192

I can't think of a single other country that claims to be civilised that has a tax code so complicated you need vast amounts of software and a high-power computer just to file what is properly owed.

I think it's pretty similar in Canada, although I can't speak to the comparative levels of complexity. One reason is that, like the U.S., many powers are held by the federal government, while others are exclusive to the various provincial governments. A notable example is the provinces' ability to levy taxes in addition to federal ones. There may also be other provincial records that the federal government does not have direct access to, such as marriage records.

Comment Re:Floppy emulators (Score 2) 137

San Francisco resident here. As far as I can tell from all the various things I've read, the news surrounding this issue is badly reported based on interviews with uninformed and technically un-savvy public spokespeople.

I mean, some of the stories talk about needing to find programmers proficient in "90s-era programming languages." Which ones might those be? I'm unaware of languages that were widely used in 1998 and are completely obsolete today. I'm betting the real challenge is finding programmers proficient in C or even assembly language for embedded systems based on obsolete processors or microcontrollers. That makes sense, but the mainstream press doesn't report it that way because they can't understand it,

So I really doubt the floppy disk issue is a significant problem (and I'm even dubious of the claim that they have to boot the system from floppy disks every night). It's just a savvy PR hook to gain public support for the funding they need to upgrade the entire train control system.

Read here for an official press release from the transit agency that explains the main issue is replacing the extremely antiquated wireless communication system that the trains use now. It's a hardware and networking issue, which naturally needs entirely new control software as well, but not really anything to do with storage media.

Comment Re:And after wide straight roads with 90deg turnin (Score 1) 144

Which is interesting to contrast the approaches here, where Tesla seems to do well on highways and struggles in a city.

Two different things. Tesla only provides driver-assist technology, like you'll find in any luxury automobile these days. "Full self-driving" is a total misnomer, bordering on fraud. WAymo, on the other hand, is truly self-driving, and to do that it relies on tons and tons of mapping and telemetry data. I'm not even sure how it plans to adapt its technology to highway environments, but Tesla is nowhere close.

Comment Re:And after wide straight roads with 90deg turnin (Score 1) 144

Yeah when I have taken them in SF they worked well but I was thinking how it will feel when these are barreling down the highway at 75mph and you look at nobody in the driver seat. No reason it shouldn't work though.

I think we're still a long way from that. I'm told Waymo has been given permission to start training its vehicles on highways in California, but it has yet to do so. The company rolls its stuff out very carefully and thoughtfully, the way it needs to be.

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