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Comment Re:This is just a shallow form of marketing... (Score 5, Interesting) 53

We have one of these in our home. It was a housewarming gift. It's not connected to the Internet, but still displays art. The frame matches the other items surrounding it on the wall. It brightens and dims as the light changes. It's also a really good TV. We love everything, except that there is an external box that required we install a flush-mount box behind the TV to hide the wiring and keep the illusion of "art".

Comment Re:This is called (Score 1) 82

(snip)China has always required a visa, but now they're expanding their visa-free list and we're not on it.

 

FWIW, China offers a "travel without visa" for USA citizens for up to 10 days. I benefitted earlier this year when it was new. Other than Shanghai passport control needing to review their new rules (I guess I was among the first) it was simple and painless.

Comment Re:I support this (Score 1) 53

I do support this bill for a simple reason: You sign for service X for 2 years. After 6 months, the service is degraded for any reason, or the company decides to alter something that makes the service less valuable to you. It makes sense to have a clear picture, and a cap on costs, so I can decide the cost of 'betting' that this company will be able to offer consistency over the period of my contract.
I understand that the businesses like to know their future income to plan things ahead, but as a customer you have little protection in the quality of the service changes, and you don't feel like a battle with the mandatory arbitration company of their choice.

I generally support consumer protections, though California already protects against situations like you mention: if the service degrades, or the company makes an alteration, you have recourse to cancel. To add to your protection, put the recurring charge on a credit card and the CC company will go to bat for you.

Comment Re:Resonate with customers (Score 1) 79

Having been on the autobahn a lot there's no cruising comfortably at 155. There's wildly switching between smashing the accelerator and smashing the brake. That's on a good day. On a normal day it's mostly plodding along at 40 stuck in traffic.

The autobahn is *AT BEST* describable as short bursts of high speed driving.

If you say so. My time there in the south of Germany (near Ramstein) my brother in law and I were buzzing around 200km/hr between cities. Sure, we slow down _quickly_ as the towns approach but the left lane was moving fast... and we weren't the fastest!

Comment Re:4 v 6 v 8 (Score 0) 79

4 is efficient. 6 is smooth. 8 is loud. All can make lots of power with turbos and more with hybrids.

And they all suck compared to evs.

My other car has 8 cylinders and is quieter... much quieter... than my 6. Both were tuned for comfort. Oh, and both are quieter than those silly alien spaceship sounding EVs. Explain that?

Comment Re:Resonate with customers (Score 1) 79

The AMG badge typically meant you either had a tuned V8 or even V12. And it wasn't for drag racing or making noise. It meant you wanted to cruise comfortably at 155+ on the autobahn.

They days you can do that with a not particularly advanced six, or a high end four. Modern four cylinder engines make over 400HP with turbocharging, and an engine with 300HP is more than enough to do speeds like that. The idea that you need a V8 or V12 to cruise at 155 is nonsense. (The four would be loud, but a good straight six would be fine, and since hoods are getting longer again there's room.)

I presume we're talking mph and not kph. My V-6 matched to an 8-speed sounds overly loud at the legal limit of 80mph. I can't imagine listening to that thing at 155mph for any length of time... at least not in any "comfortably cruising" sense.

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