Posts by Yet Another Anonymous coward

> I have put forward the idea that a vote should not be counted unless the voter can demonstrate a basic understanding of the issues.

That didn't work too well when it was the white southern sheriff who got to decide if the black voter was educated enough to vote.

Although perhaps having to pass the equivalent of GCSE civics might be a reasonable requirement for presidential candidates.

Re: And now for this...

Unfortunately at this point the electorate is so divided it won't matter.

If the dems introduced a bill for free icecream Fox simply wouldn't cover it and the 'normal' GOP vote will get 24x7 news stories about Biden's record national debt. While the 'fringe' will get told that Biden is an anagram of Stalin.

Think 1970s Belfast: No protestant voter is going to be watching the new and think "Well I disagree with their views on transubstatiation - but Sinn Fein have some very attractive policies on inward investment"

Re: And now for this...

With a republican senate nothing is going to get passed for the next two years.

The democrats are going to tear themselves apart over why they didn't win more - we need to be more progressive VS we need to support the police. The republicans will jump on this at the midterms.

Meanwhile Biden will be doing the "I'm not Trump" world tour of former allies

Re: wrong focus

Even that is politicised.

They are proposing importing timber wolves from Canada - but if they called them "Canadian Wolves" people would vote no (damn immigrant predators coming over here ....) so they are calling them "gray wolves"

Re: Cars collect some interesting data...

>Was fascinating to see differing RPMs :-)

As long as they average out in the long run - otherwise you have to manually untwist the crankshaft

Re: arguments for e-voting

>Money Laundering is an honest business?

Certainly, if you can't trust your fence - who can you trust ?

Re: Advantages of hand-marked, paper ballots

>compromising the polling place staff. And the polling place watchers. And your departments of state. And their legislative oversight. And the courts

In the USA these are often political posts. It's hard to get your head around a system where the returning officer is a political appointment by the incumbent party.

Re: Why it won't happen anytime soon

I think it's now a statistical fact that in in the USA demographics mean one party should win forever.

The other side can only win by 'strategic' use of boundaries, the electoral college and discouraging certain voters.

>What government issued ID does everyone have?

And is accepted?

It says "Martin L King" on your driving license, but "Martin Luther King Jnr" on your birth certificate = you don't get to vote

Re: Colleague of mine

Had that once on a transit through one of America's squarer states.

The security for the outgoing flight found my Leatherman and demanded to know where I had got it.

Well I obviously forget it and left it in my laptop bag

You can't have - it wouldn't have been allowed through security on the incoming flight

Ok so either they missed it, or I met my secret contact in the secure side of your airport and they gave me this deadly weapon

In the end I lost the tool , and the argument.

Re: Sadly, no international jet-settng for me

>I didn't know there was a ferry from HK island to Dublin.

It's a major part of Chris Graylings post-Brexit trade plan

Re: Sadly, no international jet-settng for me

>I used to fly frequently within the Schengen Area, .....I never got asked for ID.

Did we fight centuries of european wars for nothing ?

Was doing a system for underground mining.

Arrived at the airport in the nation's capital told security that my backpack might have explosive residue, and they took it off the belt and passed it around the scanner unchecked!

"Thanks - if it gets in the machine it tests positive for the rest of the day."

Amazing what you can get away with by being white and nerdy and wearing a corporate logo fleece jacket.

Well there is that current "Downing St" show by the people that did League of Gentleman. But it's a bit over the top

Re: Why are sockets switched?

Will admit to checking equipment here by brushing the back of ONE hand (the other safely in my pocket) - on 110V to check which wire is live.

Re: Why are sockets switched?

>I'm assuming that left-pondians do have high-amperage kettles:

No they don't. The solution is to only put one cup of water in them.

Unless you have a partner who insists on always having the kettle full of 2 litres of water

>I've lived in Germany for 20 years and never found them funny,

Possible side effect?

Re: Do I have to put my hand through the flames

Unplugging it is a job for "facilities", who have now been outsourced - so you need to fill in a request form

Over here in the land of the treasonous colonials they have the top and bottom socket in an outlet fed from different circuits. So you blow a fuse, carefully check that the socket is dead (using a known good lamp) take the cover off and get sock from the other pair of still live wires.

Fortunately their electricity is, like their beer, pitifully weak.

Re: High Pay != High Skilled

High pay = high return / scarcity (or at least that's how capitalism is supposed to work)

If each stem PhD adds lots of new income and they are hard to find = they get paid lots.

Re: 4 sides and a spare

>Far in the future I expect archaeologist will dig it up and describe it as the highest holy temple to military bureaucracy.

Including having twice as many bathrooms. One set for men and women and one set for non-people

Re: Wot, no Huawei? Not to mention...

>I guess the Pentagon decided to get rid of the NSA's backdoors.

The NSA is probably a bigger enemy to the Pentagon.

The Chinese aren't a threat to the DoD unless you start a shooting war - the NSA are a threat at the next funding round.

Re: 150,00-plus wired ethernet switches

You need one switch per user, then if they are doing something secret you can switch it off - that's why it's called a switch.

(Selling to government chapter 1)

Re: Autonomous defence

Time to join the elevator operators and strike