Posts by sjsmoto

Spaaaaace trash

I'm getting annoyed with the first stage trash that's allowed to be dumped at the bottom of the ocean like a bunch of large cigarette butts. Come on, find some way to make these things always recoverable. The more space flight happens, the more trash we'll get.

And this isn't even counting the satellite trash. Everything released into space should be built to return and be burned up in the atmosphere if it can't communicate with a ground station after x months.

"The race really is on."

Yes! That brings to mind having all of the companies' driverless cars racing together on a circular track for 500 miles to see what happens.

I don't care if the payout is only four cents per person - I want mine! I would rather get pennies than see schools crank out even more lawyers.

If it ends up breaking every bottle, I would name it BrUber.

Seems like Facebook should buy Uber or vice versa, their ethics are identical.

Reading here and on social media about the inevitability of deaths from driverless cars so we can be on our merry way to less deaths from cars is grotesque. So I'm going to rant a bit.

I agree with others who have stated that nothing less than no deaths is acceptable.

Here's my take on requirements for this thing.

1. It's my unsubstantiated guess that these cars are programmed to be in a state of "go" unless there is a good reason to slow down or stop. I would mandate the opposite - their normal condition must be "stop" unless there is a good reason to go.

2. If the software is in a situation where it cannot accurately determine what's going on, it must immediately signal the driver and begin to slow to a stop or pull over and stop until the driver takes over. Continuing on with the "thought" that it will figure out what's going on is dangerous.

3. Companies developing self-driving cars must, for a minimum of two years, equip electric golf carts with the same software and detection equipment and let them continually drive around their offices (except when recharging). If you need a number, let's say 5 golf carts per floor. Incident reports must be maintained. After a period where there has been two years of no accidents, the company will be allowed to place their software and detection equipment on a car, and let the car drive around their property (including parking lots). After a period where there has been one year of no accidents, the company will be allowed to place one of these cars on a public road. (And so on.)

4. Company executives will be personally liable for accidents and deaths from their driverless cars.

/rant

How booorrrring! He at least should be placed in a rocket aimed at the big black hole in the center of our galaxy.

A year from now:

"Uber regrets that the data it provided to TfL was entirely made up. We have put guidelines in place to ensure something like this will never happen again."

Just load him into a diplomatic mailing crate and send it to Ecuador. Or the South Pole.

I'd like malware scanners to offer the option of letting it run but allowing me to accumulate the money. Why not? If I don't notice any slowdown on my PC, I wouldn't mind letting it run for my own benefit.

From the headline I thought FB figured out how long it took people to skip their ads.

Meh. Let me know when there's a tiny Roomba for your mouth that works while you sleep.

The Roads Must Roll

Forget moving vehicles, just make the roads move.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roads_Must_Roll

This is the first time I've EVER heard of Skybell, and regardless of their case, their introduction is "Hello, we're asses."

I'd much more like wearing VR goggles that makes it look like I'm driving in Mad Max while the car is actually driving safely to the destination. THAT would be "exciting and enjoyable.”

"Our goal with the custom experience we created with Mr Robot was to engage enrage our users..."

FTFY and you met that goal.

I admit I'm confused about this Bitcoin thing. It looks like a decentralized stock to me. Who wants to get paid with a stock that can reduce or crash at any time? I'd rather get paid in real money.

I can see Uber trying to use convicts next. They'll say the front portion of the car's interior is the jail so they can make the drivers work for free.

I predict Toshiba will win their damages suit, and - just like consumers would get in a similar suit - they will be awarded a coupon good for $10 off a WDC Passbook of their choice.

"In all my years speaking up for consumers, I've rarely seen such a massive abuse of trust where so many people have no way to seek redress on their own," said Lloyd.

I guess he's never heard of Uber?

Great. Can't wait for the auto-playing 3-D ads.

I hope we can turn this mess off.

"To Uber":

1. To screw someone over and give an empty, self-serving apology;

2. To hire someone while plotting their demise at the same time (for example, with self-driving cars) and working to reduce their income (for example, with software that secretly reduces their fares).

I want any business claiming they've improved their data security and it won't happen again to store the personal bank account information for their board members and managers in this newly secured database as a way of showing their own trust in it.

Driverless car liability and responsibility are too vague to me. If it's driving in a taxi-like mode where I don't have to pay attention, why should I be liable? Or if it's driving in some kind of enhanced cruise control, am I liable if I have my hands on the steering wheel and I expected it to slow down because the manual said it's smart enough to do so, but it didn't?

"We have this idea of easily, when you reply, seeing their online status, and chat instead..."

I'm wondering about the great opportunities here for spammers. I don't need more work trying to prevent something I didn't want in the first place.

(insert pessimist icon here)

A house for apps? So basically it's a 3-D Bob?

Wife's search at work: "How to bury a body in the basement."

Put him in a cell for 10 years with someone who can't stop making knock-knock jokes.

"DeepMind has consistently said that patients’ data is safe, and will not be shared with its parent company, as well as emphasising the benefits Streams has for patients."

Something you never read: "As a way of showing their trust in its security and use, all of DeepMind's executives have added their own personal medical history into the system."

Uber should be required to show, on their app, where their former and current executives are at all times so you can go up to them and kick them in the ass.

Looks like we need an Underwriters Laboratories for checking internet connection safety in devices.

I guess it'll work

"Customers who bought Cheapy's Hot Curry Spread also bought Cheapy's 20-count Bog Rolls."

It's "Facebook" not "Factbook". Why should I expect anything on there to NOT be fake?

Management never learns

"Big Blue's representations that it was the only vendor with the type of proprietary databases capable of providing a totally integrated computer system."

That's what happens when you don't invite tech people to the sales pitch.

Will the bots get bylines? I'll want to follow those that don't mention Russian election hacking or global warming.

Step 2

Now that you're all here together, you can begin training your replacements.

We need hacker kids

Without them we wouldn't have gotten shows recorded on those old VCRs you controlled with confusing buttons on the front. Or got our car clocks reset. Or got the TV violence chip turned off.

(Insert old-fart icon here.)