Yeah, I usually get killed off pretty quickly in Call of Duty too. Campers aren't really liked all that much and I haven't found any good camping spots yet.
So much fail. In my experience, World of Warcraft has destroyed more relationships than Call of Duty has. If you are more interested in playing a game than dating or spending time with your significant other, then it really doesn't matter whether you are playing CoD or Whirly-word.
Of course, I suspect, WoW has also brought folks together as well. Games can be highly social events... I just can't wait to hear what the media will think of an OASIS like full immersion game system.
the very last thing you should be talking about is confidential and privileged matters
I try to follow that advice when talking on the phone anyway ... especially now that I am pretty certain that my phone calls are being listened to by the NSA anyway. I've been known to say stupid stuff on the phone as a joke, but figuring some of that may already be in some record somewhere, I figure I'll fly low to keep from ending up on a watch-list or a no-fly-list.
Which is why I said you need to appropriately time the yellows. If the light is turning red while a car is still in the intersection, then either the light or the car is doing something wrong.
Understood, however, in California, CVC 21453 states that a driver cannot enter the intersection if they are facing a red light. I have not checked the laws in other states, but I am sure there are a couple atleast that have the same laws. In California, if any part of the vehicle is already in the intersection when the light turns red, then they can legally traverse the intersection. Thus, the car may be doing something wrong, but at least in California it isn't being unlawful. Thus, at least in California, shortening the yellow light prevents the driver from stopping in time, but so long as they enter the intersection before the light turns red, they need time to get through the intersection before the other cars run into them. Most people wait a few seconds for the intersection to clear, but like speeders, there are folks that take off the moment the light turns green. Having all ways red for a few moments would allow the intersection to clear.
That's backwards. At higher speeds, traffic is less able to stop quickly, and safety is more important. But with appropriately timed yellows, two seconds should be plenty for the all-way red.
At 25 mph, if you enter an intersection on a yellow light, how long does it take to proceed through the intersection? At 50 mph, how long does it take to proceed through the intersection?
You really think that most speed limits are set based on average speeds? Come on. If that were the case, the speed limits would go up every time they measured. Nobody drives on roads BEFORE they have a speed limit, and that speed limit itself is going to influence how fast some drivers go.
Based on my knowledge and experience, yes, that is the case. They do use formulas, and often the initial speed is based on this, but I've seen speed limits change on a number of roads, and talking with friends in the community in other states, they've seen the same. A road right down the street from me switched from 40 to 50, and another from 35 to 30 based on traffic surveys. There are many factors which go into selecting a speed limit for a road, but often it is based on an average.
While that may not be true for all states, my understanding is that part of the traffic survey for determining a speed limit is based on an average speed limit of drivers driving on the road.
The California Department of Transportation has a nice document discussing how this is accomplished in California: http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/traffic/Realistic-Speed-Zoning.PDF. Googling speed limit survey produces a number of applicable hits as well, across the gamut of states. If you have a document which points out I am wrong on this, please feel free to post it here so I can stand corrected.
So, in your eyes, the occasional traffic accident that results in a complete shutdown of the road for 45 minutes to an hour is more important than 15 seconds. I am glad you aren't a traffic engineer.
Sure, 15 seconds may be too long, depending on the road conditions (the slower the traffic, the longer the delay will have to be.) A competent traffic engineer, using safety as the guide, should set the lights appropriately.
Do you get a lot of senior citizens and blind/deaf people running into traffic where you're from?
Yes. So much so that the city put up signs saying "Warning, Senior Citizens Center, please slow down" and "Deaf People Near." With senior citizens, you tend to have folks who aren't completely in control of their mental facilities, and they sometimes run out in front of cars.
I'd argue that more than simple law enforcement the problem would be solved if a few steps were taken forward.
Having law enforcement officers, instead of contractors who are paid from the proceeds would be a much better solution to the problem. A person going two miles more than the speed limit can be dangerous, depending on the road conditions, but it is doubtful in all but a very limited number of situations. Hell, most people don't have accurate speedometers, so even traffic officers give people some leeway (usually about 5mph.) There is no way a traffic camera, or a contractor sitting miles away after the fact can determine the conditions of the road based on looking through a soda straw.
One would be to increase the speed limit at least large, well conserved roads and places where this is feasible
The speed limit is usually set by the traffic engineers (who aren't law enforcement officers,) who usually base it on an average of the speeds over a set period of time. This doesn't take into consideration the conditions of the road at any particular time. Thus, during rush-hour, the speed limit on the road may be dangerously high, while at other times where the road is free and clear, the speed limit might be too low. To get around this, most states have "hedge" speed-laws which state that you should only go as fast as a reasonable person would, given the conditions of the road. Much harder for a police officer to prove than a simple number, but in many ways, much safer.
and the second would be an educative campaign.
Nail hit squarely on the head on this one. But the education must be based on reality. All too often, the education they offer is based on the same talking points the MPAA uses for "streaming movies..." They don't like it, so nobody should do it. Most people who speed know very well why they are doing it, and know the risks. However, they likely ignore risks or genuinely don't know all of them. The reason the speed limit on a certain road is set to 25 mph may be because senior citizens or blind/deaf people live in the area, and 25 mph gives plenty of room to stop if one of them should happen to run out in front of traffic. The guy going 35 mph may not realize this (or maybe they are driving an expensive car, are rich, and don't care.)
As for red lights allowing better reaction time (ie: NOT decreasing the yellow light) would greatly reduce any issues. But that's not in the best interests of the Govt and the corporations behind the sheme, is it?
The best way is to go all-way red for a period of time, say 15 seconds, then switch to green. I've actually seen this used quite effectively on the intersection a couple blocks from my house, which is near a fire-station. When the fire-truck is running down the street with its lights and sirens on, the intersection becomes all-way-red (well, usually except the way the truck is going, so cars can get out of its way,) and everyone has plenty of time to stop. Once the truck goes through the intersection, the lights switch to green again and traffic moves normally. I am not sure why this hasn't caught on, but I am sure it has something with the best interests of the corporations.
In other words, copyright should work like it used to: you must register your work to get copyright protection, and you can search the list of registrations.
Along with a periodic (yearly) property tax/tax on sales to help manage the system, I'm good with this. The property/sales tax would prevent copyright works with little or no commercial value from being locked up indefinitely because the owner is too much of a moron to properly sell the work. We can even offer them a reasonable amount of time, tax free, like say 17 years, before they have to start paying. Considering the average work disappears from the market in less than 17 years, that seems pretty reasonable.
With the center of the internet users bell curve moving up in age. The average "14 year old basement dwelling social misfit" is actually mid to late thirties at this point.
"twentysomethings who haven't talked to the opposite sex in five or six years"
What I find absolutely amazing in this statement is that it is entirely male chauvinistic in the workplace. He does realize that the workplace is co-ed now or is he so entirely out of touch that he doesn't realize that there are very few places out there that are entirely men or women only (and most of those places were, until recently, in the military.)
Now I realize he is talking about intimacy, but come on...most of the twentysomethings out there work in fields where there are men and women working, and talking together on a daily basis.
an imaginary entity would take a dim view of killing other imaginary entities.
I don't know, last time I heard that imaginary entity had god mode turned on. Its like the invincible scorpion in Serious Sam if you pirate the game...kinda hard to kill an imaginary entity with god mode turned on (and when you have god mode on yourself, you just sit there until you both run out of ammo.)
John, it wasn't her bank. It was her neighbor's bank.
I use a credit union, but if bank shows up to clear out my house, and they aren't my loan servicer, I am not sure how me using a credit union is going to save me from them.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ah, Mike the "economist" defending "virtual" money.
Have we forgotten the petrodollar? Dollars are a commodity in and of themselves.
Yes, but if the US wasn't there to force the use of US dollars based on the Saudi's fear of Isreal, someone else would do the same with their currency. Canada and the European Union both have done similar.
And a correlation/counter-argument to that is that drug cartels in other countries also use dollars for currency, despite their "illegal" activities and without involvement (that we know of) of the US Government. They chose to use dollars because they are of more value than the currency of their homeland, maybe due to stability, but maybe also due to the fact that most of their money comes from the US and thus is easier to hide their illegal profits.
Re: Re: Re: Ah, Mike the "economist" defending "virtual" money.
This is untrue, the Unites States has an enormous military and even a giant nuclear arsenal backing its currency.
Maybe, but that doesn't account for all the other currencies in the world that currently have more confidence than the dollar. The Japanese Yen is even stronger than the dollar at the moment, and the Japanese have, for the most part, sworn off nuclear arsenals due to some particularly bad nuclear incidents in their past (and I am not talking about the Fukushima incident.)
I pretty much agree with AC on this one...people are willing to recognize bills and coins as currency, just as they are willing to recognize bitcoin and even barter systems. The fact that the US military and arsenal is backing its currency may add favor to using it over other systems, but it certainly isn't necessary since many other places in the world use other currency not backed by military or arsenals.
Gold is a rare and fairly useless metal, except that it looks pretty.
Gold is an entirely useful metal, just not as a currency. It is highly resistant to corrosion, and it is a strong conductor. It resists acids far better than other metals. Its anti-corrosive/anti-acid capabilities make it highly valued in dentistry. And it is fairly soft, which makes it useful for applications where other metals are just too hard or brittle. It is also highly useful in shielding, as it reflects infrared radiation, which is why gold shielding is used on satellites.
Heck, some musicians wind up complaining that no one wants to hear their new stuff. All because the audience wants the artist to play what they grew up listening to.
I'd agree for the most part with classic bands, though I've been to quite a few concerts where the band played a number of "new" songs and a number of their classic hits, and I didn't feel cheated. (Incidentally, for those bands, I started listening to their new music after hearing them play it in the concert.) A musician who has CwF:RtB usually has nothing to fear...their fans love them and will be a little more forgiving.
Thanks for this explaination. Failure to appear over a damn criminal traffic ticket?!? Sounds to me that we have become One Nation Under Arrest.
In most states, there are three levels of "crime", four if you include municipal code infractions (which are sometimes treated with fines and sometimes treated as misdemeanors.)
Infractions, such as your speeding ticket, which is punishable by a fine; Misdemeanors, which are crimes whose punishment may be a fine and/or time in jail not to exceed 1 year; and Felonies, which are crimes whose punishment will may be over 1 year. Crimes tend to be put into these categories based on seriousness of the crime, the amount of damage it causes to others, and/or the mindset of the state senator/assemblyman who put the law forth as a bill (thus really stupid crimes like "hacking" end up being felonies, even if the hacker's only intent was to explore, and damage was minimal and usually just affected a company that should have spent more on securing their stuff.)
However, one thing the justice system hates the most is people who don't do what they want them to do, which is why bench warrants and other stuff exist, to keep due process working.
However, while technically right, your cop was a little bit of an asshole. You were being arrested because you failed to appear, not because you had a speeding ticket (which is an infraction and will never result itself in an arrest.) And while I agree that things have gotten a little out of hand when it comes to what people get arrested for, in your case, it is best not to argue with the cop (since whatever you say to them can be used against you,) and deal with the judge (hopefully with a lawyer present who is looking out for your best interests, and preferably one with much better sense of ethics than that of John Steele and Prenda.)
On the post: CNBC Argues That 'Call Of Duty' Keeps Guys From Finding Dates
Re: Re:
Yeah, I usually get killed off pretty quickly in Call of Duty too. Campers aren't really liked all that much and I haven't found any good camping spots yet.
On the post: CNBC Argues That 'Call Of Duty' Keeps Guys From Finding Dates
Its not the game, its how you use it...
Of course, I suspect, WoW has also brought folks together as well. Games can be highly social events... I just can't wait to hear what the media will think of an OASIS like full immersion game system.
On the post: Comcast Confirms That Steele-Hansmeier Controlled IP Address Used To Seed Content
Re: Er ...
I try to follow that advice when talking on the phone anyway ... especially now that I am pretty certain that my phone calls are being listened to by the NSA anyway. I've been known to say stupid stuff on the phone as a joke, but figuring some of that may already be in some record somewhere, I figure I'll fly low to keep from ending up on a watch-list or a no-fly-list.
On the post: Latest 'Think Of The Children' Scaremongering: Pirated Films Might 'Disturb' Them
Re:
I watched the South Park version, and figured I saw all I needed to see of that movie watching that episode.
On the post: Speed Cam Contractor Responds To Challenged Tickets By Cropping Photos, Moving Cameras
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Understood, however, in California, CVC 21453 states that a driver cannot enter the intersection if they are facing a red light. I have not checked the laws in other states, but I am sure there are a couple atleast that have the same laws. In California, if any part of the vehicle is already in the intersection when the light turns red, then they can legally traverse the intersection. Thus, the car may be doing something wrong, but at least in California it isn't being unlawful. Thus, at least in California, shortening the yellow light prevents the driver from stopping in time, but so long as they enter the intersection before the light turns red, they need time to get through the intersection before the other cars run into them. Most people wait a few seconds for the intersection to clear, but like speeders, there are folks that take off the moment the light turns green. Having all ways red for a few moments would allow the intersection to clear.
On the post: Speed Cam Contractor Responds To Challenged Tickets By Cropping Photos, Moving Cameras
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
At 25 mph, if you enter an intersection on a yellow light, how long does it take to proceed through the intersection? At 50 mph, how long does it take to proceed through the intersection?
On the post: Speed Cam Contractor Responds To Challenged Tickets By Cropping Photos, Moving Cameras
Re: Re: Re:
Based on my knowledge and experience, yes, that is the case. They do use formulas, and often the initial speed is based on this, but I've seen speed limits change on a number of roads, and talking with friends in the community in other states, they've seen the same. A road right down the street from me switched from 40 to 50, and another from 35 to 30 based on traffic surveys. There are many factors which go into selecting a speed limit for a road, but often it is based on an average.
While that may not be true for all states, my understanding is that part of the traffic survey for determining a speed limit is based on an average speed limit of drivers driving on the road.
The California Department of Transportation has a nice document discussing how this is accomplished in California:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/traffic/Realistic-Speed-Zoning.PDF. Googling speed limit survey produces a number of applicable hits as well, across the gamut of states. If you have a document which points out I am wrong on this, please feel free to post it here so I can stand corrected.
On the post: Speed Cam Contractor Responds To Challenged Tickets By Cropping Photos, Moving Cameras
Re: Re: Re:
So, in your eyes, the occasional traffic accident that results in a complete shutdown of the road for 45 minutes to an hour is more important than 15 seconds. I am glad you aren't a traffic engineer.
Sure, 15 seconds may be too long, depending on the road conditions (the slower the traffic, the longer the delay will have to be.) A competent traffic engineer, using safety as the guide, should set the lights appropriately.
Do you get a lot of senior citizens and blind/deaf people running into traffic where you're from?
Yes. So much so that the city put up signs saying "Warning, Senior Citizens Center, please slow down" and "Deaf People Near." With senior citizens, you tend to have folks who aren't completely in control of their mental facilities, and they sometimes run out in front of cars.
On the post: Speed Cam Contractor Responds To Challenged Tickets By Cropping Photos, Moving Cameras
Re:
Having law enforcement officers, instead of contractors who are paid from the proceeds would be a much better solution to the problem. A person going two miles more than the speed limit can be dangerous, depending on the road conditions, but it is doubtful in all but a very limited number of situations. Hell, most people don't have accurate speedometers, so even traffic officers give people some leeway (usually about 5mph.) There is no way a traffic camera, or a contractor sitting miles away after the fact can determine the conditions of the road based on looking through a soda straw.
One would be to increase the speed limit at least large, well conserved roads and places where this is feasible
The speed limit is usually set by the traffic engineers (who aren't law enforcement officers,) who usually base it on an average of the speeds over a set period of time. This doesn't take into consideration the conditions of the road at any particular time. Thus, during rush-hour, the speed limit on the road may be dangerously high, while at other times where the road is free and clear, the speed limit might be too low. To get around this, most states have "hedge" speed-laws which state that you should only go as fast as a reasonable person would, given the conditions of the road. Much harder for a police officer to prove than a simple number, but in many ways, much safer.
and the second would be an educative campaign.
Nail hit squarely on the head on this one. But the education must be based on reality. All too often, the education they offer is based on the same talking points the MPAA uses for "streaming movies..." They don't like it, so nobody should do it. Most people who speed know very well why they are doing it, and know the risks. However, they likely ignore risks or genuinely don't know all of them. The reason the speed limit on a certain road is set to 25 mph may be because senior citizens or blind/deaf people live in the area, and 25 mph gives plenty of room to stop if one of them should happen to run out in front of traffic. The guy going 35 mph may not realize this (or maybe they are driving an expensive car, are rich, and don't care.)
As for red lights allowing better reaction time (ie: NOT decreasing the yellow light) would greatly reduce any issues. But that's not in the best interests of the Govt and the corporations behind the sheme, is it?
The best way is to go all-way red for a period of time, say 15 seconds, then switch to green. I've actually seen this used quite effectively on the intersection a couple blocks from my house, which is near a fire-station. When the fire-truck is running down the street with its lights and sirens on, the intersection becomes all-way-red (well, usually except the way the truck is going, so cars can get out of its way,) and everyone has plenty of time to stop. Once the truck goes through the intersection, the lights switch to green again and traffic moves normally. I am not sure why this hasn't caught on, but I am sure it has something with the best interests of the corporations.
On the post: Dear Hollywood: Giving Identical Scripts To Congress Reveals That You're Feeding Them Talking Points
Re: Re:
Along with a periodic (yearly) property tax/tax on sales to help manage the system, I'm good with this. The property/sales tax would prevent copyright works with little or no commercial value from being locked up indefinitely because the owner is too much of a moron to properly sell the work. We can even offer them a reasonable amount of time, tax free, like say 17 years, before they have to start paying. Considering the average work disappears from the market in less than 17 years, that seems pretty reasonable.
On the post: Former NSA Boss Calls Snowden's Supporters Internet Shut-ins; Equates Transparency Activists With Al-Qaeda
Re: Re:
And married, with children.
On the post: Former NSA Boss Calls Snowden's Supporters Internet Shut-ins; Equates Transparency Activists With Al-Qaeda
Re: Re: Re:
Apparently so, irt Bob Filner (mayor of San Diego, former Congressman.).
On the post: Former NSA Boss Calls Snowden's Supporters Internet Shut-ins; Equates Transparency Activists With Al-Qaeda
Re:
What I find absolutely amazing in this statement is that it is entirely male chauvinistic in the workplace. He does realize that the workplace is co-ed now or is he so entirely out of touch that he doesn't realize that there are very few places out there that are entirely men or women only (and most of those places were, until recently, in the military.)
Now I realize he is talking about intimacy, but come on...most of the twentysomethings out there work in fields where there are men and women working, and talking together on a daily basis.
On the post: Pat Robertson: Murder Committed In Video Games Is No Different Than Real Life Murder
Re: Well of course
I don't know, last time I heard that imaginary entity had god mode turned on. Its like the invincible scorpion in Serious Sam if you pirate the game...kinda hard to kill an imaginary entity with god mode turned on (and when you have god mode on yourself, you just sit there until you both run out of ammo.)
On the post: Bank Robs House By Mistake, Refuses To Pay Up
Re: Re:
John, it wasn't her bank. It was her neighbor's bank.
I use a credit union, but if bank shows up to clear out my house, and they aren't my loan servicer, I am not sure how me using a credit union is going to save me from them.
On the post: SEC Confirms That Bitcoin Savings & Trust Was A Ponzi Scheme; Files Lawsuit
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ah, Mike the "economist" defending "virtual" money.
Yes, but if the US wasn't there to force the use of US dollars based on the Saudi's fear of Isreal, someone else would do the same with their currency. Canada and the European Union both have done similar.
And a correlation/counter-argument to that is that drug cartels in other countries also use dollars for currency, despite their "illegal" activities and without involvement (that we know of) of the US Government. They chose to use dollars because they are of more value than the currency of their homeland, maybe due to stability, but maybe also due to the fact that most of their money comes from the US and thus is easier to hide their illegal profits.
On the post: SEC Confirms That Bitcoin Savings & Trust Was A Ponzi Scheme; Files Lawsuit
Re: Re: Re: Ah, Mike the "economist" defending "virtual" money.
Maybe, but that doesn't account for all the other currencies in the world that currently have more confidence than the dollar. The Japanese Yen is even stronger than the dollar at the moment, and the Japanese have, for the most part, sworn off nuclear arsenals due to some particularly bad nuclear incidents in their past (and I am not talking about the Fukushima incident.)
I pretty much agree with AC on this one...people are willing to recognize bills and coins as currency, just as they are willing to recognize bitcoin and even barter systems. The fact that the US military and arsenal is backing its currency may add favor to using it over other systems, but it certainly isn't necessary since many other places in the world use other currency not backed by military or arsenals.
On the post: Irony Alert: Obama Opposes Amash Amendment Because It's A 'Blunt Approach' And Not A Product Of 'Open' Process
Re: Re: Re: Re:Fiat Currency
Gold is an entirely useful metal, just not as a currency. It is highly resistant to corrosion, and it is a strong conductor. It resists acids far better than other metals. Its anti-corrosive/anti-acid capabilities make it highly valued in dentistry. And it is fairly soft, which makes it useful for applications where other metals are just too hard or brittle. It is also highly useful in shielding, as it reflects infrared radiation, which is why gold shielding is used on satellites.
On the post: Pulling Music Off Spotify Sends Exactly The Wrong Message
Re: Re: Re: Re:
I'd agree for the most part with classic bands, though I've been to quite a few concerts where the band played a number of "new" songs and a number of their classic hits, and I didn't feel cheated. (Incidentally, for those bands, I started listening to their new music after hearing them play it in the concert.) A musician who has CwF:RtB usually has nothing to fear...their fans love them and will be a little more forgiving.
On the post: John Steele Keeps Playing Games With Judge Wright
Re: Re: Re: Now wait a minute...
In most states, there are three levels of "crime", four if you include municipal code infractions (which are sometimes treated with fines and sometimes treated as misdemeanors.)
Infractions, such as your speeding ticket, which is punishable by a fine; Misdemeanors, which are crimes whose punishment may be a fine and/or time in jail not to exceed 1 year; and Felonies, which are crimes whose punishment will may be over 1 year. Crimes tend to be put into these categories based on seriousness of the crime, the amount of damage it causes to others, and/or the mindset of the state senator/assemblyman who put the law forth as a bill (thus really stupid crimes like "hacking" end up being felonies, even if the hacker's only intent was to explore, and damage was minimal and usually just affected a company that should have spent more on securing their stuff.)
However, one thing the justice system hates the most is people who don't do what they want them to do, which is why bench warrants and other stuff exist, to keep due process working.
However, while technically right, your cop was a little bit of an asshole. You were being arrested because you failed to appear, not because you had a speeding ticket (which is an infraction and will never result itself in an arrest.) And while I agree that things have gotten a little out of hand when it comes to what people get arrested for, in your case, it is best not to argue with the cop (since whatever you say to them can be used against you,) and deal with the judge (hopefully with a lawyer present who is looking out for your best interests, and preferably one with much better sense of ethics than that of John Steele and Prenda.)
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