Also, notice how many items in the grocery store are labeled "All Natural". They do that because while it conjures up a nice image for you, unlike labels such as "Organic", the word "natural" has no regulation whatsoever by the Food and Drug Administration. Any edible product at all can be labeled "All Natural" without running afoul of the law.
Modern processed food is complete crap. As fewer and fewer people cook for themselves, the less questions they think to ask about what they're putting in their mouths. Did you know the majority of the money you pay for a box of corn flakes goes to advertising? Did you know ingredients used in "processing" are never included on the ingredient label even though they end up in the food? You might also think simple produce items aren't processed, but many of them from cuts of raw meat to heads of broccoli have been soaked in acid. The acid improves the shelf life but the taste and nutrition suffers. Hope your not one of the growing number of people allergic to these chemicals. Don't bother asking the store. The long supply chain in today's food market ensures the store knows next to nothing about what's actually in the food their selling. Meat is often treated with carbon monoxide to make it look fresher. The modern food industry is all about deceiving the consumer.
I doubt that it's really possible today to go the other direction. Even if one country reverted to having a much smaller central government through a violent upheaval, it would eventually be conquered or absorbed by one of the remaining countries with a much stronger government. To truly go backwards, it would have to happen on a global scale, but what's the point since the size and scope of government will just naturally increase again?
I agree. The real question we should be asking is if we are getting good value (in terms of lost liberty and monetary costs) for the security measures we have. For example I think the TSA is a complete waste of money and turns air travel into a humiliating experience but I'm perfectly fine with having to drive on the right side of the road instead of it being a choice.
While we're at it, let's tackle the notion that more laws passed = better legislature. I figure if the laws weren't crap to begin with, they wouldn't need to rewrite them so often. It's certainly not a given that the more new laws passed the better, usually the opposite is true when it comes to technology. Sorry of going off topic.
Good question. What about increasing the delay from when the light turns red and the light for the cross street turn green? I'm sure when faced with these choices, the revenue generating aspect of the cameras will factor in.
I don't believe that anyone would intentionally run a red light, at least not after it has been red for a few seconds and the cross traffic has started to move. I can only imagine that those people must have gotten distracted and not seen the red light at all. Wouldn't the cameras have no effect then? Maybe the thought of the tickets sits in the back of people's mind and raises their alertness around intersections. Not saying it actually works, just a theory.
How can that be? There would be a large area before the intersection where it would be theoretically impossible for you not to go through an amber light, even if you were going less than the speed limit. For example, if you were driving 55 mph on a wet road and the light turned yellow, you would need to be at least 350 feet away from the intersection to have a chance of stopping in time.
Yes, it really is when you consider that something like 70+ percent of red light citations are issued for not stopping long enough (whatever that means) while turning right on red. Most of the rest of them are for violations that occur less than half a second after the light changes. That may be a technical violation but it is not dangerous because traffic on the other side won't be moving yet.
I can see why this could be dangerous. It's not the traffic that's stopped. If you're making a right-on-red, there could be pedestrians in the crosswalk. If you're rushing to turn before the other traffic goes you're not going to be paying as much attention to the crosswalk and will be more likely to hit someone.
Actually, the article doesn't say the opposite. It says the number of accidents have increased. That's the only statistic it mentions. The quote from AC says they have reduced the running of red lights.
Most of the referenced studies show a reduction in injuries by around 30%. Focusing on the number of accidents misses the most important part of the story. The point of the cameras is not to reduce accidents but to reduce injuries. Intellectually honest observers can see the difference between these two measurements.
I've been waiting for more products like this to come out.
We had red light cameras here in Houston, TX. Instead of a photo, it recorded about 5 seconds worth of video which they send you as part of the ticket. I'm sure you could have the video reviewed by the court if you wanted to contest it. Maybe it doesn't work this way everywhere but an officer reviews the videos and decides whether or not to send a ticket. The cameras were eventually removed by a ballot initiative.
Statistics are tricky things. People read that the cameras have increased accidents and conclude that they're reducing safety. But are all accidents equal? If you only look at those accidents involving injury, the cameras have actually reduced those accidents. It's pretty obvious what's happening. People are stopping quickly to avoid the tickets which is increasing the number of rear-end collisions. At the same time, the number of T-bone collisions have gone down since people are more aware of the lights, leading to less serious injuries.
please correct me (in a non-longwinded fashion) if I'm wrong
You're wrong.
A MAC can be changed, but Amazon has no idea what yours is. The account is most likely tied to a combination of your email, name, credit card, and postal address. Change enough of those and they won't know it's you.
With free software, you only agree to the license if you want to redistribute. If your just downloading it to use, you own it (that copy anyway). It's not licensed.
gave up your rights when you hit the "accept" button
So it would follow that you had those rights (ownership) before you hit the "accept" button. Then what are you gaining by accepting? If nothing, then it's not a valid agreement. That's one of many reasons why an honest reading of the law says EULAs are bull#&*%, but the argument continues to be they must be enforceable or the economy will collapse and so judges enforce them, well many of them anyway.
Less literally, it means that actually finding and forcibly erasing backed-up media in someone's home is so difficult that for most practical purposes, you do own them.
To me it also means that within the huge legal fog that is digital media rights, a party ought to act in their own best interest to the fullest extent practically possible. You can be sure that any media company interprets the law in their own interest, operating as close to the edge as possible and sometimes over (Sony rootkits).
All this will do is create a disincentive for people considering the field of earthquake prediction. If that happens it will really help protect people from earthquakes! Great idea Italy.
(untitled comment)
Also, notice how many items in the grocery store are labeled "All Natural". They do that because while it conjures up a nice image for you, unlike labels such as "Organic", the word "natural" has no regulation whatsoever by the Food and Drug Administration. Any edible product at all can be labeled "All Natural" without running afoul of the law.
(untitled comment)
Modern processed food is complete crap. As fewer and fewer people cook for themselves, the less questions they think to ask about what they're putting in their mouths. Did you know the majority of the money you pay for a box of corn flakes goes to advertising? Did you know ingredients used in "processing" are never included on the ingredient label even though they end up in the food? You might also think simple produce items aren't processed, but many of them from cuts of raw meat to heads of broccoli have been soaked in acid. The acid improves the shelf life but the taste and nutrition suffers. Hope your not one of the growing number of people allergic to these chemicals. Don't bother asking the store. The long supply chain in today's food market ensures the store knows next to nothing about what's actually in the food their selling. Meat is often treated with carbon monoxide to make it look fresher. The modern food industry is all about deceiving the consumer.
Re:
Forget or not, we're all probably going to repeat it.
"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."
Re:
I doubt that it's really possible today to go the other direction. Even if one country reverted to having a much smaller central government through a violent upheaval, it would eventually be conquered or absorbed by one of the remaining countries with a much stronger government. To truly go backwards, it would have to happen on a global scale, but what's the point since the size and scope of government will just naturally increase again?
Re:
I agree. The real question we should be asking is if we are getting good value (in terms of lost liberty and monetary costs) for the security measures we have. For example I think the TSA is a complete waste of money and turns air travel into a humiliating experience but I'm perfectly fine with having to drive on the right side of the road instead of it being a choice.
Re: I'm just gonna say it
Said the man who helped setup a federal government that did exactly that, trade liberty for security.
(untitled comment)
While we're at it, let's tackle the notion that more laws passed = better legislature. I figure if the laws weren't crap to begin with, they wouldn't need to rewrite them so often. It's certainly not a given that the more new laws passed the better, usually the opposite is true when it comes to technology. Sorry of going off topic.
Re: Re:
Good question. What about increasing the delay from when the light turns red and the light for the cross street turn green? I'm sure when faced with these choices, the revenue generating aspect of the cameras will factor in.
I don't believe that anyone would intentionally run a red light, at least not after it has been red for a few seconds and the cross traffic has started to move. I can only imagine that those people must have gotten distracted and not seen the red light at all. Wouldn't the cameras have no effect then? Maybe the thought of the tickets sits in the back of people's mind and raises their alertness around intersections. Not saying it actually works, just a theory.
Re: Re: Re:
How can that be? There would be a large area before the intersection where it would be theoretically impossible for you not to go through an amber light, even if you were going less than the speed limit. For example, if you were driving 55 mph on a wet road and the light turned yellow, you would need to be at least 350 feet away from the intersection to have a chance of stopping in time.
Re: Re:
Yes, it really is when you consider that something like 70+ percent of red light citations are issued for not stopping long enough (whatever that means) while turning right on red. Most of the rest of them are for violations that occur less than half a second after the light changes. That may be a technical violation but it is not dangerous because traffic on the other side won't be moving yet.
I can see why this could be dangerous. It's not the traffic that's stopped. If you're making a right-on-red, there could be pedestrians in the crosswalk. If you're rushing to turn before the other traffic goes you're not going to be paying as much attention to the crosswalk and will be more likely to hit someone.
Re: Re:
Actually, the article doesn't say the opposite. It says the number of accidents have increased. That's the only statistic it mentions. The quote from AC says they have reduced the running of red lights.
How about Wikipedia for a reference?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_light_camera#Studies_and_politics
Most of the referenced studies show a reduction in injuries by around 30%. Focusing on the number of accidents misses the most important part of the story. The point of the cameras is not to reduce accidents but to reduce injuries. Intellectually honest observers can see the difference between these two measurements.
(untitled comment)
I've been waiting for more products like this to come out.
We had red light cameras here in Houston, TX. Instead of a photo, it recorded about 5 seconds worth of video which they send you as part of the ticket. I'm sure you could have the video reviewed by the court if you wanted to contest it. Maybe it doesn't work this way everywhere but an officer reviews the videos and decides whether or not to send a ticket. The cameras were eventually removed by a ballot initiative.
Statistics are tricky things. People read that the cameras have increased accidents and conclude that they're reducing safety. But are all accidents equal? If you only look at those accidents involving injury, the cameras have actually reduced those accidents. It's pretty obvious what's happening. People are stopping quickly to avoid the tickets which is increasing the number of rear-end collisions. At the same time, the number of T-bone collisions have gone down since people are more aware of the lights, leading to less serious injuries.
Re: Privacy
please correct me (in a non-longwinded fashion) if I'm wrong
You're wrong.
A MAC can be changed, but Amazon has no idea what yours is. The account is most likely tied to a combination of your email, name, credit card, and postal address. Change enough of those and they won't know it's you.
Re: Re: Re: You probably don't OWN .....
With free software, you only agree to the license if you want to redistribute. If your just downloading it to use, you own it (that copy anyway). It's not licensed.
Re: You probably don't OWN .....
gave up your rights when you hit the "accept" button
So it would follow that you had those rights (ownership) before you hit the "accept" button. Then what are you gaining by accepting? If nothing, then it's not a valid agreement. That's one of many reasons why an honest reading of the law says EULAs are bull#&*%, but the argument continues to be they must be enforceable or the economy will collapse and so judges enforce them, well many of them anyway.
Re: Re:
Less literally, it means that actually finding and forcibly erasing backed-up media in someone's home is so difficult that for most practical purposes, you do own them.
To me it also means that within the huge legal fog that is digital media rights, a party ought to act in their own best interest to the fullest extent practically possible. You can be sure that any media company interprets the law in their own interest, operating as close to the edge as possible and sometimes over (Sony rootkits).
Re: Re:
won't stop you
(untitled comment)
Techdirt has been warning people for several years that they don't really own the ebooks they have on their Amazon Kindles.
You do if you back them up. Possession is 9/10 of the law.
(untitled comment)
I'd like to see this same legal theory applied to weatherman. Talk about creating new jobs...
(untitled comment)
All this will do is create a disincentive for people considering the field of earthquake prediction. If that happens it will really help protect people from earthquakes! Great idea Italy.