What drives me crazy is that the Nest is certainly something that can be successfully competed with. The price is way too high, and while the distinctive look is great, it isn't for everybody. It would be great if it could network with a bunch of passive thermostats and deliver better whole house temperature control. Heck, if it's good at sensing people, it could control lights as well.
This is a product in it's infancy, and Honeywell could easily innovate in this space, but instead it chooses to litigate.
I think I'll be avoiding Honeywell products from now on - it's time for them to get out of the way.
For the majority of history governments ruled with an iron fist, mostly for the benefit of the rulers. This 200+ year flirtation with government for the people may be simply an aberration that is soon to be just a footnote in history.
Smaller government was again rejected in the USA, as seems to be the case in other countries.
The USPS has often lost letters and filled my mailbox full of garbage that I need to sort through on the off chance there may be something I need. Because of that, I refuse to use them.
I was an audio snob for quite a while, but after years of live performances and listening to recordings at levels sufficient to appreciate a wide dynamic range, my ears are permanently ringing.
At this point a transistor radio would sound about the same as anything else to me.
I will note that the ringing in my ears is incredibly detailed and has amazing fidelity...
Carver of Carver amps did exactly this (add distortions) to his amps to address those who claimed only tube amps could really reproduce sounds correctly.
It was successful in that the tubies praised the sound...
Hmm, push the price of gas up really high, fund the development of cars that can only go 40 miles a day, push for mass transit that delivers people to select destinations.
Why, none of that could have anything to do with trying to stop unrestricted travel...
If you want to get corporations out of government, you need to get government out of corporations.
The payoff for a good regulation is enormous - it can stifle your competitors and grant you a monopoly... It can even create an entire industry.
There is no way on this earth that someone is going to not go after a prize like that. Reduce the regulatory power of the government, and you reduce the incentive of corporations to meddle in politics.
Alan Kay said 'The best way to predict the future is to invent it'.
I tend to believe that the more accurate our societal modelling becomes, the more it will be used to control societies, almost certainly to benefit those in control.
Perhaps an equally relevant SF reference would be Leto's golden path...
Presumably 'facts straight' means not getting information from the internet but instead getting it from some less questionable source like Hollywood or a politician.
It would just be so much easier without that pesky internet.
Exactly right. Obama wins back the young people crowd, saves Hollywood some money since they are going to support him regardless, and after he is reelected they'll seal the deal.
Require a supermajority or even higher for anything that adds a regulation or increases spending. Tyranny of the majority isn't as much a factor when a large percentage of us agree we want to be tyrannized.
Implement the converse proposition - require a superminority to remove a regulation or reduce spending - and I think we'd have an eminently well behaved government.
Escalation
I think we are all going to have to patent some edible item methodology just so we can cross license enough food to keep from starving.
Re:
Religion?
The stupid path
What drives me crazy is that the Nest is certainly something that can be successfully competed with. The price is way too high, and while the distinctive look is great, it isn't for everybody. It would be great if it could network with a bunch of passive thermostats and deliver better whole house temperature control. Heck, if it's good at sensing people, it could control lights as well.
This is a product in it's infancy, and Honeywell could easily innovate in this space, but instead it chooses to litigate.
I think I'll be avoiding Honeywell products from now on - it's time for them to get out of the way.
Re: Re: Finally, it's a bit silly to argue that all lobbying is "corruption."
printf(STDERR "Awesome!\n");
Re: Re: Re: Ford is a Fool
And yet a majority of people seem to have elected him. Interesting
Alternaties
Excessive commenting is training me to be a master debater.
200 years and out
For the majority of history governments ruled with an iron fist, mostly for the benefit of the rulers. This 200+ year flirtation with government for the people may be simply an aberration that is soon to be just a footnote in history.
Smaller government was again rejected in the USA, as seems to be the case in other countries.
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
A keg and thou
It would seem a whole lot easier to bring in a big grill and a couple kegs of beer...
Of course, that *and* the explosives and I'll be there in a heartbeat!
Re: Re: The Postal Service must be saved because it beats the alternative
The USPS has often lost letters and filled my mailbox full of garbage that I need to sort through on the off chance there may be something I need. Because of that, I refuse to use them.
Oh, wait...
Re: Re:
Excellent - thanks!
Microcosm
As far as I'm able to tell, almost all of what the government does these days is creating problems so that they can propose government fixes.
And they said perpetual motion was impossible...
Re: Good enough
I was an audio snob for quite a while, but after years of live performances and listening to recordings at levels sufficient to appreciate a wide dynamic range, my ears are permanently ringing.
At this point a transistor radio would sound about the same as anything else to me.
I will note that the ringing in my ears is incredibly detailed and has amazing fidelity...
Re: Digital is pure sound
Carver of Carver amps did exactly this (add distortions) to his amps to address those who claimed only tube amps could really reproduce sounds correctly.
It was successful in that the tubies praised the sound...
Things really never change :)
The only way to get corporations out of government
is to get government out of corporations.
If government is going to pick winners and losers then surely the corporations would be fools not to try to influence the outcome.
The current state of things is a natural evolution of the government trying to get more and more involved in pretty much everything.
The only way to stop this is to get the government out of anything it doesn't absolutely need to be in.
Libertarianism, sure, but also reality.
Re:
Hmm, push the price of gas up really high, fund the development of cars that can only go 40 miles a day, push for mass transit that delivers people to select destinations.
Why, none of that could have anything to do with trying to stop unrestricted travel...
Remove the incentive
If you want to get corporations out of government, you need to get government out of corporations.
The payoff for a good regulation is enormous - it can stifle your competitors and grant you a monopoly... It can even create an entire industry.
There is no way on this earth that someone is going to not go after a prize like that. Reduce the regulatory power of the government, and you reduce the incentive of corporations to meddle in politics.
(untitled comment)
Alan Kay said 'The best way to predict the future is to invent it'.
I tend to believe that the more accurate our societal modelling becomes, the more it will be used to control societies, almost certainly to benefit those in control.
Perhaps an equally relevant SF reference would be Leto's golden path...
(untitled comment)
Presumably 'facts straight' means not getting information from the internet but instead getting it from some less questionable source like Hollywood or a politician.
It would just be so much easier without that pesky internet.
The Hollywood and Obama show
Exactly right. Obama wins back the young people crowd, saves Hollywood some money since they are going to support him regardless, and after he is reelected they'll seal the deal.
Political theater at it's finest.
Re: Re:
Require a supermajority or even higher for anything that adds a regulation or increases spending. Tyranny of the majority isn't as much a factor when a large percentage of us agree we want to be tyrannized.
Implement the converse proposition - require a superminority to remove a regulation or reduce spending - and I think we'd have an eminently well behaved government.