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Comment: Re:Cheaper, but at what cost? (Score 1) 182

by berashith (#47764617) Attached to: Uber Has a Playbook For Sabotaging Lyft, Says Report

I think most regulated taxi companies are likely in the same insurance avoidance plan as Uber. A medallion owner can "rent" the cab to a driver as an independent contractor. The taxi company provides a way to offer fares to drivers, but they will not place an obligation to the driver. The driver is free to pick up fares on their own. This places the company in a position to argue that it is not responsible for the actions of the driver, as the driver is not an employee and not acting under specific direction of the taxi company.

forcing drivers to provide insurance is easy, and even easier for Uber and Lyft as they dont own the car/medallion and are not leasing/renting/checking it out to the driver. Many of these drivers know that they are uninsured while using their car in a commercial activity, which scares the hell out of me.

Comment: Re:Answer needed (Score 1) 390

by berashith (#47482347) Attached to: Verizon's Accidental Mea Culpa

to make their customers happy. that is it. The customers are purchasing something, then finding out that they cant get what they thought they paid for. When customers find out that they can get some things at the speeds that they paid for , but not others, then it should be their ISPs job to provide that service. If there was true competition then this would happen quickly. Verizon doesnt really compete, so they can play these bullshit games.

Lets reverse your question. Why should people not be entitled to better netflix quality? Netflix provides enough infrastructure. Verizon claims to not have congestion issues WITHIN their network. People have PAID for a level of delivery that they arent getting. Your word entitled says a lot. this isnt a favor, this is what has been paid for.

Now lets play stupid analogy. If the only way to deliver a package was UPS, and you were forced to pay for 2 day shipping on everything, but it took a month to get the delivery complete, wouldnt you be pissed? I would. I paid for a service, and got a fraction of it, I was ENTITLED to the service, as our contract doesnt say 2 day delivery unless the delivery company just isnt in the mood, and in that case fuck you.

Comment: Re:This is great (Score 1) 195

by berashith (#45989249) Attached to: Building an Open Source Nest

I ask the opposite question. If the thermostat can be controlled across my wireless network with a phone or tablet, why do I have to go to the internet to do it? I like the idea, and even the remote control aspect could be useful, but I havent figured out how optional that is, or if it is an all or nothing proposition.

Comment: Re:Like 100 years ago... (Score 1) 464

agreed, I was trying to make a very similar point. I would love for technology like this to be available and improve the situation. I lament that we already have mountains of evidence that people will take advantage of the opportunity for misuse.

The specific HUDs that provide augmented reality of driving conditions are not available (that I know of), and that is what I would love to see. Not just an alternate instrument cluster, but something that can show obstacles through fog and rain, something that can highlight a heat source from a deer in the grass/woods, even GPS route guidance traffic updates without having to look all around.

The device locked to the car, for car-centric information is where this tech needs to come from. Unfortunately the business model dictates that this will be developed from outside of the auto industry, and therefore the information will be web/internet based, and lolcats is just as relevant as traffic.

TL;DR it isnt FUD, because there is no uncertainty.

Comment: Re:Dumb bitch. (Score 1) 464

i hear twat used to describe men also... it is a state of being, not a gender insult. Is it based in gender and bodyparts, yes, but so are the terms cock and dickhead. I do actually try to avoid this language, so I am not disagreeing with you in practice, but I do see that sometimes using specific language to a specific person can be useful.

Even in this case if someone were to say dumb entitled lady, or woman, then the same complaint can be made simply because of pointing out gender, which is irrelevant in this case. The problem is that just saying "idiot person does dumb thing" is so bland and colorless that the conversation gets stale, and any emotion is sucked dry. Im not sure where the middle ground is.


this depends on the law and how it is written. In Georgia you can get a ticket for using a cell phone in a distracted way even while stopped at an intersection. Even if the light is red, and the phone is on a GPS app, if you are holding it, then the assumption is you can be using it for non-driving purposes. There are few exceptions for making calls and using the phone, but if a cop sees that you are texting, you cant just switch over to gps quickly and claim that you were using a driving aid. If you want to use phone GPS legally, you set it up while parked, and dont hold it in your hand. The defense saying that it wasnt on may rely on wearing it, not the actual state of the device at the time.


If this is true then you are taking the wind out of the sails of everyone that is claiming the benefit of not taking your eyes off the road for information. There are many people saying that glass is better than current instrument panels because you dont have to look down and take your eyes off the road. The idea of looking through the display at your surroundings is a benefit, but if you have to look far away from your normal vision, then I dont see the benefit ( or difference ) in location of the cluster.


I would love if cars had HUDs that could be so helpful, or if they even came with a glasses type device that was able to enhance driving specific information. The problem in this case is that we all know that far too many people allow themselves to be distracted with twitter and facebook while driving. Just because google glass offers an opportunity at a huge improvement in information available to driver doesnt mean that the lowest common denominator isnt going to skip all of the good things being offered and go right down to trivial distractions that are causing problems.

If this can be locked to driving relevant information the way a HUD would be, then the benefits are enormous. Until then, I will assume the wearer is paying less attention to the car and surroundings, instead of more.

Comment: Re:Still Disturbing (Score 1) 207

by berashith (#45978797) Attached to: Previously-Unseen Photos of Challenger Disaster Appear Online

like everyone else who saw it that day, I completely remember every bit of what I was doing, and who was around. I am always confused though, as so many other people were in school watching it, and I was at a friends house playing basketball. Were all the people still in school on the west coast and the explosion happen in an afternoon?
