Posts by MachDiamond

SAE says yes to making Tesla EV chargers an American standard

Re: CCS may be a standard, but not a good one

"The guy who's main youtube channel is Technology Connections might disagree with you, "

Alec did a great presentation, but he's still just doing VtL. I'd consider a real VtH (Vehicle to Home) as hooking the car up in such a way that it can power the whole house. VtL is a great idea. If the power went out in my house and I wanted to plug in the fridge, some lights, phone charger and the coffee maker, an EV that can do that would be a big bonus. It's already built in where the onboard charger in an EV isn't going to be robust enough to run the an entire household.

Re: CCS may be a standard, but not a good one

"As a standard it is also very slow-moving - it still has nothing about VtH or VtG features"

Are you saying that CCS or rather J-1772 fitted cars don't have those features? Some of them do have "vehicle to load" using the onboard AC charger backwards to provide mains power. A Vehicle to Home scenario would need separate high power electronics to use the car's battery. A Vehicle to Grid function isn't really ready for primetime yet. I can see it as being a really good thing when the grid can transmit pricing for both directions and during heavy demand an EV owner would be able to sell power back at a nice profit. Until the rest of the system is ready for that, it's not going to be used by very many people and initially only with large fleet users. VtG is in the ChaDeMo spec, but that never really caught on. The external gear also made it only worthwhile for big fleets due to the cost.

Not sure about calling it a win

The SAE isn't going to certify a standard that's still proprietary to one company. If Tesla throws the doors open to other makers they'll have to do so without being able to collect a royalty on each plug fitted. It will allow Tesla to qualify for free government money in the US which they may have decided will be more lucrative in the short term over trying to license their charging scheme. Elon is well known for making enemies of government agencies and government officials so there was no way he'd be allowed to collect a portion of any government largesse for a charging network that is brand specific.

It's still going to be a big capital outlay for Tesla. Their cars all have the charging ports fitted at the left rear of the car and have installed rather short cables on their chargers. In places where they've allowed other brands to use their chargers, it often means those cars have to use 2 spaces to park in a way where the cable will reach. Superchargers, at least in the US, don't have anyway to pay at the charger so people will have to open an account with Tesla, register their car with the service and have a payment method attached. All of that is something I'm not pleased with. It's just too much information to hand out for a bucket of electrons.

Finally, the AC/DC switching so the connector uses the same pins for both scares me. I prefer the CCS/J-1772 connector's approach of keeping those separate. If you are DC fast charging and the contactor glitches, you don't want a path for 800vdc to get to the onboard AC charger. It shouldn't happen, but........

Re: CCS may be a standard, but not a good one

"The adapter for CCS is enormous. I don't think it would physically fit anywhere convenient on a model 3."

In countries other than the US, regulations require that Tesla's use a true standard and not their proprietary plug/protocol. In China, Teslas have to use the Chinese national standard and I believe that CCS is required in Scandinavia.

Tesla has not sold more EV's than everybody else combined worldwide. It requires much more cherry picking than that. Perhaps in the US, but there's almost nothing but expensive and luxury EV's on offer. Europe has a much broader choice and China is awash in EV choice. Elon laughs at BYD, but if they choose to start making and selling passenger cars in the US, he won't be laughing anymore. They could also do some rebadging with somebody such as Geely owned Volvo or another Chinese firm that sells a brand that originated someplace else and has a presence in the US. The same goes for Ora who are also getting good press for selling cars that aren't coated in 'features'. There's very little press in the US about EV's that isn't focused on Tesla.

One year after Roe v Wade overturned and 'uterus surveillance' looks grim

Jurisdiction

I don't see how Texas can enact laws that they can enforce outside their borders. If a woman goes to another state for an abortion, where does that give Texas the jurisdiction? If somebody travels to Nevada to commit a murder, the case would be labeled "The State of Nevada vs. alleged murderer". Even if that person was a resident of Texas meeting all criteria for being considered a resident, since the crime occurred elsewhere, Texas doesn't have a say in the matter even if Nevada decides they don't have the evidence they need to get a conviction and declines to bring a case to court. Federal law that applies in every state and territory doesn't find abortion to be illegal. All Roe vs. Wade did was prohibit states from passing their own laws one way or the other. I think all of this is why Texas makes it a crime to assist a woman in getting an abortion since they can claim that the action took place in the state regardless of where the abortion was performed or the drugs were obtained. Just a bunch of lawyering to force their laws/views on people.

I find this just as curious as some US judges passing laws that apply in other countries. There are laws in the US that make it a crime for US citizens to violate the laws of another country when they are visiting. There are US laws that make some of the most heinous crimes a prosecutable offense for US 'people' (includes Residents, citizens and some others) even if the deed is not considered a crime where it occurred but it's only for things that rise to the level of Crimes against Humanity. Most of that has to do with children. A US citizen traveling to a country where the age of consent is very low, to have 'relations' with kids would be a crime prosecutable in the US even if it wasn't a crime in that other country. A person making use of the services available at a brothel where such services are legal (and likely regulated), wouldn't rise to the same level even if the US state where they normally live has a prohibition against negotiated affection. Even in the case of murder, people are usually extradited to where the crime took place to be tried and sentenced.

Re: “I know he will try to act like he has some right to the decision”

“I know either way he will use it against me,” the pregnant woman said, according to text messages attached to the complaint. “If I told him before, which I’m not, he would use it as [a way to] try to stay with me. And after the fact, I know he will try to act like he has some right to the decision.” “Delete all conversations from today,” one of the women later told her. “You don’t want him looking through it.”

Asking for deletion while Texting? Don't text. It's likely it's saved somewhere and if it exists, it can be subpoenaed. I'm no fan of texting to start with since I find it a big waste of time in my business. I can talk on the phone and do other things at the same time, but can't say the same of texting. I also find that if I need to ask more than one very simple question, I don't get an answer or I get an answer that doesn't fit.

Re: Negative data

"But, contrary to the received wisdom within tech, most people are not idiots, "

Citation needed.

Re: they could delete the entire trip

"nd turn off Bluetooth and wifi so stores near the clinic can't use foot traffic scanning and remove the battery in case Google still have some features enabled."

It's a good idea to turn off BT, WiFi and data when not in use, but it's 2-3 more button presses. I keep mine off since I only have need of them every so often. A better tactic might be to just leave the phone at home. Turning off the unused/unneeded radios saves a bunch of battery. I understand that the phone company is tracking me, saving the data and selling my location for a pittance and will also provide it to law enforcement just for the asking in many cases. If I'm going to do something dodgy, I'll take the battery out of the phone, leave it at home or stick it in a shielded box. Not really something I have to think about as I'm leading a pretty boring life right now but the sunflower patch is looking pretty glorious for all of the attention I've been able to give it.

I have a de-googled phone now, but that's a bit of a uncommon thing.

Re: How is it an "extreme" position

""If necessary set up a programme to get free and discreet pregnancy tests for anyone who asks."

Like paying cash at any pharmacy? That's that bit sorted anyway :-)"

And for the most part, those tests are highly accurate, but it's still not a bad idea to check with a doctor for a second opinion to make sure. How long does it take you to see a GP? Add a bunch of time to that to see a GYN.

Re: How is it an "extreme" position

"I've heard of irregular periods, but "several months" irregular??"

Yes. It's not as common, but some avid female athletes can stop menstruating altogether until they scale back the intensity of their workouts. There's a girl I know that was very irregular and the doctors told her she'd be unable to have kids. Surprise! He's just toddling around now. It took some time for her to realize she was preggers. It only took a decade of not worrying about it so taking no precautions for it to happen.

Re: How is it an "extreme" position

"With the threat of a fine or jail time hanging over them if the hospital can't "prove" it was necessary, such care is effectively banned."

There is also the time involved and that judges/courts are not medically trained so won't have any clue as to how to evaluate the case. A need to abort might be immediate. Just to file a case in court and have it scheduled would be a dangerous amount of time in some cases.

Just 100 years ago the death of a mother and/or child was much more common. In modern times, those numbers are way down in the first world and it only takes a cursory review of the stats in rural Africa or South America to see how bad it could be.

My niece's birth was induced and her chances of survival were not good but my sister would have died if the pregnancy wasn't terminated and we would have lost both. In many respects, the procedure was much the same as an abortion although the hoped for outcome was different. It was months before my niece could be brought home and she's been, fortunately, healthy growing up.

A former business partner and his wife have a child with severe Downs Syndrome and he required open heart surgery shortly after being born. They knew this would be the case going in. Is this the best outcome? With modern health care, the boy will likely outlive his parents and then require full time care paid for and provided by the State.

"One thing to remember is all these companies virtue signalling that they will pay for your out of state abortion, travel etc. are not being kind to their workers. It is MUCH cheaper than paying maternity!"

It's also much cheaper than the company sponsored insurance paying the bills for a high-risk pregnancy that has an outcome of a not-healthy child and will lose the employee due to the child needing full time specialist care at the end anyway. In many places, fathers get leave too so it's not just 'maternity' leave

Any forward thinking company will like having workers with children. It's much harder to jump jobs if it also means uprooting and moving a whole family. Student loans, home ownership, lots of family in the area they are close with.... any anchor that will keep somebody from leaving on their own is good for a company that doesn't want to pay the high cost of turnover.

Re: RE: willfully blind

" if you don't like gay marriage, don't get gay married. These people have NO right to force their views, "

And those people shouldn't get special dispensation nor any minority group.

Governments always do badly when trying to legislate morality.

"There is no victim to report you."

With drug abuse, there are plenty of victims starting with the user victimizing themselves. If you feel that all laws regarding vice are silly, you should save up and buy your own island. I'm wary of proposed laws that are to protect people from themselves, but since pot was made legal for recreational use where I live, you can't walk through the very small car park at the corner shop without getting a blast of pot smoke. Obviously, the driver is committing a crime, but how about the kids and other people in the car? How about my delicate sensibilities? I find the smell reminiscent of burning cow manure and it puts me off. Why should I have to put up with the smell when I'm sat out on my deck trying to enjoy a warm summer evening?

"I agree with you that the US places too much emphasis on its constitution, especially now that the practice of amending that constitution to respond to changing events appears to have died off. The last amendment was in 1971"

That's like saying that when people play Monopoly they put too much emphasis on the rule book. How the country operates and how the government is suppose to be organized are embodied in that document. Making changes through amendments is a very difficult process and was set up intentionally to be that way. When the original Constitution was drafted, they realized that it couldn't be perfect for all times and the first 10 amendments weren't afterthoughts, but concepts it was going to take more discussion to get just right so the Founding Fathers went with what they had and established a framework to keeping improving it. I'm reminded of a quote from "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" where it's said that more that 3 people can't decide about lunch. Over 300 million people and growing are going to have an even harder time. There's also been plenty of overreach by government agencies that has created tension within so the requisite number of states required to get an amendment to the final vote is blockaded by yet more politics. Just like many things, most changes to the original design occur in the short term and become fewer and fewer as time goes on. It doesn't mean that the US Constitution is perfect, but that a whole new model is a more obvious path forward than patching the old. Not that I'm advocating for a new US Constitution as that process generally starts with a populist uprising and lots of dead people.

Re: Polling booths not going to help

"It would certainly go a long way to helping: in most American elections, around 50% of registered Democrats / liberals / moderates / progressives...don't even bother to vote.

Not everywhere. In some places well over 100% of citizens of legal voting age cast a ballot.

Say What?

California laws prohibit cops from seeking warrants for people at a Planned Parenthood clinic, "there's nothing stopping you from saying give me the gas station next to the Planned Parenthood."

This statement makes no sense. A warrant is issued upon probable cause and evidence by a judge for the apprehension of individuals or the a search of a specifically named place leading to the confiscation of the products of a crime/evidence. All the above statement seems to do is state that police can't ask for directions to a clinic but could ask for directions to a place next door. For a warrant to be valid, it has to state the person to be arrested or the place to be searched and things expected to be found. The gas station next to the clinic shouldn't be named as a place to search as it has no involvement and judge would know they'd get reviewed. A warrant for a person to be arrested is enforceable just about anywhere. I would expect that an operating theatre wouldn't be appropriate nor if somebody was sat in a church confessional. The former due to the problems it would cause and the latter for how that would look and be reported in the media.

Canada plans brain drain of H-1B visa holders, with no-job, no-worries work permits

Re: For once, Trudeau's government has made an actual smart move.

"You were not allowed to offer significantly below the going rate for the job as well"

Good programmers used to make a very nice income, but it's been driven down over the last decade to the point where a good programmer is not likely to take the 'going rate'. This means that while a company can't find local talent to fill vacancies, the proper wording has to include "at the salaries being offered".

Many US workers are pursing the "American Dream" and need to earn enough to buy a house and raise some kids in the US. Somebody coming from India with plans to return isn't looking to make that same investment. They are willing to live on the poor side and send money home where its buying power is much greater and after some years, move back with a better resume and enough money in the bank to get into a reasonably nice home at far less than a very modest home in the US. In the mean time, law makers are pushing to raise wages of the most menial jobs such as in fast food to where they are a "living wage" which is silly. There's also the problem of many young people being buried in student loan debt. I'm sure they feel great that the government is keen to hand out even more H1B visas while industry continues to lower salaries. At what's being offered, the graduates have no chance to accept those pay rates, live in a safe neighborhood AND pay back those loans. Too bad nobody taught them finance when they were in school. Lucky for me I was afraid to put myself on the hook with student loans at a point when I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do for the next 30 years. A good job too. I took my own sweet time getting my degrees and graduated with zero debt.

Think of our cafes and dry cleaners, says Ohio as budget slashes WFH for govt workers

"Yeah, it stinks to be running a lunch counter in the office district now that teleworking is the new normal. It stunk to be the owner of an iron lung factory when Dr. Salk came along, and to be the buggy whip salesman when Henry Ford came along, but that's life."

A lot of those lunch counters, catering firms and dry cleaners are already out of business due to government closing down business districts for a couple of years. Is it wise to encourage more people to get into those businesses? I expect more than a few people started to realize what eating out every day was costing and how much money was being wasted to take care of a "professional" wardrobe.

If WFH is viable for the sort of work being done, it's a good option. Management will have to be trained how to set goals and measure performance of people they can't watch in real time. If a couple of office days are appropriate every week, fine, do that. Some jobs will only be able to be done at a place of business for various reasons and that can be perfectly fine too. Some people might wish to be out of their house 9-10 hours/day. I see so much more value in somebody that can work from home AND take care of children by shifting a few hours here and there. The trick is to match output expectations with salary. Paying for child care and relegating the raising of one's children to others isn't a good thing. This is especially true with kids that need a bit more supervision to keep them out of trouble. WfH is a boon to people that need special accommodations. Not only will they have this at home already, they might feel socially awkward due to their condition. They can be perfectly great employees doing needed work, but it would be easier or just plain possible doing it from home.

"Yes, this... we need to accept that the 'old' way of designing city spaces based around central work locations just isn't the way forward anymore. "

The really old way was often to have retail on the bottom floor and apartments above. Many shop owners would live upstairs but in many cities, they've passed ordinances against that and while grandfathering in older buildings, won't issue permits to build anymore. A friend of mine had to wait in a very long line and pay a big premium for a live/work space. It was a new building and hugely popular. He operated a photography studio and graphic design company on the ground floor and lived on the two floors above. Many sole proprietors would love to be able to do that and still have the opportunity to have a few employees. I'm self-employed and work on my own so I can work from my home. If I wanted to hire somebody, I would be legally required to get business premises. Not that I would if it was just some office help, but it could come back to bite me if caught and insurance might not pay a claim.

"And repurpose those redundant office buildings as residential."

Tear them down and have more open spaces. Tear them down to a plan and put in viable and well supported public transportation.

Re: Don't see why people moan about the commute.

"You know I had to wait a whole 10 minutes the other week due to roadworks.

Such a nightmare."

It IS when you have a review and they throw all the times you've been a couple of minutes late in your face. Of course they'll be no mention of the times you worked a bit late to finish something off. I've had that happen. I've been pulled aside and spoken to when I was late due to traffic and told I should just leave earlier just in case.

I work half my time in the the field and half from my home office. When I'm home, my commute is 20m and takes me right past the coffee maker.

Mega-data platform worth half a billion will suck in info from family doctors

Re: "NHS patient details will only be available locally"

"Sure. Locally.

Locally to Palantir, you mean.

And from there to God only knows."

From there to an employee laptop that is stolen from their car or left on a train when they stopped to have a few after work and were too drunk to remember to take it with them when they got off. I never seem to hear what happened to "John Smith", the employee other than perhaps some mention that they were let go. Certainly there won't be any justification about why an employee is allowed to download a huge swath of private data to transport physically to their home "to do work some work over the weekend".

Re: So my data will escape ...

"So my data will escape ...

from my GP and end up in the hands of USA corporations,"

That's by design as the NHS "Shares" the data with their "Partners". The translation being that they are selling the information to whomever has the money to pay. The revenue stream is to enticing to ignore.

Re: No they won't have any access to the data we are asking them to file...

"None at all... How bloody stupid are these people?"

They may not be stupid, but something just as bad.... lawyers. Most politicians are lawyers by training and those people are often the most narrowly educated and experienced people in the world. Certainly in anything technical they can barely pronounce most of the nomenclature properly. They also have a sci-fi understanding of what can and can't be done, getting their information from movies and TV. Stuff where the investigators can take some CCTV footage that's better to start with then one ever sees and can infinitely zoom in and enhance to read the model of Rolex watch written on the face. They'll also have some genius on the team that has a host of limitations such as being unable to walk which has lead them along the path to being a hacker that can root any system 3/4 of the way into the 1 hour episode. Guess what politicians, doesn't happen in the real world.

Techie wasn't being paid, until he taught HR a lesson

Re: Unique keys

"" One of the reasons I've stopped flying is that I was "randomly selected" for extra screening each and every time I would fly. I'm not a political activist, I don't attend protests and I don't have any sort of criminal record."

That you know of"

Well, I am reasonably certain that I'm not some sort of subversive. I can be certain that I'm on some list somewhere which is scattershot as my name is not unusual verging on common.

Re: Unique keys

'Started flying within the US using my passport as ID, no more hassles.'

It's a very good idea to bring your passport along when flying. If you ever have to put down in another country, you could really need it or wind up being sequestered somewhere. On 9/11, aircraft were being instructed to land at the nearest suitable airport regardless of filed destination. I can't recall if any US domestic flights wound up in Canada or Mexico or what was done with flights inbound from out of the country. A friend was on a business trip and wound up in Chicago with his home in Los Angeles. His quick thinking had him march straight to the car hire desks and book a luxury sedan before going to retrieve his luggage. If he were kicked to the curb in Canada, he'd could have needed his passport to hire a car.

Re: Unique keys

"Yeah, they will, and the responding AI will just make something up. We are so screwed."

So, exactly the same as a human.

Re: Unique keys

"Not really much point having a name if you are going to all have the same one."

Mind if we call you Bruce to cut down on the confusion?

Re: Unique keys

"I start getting "randomly" selected for additional screening all the time. I finally made the connection that the name on my ticket payment method didn't match my ID (which didn't match who I really was)."

Now you are on a list since They likely have you down for using an alias. One of the reasons I've stopped flying is that I was "randomly selected" for extra screening each and every time I would fly. I'm not a political activist, I don't attend protests and I don't have any sort of criminal record. The last ticket I got was in 1993. When I worked doing sound and lights, I had background screening due to working on many US Presidential speeches so there's a file somewhere on that. I expect that if I had failed the check I wouldn't have been given clearance to be on the crew. The fact that I could pass the check was a big reason I got so many of those gigs. Now why is it necessary to grab my bits and toss my luggage every single time? And they gleefully like to take my neatly packed bag, unwind everything, wad it up, sprinkle it with the contents of my toiletry case and cram it all back in the suitcase. From my experience I can see how poor the US TSA and Homemade Security are at doing their jobs. If a boring Bob like me is such a huge focus, their RADAR needs a fresh calibration.

Re: Unique keys

"My NHS surgery clearly has no issues with duplicate names so long as other details are different as I discovered when joining the queue for my last flu jab and on giving my name was told, "oh, there's two of you, DoB please?"

This is why it's still important to have humans in the loop. They noticed there were two of the same name and that raised a flag so they let you know the issue and asked for another piece of information that would clear up the discrepancy. With computerized systems, they either completely spaz out or figuratively flip a coin or note an error in a log file that nobody routinely reviews and often where nobody is notified so the problem continues until some person somewhere pulls up the logs and spots the problem. I'm not certain that AI will ever have the same level of problem solving skills. I know when I get stuck trying to figure something out, I'll ask somebody else and since their experience, their "toolset", is different, they might be able to point out a solution that my toolset wasn't as good for. Will AI systems ask other AI systems when there is a problem?

Attorney sues Microsoft for $1.75M, claiming his email has been useless since May

Re: $6 per month service

I tell the people I work with to always own their domains and keep them separate from any other company such as M$, Google or any hosting firm. A domain and especially one you've had for years is a very valuable asset. If you are forced to change your domain, it's going to be painful.

"After it became obvious that MS weren't going to fix it soon, I would have created a temp mail box elsewhere, logged into my DNS portal and redircted the MX, SPF etc to that - just so that I could function."

Precisely. I have my online assets set up so I can move to a new host in a matter of hours. My domains are registered through separate companies than my hosting account and everything is backed up on a regular basis. My host just had to move over the weekend as the DC where they had their racks decided to close down with less than a week's notice to their customers. I suppose it could have been worse than that, but if the hosting company I use got dragged down due to this, I'd be ok other than a day or so down. I tell my customers to call me (no text) if they ever send an email and I don't acknowledge I received it. As much as I can fix things, there are still plenty of things I can't do anything about and never will have control over them.

Re: lawyer doesn't know what bears do in the woods! film at 11!

"Why would they have any idea how to manage an email service? Of course they should outsource it."

Some older executives used to 'manage' their email by printing it out (or having it printed for them) and filing it in folders the way they were used to doing with paper their entire careers.

You have to define what you mean by managing an email service. Most law office management software allows email from any email application to be saved within the program and tied/logged to a client or business contact (licensing board, courts, outside services). I can set up and tear down email addresses at will and I suppose that could be called managing, but it's not that hard and I only do that a couple of times a year when I change out my spam-catchers. I get it that attorneys are often not very bright when it comes to technical things, but they'd be better off borrowing somebody's teenage kid to do it for them it they are that lost rather than trusting M$ or Google.

Re: real lesson

"I'm sure he isn't meeting his legal retention requirements if he's managing it himself."

Records management is a whole course of study for law students. When a friend of mine went to law school a couple of years ago, they didn't push M$ as the only way to stay compliant. They taught what sorts of things had to be held, for how long. There is lots of software out there for managing a law firm that has all of the record keeping functionality built in.

Re: real lesson

"He's employing MS to manage his email which for the vast majority of small companies is the only rational choice."

I don't agree with that. It's through using M$ email products that one requires extensive support in the first place.

"Currently I'm using Google,"

Professionally? When I see a gmail address, I often look for another company or professional to do business with. 90% of the spam/scam stuff I get has a gmail address. While my hosting company isn't always top notch, at least they will get back to me and not via a message that states not to reply as nobody will look at a return message. In fact, many of those companies will only list a monitored email address once on a 1,000 page web site. This may be why so much dirt is dished in public on places like Twitter in a nasty way. It may be the only way to get any attention. I expect that Elon knows that and one of the few reasons Twitter hasn't completely folded up.

"Hence why we would go with a smaller provider that actually responds to problems and has a face/voice."

Early on I was hosted by a very local company and could take a drive over to the office along with some donuts/coffee and backup my web site, etc right at the source. If there were any issues, I could call somebody I've met and get a straight answer even if it was just that they aren't being told why there's an issue. At least I could troubleshoot that far.

Having Google or M$ host your online assets is just like banking with BofA or Wells Fargo. Unless you must have extended capabilities that can't be provided by somebody else, don't do it. Your opinion of them and your business does not matter. I expect that Joe Rogan has a wide enough audience that those companies might take notice, but if you were an 'influencer' with only 5-6 million subscribers, you wouldn't show on their Give-A-Crap-O-Meter.

Why do big automakers have to care? There are laws that make it quite easy for people to go after them if they are sold a duff car (new). The people will not only be given a replacement or their money back, they also get their attorney fees reimbursed as well which can be even more if the issue is dragged out.

Re: Second email account

"So many places treat an email address as an ID."

There's also the problem of some companies using your telephone number. If somebody nicks your phone, they can access all sorts of things.

NASA to tear the wings off plane in the name of sustainability

Re: Not this again

"Any landing whch you can walk away from is a good landing."

Typical pilot.

The airlines executives use a different metric: Any landing that can be walked away from at the gate AND that the aircraft can be used again right away is a good one.

UK smart meter rollout years late and less than two thirds complete

"Allow remote disconnection of customers

Make money for the people making and installing them.

Maybe I am just cynical."

Yep, I'd go with cynical (takes one to know one and all that).

If you don't pay your bill and they are going to shut off your power, they'll do that with or without you having a smart meter. They'll chop the lines leading to your home if that's what it takes and you will have to pay to have them reconnected if they can't access your meter to turn you off that way. If you couldn't afford your bill to start with, the cost to re-install the lines is out of the question.

An upside is they can turn power on more quickly while getting a reading when you start service at a new home. You don't have to wait around all day for somebody to show up and perform the incantation in person.

Without a "smart meter" there's no way to get a Time-of-Use tariff. That makes many ways of reducing your bill moot since you'll just pay a moderately high flat rate 24/7.

Re: @AC

"Through investors the system got the necessary funding to make the needed repairs and upgrades that the government refused to fund."

I'll put some more emphasis on my statement by repeating myself, money can be raised by selling bonds. Investors can make a pretty safe return but they don't become shareholders that have to be placated every quarter. It also gets rid of all of the perverse incentives for public utilities to be looked at the same way as a publicly traded corporation. It's a different type of business and fundamental to everybody's needs.

"It isn't entirely the fault of the water companies."

Nope, it's the government's fault and just gets worse as time goes by as population increases and all aspects of waterworks aren't growing to keep up with more people and something of a buffer. Politicians bang on about causes that buy them votes such as feeding the poor. How many registered voters are going to be excited about a reservoir? None likely, until there is a dry year and there isn't enough to keep the pipes filled.

Population is a problem and unless The State is going to start putting some disincentives to people replicating, they are going to need plans on how to grow the infrastructure to support them.

Another redesign on the cards for iPhone as EU rules call for removable batteries

Re: Perhaps they can address storage too?

"But it would free us from rip-off memory pricing."

Have a squizz at what Apple charges for its storage options on computers. Insane and you'd expect with their buying big lots of it that they could offer much better than retail pricing.

Re: Mining landfill?

Kim Stanley Robison had a company, "Dump Mines", in his Mars trilogy. The company processed old landfill sites for resources that were getting harder and harder to find. Right now there is a lot more sorting of waste before it goes to landfill since it's a very good revenue stream for trash pickup companies. In the US, few people collect up their Al cans, glass bottle and plastic containers to take to a recycling center for money. They often will wind up using their blue wheelie bin for misc waste as well. The problem is that even with an added redemption tax, it's a whole car load of smelly waste for just a few bucks. This means that with a bit of sorting, the waste hauler gets the money. The only things I keep separate and take in myself are cans/bottles with redemption value. The balance of plastic and metal waste I stick in the blue bin and put that on the curb a few times a years when it gets fullish.

Even better than recycling is reuse. I'm jealous of The Post Apocalyptic Inventor's access to a really good metal scrap yard. In the US, insurance restrictions prevent much of that sort of thing. With all of the restoring videos on the web these days, collecting up 2-3 angle grinders and making a nice working one out of them isn't a big mystery. Even easier if the maker or a third party will sell parts. I bought an electric chainsaw that didn't work from a second hand shop and only needed to buy a new set of brushes along with a good cleanup and a few repairs on the internal wiring. $15 and about 3 hours of time. I bought the chainsaw to use the bar and chain, but when that wouldn't fit my pole saw, I repaired it. Chopping up all of the parts of the chainsaw to recycle the material would have been a waste of energy when a repair is the better option.

FYI: Tor Browser is very much still a thing and getting updates

Re: Great for searches

"Could you just use a VPN and a browser in private mode and get the same results without straining the Tor network for relative trivia?"

I don't have a need for a VPN so it would just be yet another monthly (or annual) expense. The odd search isn't a big load. The heavy users that are harvesting warez would do better to get the VPN. Are you certain that "privacy" mode is doing what you think it does?

Great for searches

I do most of my research using TOR. The last thing I want is my search history for chemistry related things saved and then subpoenaed by some TLA of just flagged and forwarded to them. I can often be doing several things at the same time so while a search for a pressure cooker and a strong oxidizer can be fine on their own, both in a short time frame might cause enquiries to be made. In reality, I'm trying to learn how to cook something in the pressure cooker and also trying to find where I can get some chemicals to refine some metal scrap, I'm not making a bomb. I'm very attached to my arms, thank you very much. Rather than worrying about how somebody could interpret my very random search patterns, it's much better to just keep them private.

Dialup-era developer writes ChatGPT client for Windows 3.1

going way back

I like to see publishers writing their software to work with an OS no later than really necessary. I've been looking at some updates for software I have and it will require me to buy a brand new machine, peripherals, learn the new OS and hopefully all of my mail/bookmarks/settings will transfer over even though I haven't been faithfully updating every time something new is on offer. Buying a new computer every year isn't something I'd like since many of my computers are several years old and work just fine so there's no point.

WTF is solid state active cooling? We’ve just seen it working on a mini PC

" it will be patentable, if only because they have made it work with modern materials."

Doubtful. I've been warned by a patent attorney that it's a real bugger to try and get a patent based mainly on new materials and not coming up with a new approach. Patents can be very expensive to get, but they are even more expensive to defend so the only point in getting one that's on the edge is if you do all of the work yourself getting one awarded to be able to put it on your brag sheet (resume). I have a couple of patents I'm proud of, but I have no means of enforcing them and they'll expire later this year and next anyway.

"ISTR reviews of using Peltier coolers sandwiched between the CPU and a large heat-sink back in the days of 486 CPUs when people wanted silent cooling but CPUs were reaching the stage of requiring fans."

Back in the days of the first Macs there was a chimney you could fit on the top that would increase airflow velocity through the case. Heat became an issue with clamp-on upgrades and people not wanting to bodge a fan onto the back of the case. I never got one and haven't seen any for ages. I have a stack of those older Macs and would love to find one.