I can't write a decent reply to this without having terrifying flashbacks of late night cramming for third year physics exams. But basically, raytracing's idea that "if it didn't hit your eye, who cares" is somewhat backed up by theory =)

But since I'm no longer a third year physicist contemplating the nature of existence, I just simulate light statistically. And sometimes that means doing things like "Photon Mapping", which is precisely raytracing, but the kind of raytracing you get when you know how to optimize an algorithm implemented as a computer program.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment#Delayed_...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretations_of_quantum_mech...

principle of reversibility of light: "The principle that if a beam of light is reflected back on itself, it will traverse the same path or paths as it did before reversal. The principle of reversibility states that light will follow exactly the same path if its direction of travel is reversed."

This [2] was for real.

  [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Qi_AAqi0RZM#%21

  [2] http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2012/03/how-casual-sexism-put-sqoot-in.php

Hanlon's razor is apt in this situation.

But then there are a few start-ups who are designing and building fuel efficient diesel engines, or fully electric cars built from the ground up. These guys will absolutely know thermodynamics etc.

So if someone built "mycollegematehavingsex.com" and got 40,000 sign-ups via launchrock, who fucking cares. If they made twitter-for-squirrels and got 10,000,000 active users before the Great Nut Famine of 2015 killed the company, then there may conversations to be had.

file.rb:

  require 'stuff'

  class foo
    def something
      alert = UIAlertView._alloc \
        ._initWithTitle _S("Hello"),
        :message, _S("I'm MobiRuby"),
        :delegate, nil,
        :cancelButtonTitle, _S("I know!"),
        :otherButtonTitles, nil
      alert._show
    end
  end

file.h

  #import <stuff>
  @interface foo
    -(void)something:(BOOL)what andthen:(CGRect)thisthing
  @end

  #import <otherstuff>
  #import <yetmorestuff>
  #import "file.h"
  #import <oh shit is this in the right place?.h>
  #import <i think this is ok>
  #define SOME_HACK
  #import <this better come after that define up there.h>

  @implementation foo

  -(void)something:(BOOL)what butthen:(CGRect)thisthing
  {
   alert = [[UIAlertView alloc] 
                initWithTitle:@"Hello"
                message:@"I'm ObjC"
                delegate:nil
                cancelButtonTitle:@"I know!"
                otherButtonTitles:nil];
     [alert show];
  }

1. Don't Repeat Yourself. Computer have more memory than 1986.

2. Don't forget to turn on warnings-as-errors, otherwise that code above will compile and then break because (of course you noticed) the method declaration doesn't actually match the declaration but the compiler doesn't care because its a brutal hack.

23.1.23.44 (Page 198 of 301) "Your use of this vehicle grants us your irrevocable and permanent consent to download, transmit, or otherwise obtain the information contained in the onboard data recorder, and to share that data with third parties, including but not limited to law enforcement (without a court order), and marketing companies."

Note that Honda (and most other manufacturers) were inevitably going to put event data recorders in cars anyways. They are too cheap and they make too much sense not to have.

So without the federal rules, what you'd have is market full of cars with event data recorders and no rules regarding data ownership or requirements to disclose (this bill requires full disclosure about the devices and their purpose).

But BGR doesn't want to tell you that, because their purpose here isn't to inform, it's to generate rageviews.

Ah yes, the "free market" in action. That has worked so well for us in protecting our privacy, as evidenced by the plethora of commercial software with EULAs that respects the user's rights.

Or are you saying Richard Stallman is going to build us a car next?

Here's how it works:

1. Government is constitutionally forbidden from collecting this information.

2. Government observes that private corporations can collect this information.

3. Government grants private corporations immunity from prosecution and civil liability if it collects this information and hands it to the government. Threatens prosecution and civil liability if corporations fails to collect information and "something bad happens".

4. US Supreme Court pretends this is acceptable by ignoring "intent" and "consequences" and then goes on to uphold "intent" and "consequences" in every other case before it.

> (2) PRIVACY- Data recorded or transmitted by such a data recorder may not be retrieved by a person other than the owner or lessee of the motor vehicle in which the recorder is installed

also, you say

> Ah yes, the "free market" in action. That has worked so well for us in protecting our privacy, as evidenced by the plethora of commercial software with EULAs that respects the user's rights.

this bill is exactly the opposite of free market. it says everyone has to put recorders and cars and then explicitly forbids certain uses of them.

Obviously, though: Honda's EULA is lawful and binding without the bill. This bill can only improve matters at this point. You can be irritated that it doesn't improve them enough, but that's not the case BGR is making.

"Rageview" may be my new favorite word. Thank you for expanding my vocabulary.

It would be interesting to get the whole way through the new car negotiating process, then strike this line right before signing. What would the reaction be? How badly does the dealership want to sell that car?

It's not like selling Windows 7 in Best Buy. The cashier at Best Buy does not care whether I hate the EULA or buy Windows. The car salesperson probably cares very much about whether I buy the car, and they probably don't care much about some random EULA term.

Granted: a bit off-topic perhaps. I would hope that such blanket permissions terms on sales contracts would be overridden by the protections written into the law. For instance I don't think health providers can undercut HIPAA protections no matter what their contractual terms say.

  * A wiki.
  * Google Docs.
  * Assembla.

I've had some mild push-back from a few people when trying to get them to switch from Word, but it has the upside of you always knowing what the current version is, a problem the Wordists I've dealt with run into often.

A wiki, though, is a lost cause for many. I do not want to be the one having to teach people how to correctly format tables or embed images with the correct size and captions.

"Why do I have to learn all this stuff when we already know how to use Word?" is a common lament.

A lesson for us all.