Lots of interesting news today

skyhighZJ said:
The military spent loads of $$ on those systems to be mounted to vehicles in deployed environments. I can tell you from personal experience it’s laughable at best. False alarms all the time and when it was needed the sensor wouldn’t trigger at all. Worst of all was it cost so much that the parts were unobtanium through the supply chain.
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Buddy of mine spent 5 years in the mountains and sandbox. He came out mostly sane - with some stories that most would dismiss except those who were there.
He got on a rant about these damn things fueled by bourbon one night...another friend innocently asked why the hate for something that was designed to save lives...

He told of a story on ambush and coming under arm fire. A hasty escape thwarted by running over an IED...the story had a half happy ending as the armored vehicle they were driving was severely damaged but the metal mountain goat enemy "pursuit" vehicle was a tad too close and obliterated and all occupants "dismembered fantastically" (his words)...of course they didnt instantly know this or if others might be following they just knew their vehicle had been upended and rendered inop. They had take gun fire for some 5 minutes before hitting the IED.... as they are taking cover behind the smolder of their wreck savior and checking that all body parts are still attached while looking for more enemies or where their pursuers went.....several minutes after the blats and long after the gun fire started . the buzzer starts going off....

I cant do his story justice as I havent been there...but to hear this scarred grizzled guy tell it and smultaeously scowl with rage and giggle like a school girl at the ludicirous nature of the situation left an impression
 
benXJ said:
Why not dinner and 4th meal too?

Why does NO ONE mention personal responsibility?
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Yeah, damn kids ought to just school themselves while they are at it.
 
RatLabGuy said:
Except that one of these things should be expected to have a high false alarm rate, and hence to not capture data.... Because the hardware was never designed for that purpose....
While the other has one job it was designed for.

It's a terrible analogy. Might as well say it's just like the cupholder in my car that occasionally can't hold my giant oversized thermos.

This is all aside from the fact that the actual false alarm rate for something like a ring is actually very very statistically low. But you have to understand math in order to get that.
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Might want to take out some TV ads then. Ring is slinging falsities. If I try to jam a gallon jug into a coke can sized cupholder.....well that cupholder wasn't designed or advertised or sold as a gallon jug holder. I knew I was buying a coke can holder.

Ring advertises (and has sold millions and millions of cams) that their cams are good at capturing motion and determining cat vs. human and captures the needed data to apprehend criminals. They are advertised for a specific purpose. Millions believe them and buy the cam. Data capture is a BIG selling point. The avg Joe should EXPECT a high false alarm rate when the ads say the opposite? The avg man does not understand the tech needed to perfectly triangulate motion and to do that would make a ring cam $1000.

However, they are full of false alarms (tree branch moving in the wind, bee flying by, spider crawling across the lens, car going by, on and on) and glitch out when they are actually needed. (check out nextdoor forums.....you'll see 'my Ring didn't capture anything' quite often)

So when someone states that another piece of tech (that was designed and sold for a specific purpose...and advertised as such) suffers from "False alarms all the time and when it was needed the sensor wouldn’t trigger at all.".....those 2 comments relate VERY similar to another piece of tech that suffers from the same deficiencies. Are the 2 pieces of tech different in other ways? Sure.

No reason to get so worked up.

Now where is my free lunch?
 
benXJ said:
www.wral.com

NC father charged with shooting man who hit and killed his son

A driver was shot to death after he hit and killed a child who was walking on the road after his family's car broke down, the Person County Sheriff's Office said.
www.wral.com www.wral.com

this is crazy

just left the dead kid in the road
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Man, this is just terrible all around. If someone hit and killed my kid, I'd probably kill em dead too, but its odd that they had been called in multiple times that morning already, and they left the kid in the road.
 
benXJ said:
www.wral.com

NC father charged with shooting man who hit and killed his son

A driver was shot to death after he hit and killed a child who was walking on the road after his family's car broke down, the Person County Sheriff's Office said.
www.wral.com www.wral.com

this is crazy

just left the dead kid in the road
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"No charges were announced for the mother, the sheriff's office said."

How about - accessory to murder? Fleeing the scene of a crime?

At first I thought I was going to be pissed at the driver. Well, yes, I am... But it sounds like he was just trying to do the right thing after an accident.
 
RatLabGuy said:
"No charges were announced for the mother, the sheriff's office said."

How about - accessory to murder? Fleeing the scene of a crime?

At first I thought I was going to be pissed at the driver. Well, yes, I am... But it sounds like he was just trying to do the right thing after an accident.
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Sounds like there is more to the story. I imagine the driver was on his way to work or something on a dark country road and came around a bend to suddenly see people unavoidably in the road. But I'm also just guessing. Reading the headline, I thought I would come here to cheer for the dad who sought justice for his son, but somehow it ended up more the opposite.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Sounds like there is more to the story. I imagine the driver was on his way to work or something on a dark country road and came around a bend to suddenly see people unavoidably in the road. But I'm also just guessing. Reading the headline, I thought I would come here to cheer for the dad who sought justice for his son, but somehow it ended up more the opposite.
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yeah pretty much.
 
benXJ said:
www.wral.com

One year after his death, friends of Ned Byrd host memorial triathlon

One year after Wake County deputy Ned Byrd was shot and killed while on his way to work, his friends hosted a triathlon featuring activities Byrd enjoyed doing most.
www.wral.com www.wral.com

Wonder if they talked about the reason Officer Byrd died during this memorial?

Or that Byrd's boss and superiors actively contributed to his death?
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Oh, we know. Yesterday was about remembering and honoring his memory.
 
trailhugger said:
What worries me is I've seen what they feed kids in schools... and if they're feeding them all, all the time... how long before they're also dispensing type 2 diabetes drugs because all they're getting is carbs and sugar?
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very valid concern.
I know the county here has a big push to improve the health quality of the lunch offerings. Unfortunately there is a hurdle of cost and preparation convenience to overcome.
 
My question is if they are so worried about feeding the kids (which is fine in my mind given the amount of taxes I pay for the kids I do t have in school). What about other things like learning materials or XYZ programs that have been slashed over the years. I understand inflation is hurting everyone but damn. The “shopping list” for students to bring with them is RIDICULOUS. WHERE IS THE MONEY??
I know it doesn’t apply everywhere but what about the “save the world” education lottery? Had some of the biggest payouts in years yet had some of the biggest needs for schools in years. Something doesn’t add up??
 
skyhighZJ said:
My question is if they are so worried about feeding the kids (which is fine in my mind given the amount of taxes I pay for the kids I do t have in school). What about other things like learning materials or XYZ programs that have been slashed over the years. I understand inflation is hurting everyone but damn. The “shopping list” for students to bring with them is RIDICULOUS. WHERE IS THE MONEY??
I know it doesn’t apply everywhere but what about the “save the world” education lottery? Had some of the biggest payouts in years yet had some of the biggest needs for schools in years. Something doesn’t add up??
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Amen! I’m scared next year the school is gonna ask for mop heads for the janitor…. Then at open house they require you pay another school supply fee. After buying the supplies they ask for. No one can explain where that goes.
 
Something way less than 20% is all that actually makes it to winner disbursement and education. ( I think the ed cut is around 7%)
Part of the rest covers the administration company's fees and cost. ( this is the biggest cut)
The rest goes to the state govt department that oversees the the lottery and admin company.
I asked the same question 3-4 years ago when Guilford County had to pass a bond referendum to replace a fire-damaged high school.

It seems there has been a shift in disbursement or my Covid brain just disremembered it!

copy pasta - supposed to be actual language of the NC General Statutes.

“The Commission shall allocate revenues to the North Carolina State Lottery Fund in order to increase and maximize the available revenues for education purposes, and to the extent practicable, shall adhere to the following guidelines:
(1) At least fifty percent (50%) of the total annual revenues, as described in this Chapter, shall be returned to the public in the form of prizes.
(2) At least thirty-five percent (35%) of the total annual revenues, as described in this Chapter, shall be transferred as provided in G.S. 18C-164.
(3) No more than eight percent (8%) of the total annual revenues, as described in this Chapter, shall be allocated for payment of expenses of the Lottery. Advertising expenses shall not exceed one percent (1%) of the total annual revenues.
(4) No more than seven percent (7%) of the total annual revenues, as described in this Chapter, shall be allocated for compensation paid to lottery game retailers.”
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RatLabGuy said:
very valid concern.
I know the county here has a big push to improve the health quality of the lunch offerings. Unfortunately there is a hurdle of cost and preparation convenience to overcome.
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And good luck getting the kids to eat healthy food. I've seen plenty of kids eat a bag of chips and an ice cream. Not to mention the pressure of the lobbies that push dairy, etc., and the generations, at this point, who don't understand what healthy food even is.
 
trailhugger said:
And good luck getting the kids to eat healthy food. I've seen plenty of kids eat a bag of chips and an ice cream. Not to mention the pressure of the lobbies that push dairy, etc., and the generations, at this point, who don't understand what healthy food even is.
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you can have free will... Or good choices made. Take your pick.
 
RatLabGuy said:
you can have free will... Or good choices made. Take your pick.
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Except these are children who don't have the capacity to make good decisions for their own benefit. Besides, if the .gov is providing it, whatever is offered will be assumed to be ok... just like the food pyramid was assumed to be ok.
 
trailhugger said:
What worries me is I've seen what they feed kids in schools... and if they're feeding them all, all the time... how long before they're also dispensing type 2 diabetes drugs because all they're getting is carbs and sugar?
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The ultimate goal of getting as many people hooked on gov't assistance as early as possible trumps ANY other concerns such as obesity.

'think of the children!' is the WORST thing to ever happen to the USA
 
RatLabGuy said:
you can have free will... Or good choices made. Take your pick.
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wut? did I miss sarcasm?

I can't make good choices with my free will?

Give you ONE guess to who will pay later on (well continue to pay) for all these people that make bad choices.....because their government meddled in every single aspect of their life and they never had to look around and see what was working vs. what is not?
 
jeepinmatt said:
Sounds like there is more to the story. I imagine the driver was on his way to work or something on a dark country road and came around a bend to suddenly see people unavoidably in the road. But I'm also just guessing. Reading the headline, I thought I would come here to cheer for the dad who sought justice for his son, but somehow it ended up more the opposite.
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But WHY the Fuck was the kid in the road? Assuming that the kid was hit, but not the parents, makes me think the kid was in the road and the parents on the curb/shoulder/grass. How about charging both parents with negligence. If I'm walking along a road or in a parking lot or just down the sidewalk with my wife or my kids, I make sure I'm on the side closest to the road and traffic for this very reason.
 
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