For comparison, this morning I flew a 767 with 40 tons of freight 3100 miles and burned 10,000 gallons of fuel. That comes out to around 12.4 ton-miles per gallon. - Chris Johnson
So, hopping a freight is going to be the new hip thing? How does this compare to passenger trains? - ⓞnor
Since the 436mpg number is total ton-miles divided by total gallons of fuel used by the industry, a gallon of diesel can haul a ton of freight far more than 436 miles. - Gabe Schaffer
Wow, that wikipedia page is very interesting -- cars, trains, planes, and buses are surprisingly similar, though the passenger number for buses seems kind of low. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F... - Paul Buchheit
Passenger trains are much less efficient than freight because they have to expend a lot of energy going faster and providing power for lights and A/C. Still, trains are the most efficient form of passenger transport (2100 BTU/passenger mile vs. 3182 for airplanes) in this country. - Gabe Schaffer
Wikipedia says vanpools and motorcycles are both more efficient than rail. (I wonder how many passenger-miles per gallon a zeppelin gets...) Maybe a lot of cities run near-empty buses along many routes, and that pushes down the occupancy (and efficiency) numbers? - ⓞnor
I suspect that vanpools are so efficient because they just use a full van to transport a bunch of people from point A to point B rather, so they are generally full and have direct routes. - Gabe Schaffer
"As you lower yourself to the thermostatically warmed seat, a concealed motor whirs briefly, providing your first clue that you are about to encounter a piece of highly sophisticated technology. The toilet then remains silent and passive until you reach the point where you would normally apply paper. Instead, you hit the spray button. A hidden tube extends itself beneath you, and with the precision of a heat-seeking missile, it directs a spray of warm water that simultaneously tickles, stimulates, and cleans the place that needs it most." - edythe via Bookmarklet
it is designed not for green but for sanitary and convenience in very dense population conditions: that's the reason it freaks out Americans :) - silpol
Jedi Mind tricks for anal Americans,hmmm - Mark Forman
The high-end models also apply poly sealant, clear coat protectant, and Armor-All. - Karim
You might think it's creepy and strange, but the first time you use one it's like sitting on your own little slice of heaven. The seat is warm, the water is aimed oh so perfectly and it's warm too. some of them will even play music, lol - Chris Billman via twhirl
Gives new meaning to Brian Eno's- Here Come the Warm Jets - Mark Forman
look, i'll admit it: i don't like tp. it shreds. it's not very absorbent. you have to constantly buy it and change the roll... i just don't think the tp idea is the best one. - edythe
I could be wrong, but this sounds just like the most awesome toilet that they have (and I tried) at Google's HQ in Mountain View. Ooops, did I let out the secret reason why everyone wants to work at Google? Its toilets like this. - Andrea Baker
I'm with Brian Sullivan on this - sounds creepy to me. I think it would scare the crap out of me. But fortunately I'd be sitting on a toilet at the time. - Mitch Wagner
Toto-I don't think this is Kansas anymore... - Mark Forman
And ladies get a *second tube*. Sounds rather fetishistic. And creepy--but I bet you'd get used to it fast. Then again, I really don't want a toilet squirting me anywhere. - L.J. Leng
this weird toilet needs to go away now! lol - Susan Beebe
these things sell like hotcakes in japan (why?) - Harry Myhre
"They're years ahead of us!" -- Homer Simpson, when he sees for the first time that kind of toilet in the Simpsons episode when they go to Japan - Vincent X
I've used this in a hotel in Japan. We call it the Assmaster 2000. It's fantastic. - Chris Johnson
lol, my friend got me one of these for my wedding. Heh, we're moving so we won't install till the new place. I admit that I have some fear. - felix
Crazy, I was just chatting with Craig Manganallo on seesmic. Apparently socbut.com is his baby. And now I see buzz around it on FF. Gotta ck it out. - Sonciary Honnoll
Man, why did they name it what is going to be pronounced SockButt - Austin Brown
Design refresh is in the works just gotta get the inner workings right first. but redesign is to be done. - Jay Martinez
@austin doesn't really matter to us how one pronounces the name it's what it can do for you that really matters to us. we may be the only ones who feel this way but still :) - Jay Martinez
70% for me...jeez I suck...granted I moved to the States when I was 11; but still I am American....it's how I identify myself and believe it - Snay Trivedi
95%. I misread one of the questions. *sigh* - Mark Trapp
70% and I'm not even American! Damn that western influence! - Rahul Das
35% .. seemed more like a high school history test than anything to do with citizenship .. and since I didn't take the class, (in the US, at least) I failed ... - Andrew Perry
80% I always think the constitution was written in 1776, I should know better by now. - xero
“Doctors get awesome accessories like stethoscopes and light pens. Why don't software engineers have anything like that? I'm jealous of Megen every morning.”
Hey, and if what we make crashes, we can just reset, delete & start over -- no big loss (especially with version control systems, heh). - John Mueller
Pocket protectors & badge belt clips? Oh, right, I missed the awesome part. Don't forget they get to wear pajamas at work too... - John Ferringer via twhirl
30 inch screens? We get dual 42" flatscreen 1080i TVs now :D - Ryan Underdown
uh hello we get highlighters and ergonomic chairs! Viva la highlighter. - tanya
I'm not gonna stop you if you choose to walk around with a Sonic Screwdriver, so go for it! - Vero Pepperrell
N800? Calculator watch? Come on! We have tons of toys-- gadgets. - Jake (aka Jawee)
I guess I've got my Moto Q9c; but you don't have to be a developer to have one. - Benjamin Golub
I'm not an engineer, but I work with them everyday. You're not the first to mention this. :) - Sonciary Honnoll
Nifty debuggers, libraries of functions, and fast computers count. Perhaps you'd feel good with a Jail Broken iPhone running Linux? - Steve Pribut
A friend of mine liked to say his goal in life was for someone to say "Stand back, a computer scientist is coming!" - Dean Thompson
The equivalent of the stethoscope (for the DIY hardware-geek practitioners) has got to be the Anti-Static Wristband http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-A... Now _that_ is a chick magnet as they say. - Micah Wittman
They have crash carts in data centers. Maybe you could carry around a crimper, logic probe, laser pointer (for, y'know, Powerpoint presentations), dangle some patch cables around your neck. Get yourself a tool belt and wear a butt set. When someone asks you what the butt set is for, cryptically reply, "Just in case." - Karim
You're forgetting the propeller beanie. Doctors don't get to wear those. - Chris Johnson
Slide rule. Pocket protector. Flash drive around neck. 'nuff said. :) - Raoul Pop
At this point, I just want my skype subscription back. I went to use skype tonight to find my subscription suspended and was forced to use skype credit. - pcnerd37
I like that idea, that sounds similar to the goal of Grand Central? - Julian Baldwin
I thought Skype does let you shoe your mobile when you call out. I set up mine and tested it. Have had trouble doing the same for SMS. - Sandra Fernandez
Like Napoleon's army after the defeat in Moscow, straggling west, fleeing the hideous frozen hell, we are moving into the (for me, at least) unknown... - Dave LaFontaine
Ok, trying FF as well. Still like twitter and will be sad if I have to leave it - Lide Winburn
Ive been following you for awhile but I dont think youve been following me because Ive replied back and you never answered and it said you wasnt following... :) but im still following you!!!!! - Christopher
It seems to me this is kind of a moot point. You draw those who follow you into your convesation and if someone makes a comment that continually intriques you all you have to do is simply subscribe to their ff. No need to wage a big dick contest with numbers of followers here. Its all about the conversation. Just an observation at this point.. I'm just now starting the migration from twitter to FF myself;-) - Curtis Cross via twhirl
Just subscribed to you, feel free to follow back! - Kyle McEachern
Hi Jason, thanks in advance for the follow. - Larry Kless
Yes please - it is a challenge how to parallelize your twitter connections on FriendFeed. They really need a good import interface with automatic notifications via DM back to twitter followers. - Jed White
Great stuff Jason, fan of your work. It would be great to have a Twitter/FriendFeed contact sync application. I'm sure you know some peeps to make that happen. =D - Grahm Skee
