Stupendous's comments

Stuff like this makes it really hard to stay angry at Google.. just beautiful.

I wonder what percentage of the packages UPS ships consists of items that can just be 3D-printed. Interesting way of keeping market share.

Given their popularity, why doesn't this restaurant just get rid of the reservation system altogether? A lot of the popular/trendy/hipster magnet places here do this since it saves hassle and creates a certain allure when lines are out the door for a table.

Looks like turning down $300k was the right move.. a blog post from Tom Preston-Werner almost 5 years ago: http://tom.preston-werner.com/2008/10/18/how-i-turned-down-3...

The beauty of this is that with battery technology rapidly improving, and performance for new batteries much better than older ones, Tesla's cars can retain or even increase their expected mileage per charge over the life of the car.

The expected lifespan of their batteries right now are about 7 years, but as anyone with a smartphone or laptop knows, battery life decreases rapidly over the life of the product. Tesla's cars were no exception to this and although most of the cars on the road are new and have not faced these issues yet, they were bound to crop up in the future. With battery swapping they've nipped this problem in the bud. Of course they'll charge you the difference for a newer battery but the benefits far outweigh the costs, and breeds stronger brand loyalty.

For anyone watching the EM Markets space, the RMB's rise has been one of the most discussed topics of the year. With economic growth focused on exports, a weaker yuan was integral and the source of much scrutiny from the US. So there has been confusion as to why the government has made moves to strengthen the yuan when economic data has been deteriorating.

The real reason is that saving the exporters is no longer the priority. Exports have been falling and the trade surplus has shrunk, and global demand is still weak. Instead, the government is focusing on investment/capital flows. With a strengthening RMB, flows/hot money is less likely to leave the country and the government is actively courting capital inflows. If they were to let the yuan appreciate now, the amount of investors running for the exits would be unprecedented and cause widespread panic in the market, and stability is their current goal.

I live in Hong Kong too (about 20 minutes walk from the Mira where Snowden was allegedly staying), and his stated reasons of coming here due to the country's commitment to free speech and political dissent are baffling and misguided. When compared to China, Hong Kong seems free but the reality is very different.

Start with the South China Morning Post, the main English language newspaper here which has been covering this story extensively. The current editor, Wang Xiangwei, joined in 2011, is a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress, and has been criticized for self-censorship multiple times since taking over.

Then you have the political system here, where people can vote in local elections but not in the main election that actually decides the Chief Executive (President). The current CE, CY Leung, was dogged by accusations that he was a Communist Party member throughout the election period. These accusations were not without merit given his political history (appointed to a prominent committee at a young age, a position traditionally occupied by party members), and these issues have not died down since he's taken office.

It makes no sense for Snowden to have come to HK for its political freedom. Neither is this city a hotbed for political dissent. The Occupy movement here was largely ineffective (there were often more homeless people than protestors at the camp), and power here is concentrated in the elite (HK has one of the highest Gini coefficients in the world).

He came here because here he can leverage China vs the US. Any talk of political freedom or appreciating the culture is pure fluff.

Kim Jong Il's wife convinced him not to do it:

"Kim Jong-il soon summoned him. Yes, Shogun-sama admitted, he'd sent an assassin to Okinawa, but he urged Fujimoto to forget about it. He was still alive, wasn't he? It was Kim's wife, Ko Young-hee, who'd reminded him of how funny and lovable his Japanese friend had been. Thus the killer was recalled."