Unless the flashlight app is always running and just signals on/off to the light, the system logs will show when the process launches and when it terminates.

I'm sure it's nothing so sinister. Every OS writes logs for things like launching/closing programs and opening/closing connections to devices (like the light relay switch). Without logs, it would be almost impossible for engineers to isolate software problems that users experience with their software.

Balance bikes have become popular over the past few years. They started, I think, in the Netherlands as a way to get kids biking earlier. They are a much more effective teaching tool than training wheels, because training wheels teach you to pedal (which is easy and kids generally understand from tricycles) instead…

Political protip: do not throw your boss under the bus in the first paragraph when he's finally addressing your issues. Once you get what you want out of a negotiation, keep your comments about your adversary positive and highlight the proactive steps he is taking now.

Um, that would be just under 2 dollars, not 2 million. Man, the ways I could use 2 dollars of healthcare...

It was more a failure of backend DB integration than a user-facing design clusterf***.

It wasn't the nation of Israel, it was a criminal gang. So your rhetorical question should be "who'd have thought criminals would be counterfeiting money" - unless you're just being antisemitic.

I don't know why, there are plenty of solutions that do this already. My Tivo Roamio has been doing it for a long time now.

That dude seems to genuinely believe they've somehow improved that structure. Seriously? They're just slobs whose presence adds no value. Totally aside from the issue of squatting - though I generally side with the author on that - these people are of no benefit at all. Anyone with the least skill and self…

The "handcuffs" he's complaining about are a contracted deal he has agreed to that puts money in his pocket. That dealer acts like he's not free to make his own choices, but the point of this is that he's completely free; it just comes with the price of nullifying his marketing assistance agreement with Honda. This…

No, energy.gov is trying to get my attention so they can tell me things. It's all over the place visually, with different typeface weights vying for my attention along with a non-linear layout that buries the most sought after pages in submenus of the menu bar. The home page is mostly self-promotion and current…

Okay, if you want it that way: yes, it is a factor, but it's a factor at which Apple has made incredibly successful design choices. They have a market share and user satisfaction and loyalty which cannot simply be explained by calling their customers "sheep". Is the "culture around the design" that of a premium…

Pricing isn't really a design factor. If you can make money on a product at a higher price, why wouldn't you? Profitability is about maximizing ROI, not making sure your product gets into the greatest number of hands possible. That's like criticizing the Fat Duck for serving a £300 meal when you can obviously eat…

How the hell does the existence of actual crime and cops dealing with it have anything to do with cops being able to get away with this sort of bullshit? If they're such great crimefighters, why does the US have so much more crime than places with pleasant, civilian-respecting police?

BMW is particularly bad about that. Backup proximity sensors, which are a few dollars of components and standard on pretty much every low end Ford at this point, still require a package upgrade if you want to see them on your 3 series.

Since people stopped burning mix CD 10 years ago, at this point if someone is inserting a CD it is probably purchased. Are they really trying to impact a group that is likely to be largely composed of legitimate customers?

You're mischaracterizing the arguments over chase policy. It's really about the police choosing an appropriate level of aggressiveness for the pursuit, because once a chopper is on the suspect vehicle, they're not getting away. Los Angeles police have really scaled back their pursuit response in recent years, but…

Absolutely, but the cars are about depth, not breadth. To do well, you really need to dig in to a particular series and spend the time to improve in your chosen car. If you're looking for maximum variety of vehicles, then iRacing isn't what you're looking for.

That is true, but the insurer doesn't cover just anyone behind the wheel. Policies are pretty specific about who is included in coverage. The drivers must have current licenses in the jurisdiction where a claim event occurs. The driver cannot be a family member at the same residence who isn't explicitly named on…

Sure, you *can*. But you're unlikely to prevail unless the owner has done something that would actually make them liable for those damages. Just because some case went this way at some point doesn't mean there's legislation making all owners liable for everything done with their property. The devil is in the…