Very true. I guess this is what happens when you post before you RTA. Of course, the folks around here would say that's typical Slashdot behavior...

But I have been using computers since I was a child. I learned very early on that some programs loaded quickly, which other programs took longer to load. Again, simple programs load more quickly than more complex programs (even on an i7 rig). So, what is the issue again?

At some point the bad guys will stop carrying their cell phones, so the only people left to tract are citizens. First Skype/Google, then blackberry, and now this. Does India even have or even enforce privacy laws?

I appologize. I blame my US education for my ignorance of geography.

Not sure where you are from, but in the USA our courts treat digital content as property. Also, unauthorized access to password protected content falls under the same umbrella. I am unfamiliar with the laws covering digital content and password protected services in the UK, but I imagine the laws are either (1) more restrictive or (2) the courts have taken it upon themselves to issue warrants regardless of the laws on the books.

I'm guessing every enlisted sniper will be begging his commander for one of these. Especially this guy.

Very scary.

Buddy, believe me, I know what you mean. I few months back I requested my pat-down before realizing I had *cough* morning wood. Lets just say that was the most uncomfortable/entertaining pat-down for the spectators standing in line for their x-ray scans. Poor me. Poor TSA agent...

Moral to the story: Still radiation free.

You know, you can still decline to go though the scanners. In recent months I have traveled through many busy airports. I watched as TSA agents push people (including myself) x-ray 'branding' line. No matter how busy (or how light) the travel loads have been, I have and always will opted out. Until they pass federal rules suggesting we no long have the right to opt out, I will be standing safely outside of the range of any body scanner for the foreseeable future.

In this country it's still legal not to do something if you feel uncomfortable. Get a pat down and move on with your travel day...

Most of us slashdot readers are hidden safely away in our parent's basements.

MOM! I NEED MORE CODE RED AND PIZZA BAGEL BITES!

Knowledge is power. Say I have some strange men move in next door. I notice they are receiving deliveries of fertilizer, barrels fuel, and related items. I guess this could be farming equipment, but since I living in the suburbs maybe they are building a bomb. Good think I read an article about the Oklahoma city incident online. Also, consider the case where I notice that the snow is melting off someone's roof. Maybe they love running their heat on full blast during the winter...or maybe they are growing marijuana. I know this because I read online. Last, lets say I notice a foul smell coming from the neighbor's house. I mean, a terrible smell, like a cat pissed everywhere. If I had a child who love to play in the yard, I'd be happy to know that maybe my neighbors have a meth lab brewing next door. I'd be happy to know I read online that the fumes are not only toxic and deadly to children. Get the point? Knowledge is power.

Liberty? Freedom? Justice?

Where are you?

Guess they were sacrificed in the name of global business interests. When I was a child my father taught me that America was a great country because censorship (in most forms) was completely absent from the the public mind. Hell, I remember reading about the days when leaflets were dropped by American bombers. We shoved our norm of "Freedom of Speech" in everyone faces. We laughed in the face of Communism and censorship. Those were the days...

In this country, any man could stand on a street corner and say what is on his mind. The soapbox on the street is no different from 140 character blurbs shouted out online, but for whatever reason 'people' (i.e. companies and governments) seem to think otherwise. You give an inch, and they'll take a foot. You give a foot, and apparently you end up with companies giving up to foreign regimes like prom girls. Moreover, you have our own legislatures supporting legislation like SOPA and PIPA. I'm guessing the next laws that are passed will form some brand of domestic secret police that's out to stop online piracy, and oh yeah, track down individuals who make defaming comments that "hurt the feelings" of some regime or foreign leader with less than a primary school education. We'll get our act together once our extradition treaties start being used to ship expats away to their country of origin for their ideas and comments said here.

At this rate the very idea of freedom of speech will be gone within our generation.

I know it's a small part of their business, but how will this decision affect a rental company like RedBox. The other day I noticed they rented out titles like Skyrim and Call of Duty. Moreover, what about companies like Gamefly, whose entire business model is based on the ability to share titles? Along with regular customers, I imagine these companies will not go down without a fight.

A quick google search turning up this sexy product. I have a feeling this will become a standard soon enough among the slashdot crowd.

what other type of "stones" they may be experimenting with... *shutters*

What would you have us do? Sit on our hands? Or rather, are you really one of those people that believe diplomacy can solve any problem? The world is a very unstable place, and as a result both norms and governments fall short of the great ideas we have in the west: "liberty" and "freedom." When you have random tribes who have been vying for power for hundreds of years, sometimes it takes a dictator to consolidate power to sustain peace. Take a look at an European or Chinese history book and you'll see what I mean. This is not excuse to support a dictator who brutally murders and cracks down upon their citizens, but it's better than the alternative: Somalia. Last, I'm sure many people are grateful to have US/UN troops stationed in their countries to not only impose order, but also to stabilize their economies. Stop focusing on the one or two bad apples and think about the larger picture...