Five years out of college they are less likely to be Democrats. Ten years even more so. And the progression continues.

Once the wetness dries off behind your ears, so to speak.

what matters is, at our current time and age, we, as human civilization, are abhorring that kind of practice.

So, essentially, your crowd is flaking out, but it's just a fad.

Good or Evil, nobody is getting hurt except seals. They deserve protection why exactly?

Because they're photogenic and much human empathy can be aroused when their images are printed on color brochures, pleading for money to 'save' them.

They have a long history and a proud brand reputation.

Actually, if companies like Victorinox keep doing stuff like this, they'll eventually erode the whole concept of 'Branding,' at least so far as the 'value' of a brand is the logo that can be slapped around on any other random crap a company has no particular expertise in.

We're in an era where this kind of 'branding' stuff is near epidemic. Big conglomerates think they can 'buy' a company solely for it's trademarks and set up dummy companies to rebrand crap with the 'esteemed' brand names and sell it.

It's a sign that a company has been taken over by it's marketing wing. And it makes me concerned. I'll probably have to do some research to find out what new brand of pocket knife to buy, since Victorinox is compromised.

So now, if somebody wants to sabatogue a data collection effort, they don't need to connect the storage device to a system and delete/scramble it's data. They don't need to do anything major to physically destroy the device. They simply need to learn the minimum 'tamper' thing needed to cause the storage device to brick itself. And the owner of the device probably doesn't even need to find out until much later, when it's too late, that the data is gone.

There's a reason we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq and not the home of the terrorists, Saudi Arabia. It's because Saudi Arabia is already playing according to our rules.

True. Saudia Arabia is in agreement with us. Hence, their expatriates operate out of Afghanistan and not Saudia Arabia.

But you sounded for a bit like you had a point to make.

So the EU 'citizens' (subjects?) will enthusiastically pay 4000% more for their beef? It sounds like an interesting idea. I bet China would like some of that beef.

What a horrifying thought! I can't think of anyone that is still alive from back when I was that young and stupid that I want finding me.

Bingo. I can't believe we're this far in the thread before somebody says something that makes this much sense. Most of the people who are deeply into Social Networking at this point are still in one of their first cycles of social life. They're in the process of being young idiots and can't imagine they would ever think differently than they do right now.

I'm sure glad this crap wasn't around when I was in my 20's and 30's. All my idiocy was contained on BBSes that I am rock-steady sure nobody bothered to back up.

On a personal note, how grey is the sky in your world? Wow. 80 year old grannies? Really?

The question should be: how gray is the sky in the 80 year old's world? Is she an Alzheimer patient in a nursing home, and the nursing home is gonna get $80,000 from the gubmint for shipping her off to have that surgery? Will she live much past 81 years of age? What's her quality of life?

No, we don't need to go into Death Panels and all that. But seriously, is the $80,000 surgery going to help her in any meaningful way?

So are you a troll or a shill?

He comes here to stir things up and try to get over his anger that they won't let him into Mensa.

Because they want to make money just like the corporations who will sell the software based on those open standards?

Apparently by competing with said corporations in the halls of the bureaucrats, rather than in the open market.

Shame on you, Microsoft. You used to say 'I'm sorry that we have to have a Washington presence. We thrived during our first 16 years without any of this.' Now you're buying governments just like Larry Ellison does.

'They didn't have the capital' sounds like the kind of explanation you give when your content providers are bailing because there's no IP protection on your platform.

It seems like an in-dash cell-frequency jammer would do the trick readily.

I am surprised nobody has taken the opportunity to sue you. That kind of work, while it might sometimes be requested by the owner, seems like it would open you up to a heck of a liability.

Law, or otherwise, such a system would be disabled as soon as the customers patience wore out, and there will never be a shortage of mechanics willing to do it for you if the price is right.

Look over your shoulder. That might be a tort lawyer coming up behind you.

SQL succeeded because it came from IBM, and what comes from IBM must be good by definition...or not?

Also, because it comes from Oracle, and Oracle's marketing team are as aggressive as a pack of crack dealers.