This is actually the best solution. The "browser pluggable module" makes this system not much better than Flash or Silverlight. It's not architecture independent, and not secure. If the plugin is automatically downloaded, than it'll have to be very heavily sandboxed to keep a malicious website from sending malware instead. If the plugin has to be installed manually, it's not any different from Flash except that you have to install multiple ones for different sites's DRM schemes.

Javascript is the best solution for making it work across multiple browsers. It's already standardized and implemented, and it's architecture and platform independent. Hulu and Netflix can't send it plain, since Hollywood would complain, but a JS solution would be secure enough. Java and .NET are fairly easily decompilable, but you still see Hulu and Netflix making Android and Windows Phone apps.

The main issues would be speed and API difficulties. To support this, it would be best for browsers to implement:

• A standardized Javascript crypto library implementing common, patent-free algorithms like AES, RSA, and DSA. This would make implementing the DRM scheme easier, keep the decryption fast, and could take advantage of hardware optimizations (AES-NI).
• Hooks for decrypting video content. Let the browser play the video, but have it invoke a JS event that could decrypt the content before it is played.
• Optional: A "secure memory" object for storing the keys. This might provide Hollywood with enough security that they'd let something like this fly.

While it can contain a link to a tracker, most magnet links just contain a hash of the .torrent file and use the DHT system. Your torrent client would look up the hash in the DHT and find a user who is currently downloading or seeding the file. It then downloads the .torrent file from them.

It depends on how much hand-waving and bribing the MAFIAA do. Several years ago I would say that they would probably be legal, since you're not getting the file from them and the "link" to the files is very weak. Nowadays it really doesn't matter, our due process doesn't apply as long as the politicians and prosecutors are sufficiently bribed. They'll just seize your domain, block your donations, and threaten/raid your web hosts without judicial approval.

So you want to make our food staples even more expensive?!?

What would be better is to eliminate the import quotas and tariffs on sugar, so that it's more affordable than corn syrup/sugar.

If you don't want to see them, there's a box in "Settings->Interface->Notify me about additions or changes to my games, new releases, and upcoming releases" that you can uncheck to disable it. Personally, I keep it on because I like to see what's being discounted. If they had a way to notify me when one of the items in my wishlist was on sale, I might prefer that instead.

Don't worry. President Gingrich will happily ignore the decision and detain them anyways!

Nah, we'll just lobby our congresscritters to pass a law increasing the speed of light, since that's what we always do when we don't like something.

Agreed about the diversity of viewpoints. We need more free speech, not less. As for backups, I'd recommend CrashPlan. Mozy's backup and restore software sucked worse than an industrial vacuum. Losing a bunch of my data from a restore failure and their rates soaring was the last straw for me. Carbonite was better, but it sucked up too much CPU and bandwidth and couldn't be configured otherwise. Crashplan just works, is very configurable, can back up to my other PCs or external harddrive (for fast restores), and is cheaper than the others. You can get the software for free and pay $5 month (or less for longer periods) to store it encrypted on their servers.

Except that the UK would have to enforce it. The UK can't fine, imprison, or otherwise make your life miserable if you are from another country.

"Hello TSA? I'd like to report someone who, besides looking like a fat slob, is supportive of ideas that are fascist/communist like randomly searching people. Name of the person? Sure, her name is Janet Napolitano."

Hehe. Wait for the morons who voted this to hold a garage sale and send in the SWAT. I bet this will get changed quite quickly after that. Bonus points if the SWAT kills their dog.

Meh. Then it's obvious that you are destroying data. What you ought to do is have a button that looks hazily like a power button, but is in fact a reset button like you described. The officer presses the button, then he is on the hook for destroying data.

How about WhisperCore?

Seconded. The old version targeting Turbo C++ taught me how OOP works, and did a good job at it too, although it took me another book to finally grasp pointers.

The top of my list is Operating Systems: A Design Oriented Approach by Charles Crowley. It got me very interested in how the hardware works, but it also taught me fundamental design techniques that I use to this day.

Of course there are people today who care enough about our rights to stand up for them. They're called Anonymous. They may be trying to create change the wrong way, but at least they are standing up against corporations, organizations, and governments who try to censor and tear down the First Amendment.

There's Tahoe, which is pretty much what you described.