As far as I'm concerned, someone should have to pay ever time a cell phone goes off in, say, the middle of a movie theater.

I couldn't care less who gets the money.

In high heave areas (long winters, high precipitation) concrete slabs don't work. They crack, heave, and end up no better than bad asphalt or dirt roads. Some places like Michigan, or the Dakotas, or even the northeastern US (New England) would not benefit, and the cost is too high. Gravel would be the most logical choice for any non state highway speed road.

I don't think that would change it enough to allow for a patent. Though I'm betting they will get their patent anyway, and we'll see this in court in a few years. In the interim, Microsoft will make a small fortune selling us some product strikingly similar to Hot or Not.

I for one wish every Engineer, and every Mechanical Engineering student had to spend a year as a mechanic. Once you realize how bad some things are designed from a repairability aspect, it changes your perspective on design. I've torn into many a machine, and seen bad designs first hand. Overcomplicated parts, too many parts, too many different size bolts and nuts, parts placed so close together you have to remove 10 things just to change a belt.

The same could be said for any designer. I feel before you're able to design anything, you should be forced to use it, fix it, and understand the consequences of bad design. It would improve the quality of things that do get built.

Translation: They'll buy it anyway, because MS could shit in a box and small Businesses with little to no technical support or knowledge would still feel forced to buy it because they don't know they don't have to.

It's important to give a guarantee of service if you are a brand name. It is important to let your customers know that your product is in fact the product they intended to buy. It is important to back that product up with protective services and long term support.

It is also important you don't make your customers jump through flaming hoops to prove they purchased your product.

Let us hope Microsoft has the brains to not make this a nightmare for the end-user.

This is like me saying "getting a ticket made me a better driver". Yes, that's true in a sense, but if I'd paid attention, and followed obvious signs, I'd have saved myself 123$, and still learned my lesson.

Here's a thought, when you make a plan...stick to it.

The few people who aren't ready for the digital conversion now will likely fail to be ready by June.