Verizon runs a passive fiber network. As long as the customer and the CO have power, you get service. Comcast and other cable companies run a system similar to what you propose. They have signal amplifiers and other powered equipment on the poles, but no backup generators. They will run a truck with a generator to power the equipment and keep the network up during localized outages. As a customer of both services, Fios has been far more reliable. Glass is cheaper to maintain than copper and more weather resistant.

It already changed nearly 20 years ago: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_Law_Enforcement_Act

If you are looking at desktop machines, there are motherboards being sold that still have the good old serial and parallel port headers. Laptops on the other hand...

Windows 7 and 8 will fit on a 30GB drive without a problem.

It would be funny if the font was actually the Word 2007+ default of Calibri and not Arial. Most people can't tell the difference. If anything you know the person is using a newer version of Word since Microsoft is determined to banish serifed fonts like Times New Roman.

Corel still holds significant market share in the legal market, including government contracts.

Does Mozilla do any TV advertising out of that $30m budget? TV spots are generally the most expensive form of advertising in the USA, if they aren't spending it on that, than where is all that cash going?

Ran into a similar problem in the past. The calls were legit, but they really should be telling customers to use the number on the back of the card since there is no way to verify that a random toll free number is 100% legit. Same goes if I happen to pick up the call. I tell the rep that I will call them back using the number on the back of the card because of security reasons which they have no problem with. Caller ID can be faked.

Anyone archiving the database of skins and plug-ins?

I'd say the bigger loss will be the listings of 3rd party plug-ins. More than just WinAmp support the plug-in API.

TOC was stripped down compared to OSCAR, but was an open and documented protocol. AOL made it available specifically for 3rd party developers to access their network.

USB ports are usually protected by a pico fuse on the motherboard. Back in the bad old days I had a 430VX chipset motherboard with a non-standard USB header. The manual documented the pinout so I wired in a port back plate Turned on the machine and the inside lit up like a Christmas tree. Somehow the fuse blew with just the USB header connected. Its likey that the manual's pinout was wrong and the back plate plug was dodgy. Its likely the metal back plate of the port (which is grounded to chassis) was connected to the USB port's power ground pin (are these supposed to be connected in any way?). The motherboard manual's pinout likely had the +5v labelled as the ground pin, so instant short.

They already use the data. It is called "Intelligence Led Policing".

Relevant link: http://what-if.xkcd.com/48/

Buried somewhere on Progressive's website is a sob story of how for every $1 in premiums the car insurance industry collects, $1.02 is paid out in claims. Yet, every company seems to have a large advertising budget to drill in that they can save you "XX or more" on car insurance.

On the opposite end of things, there are car insurance companies that solely insure high risk drivers in some states. A friend of mine was dropped by a company because he was "too safe a driver". Yes, that was the official reason. Not surprising, a few months later the company went bust.