I often wonder how much progress has been lost because obviously smart people, such as yourself, devote their lives to justifying their religious beliefs.

I had maths lecturers at University who spent most of his research careers working out convoluted mathematical explanations for biblical teachings. It seemed like a waste.

WRT your last paragraph you should have a look at the book "Dawn of Sex". It's not really about sex, it's about how the situation you described is the 'natural' state of human societies. It's not amazingly well written, but it discusses some interesting subjects.

Similarly I played Diablo 2 without purchasing it for a couple of years. Subsequently I paid for my own WoW subscription for 4 years, and that of my girlfriend's for 3. That's got to be the best return on 'investment' ever.

Every time I see this I'm amazed that you have to pay to receive text messages in the US.

Do you have to also pay when you send them?

Does it? I thought it was an axiom. It's not proven, it's just assumed, and general relativity is built on that assumption.

Oops! I should have said "No, but if they discover a way to tell the difference with an accelerometer"

Referring of course to gravitational mass and inertial mass

No, but if they discover a way to tell the difference... Now that would be something deserving of a patent.

This is why I love Slashdot. I read the summary and think "20 years is 2 decades, you fools", then the first post says exactly that.

Of course there's always other options... It's always nice when the illegal option is both cheaper, more convenient and a better product.

I like comments like this when most of the world hasn't even got Netflix yet :D

You Americans aren't so behind the times as you sometimes claim!

It's like laws that make it illegal to not report a crime. We've recently had one pass for child abuse.

If you're sufficiently psychopathic to not report child abuse when you see it, the legality of that decision going to change your behaviour?

The only effect this law has is when the time comes to investigate the death, every family member, neighbour, and other person associated with the child says "I had no idea anything was wrong. I never saw bruises. I never saw the mother hit her child." And no one has any idea how the child died or who is responsible.

However, it is good for getting politicians positive press and appeases the "they should be doing something" crowd, so it's not totally pointless I suppose.

Probably it's because the people who made it unlawful to kill the pricks at the top are the pricks at the top.

Our password needs to be changed every 2 months. I'm up to 'S'. Hopefully it doesn't remember more than 26 previous passwords.

I have some bad news for you...

I agree with your overall point, but a large portion of those users are Asia based, and they pay per hour rather than a monthly fee. Also, paying 6 monthly drops the price to about $12 or so.