Seriously, ftg. His fifteen minutes are up. He deserves nothing more than to be ignored and live in perpetual ignominy until somebody requires a textbook example of how not to treat anybody.

One more robot.

"Google reportedly made a $6 billion bid for Google last December, but it was not taken up by Groupon's board." ...wait, what?

Obligatory PBF:

http://tinyurl.com/3ekkkvv

I was with Virgin Mobile for five years, but initiated the process to port my number to Google yesterday due to my office now providing me with an iPhone. Wife is going to drop her Verizon dumbphone Real Soon Now in favor of a VM plan and Android phone.

If VM could step it up on the phone side of things (and this hot Motorola they offer now is moving in the right direction) I'd be hard-pressed to recommend any other service. $35/month for 300m and "unlimited" data/texting? Hells to the yes.

For you, sir or madam:

http://www.orbaudio.com/

Let's go back even further. It's been happening for sixty years.

Not just any corduroy day -- but the most corduroy day in a CENTURY.

More like just a stitch under $63M, yes?

Here's hoping Dragon rolls out smoothly...

On Virgin Mobile, I have a borderline-stupid phone (the LG Rumor Touch) with a slide-out keyboard and a touchscreen. The response time and feature content of this phone are absolute garbage compared to any iPhone or Android model.

On the other hand:
- The phone cost me $120 with no contract, so its inadvertent destruction is not too painful for my wallet.
- NO CONTRACT. Worth saying again. I can walk tomorrow if I find a better deal or the company pisses me off.
- The internet access works just fine if I'm in a pinch. Chat, gmail, google maps w/ rudimentary GPS, checking the scores of sporting events... it's not so smooth that I'd want to be on it 24/7, but if I need to find something out I can.
- It's $26.50 monthly after tax for 300 voice minutes, unlimited texting, and "unlimited" internet.
- If you're paranoid, it's easy to pay cash for one of these at a big box store and pay cash for cards to top-up the bill.

I'm aware that this reads like an advertisement, but for the last five years -- after a slashdot poster mentioned 'em to me -- I've been utterly pleased with the service and pricing.

If I'm on the freeway and have a clear view in front of me, my speed is limited only by other automobiles and the capabilities of my Hyundai. I've hit 105 on stretches of I-95 in North Carolina and felt perfectly safe; I'll routinely crank it to 80 or 85 when traffic is light on the DC Beltway (speed limit: 55).

If I'm anywhere that Johnny the cross-eyed 6-year-old might unexpectedly chase a ball into the street from behind a shrub, you bet your ass I'll be doing the speed limit or below.

I've had one speeding ticket, ever, and it was thirteen years ago when I was 17 and stupid. A warning back in '03 alerted me to the fact that maybe doing 37 in a 25mph residential area is a bad idea. It stuck.

FTA: The Chinese prototype looks like it has "the potential to be a competitor with the F-22 and to be decisively superior to the F-35," said Mr. Fisher. The J-20 has two engines, like the F-22, and is about the same size, while the F-35 is smaller and has only one engine.

So... more engines and bigger equals "decisively superior," based solely on some photos?

Hey, whaddya know? Joss Whedon is a slashdot reader!

On the 4th of July in 2007, my fiancee and I got on a plane just outside of Washington DC and flew to London to watch the prologue and first stage departure of the Tour. I hope you have a chance to check some of it out. Arrive early; the caravan does a good job of keeping things jumping for a couple of hours before the riders actually roll by. Have fun!