Yeah, a lot of what makes Linux great is inherited and further improved from Unix - not in the sense of code but the underlying way of thinking about an OS and the associated *nix hacker culture. I know I have people to thank for my software that are absolutely fanatical about only using FOSS or only even touching things that are licensed under some flavor of GPL, but like a lot of Linux users I'd prefer as much of the system as possible by FOSS but am perfectly fine with games, productivity software etc. being proprietary. You won't likely see MS Office get a Linux version any time soon, because so for many business, schools, and home users that is the one thing keeping them in Windows. Steam, well, it would be fun, but we'll see. I'd actually be unsurprised if Adobe was the first out of those three to release for Linux. It actually would make a lot of sense.

no no, it makes perfect sense, and it's the same thing that concerns me. I'm a Linux user who lives overseas and Skype is important to me because many of my non-technical friends have and use it. they won't use Linux, but if Skype goes Windows-only, then *I* might have to reboot to Windows just to talk to them. and I generally cringe at doing anything internet-related on Windows. I don't know how many people I could convince to switch to Google Voice but i bet you they won't leave an extra VOIP app on all the time just to talk to me. This is why it's really nice that the most common VOIP app is also one that runs on all 3 of the major desktop platforms.

meanwhile, the ubiquitous wireless broadband and WiFi (i'm actually wondering if they know the difference) in hot, developing nations like the Philippines continues to function. or do they think the UK is going to get significantly more hot, humid and storm-battered than Southeast Asia currently is sometime in the foreseeable future?

I can't eat all of that at once on your behalf, but i did have adidas recently. I thought you were Irish, but now I'm having my doubts...

Ang prize mo ay isang.... balut! It'd be spoiled by the time it got to you, though, so I'll just eat it for you.

That's exactly it - I used to rely on bargain bins and the used games at Electronics Boutique for virtually all my gaming because otherwise I simply could not afford it. It seems Gamestop has put an end to those days, though - no more used PC games section in stores, and even the reduced prices seem about double what they used to be. I suppose at least there are humble bundles and sales on steam - and anyway being primarily a Linux user I appreciate the open source game efforts, even if only a few really get up there to where they are serious contenders (Spring deserves a mention here, though). Since I work non-profit, relying on donations, I feel I should keep my entertainment spending to a bare minimum, just enough to provide an outlet for stress. Video games are getting expensive.

The is a problem, but I'm pretty sure the mehods they use on images in CSI could 'enhance' the missing data back into that sentence, which also demonstrates that a good algorithm.

if one admits there are now two gaps they are admitting that this fossil really does fit in between and thus is further evidence for evolution. two gaps cannot support creationism. it would instead have to be argued this is either a completely unrelated but similar-looking creature, or that somehow it fits within the same 'kind' as one of the others (which seems unreasonable to say the least). I was a young earth creationist for most of my life, but i eventually had to admit the pattern of corroborating evidence is so compelling that the only way to not see it is to hold your eyes shut. This by no means hurt my faith in God - I find it actually fits Him much better, and is also a much more interesting way to create the world. I could write quite a bit more on the subject but this doesn't seem at all the right place for it. Instead, I'd rather present these two points: one, that some young earth creationists can indeed be persuaded (especially if they are not being mocked in the process), and two, that anyone who sees this new beautiful and fascinating find, and immediately is compelled to argue about how it was made with anyone and everyone, is really missing out on the intellectual and aesthetic enjoyment that God was probably hoping to see as we find more of the neat stuff He made.

saw an ad for a "MacBook Air" with an atom processor and Windows XP recently here in the Philippines recently. all the other specs were clearly the same for a low-end generic netbook as well, but the shell looked very much like the MacBook Air. These, along with the myriad "iPhones" that run heavily modified and broken forms of Android, and other intentionally deceptive gadgets are invariably from China.

This would qualify as an Indian Panâ, which is a fairly well known weapon / toy in the Philippines, and is basically a combination of the ideas of a crossbow and slingshot. Normally they are smaller and fire arrows, or in some cases, toy airplanes. Of course this fires a Bolo (Machete), but that just makes it more fun. The proliferation and variety of Machetes and short swords among Filipino tribes is fascinating, but they probably have never adapted a slingshot to launching them :D. obvious reason why: this would have a fair chance of taking down one Zombie at extremely short range, but if i keep it in my hand, it the Machete itself is capable of taking down several orders of magnitude more if used well - and even I can throw a Machete with more force than this and be accurate to a longer range (and put a nice spin on it too). none of that makes this any less fun though - very cool design. I wonder if the guy is aware of its similarity to the Filipino weapon.

correct me if I'm wrong, but you meant AT&T used 3G and EDGE frequencies that are non-standard, right? I spend most of my time overseas where GSM phones are incredibly affordable and very few people have a contract because pre-paid services are so easy to use. In fact, over here many people have SIMs for several different networks and dual-SIM phones are common - imagine that happening in the States! I've tried an AT&T SIM for longer visits stateside but they had no coverage in my family's area, and were quite overpriced. my current phone is a cheap T-Mobile phone which is working just fine overseas. same problems with coverage in America, of course, but at least I was spending much less for it. All of my family are on Verizon but I was planning to get a T-Mobile account and a Nexus S or perhaps its successor when do end up back in the States long-term. guess I'll be just as screwed as everyone else then, so I'd better enjoy the foreign cell networks while I'm here.

I'd nominate Jurassic Park for two very different reasons: one, the geneticists using virtual reality headsets - really? to visualize strings of 'C','A','T', and 'G' ? and number two, even more egregious, was Nedry talking to the ship's captain on a video call, while a progress bar ran across the bottom of the window, because obviously it was a pre-recorded video clip and they couldn't even be bothered to position the window so that bit was off the bottom of the screen, let alone actually run it in a modified window. or just use a unix command-line video player. still one of my favorite books though.

most of the time i'll happily drop less important things i might be doing to help a friend, family member, or random person out with a technical problem, simply because i like (and / or am obsessed with) solving problems. i don't really know why, i just rarely find myself feeling annoyed by it. if i did, i'd just say it wasn't something i had the time or resources to fix and point them in the direction of a shop i thought could do it. i figure it keeps me sharp and more in touch with users, and that's important for me. i find rants like this funny and am not above making fun of a user afterward, but sincerely like helping people. is it related to being it manager of a tiny charity in southeast asia? well, it probably helps, but i was always like this. when the tsunami hit Indonesia I was at the UN headquarters cleaning malware off of the doctors' computers so they could do their work. as a Linux user i need this kind of thing to keep my Windows skills sharp, and often keep the malware for my personal collection and / or submission to efforts like ClamAV.

my point here is not to brag or talk about myself, i'm just baffled. i enjoy fixing stuff or i don't do it, and tend to feel appreciated (sometimes paid too, in money or food), and actually care that people who aren't geeks can get proper use out of their computers. am i the only one? if so, what the heck is wrong with me?

haha, like i said, there are other definitions. you are certainly defining the whole concept quite differently than i and many other people do. and of course, as i acknowledged, your view is also extremely common. like many people you are looking for a 'good guys, bad guys' definition (good luck!). I'm not even going to try to use it to classify people, people can wear more than one hat, even at the same time if they want to. I just classify the hacks themselves, so to me it will continue to be simple: if you have permission, it's white hat. no permission but good intentions, gray hat. otherwise, black. it's just like walking up to a neighbor's house and noticing their door can be opened with a credit card because they forgot the second lock on the door. if they are your friend and asked you to check the door, white. if you don't know them or weren't asked, but you open the door, leave a note letting them know about it, and then lock it and leave, gray. if you take something or prank them or anything else it's black.

just one of many ways to define hats, but it is at least consistent.

yes, they are a security firm, and as such need to maintain a white hat / ethical hacker image. I'd judge their actions individually, though, and I'm thinking in this case they weren't wearing a hat at all - they were only creating tools and strategies. of course, internally such tools must be tested, and doing so is pure white-hat. using the same tools against another party without their knowledge and permission, for a purpose other than improving their security, would not constitute a white hat operation even if they maintain a normally clean reputation. I don't think they did that, though, and even if they did, it doesn't say whether they are good guys or bad guys or evil or anything. the convention of hats is about something else entirely.