What, exactly, is the "American Atheist Association"? No such organization exists. If you're going to make up accusations, at least make them up about a group that isn't imaginary.

No, "TV" is a device that allows me to watch visual and audio stimuli - it's unrelated to the content, which is what you're describing. I choose what I put on my television, and I'm sorry if you've only been exposed to the kind of programming you've described.

Also, everything you've just discussed can be said for books (and many websites, for that matter). Are you giving up reading and internet surfing, too?

Your brain needs relaxation too - TV's no different than reading a book or any other mostly passive activity. The secret, of course, is moderation.

You know who else knows when your house is empty? EVERY NEIGHBOR YOU HAVE. It takes about two days to figure out someone's work schedule.

Also, Foursquare checkins (except for mayorships and tips) can be private (and are by default). Non-story.

Public records can accurately predict where you live to within a few meters. So can following you home, and asking your friends. I'd be much more "worried" about those things than Foursquare.

How many (or what percentage) of 2 1/2 year-old Android devices are getting (or can run, or support) Jelly Bean? Or even ICS?

The 3GS was introduced in June of 2009 (more than three years ago), and gets the latest OS (though, admittedly, not all the features). Apple has a very, very good history of supporting devices for an extended time. By the time there's a new OS, the 3GS was be 4 years old - that's an absurd length of time to expect to be compatible with a new OS (and honestly, we don't know that it won't be).

EVERYONE cuts off older devices and technology. Nothing new here.

In before the "pony" comments.

With currently tech, your dream phone is mostly limited by battery options, unless you're willing to go for a very heavy device. More practically and ignoring currently available tech, your phone is mostly suffering from never having a market large enough - your feature set MIGHT exist on a specialized tablet, but even then you'd be looking at a huge pricetag because of the specialized components and non-standard configuration.

Oh, and I'm going to have internet access even if I throw away my TVs and never watch a movie again, so I don't think adding it into the equation is fair. I need a house to watch my TVs in as well, but that doesn't mean I count my mortgate as part of the price of television...

...unless the total bundled cost is LESS than the price of internet alone. That's never the case.

I cut the cord almost two years ago, and have Netflix and Hulu+ ($17/month, I believe, for both). I was paying nearly $70/month for cable. The $50+/month difference paid for my three Rokus, my $50 tuner, and my $300 HTPC in the first year after I cut.

Between OTA, Netflix, Hulu+ (which you can suspend easily if you're not using it) and all the free channels on Roku, I'm never lacking for anything to watch, and I'm still saving $50/month over the cheapest cable plan. It's not going to work for everyone, but it's absolutely the right choice for me.

Why should it be difficult for ME to get into my passwords, though? That's like encrypting all of your local files unless you're using them that instant. At some point you have to reach a balance between security and "I'm on my computer, in my house, signed into my account - I should feel free to use and enjoy my computer now".

Anyone with physical access to your devices has always been able to do this.

Kingston technology (memory manufacturer) split $100 million between 500+ employees. They also gave scholarships to all the local schools (mine included) - http://articles.latimes.com/1996-12-15/news/mn-9424_1_million-bonus-employee

OT, but I'm fairly certain that part of ESPN's agreement with television providers is that it's available on all tiers of programming (i.e., you can't get a package that includes some channels, but not ESPN). The "Broadcast Only" package some providers offer is excluded, of course, because it doesn't have any cable channels.