AOSP is Android. You can something like Cyanogen or any number of AOSP based distros with no Google software at all and have a fully functional phone. The Android OS is free.

You are confusing the OS with the Google apps like Gmail and the Play store. If you don't want them, there are open source alternatives available. Cyanogen doesn't ship with any Google apps by default, you have to download and install them yourself manually.

Download the Android source from the official site for free: https://source.android.com/sou...

You might be thinking of the Play store and other Google apps, which as you say are not free. You can download and install them for free as a user, but if you want to ship them pre-installed on a device then there are licence agreements. Nothing in those agreements about having to launch a flagship phone or nonsense like that... Android is winning because it is available on everything from low cost low end devices to the very top tier hardware.

As for the costs, Cyanogen seems to prove that they can be pretty low. They support a lot of devices with very little funding to do so, partly because they are open source and rely on volunteers. Some companies pay them for support, which seems like a reasonable way to do long term updates.

You should never buy a phone from a carrier. Always get it unbranded and unlocked.

That seems like a strange limitation. I have an old Galaxy S with 394MB of RAM and it runs KitKat via Cyanogen really well. It's quite smooth and usable, more so than it ever was in fact.

I wouldn't rely on self regulation due to cost. We have already seen from the leaks that they are investing billions into bulk cracking crypto on VPNs, SSH and HTTPS. Stuff they can't crack they store for later. Their budgets are increasing. They will just keep spending more and more money looking for ways to break whatever we come up, or storing it until such time as they can.

They were using PGP for internal emails, but couldn't when interacting with people outside the organization who didn't use it. There is also the metadata, which is at least as valuable as the content.

The fear wasn't extradition, it was rendition. People had been kidnapped from Sweden before. Sweden even had to run its own military ops to stop it happening. The problem is that parts of the government still seem to be cooperating with the US. The crackdown in TPB appears to have been at the request of the US.

It also seems highly suspicious that the case was dropped and he was told he was free to go, but then the prosecutor changed her mind and refused to interview him in the UK. If you were wanted by the US, if US senators were literally calling for your head on a platter, would you take the risk of going there? If you had seen leaked evidence that they do in fact render people to other countries, torture them for months, take them Guantanamo and torture them some more?

By all means lets have an investigation. The Swedish authorities want to question him. They can do that in the UK, or by video link. He offered, repeatedly, and it's been done before. Then they can decide what they want to do next, and we can hear some charges and legal arguments.

I give up watching the first series because it was a cheese-fest. Should I maybe skip to season 2 and try again?

I don't know why you were modded funny, SG-1 was pretty damn good at times. Far from perfect, but it did a lot of stuff right. Interesting characters, and good long story arcs which really built on what had come before instead of hitting the reset button after every episode. Earth slowly built up technology and knowledge, formed alliances and became a major player.

There were big ideas too, and some interesting science from time to time.

Later series suffered from a lack of money, like many sci-fi series. It's a damn shame because when it was good it was very good.

and be grateful we let you buy it, consumer unit #15684132!

Aw, you were doing so well. I agreed with you up to this point.

1. Children need looking after, that's just how they are. It's not putting them on a pedestal, it's recognizing that they are vulnerable.

2. It's possible to deal with one issue at a time. Just because bad things happen to other people does not mean concentrating on one group with particular issues and needs is wrong.

You only have to look at GamerGate to see the standard of proof required by anonymous. This will very quickly descend into doxxing, threats and blog posts presented as "evidence" of crimes against children, punishable by mob justice. Anyone who opposes it will be labelled and SJW. A false narrative will be constructed around anyone they decide to target, and their lives will be ruined.

How about a Microsoft touch mouse? They are much cheaper and have no wheel. You can program them as three buttons.

I can tell 1080p from 4k on a 130cm screen from 3m away, with 4k media. I can tell when 1080p media is upscaled on the same screen too. I can also tell 8k apart from 4k under the same conditions, which is actually easier since 8k doubles the frame rate too.

It's not just resolution. 4k has better colour. It's more noticeable on outdoor scenes with a lot of natural tones and dynamic range. Skin looks a lot more realistic too... It's actually kind of a problem because actors that look fine in 1080p look like they are wearing make up in 4k (which of course they are).

The automatic breaking systems only work at low speed (typically max 30 mph), and are very conservative. Unless you are doing less then about 10 mph they won't even stop you hitting the object, just lessen the impact. They use antilock braking and if the car skids or the driver reacts by turning the wheel, braking or accelerating they instantly disengage.

There are probably a few real edge cases were they might make things slightly worse, but it's hard to imagine a situation where they could cause someone to actually die.

The business model is well established and works. Captive audience, unable to compare prices, boredom and left over holiday money to burn. Exactly the same one that worked so well at airports, until recently. On holiday consumers tend to be in "high spend" mode too, splashing out on stuff they wouldn't buy at home.