An asteroid hit, it wouldn't have to very large either. Maybe everything wouldn't die but it would instantly change the earth as we know it. It would probably take a 100,000 years or more to get things back to what we consider normal life on earth now.

Why shouldn't I work for the N.S.A.? That's a tough one, but I'll take a shot.

Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. Maybe I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never met, never had no problem with, get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', "Oh, send in the Marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number got called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some kid from Southie takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes back to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile, he realizes the only reason he was over there in the first place was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And, of course, the oil companies used the skirmish over there to scare up domestic oil prices. A cute little ancillary benefit for them, but it ain't helping my buddy at two-fifty a gallon. And they're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back, of course, and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and fuckin' play slalom with the icebergs, and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So now my buddy's out of work and he can't afford to drive, so he's got to walk to the fuckin' job interviews, which sucks 'cause the shrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile he's starvin', 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat, the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what did I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure fuck it, while I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy, take his job, give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president.

People use the "cool" stuff because it is there and does not cost money. If there was a monetary charge for the same thing and no one used it, is that the fault of the people or the business offering. Do the people really lose in that situation? The business that does offer what someone wants and people are willing pay for it will be the winner for both groups.

It is your job to enforce the contract (agreement) with your ISP TOS. If you violate the TOS, they can cancel your account or whatever they decide to do for a breach of contract. That is soley an issue between you and your ISP. What happens illegally and involves criminal punishment has nothing to do with that, the police have to prove what person actually committed the crime. Not some random person who has his name on the ISP bill.

Using your logic of the IP, why doesn't the RIAA sue the ISP, after all, they own the IP address, why not sue the ISP's provider? Why do you think the IP trail should suddenly stop at someone called a "customer of the ISP whose name is on the bill"? Common carrier status should not end at the ISP billed customer name.

Your contract with the customer has nothing to do with who was actually using the internet at the time. What do you really not understand about that?

Listen man, you can pinpoint that one specific customer of your services had that IP/MAC at that time, you have NO IDEA who was actually sitting at that computer(s) behind that mac address. What SLA do you have that states that only the persons name on the contract can use the computer, not their relatives, the baby sitter, the neighbor over their wireless (hacked or open AP), their kids friends, etc? This was a CRIMINAL case, not a contract violation. It really should not be that hard to comprehend.

Another car analogy... I can rent a car and be the only authorized driver by contract. If I lend it to someone and they commit a crime, the police still have to PROVE who was driving the car. Sure, the rental place can charge me for the damages to the car under that contract and I can sue the real driver to get my money back from him but do you see the difference?

Apple is doing it for the users regardless if they want it or not. Why not give them the ability to purge the data let them delete or purge the data regardless if they want it or not. It could be simple option somewhere that does not take away from the pristine user experience.

I call bullshit on the whole thing anyway. A database of where I was last week/month/year has very little benefit to advertisers. Any benefit it does have is far overshadowed by the users personal privacy of having that data available to Apple and whoever else can access that info. What if my bank account balance was available to them, sure, it would help advertisers but what is the downside to my privacy to give that info up?

The users do not want this.

I have a separate account at a local small bank that is ONLY used for Paypal. My service there is "free" (checking, check card etc) so it doesn't cost me anything other than driving to the ATM on occasion to withdrawal/deposit for my various paypal needs. I'm usually in the area anyway because I frequent the grocery store in the same shopping plaza. My two forms of Paypal funds are my check card with a MC logo and that verifed checking account, both come from the same account pool of money in that bank.

Maybe this level of concern is not required but back when I got my Paypal account, many people were complaining about getting accounts locked, reversed payments etc...

Decay heat is typically 2% of the average level of power from the previous 100 hours for the first 16-24 hours, (5-7% immediately after and about 1-2% after an hour) and gradually declines. It can equal ambient losses in a week or so but depends on the design, flow, and power history.

Only criminals are worried about protecting their personal data.
Only criminals have guns.

If you have both, you should go to jail without a trial just because.

I got a kick out of the "SMOKING KILLS" label in 1 inch bold block letters on every carton of cigarettes I saw on in the UK

Substitute "real life groups of friends you hang out with in person" and "Facebook friends" and you have the same exact problems and anxieties.

I hope no one actually paid to conduct or review the results of that survey.

I fully agree with local governments regulating and using tax payer money for the the last mile construction and maintenance. In the US now, it is already "kind of" government controlled with franchise agreements but that single company gets exclusive use after that. The users/residents are paying the same exact amount for the lines one way of the other, why not have them opened up for competition? I'd much rather pay my local government for the lines and the choice to pay Comcast for service than be stuck and forced to pay Comcast for both.

Or the people that use their dog, favorite football teams etc.. for their picture. Since most FB friends are probably not your real friends, you don't know a lot of that stuff.

Strange. I figured everyone who likes PF already ripped their CD's to flac or compressed to listen on the go years ago. For me personally, even with VBR with high avg bit rates using various encoders and options, I notice annoying artifacts and it is just not appealing when loud. A lot of PF source material has flaws and glitches (including the various remasters, SDAC, golds, that I've heard etc) and even with that, I really can't enjoy PF in compressed format. 95% of the other music I've heard uncompressed and compressed doesn't bother me.