I think other authors have done a better job with postulating advances in technology. A few examples:

Charles Stross - Accelerando - One of the more believable and compelling projections of computer tech that I've read in a long time.

Linda Nagata - Vast - Similar projections for computer tech as above, plus genetic engineering. This was a recent random find in a used book store for me, and apparently the fourth book in a series called The Nanotech Succession. I will definitely be looking for more of her stuff.

Paolo Bacigalupi - The Windup Girl - Definitely the best I've seen for projection in biotech, and it hit me in a similar way as the first time I read Neuromancer a few decades ago. Definitely not for children, though. Pump Six And Other Stories is a collection of short stories set in the same world, but I don't know how well they would hold up on their own without the deeper context that TWG provides.

There's plenty of discussion about how we need more men in nursing and K-6 education, it's just happening on forums you aren't paying attention too. Perhaps you could pull your head out of your ass and google yourself up a bit of education on those topics. I can't speak to therapists, but then all of the relatively few therapists I've met are men.

Yes, they are, you just haven't been paying attention to the forums where those conversations are happening. A tiny bit of Googling would educate you.

Wrong. That might be the case in particular jurisdictions (LA and SF would not surprise me) but it certainly isn't that way in the whole state. All that's necessary is 30 days written notice naming the person(s) on the lease/rental agreement and however many John/Jane Does you think are necessary (it's recommended that number be generous). No need to get cops involved unless the tenant(s) refuse to vacate, but I suspect that's the case in every state.

Funny how the Chinese immigrants in Quebec prefer to learn English over French - supposedly the reason PQ supporters want provincial level immigration controls. Don't make this into an Anglophone's not wanting to learn another language thing - it clearly extends beyond English speakers. Tabernac!

Nah you're giving them far too much credit for being clever.

Just look at this stupid shit.

So: can anyone come up with a cost/benefit analysis, please ?

For the NSA/CIA, the Koch-brother sponsored right wing zealot groups, etc. the cost benefit analysis is quite simple.

Does it benefit the NSA/CIA/Koch Bro groups and their agendas, directly or indirectly, even a little? If so, do it. If not, don't. There is undoubtably a risk analysis component (how likely are we to get caught?) but the general pattern seems to be to do what they like and rely on their ability to destory the reputation of any people of good conscience who stand up against them, much less report their malfeasance.

What is particularly disturbing about this is the lengths to which they are willing to go, the degree of negative-sum activities they are willing to engage in (they don't mind engaging in massively destructive activities against others for very modest, even minor gains, where the negative impact to their oponents, society or the world dwarfs their own miniscule gains), and the degree of silence from otherwise "good persons" who nearly always opt to do (and say) nothing. It reminds me of the old post-WW II adage which concludes "and when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out" (paraphrased).

"rooting" the device to disable an LED that could be blocked by $2 bottle of black enamel paint (ie nail polish, figurine paint, etc)

I don't understand what difference Keystone XL plays into climate change considering the choice is between burning American, Canadian, Norwegian, Venezuelan, or Saudi oil. The demand for fossil fuel burning will only continue to increase as global population increases, if the price increases in the short term eventually the demand will outweigh the cost from increasing population and we're back to where we were. Leaks from global increases in natural gas production is probably having a greater impact on climate change despite it being a cleaner burning fuel source - methane is quite good at absorbing infrared, far better than carbon dioxide, but we're creating carbon dioxide in much higher volumes.

Anyhow, the greenhouse effect goes back to Fourier, this isn't anything new in terms of the basic science, it's just modelling a complex system like the Earth reliably is difficult. All you can do is correlate the general trend of the system to some variables and point to them as the cause. Even if we assume the Sun is mostly responsible for global temperature rise the only variable we can have any hope in controlling is the atmospheric composition.

Otherwise if we do nothing about the issue nature might forcibly relocate us back to caves.

The solution with the least impact on our standard of living, which is also within our means to achieve is : Electric cars and electric heating sources, while investing in low or no-carbon emission sources of energy such as solar, wind, fission and fusion.

Short of massive engineering projects to reflect heat back into space, condense carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it underground, or some other ridiculous proposal, the reduction of burning fossil fuels is the most practical and brings other benefits (except for oil producers).

I guess we now have solid proof that Rush Limbaugh is a Slashdotter.

So what would impress you? Having a lawyer write up a whole new license? Keeping it closed source?

Jack, and shit. As someone who worked in construction for 10 years and now has 3 years experience as a software developer, allow me to present a rebuttal:

The bricklayer is an independent contractor who signed a contract to deliver a finished wall on a certain date for a certain price. How much or how little time it takes him to complete the job is his own business. He gets paid the same amount regardless. Whether he's super awesome and completes the wall in half the time, or he's a screw-up who ends up putting in 80 hour weeks tearing down sections and rebuilding them, he gets paid the same.

That contract was created in the context of a STRICT waterfall development model. The dimensions, materials, and probably even the pattern the bricks are to be laid in have already been specified, in detail, by the architect/engineer. All the bricklayer has to do is lay bricks. He's not doing any design work. If there's a design flaw in the wall, that's not his fault, and fixing it will cost you extra. If the design changes after the contract was signed, that's probably also going to cost you extra. If modifications are made after the the bricklayer completed his work on a section of wall, any structural weaknesses introduced by those modification are not his fault and fixing them will cost you extra. You see where this is going, right?

In cases where the bricklayer is an hourly employee rather than an independent contractor, there is no way in hell he's fixing anything on his own time. You are paying for every minute he's working. Period. If you hired a screw-up bricklayer (probably the cheapest one you could find), you're eating those costs.

Gas dynamic lasers actually do involve 'firing' the laser. I know this is not the case with the BMW however you can still fire some lasers.

Not necessarily. Lots of coach busing and trains have reserved seating.

Why are airplanes singled out? Why not all public transportation?