Imagine a crazy, mixed-up world in which people who have a history of writing useful reviews are given free products to review! Clearly this new-fangled technology will destroy our society. Next thing you know, advertizers will start giving incentives to bloggers to talk about things interesting to their customers.

yeah, because that gradual roll-out stuff really killed facebook.

Sure, they can pass a law that says to replace all nuclear power plants with power plants that do not generate greenhouse gasses. While they are at it, they should also pass a law to make influenza illegal. I mean, that is really bad too! When the rolling blackouts come, maybe we will elect some sensible leaders.

"Microsoft" corresponds heavily with "Windows", "software", "updates", and the like, while Apple corresponds with "Apple Store", "large dog", "extra large dog", and ... "muleys"... wtf?

... then it is not false imprisonment. Not to say that the law shouldn't be changed, but hey, get your terms straight...

"public face of anonymous". No need to read the rest of an article when it starts with that line.

Geez, they could have bought Skype for that!

These are Americans - how many get out of bed during the day at all? Because that could skew things...

Then only one company (at most) would have had Balmer as a CEO....

- a Microsoft shareholder


PS: and none of the mini-microsofts would have paid 8 BILLION for F'ing Skype!

Considering you need:

• * sufficient population to have genetic diversity
• * sustainable food and water for the entire trip
• * source of materials for clothing, tools, habitat repair, etc.
• * a source of gravity close to 1g so that life as we know it can function
• * a protective shield that can withstand intense radiation, meteor strikes, etc.
• * an energy source that can power the whole thing for thousands of years

I think the smallest possible intersteller vessel is probably an Earth-like planet in orbit around a Sol-like star. So now the question is, where are going??
- davevr

The stated mission of the Chinese Space Program is to mine helium 3 from the moon. I believe their target timeframe is by 2050. At the rate we are going, they will probably still beat us. Wasn't there a story once about a turtle racing a rabbit?

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2006-07/26/content_649325.htm

This was already well-researched in the HCI literature, starting with Olsen's groundbreaking paper on the DataNose around 1986, and extended significantly by Brad Meyers, et al., in their 1991 UIST paper on Nose Gesture Interfaces and Rhino-Virtual-Reality in General.

http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=120789

I have been a soreheaded occupant of a file drawer labeled “Science Fiction” ... and I would like out, particularly since so many serious critics regularly mistake the drawer for a urinal.

- Kurt Vonnegut, Wampeters, Foma, and Granfalloons


rip, kurt!

Seriously, can anyone say that with a straight face?

I am in the exact same boat. I never really was in to TV and never had cable. I can't stand commericals. I used to just watch VHS, then DVDs, Blu-Rays, etc. Now I use netflix streaming and am discovering that maybe I did miss a few good shows over the years. Of course, I still pay ComCast a ton of money to get my high-speed net access so I am not sure if I am saving any money...