With regard to Samsung's customer service, I had a 23" display develop stuck pixels after about 8 months. I called Samsung. They set up a pickup with Fedex (who collected my monitor), and two weeks later I had a brand-new display. My only issue was that they didn't update me. I called them and the new monitor arrived the next day (it had been shipped a few days previously without notice to me).

The new monitor is fine, a year later.

Happy camper here.

It also falls apart when you think about books like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. What if someone writes a great novel and then drops dead? Why shouldn't his/her estate make some money from that?

I live in Ontario. Around here, you can get a cost award at a few rates: partial costs, which run around half of your costs and is the usual award; substantial, which is about 80%; and full indemnity, which is 100%.

The reason they award at different rates are basically twofold. It's not usual that a case is a total slam-dunk for the winner, so going to court could be reasonable even if you lose; and also to ensure people can afford justice.

I'm at the office now. We have a business class connection. I'm pretty sure our cost would go up if we started offering Internet service to the public, and that we'd get in trouble if we simply put on a router and told everyone to go nuts.

Not true. Contracts last until the contract is satisfied.

If you sign an employment contract that says "upon termination, you must A, B, and C", and you don't A, B, and C after termination, you are in breach of contract and can face civil penalties.

If you had custody of your employer's property, and you fail to return the property to your employer on termination, you can further face criminal charges including theft or (as in this case) denial of service.

I was at the office in downtown Ottawa, corner of Elgin and Waverley. The earthquake knocked our power out. The traffic lights were out up and down Elgin, as far as I could see. Everything seemed fine once I got a couple blocks away to the east and south.

Cats, including artificial cats, would make terrible caregivers. Trust me on this. I've lived with several of the buggers.