That first "if" won't happen. Also, Star Trek was far from utopia - wars on interplanetary and interstellar scales are not an improvement. Additionally, it would require infinite energy and infinite speed (amount other things) to make anything resembling the federation viable - and we have neither, and won't be getting them in this universe.

You're forgetting what happens with a "manufacturer's strike." When there's no incentive to produce something, why bother, since there's no upside, just a potential downside.

You're mistaken. The state "takes care of it" via payroll taxes.

It will probably eventually be safer and more convenient. Same as automated elevators, traffic lights, etc.

The porn industry will be the first to replace actors with digital actors that look "even realer than life. Won't even require the digital overlay that was simulated in Running Man. And you can have it any way you want, just like Doug Quade in Total Recall. 37.4%? I doubt it.

Writers are rated at a 3.8% change of being automated. How hard can it be for software to turn out porno plots? Really?

Musicians and singers - 7.4%? Can anyone ever remember the cheesier-than-elevator-muzak from those cheap pornos?

It will create more opportunities for optometrists (13.5%).

Now someone make the inevitable pr0n overlords, please :-)

Making full time 30 hours a week won't help. Covering the social benefits of 2 workers will give even more incentive to automate - get rid of 2 for the price of 1.

Nope. Intelligence may be limited, but there's no sign that stupidity isn't infinite :-) The heat death just goes to show how stupid (lack of information storage because there's no energy differential) the universe will be.

Thanks :-) It shows up on the main feed because there's a bug in slashdot. Even if you don't check the checkbox to share it, it ends up there. That's why you'll (1) see a lot of journal entries there, and (2) know that not too many people are writing journals any more, or the firehose. I guess I have my options set differently because I don't see it listed on the main page, but if true, that's a bit scary - not that I care any more

He's one of those people who doesn't know the value of $$$. "I can afford the payments" affects high-wage earners really bad when the music stops. Future bankruptcy is almost inevitable.

So he doesn't screw over Jeb's chance of getting the religious right's votes :-)

The employees claims, affirmed by a judgement prior to the bankruptcy, get their claim treated the same as other creditors, or perhaps better. The few shareholders there were, on the other hand come last, after back taxes, etc.

Besides, what assets does Mandriva have? The name? Not worth anything.

For those of you who are too young to have heard of it, inna gadda da vida at 256kbps is 32,727,315 bytes.
Pink floyd's meddle at 320bps is 56,465,408 bytes

Disk Jockies would spin one of these when they wanted to have a 17 to 22 minute break.

A non-denial denial:

If he hadn't made such an offer, you can be sure that he would remember that "I made no such offer."

Here's the beginning of that comment:

So the main thrust of the question was NOT about inheritance. Your question of multiple primary partners being recognized by law was answered several times.

But if you go up a bit, the discussion was not about inheritance until you tried to throw out roadblocks (changing the goalposts) after I pointed out you were wrong about the the existence of polygamy, there and elsewhere.

NOT bringing your loved one at least some chocolate on Valentine's day can be bad for both your physical and emotional health. Negative physical effects can include sore back from sleeping on the couch to pneumonia from sleeping in the dog house, as well as bruising from flying saucers (and cups and plates and anything else handy) to not being able to have sex until you atone :-)