--You know, it's funny - but when I read Asimov's "Robbie**" I was rooting for the robot, because reasons. The robot was written from a sympathetic point of view, appeared to really care for the daughter, and 3 Laws blahblahblah.
--I find this whole "spying Barbie" idea to be creepy (and unnecessary) as hell. Perceived motives and all that. USRMM (from the story) had no vested interest in advertising to litle girls.
--You might want to look into mobaxterm if you haven't already; it has a subset of cygwin's functionality and it's way more fully featured than Putty. FYI - just a satisfied user
"You need tender loving care once a week - so that I can slap you into shape." - Ellyn Mustard