We're rude because we feel safe behind our wall of perceived untouchable anonymity.
If we say anything offensive, the recipient can't simply reach through our screen and wallop us for it, so we feel almost obligated to be (in our own opinion) brutally honest, or at the very least unfiltered.
Add to that, the detached sense of reality given the less-than-substantial nature of the internet, and you have a great recipe for being rude.
Couple that with the tendency for many folks to be tweeting of Facebooking while at work, and using the media to vent their daily frustration, and Voila! Rudeness abounds!

Sadly, the generation of (i)Pod People has become even more socially detached now that nobody has to so much as look at one another any more 'cause they're so busy talking (texting/tweeting/e-mailing) on their Smartphones to have a real conversation.

Ever watch such people on a "Date"? They often tune each other out while sending or responding to some message from someone else! Wonder what the food and service are like? Check their Tweet feed! I'll bet it's less than nice! The waiter would never get told, because they've already vented their displeasure to their circle of friends, but won't give the establishment the satisfaction of even trying to make it right.

Most internet interaction now happens from smartphones nowadays. People tend to use what's handiest, since they don't want to be chained to a desk or table, and it's easier to block visibility to their phone than to a screen.

I still say: Smart Devices (of any kind) make for Dumb People.

Have you considered using a Trembler? Any of the "Stick it on a flat surface and turn it into a speaker" stuff out there could work well, and may also keep eavesdropping to a minimum (if privacy might be an issue).
Over at Thinkgeek.com, they have this little portable option: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/eaf8/

Try your Google-Fu, and see what else you get.

Good Luck!

If such a scheme is introduced, it will cause/fuel a renewed proliferation of Crack and Hacks that will really cost M$ serious money in the long run.

Since older versions still abound, and I am quite confident that there are more than a few of us that will simply hold on to those versions until it is simply impossible to do so any more. By then, there will be a Free alternative, and M$ may have learned its lesson.

Chrome, Opera, Firefox...

For Windows users, there are always going to be viable options for browsing the web, and trying to use IE as a tool for forcing people to upgrade their OS is ultimately undermining their market share in the Browser field any way.

Here's hoping they actually keep it up! Maybe, they'll get the Hint that IE isn't all they say it's cracked up to be, and make it a Decent browser to use!
Oh, wait. Missed my meds again. I actually thought IE might be Good one day.

My bad.

Microsoft has been forcing Windows upgrades on the consumer since inception.
Alas, the consumer is more vulnerable to its efforts than, say, the larger corporations. Any little 'tweaks' that are done during Microsoft's' little forced Automatic Updates that happen to slow down an already systematically crippled system will continue to frustrate the consumer into finally 'giving up on that dinosaur' and buying the Shiny New System that their Kids have been bugging them for.
Consumers are in a much better position to upgrade than corporations are, as one system at a time, is far easier to accommodate. Both financially, and on the whole Learning Curve of a new OS.

I'm still running WinXP Pro and Office XP Pro, because I absolutely HATE what they did to the interface of later incarnations!
Quite frankly, if they Forcefully De-Activate XP products, I'll simply find an Activator out there "in the wild" somewhere, and keep on processing.

Shame they can't be convinced to release good old 98 as Open Source...
oh, wait. That'd KILL Microsoft!

Never mind ;)

On the Plus side, it'll save space in crowded cemeteries, as they won't need so much space to list the Dearly Departed. Particularly, in mausoleums, and content can be changed and updated as needed without costly stone replacements.

The bad news is, a memorial wall of nondescript QR codes will mean the non-technologically equipped will see nothing more than a bewildering array of QRs, and can't pinpoint their loved ones name.

Even worse: the dearly departed can have their web-ghost hacked by the unscrupulous, and serve up viruses and/or mal-ware, or simply bombard the grieving family member(s) with "inappropriate content" such as Ads (both commercial and less-than friendly)

Scanning a Memorial Wall could result in a cacophony of Ads in poor taste, Vogon-grade poetry, and sex scenes drowning out the messages of the departed.

And THEN, there will be Lawsuits!

First of all, just how big of a truck are you planning on pulling your 5th wheel RV trailer with? You might need a higher class/grade of license for it, and the plates and insurance that goes with it. Might even want to invest in a Safe Driving Course to keep your Home safe(r) from driving mishaps! Ever hear of Low Bridges? Know your Height, and watch those Signs ;)
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Second, you'll want to consider 'Full Self-containment' and how long you can stay fully disconnected. Are you planning on being always in an RV park, or just "most of the time"? Diesel or Gasoline generator? Any solar or wind to minimize the fuel consumption? Size of your holding tanks (water/waste etc) A little high-efficiency solar, with a decent fold-away wind generator can go a Long Way towards saving your batteries from pre-mature charging needs! Lots of 110v or even 12v goodies? Try to learn how to Live Lite on usage, and you'll do much better.
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Thirdly, range extenders for Wi-Fi and/or Cellular signals may be more-than-useful! Just bear in mind they also require Power.
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Fourth, many "Public Wi-fi" are also heavily monitored, and/or Throttled! They might not support VPNs, streaming (or BT downloads) and are likely to have a list of Banned sites. TA/Petro as well as the Pilot/Flying-J Truckstops are Notorious for this! Hotels can be very nosy, too. They all want (need, thanks to Homeland Security) to know what their networks are being used for AT ALL TIMES, so you might experience unexpected signal drops as their firewalling software drops your IP due to "restricted activity" on their network. Add to this, the commonality of the IP pool, and your Net Neighbors possibly snooping into your shared folders. How's your system locked down?
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Fifth, have all the non-power related Creature Comforts that will make your "Life-In-A-Box" worth living! A truly comfy mattress goes a Very Long Way to sanity control. Addicted to TV? Might want to seek a cure. Have to watch The Big Game? Try Hooters (or a similar sports-related venue) and share the experience over having the Big Screen in your RV eating your battery power like nachos and bean dip. What is your diet like? Having a decent restaurant nearby may help as well, unless you're the Iron Chef of 12v Coolers, and propane stoves!
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Speaking of propane, Sixth, we have that most needed of gases. How familiar are you with its safe usage, storage, etc? Might want to Get familiar, as heat and cooking are going to be a really important part of LIAB. Not blowing up, or running out unexpectedly are two factors. Being ALLOWED to even Have propane is a factor in choosing a Campsite as well. Getting refills in a cost-efficient and timely manner is something of note, too.
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Seventh: Climate Control. Need I say more? How do you plan on keeping comfortable and productive in the excessive heat, or bitter cold? Is it all Reliable, and what happens if it goes out in the middle of the day or night? Ever seen a laptop try to run at 104 F sans-humidity? Ever tried to boot a system at -20 F?
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As if all that wasn't enough, I have Item the Eighth: Safety. Not just where to park, or not blowing yourself up with propane, but not getting broken into or RV-jacked. Personal safety is a big issue in a dangerous world. Urban camouflage is great. Making it look like you don't have the place loaded with high-resale items is wise. Thieves will be less likely to target a shabby-looking family rig, than a rental unit,likely to be jammed full of easily fenced pocket electronic goods left behind by bored teens dragged along against their will... Try to look spartan, or like you're perhaps delivering a New one, and not packing anything they'd take. Keep track of your hauling truck! They can be fodder for thieves! And for too many reasons to list.

Such a life is Risky, most assuredly. The freedom and happiness that can be had, however, may be more than enough compensation for you!

Have a Happy and Safe Life out there,and Good Luck!

Just curious here, but what makes people think that traveling anywhere in a public place with a unique identifier like a license plate somehow constitutes a private act that deserves any form of protection?

If you have a tendency to accelerate through yellow lights on a regular basis, or make rolling stops, and there are Traffic Cameras, (like in Toronto, or New York City) chances are it will show a trend and sooner or later, when you finally get into an accident. there will be a Mountain of evidence that will just 'appear' in court (that someone could Pay For) when the injured party decides to sue you!

You drive down the street, anyone can see you. Anyone with a camera, be it a phone, or even a Nintendo DS, can take a shot of you. If you go into a public place, guess what? People will See you! If you go anywhere there might be a camera, those images will be around as long as there's a means of storing them.

Welcome to the Digital Age! Anyone who thinks that data of any kind simply can't leak its way out of Vegas (or anywhere else) is deluding themselves in a very sad way. Anything that has been recorded will find its way into the public eye at the most inconvenient of times. Particularly, if there's any sort of Political Gain involved.

"What Happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" is a myth.
I like the Jeff Dunham quote, myself: "What Happens in DC Stays on YouTube".

In the US you can at least still Get 'Unlimited Bandwidth' packages!
Up here in 'The Great White North' they have done away with All forms of unlimited bandwidth internet services.
Needless to say, High Throughput is (nearly) worthless if you can use up your entire months' worth of bandwidth in a day or two.

Of course, we have Ball Canada to thank for this, as they have an uncontested Monopoly on the country-wide trunk lines, and have EVERYONE hostage to their rates, so they can set whatever prices they want for data and voice.

Oh, did I mention that they were Uncontested? That's right. Canada's legislative control body, the CRTC has no powers over them, as they are now 'Unregulated'.
I found this out the hard way when we switched our assorted core services to another provider, and Bell summarily cut off our phone,(and locked our phone number) when we dropped the internet and TV services to go with Cogeco Cable. We had a Great long distance package and an easy-to-remember number, but "a 'mistake' was made during your service adjustments, and we can no longer support or reinstate your service. You will have to resolve the issue before we can give you a new number, as that one will go back into the available pool.".

Yes, Virginia. There is a Monopoly (in Canada), and the CRTC has had its hands tied.
Beware of this happening in the US next!
Core providers capping bandwidth to keep the Streaming Content from taking off, and driving up profitability on those Smartphones that are ALWAYS connected to their networks, constantly tapping into Twitter, e-mail and any form of Instant Messaging, as well as GPS and routing, weather reports, stock quotes, the latest episode of your Soap Opera...

Wanna stream the Big Game in HD on your G4 iPad? Watch your Bill for the Big Game to come back and Bite you in the Bandwidth!

Looks like Google is trying the old "Teflon Soft-shoe" in an attempt to avoid charges, fines, and other 'business costs' associated with such snooping.
Glad to see the Engineer they blamed didn't just roll over and play dead on this, or it would have been Quite Bad in the long run.

So, where does that leave "War-Drivers" who specifically snoop out WiFi?

Looks like the console industry will join with companies that already have people set up in kiosks at local malls offering to jail-break consoles, as well as cell phones and iPads.
Then you can play used games, and won't need an always-on internet connection that checks all your activities with Big Brother (Unless, of course, you're an online addict of MMORPGs, then you're out of luck)
Who knows? Maybe there will be someone that starts up a 'Liberation' server, so people can register their system on That server, and even play online with their friends without paying the manufacturer for the 'Right to Play' their games? (StarCraft, anyone?)

New field of Lawsuits and Claims: Unlicensed Online Services that Break an already broken system! Terror Ensues!

All this push for "Cloud Computing", and still Big Brother does not get the fact that people don't actually Trust him!

More push = less trust!

Most folks have this feature in their phone: to send Contact info to another phone on-demand.
Presto! a New e-card! Just have your cell phone configured to send out a "Blip Exchange" via bluetooth in a short range burst, and all such info has been exchanged! No more dead-tree business cards to dispose of (or pick you teeth with after a big meal)!

Maybe the cellphone manufacturers can get together (snerk) and come up with something universal to allow for such 'Business Info Exchanges'?

Think about it this way: If anyone does try to implement this type of thing, they have to pay Micro$oft for the Patent.
Now, if they don't wish to put such a financial burden on a system such as this, (thus increasing its cost, and reducing its appeal to the end user), they'd opt to leave such a feature out.
Active DISCOURAGEMENT of a Bad Idea by Patenting it, so they can actually DENY it to folks, and the right to Sue if anyone actually Infringes!
Big Oil has been doing this for years, tho: Buying up high fuel efficiency ideas, patenting them, and Denying them to anyone, and suing them into the ground if they try to bypass their patent.

Not that I'm For such a "feature" on any system I'd subscribe to. This would be a decent way to head such a heinous money-grab off at the pass!

Maybe "Uncle Bills' Kids" aren't as bad as we all thought...

That, or I'm simply seeing a possibility that others are far more likely to Implement than avoid...

In THAT case, say Hello to rampant 'Product Placement' as revenue! After all, I don't see ANYONE wanting a system like this anywhere near their wallet!

Sounds like the border pre-clearance system that has been in place for almost 10 years at the ground entry points like Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Lewiston, Pt. Huron and Detroit. There's been dedicated lanes for "Trusted Travelers", with an assortment of fast-tracking for commuters, and even Commercial traffic!

Maybe they've finally wised up, and are implementing the same data base for Airports? It makes sense to Finally apply it to air travel. It will certainly make it easier to track folks no mater what form of travel they choose to employ (if the authorities can agree to share the same database, of course).

Now, to get one, you have to have a clean criminal record in both Canada and the US, get fingerprinted, interviewed, and otherwise 'Vetted' as a Low-Risk traveler.
That gets you the Card. Now you also have to register your vehicle to use the lanes (and have the transponder affixed to the window), and ALL passengers have to have the card as well...

Still, much better than getting stuck in 2+ hour lines from time to time.

At least, the airplane is pre-cleared and all you have to worry about is not violating any of the myriad terms and conditions, thus losing the card, and being downgraded back to the unwashed masses.

Terms and conditions apply.
Not available at all ports of entry
Always have Proof of Citizenship with you, as they can Still ask to see it!
Oh, and watch out for strangers that want you to take anything for them! Seriously!