"...1024x768 12.1-inch screen "

I'm so used to using a desktop with a 20"+ screen that every time I try to use my 14" laptop screen, I can't bear to use it. Add to that the small keyboard and track pack. By the time I'm done modifying my laptop to useable state - adding a mouse, a full keyboard, disabling the trackpad and adding a monitor ... I have a desktop. I don't see the point in a laptop unless one truly needs portability.

I don't have a large amount of critical data to backup (mostly documents for research). I've been using PAR (or rather relying on it) to verify and correct errors when recovering data.

That said, I realize I should probably also have a checksum. Should one consider a different algorithm then MD5, for example to prevent collisions of the hashes?

What you are describing sounds like a waterslide. ;)

I don't agree with including Evolution in Science textbooks.

However, it might get the boards reviewing the books to actually read the books that are being included in the curriculum.

I remember reading a story from Richard Feyman. He was asked to review books for his local board. If I recall, he was asked why his reviews took so long. He explained he read the books. Some of the others were simply approving books based on which one looked the best.

I think they're going to remake Con-Air now. And Cyrus "the Virus" will be a grad of the program.

One of the problems seems to be that the asteroid struck in day-time so was obscured by the Sun. The Sun seems to be an obstacle to proper tracking of these 'smaller' asteroids on Earth or using satellites orbiting earth.

I'm not suggesting this will be practical or affordable. Has there been any discussion of using a satellite to orbit the moon? Perhaps a potential use of deep-space probes like Voyager 1 will be to track these asteroids in the future (if V1 hasn't been doing this already).

Mastercard surely employs security experts who should know better. I would think most of them would come up with the same counter-arguments we'll be reading on Slashdot in the next few hours.

So the question is, who came up with this idea and why authorize to release it to the media?

Exxon seem confident. Then they should go for a dive in the same water and be subject to Sonar. What's not harmful to whales and other sea life could hardly be bad for humans.

This make me feel fortunate that I learned, as a kid, to use computers since the Commodore 64 and Dos-era. Only having access to a command line, it forced me to read manuals to understand what the software does before using it.

The people who have only learned computers, particularly on one platform only, are utterly confused trying to learn something new or feel its 'impossible to do'.

In learning to use computers, the education system should focus on the essentials. Teach basics of hardware and software. It not only makes you appreciate what you have but it helps understand what is happening. To me its the same argument of "why teach multiplication tables, if we have calculators?".

Thanks for the tip! I didn't know what this thread was about until I read this.

Skies of Arcadia. I know it was originally a Dreamcast game and ported to Gamecube. I had it on my GC. That game was by far the most fun RPG (and probably video game) I've ever played.

I'd also recommend remaking River City Ransom. I know there's been some remakes and some clones. But that game was special and deserves a proper remake.

Free? .... "misery And Force choke? Really, Free?! I think you'll have to pay EA for these as DLC on first day. And chances are, the game won't run without misery.

Sooner or later, you'll have to pay to have a player that walks and runs - $1.99 each.

I haven't played the online Starwars mmporg, but the original Bioware Knights of Old Republic I & II (save for a few annoying characters ... which seems the norm for the SW universe .... ) were among the best games I've ever played. Now EA owns Bioware, which means Bioware cannot be any better than any EA game. Sigh.

Agreed. There used to be a time when Disney used to stand for quality but that's really no longer the case.

I was kid when Empire was first released. The story was way too dark/scary for me at the time. Now, the movie is absolutely amazing,

There's a lot of really cool stuff they could do in SW movies. It doesn't have to be gory. If you sacrifice toy sales, you can make a hell of a better movie. Kids don't belong in the theater. They don't need to see a movie of beheadings, bar fights, understanding what bounty hunters do, see giant armies and exploding planets.

If any other movie director/company had the license, there are some really cool things you could do with the movies .... SFX, dialog, etc. but it just anin't gonna happen with Star Wars. I hope something cool happens, but I'll just settle blissfully with the idea I at least got to see Empire.

The Marvel movies, despite Disney owning Marvel studios, have actually been fairly good despite fast releases. I never read any SW Sci-Fi novels, but could it be they're just going to adapt some books into movies .... kinda like Flemming's 007 series?

Not only that, but why reinvent the wheel?

California's requirements for a DMV system shouldn't be all that different from NY or TX or most other States. A new DMV system could just be redone 'once' for one state and then modifications made to the system base on -legal- requirements of another state.

I emphasize 'legal' reguirements, because the last thing you want are 'desired' or 'mandatory' requirements that aren't really needed. You sink in a lot more money due to incompetence.

Have the 24" version. Equally awesome for PS3 hookup.