Thanks for the screenshot. It explains what you're saying better.

Still, do you think that they changed the search engine, left all those options for smart search on, then went to the OS setting for spotlight and turned that off, then sounded the alarm? Would seem a bit like manufactured outrage to me, but I suppose it's not impossible.

If those options were actually left on, then is a very non-story (at least that part)

Agreed, they have a very good track record but...

Huh? http://advertising.apple.com/

Sure, it's not their main cash cow, but they do sell ads, with targeting and analytics.

Which is fine but Windows comments belong on that thread. This is irrelevant to if / how / why macs are phoning home. Timothy just added it to incite comments like yours.

Back on topic: I am kinda curious about the Omniture cookie. Why would they send it when I open the "about this mac" dialog?

They specifically said they turned off Spotlight suggestions.

Even if that were not so, changing search engine should never mean you have to find another configuration option to turn off the old search engine. That's just wrong.

This is actually my only issue. It seems many of the things they found in TFGHR have a legit uses, but if you turn it off, then it should be off.

Try not to feed timothy's' trolling. I am no fan of Windows but that was an unnecessary distraction meant to provoke a coke vs pepsi debate.

Two privacy wrongs don't make anything remotely resembling a right.

And why should anyone care about "recommended" levels of anything?

God, I hope you're not a pharmacist.

I have never seen any study suggesting that

And I have never seen Australia, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

participants who drank pop daily had shorter telomeres

I didn't know I had telomeres until about five minutes ago.

And wait a minute, when they say, "pop", are they talking about any carbonated beverage? Is the problem the carbonation or the crap they put in pop to make it sweet and neon-colored and buzz-causing and impervious to going bad for 500 years?

I need to know, because I've become enamored of my Sodastream machine, which turns water into fizzy water. I can't drink pop because I play the chromatic harmonica and any kind of drink with sugar or caramel color will foul up the reeds and valves. But fizzy water is perfect because it's refreshing, and it wets my whistle (which is important for playing the chromatic harmonica) and allows me to belch "When the Saints Go Marching In". Seriously, I love those carbonated belches. I keep them on the down-low when I'm around others, but I've scared the hell out of the cat a few times with a belch that registers 6.4 on the richter scale. It doesn't startle the dog, but she does wag her tail as if to say, "nice rip, bro".

So, does this research mean that the fizzy water I drink (no added flavor, except occasionally I'll add a little spearmint or hibiscus tea) is going to give me stubby little telomeres? And does the length of my telomeres matter as long as they have sufficient girth? I need to know right away.

Yeah. I wasn't sure about all the complaining of the militarization of the police until I noticed that one of the items the Department of Defense was sending police departments was silencers.

There is no appropriate use for a silencer in police work. Not one. A silencer is an assassin's tool. Not law enforcement.

One example? Do you know how much psychological research is being done?

Just check the Slashdot frontpage over the past few weeks and you'll find a lot more instances of con men in Physics. Does this mean that the "current state" of physics research is rife with fraud?

How about economics? Biochemistry? You want con men? Parapsychology is a more rigorous discipline than economics.

Oh, you're right. Sorry. I misread it and thought it was a branch of the mounties for aboriginal regions.

Never mind.

Psychology research since the mid-90s has actually become one of the more rigorous scientific disciplines. I don't know if you're thinking back to the mid 20th century, but I'm not sure where you're getting a notion that there's something wrong with the "current state" of psychology research.

If you're a military, you don't ask what it costs.

Except in this case, their not military. Police have different requirements than the military, not the least of which is sticking to a budget.

Despite what you see with US police departments, police forces don't need the latest military hardware.

Canada is significantly colder than Sweden and Norway.

Parts of it are. Considering the very wide range of temperatures across Canada, if the government is looking for one rifle to handle any conditions, and cost is a factor, they're better off with wood laminate stocks.

If they've stuck this long with the Lee-Enfield, it's a pretty good indication that they're more concerned with reliability over many decades and standardization than they are with the latest tech.

You can't tell that from the logo.

Sure you can. Tell me one product with an Apple logo that does not have an Apple proprietary chip.