Did he just claim that every tablet in the world, his own included, is "a rip-off product", to quote the quote?

Yes he did. In the same way a fake Luis Vuitton is trying to copy on the success of a Luis Vuitton design, which is currently perfectly legal as long as it doesn't have Luis' name on it, the rest of the tablet market is trying to copy the success of the iPad by building something similar, which is itself also totally legal.

Has Apple so completely won the mind-share fight that every tablet product, no matter how technically distinctive, is an iPad clone?

At the moment, yes it has. I'm not saying the iPad is a superior product, merely that tech writers continue to use the word "tablet" but the average person thinks "iPad" because that's what overwhelmingly dominates the "tablet" market.

The RDF is strong with this one.

It's only strong with you, my fellow /.er, if you continue to deny the reality of the situation.

Okay, self lacing shoes are stupid by definition. Laces are cheap, relatively easy, and far more reliable than an electronic version. The shoes in BTTF are power and electronic driven. I could go around buying batteries and replacement shoes every time they break down, or I could just buy a pair of regular sneakers and be happy. Laces tying in most cultures is a child's rite of passage and everyone knows how to do it these days.

In order to be interesting, first I believe you have to have a mechanical method, by where someone twists or pulls on something to tighten the sneakers, not electric based. But more importantly any solution has to be as reliable/as cheap/as easy as laces, and be better than sneakers on at least one of those points. Even the style people who buy $150 shoes just because they have some sports player's name on them are not going to be too impressed. Laces are like $.05 to make these days and a $150 shoe with laces vs $150 with a snazzy new lacing system is going to eventually get killed by Nike because it's not cost effective.

Now kindly get your hoverboard off my lawn.

Sheng Long, like Zagat, is just a hoax.

It's a good thing if teachers have a Facebook account that deals with class related issues, allows students to communicate about homework, ask questions, expand the subject, etc.

It's a bad thing if teachers have a Facebook account they use to buddy with their students simply to share pictures, schmooze, gossip and otherwise engage in behavior that is unbecoming a teacher.

The law is entirely unnecessary as this is a matter of professional conduct to be handled on the teacher level and administration level, not a state government level. Banning Facebook in this manner is like banning teachers from using email, telephones, Skype or any other technology to communicate appropriately with students. So you want teachers to remain teaching with nothing but in person voice, chalk and blackboard for the next 300 years?

No popcorn for me :(

1) Cable companies would prefer to not provide cable to all people in a state, only providing cable to those who will buy premium services and in highest concentration areas so it's most profitable, but states general have laws stating "no, cable for everyone or you ain't in business." So the USPS should not provide mail service to absolutely everyone in the US?

2) One stamp for 44 cents seems insane, but it adds up over time. Small businesses have had to mail as well. Only recently with the maturity of free mail services and bulk email programs does this no longer make sense for letters but for larger parcels it still creates economies of scale for shipping businesses.

3) A few minor businesses like, oh I dunno, Amazon, benefit from ubiquitous and cheap shipping provided by the USPS so the subsidation of cheap mail rates and others can be argued stimulates online commerce. It was never a complaint by Sears back in the day.

4) The USPS actually is a government-mandated service that delivers flat-rate mail to every corner of the country six days a week, and there's no reason to create a false dichotomy that it absolutely has to be subsidized. The USPS worked just like this for decades, because the internet did not exist. The internet is a disruptive technology. On one hand, millions of people still need snail mail. On the other, the USPS needs major changes to continue to exist.

The main reason for the massive news upheaval is simply because it's going to be a political third rail. Simply put, drastic changes need to be allowed, but to do so would put every congresscritter, Democrat and Republican, in hot water because it probably means raising rates, cutting jobs and pensions, or both. The political will, like on so many other issues, is nowhere near there yet. It affects too many re-election bids.

Unfortunately, changes need to be made and they are going to hurt someone. But one thing is clear, the mandates by the US government are there for the benefit of the American people by keeping them connected and keeping commerce and goods moving throughout the country for cheap and easy rates. And because there are no subsidies, you don't suffer from "sane business decisions" to cut costs simply for the sake of making more profits and cutting costs. The mandate of the USPS is broader than simply a company that makes money.

But this is where content consumption is eventually going. Someone is simply going to invent a set of eyeglasses that connect to your cell phone that provide a complete visual interface including augmented reality. Maybe Steve will be able to complete that cloning technology in the next few years and his clone will return as CEO and invent the iGlass. Then suddenly, as if almost overnight, four-eyes will change be a compliment on your style and taste.

Until then, we can laugh at people who wear these impractical and goofy looking things. But at least it's not a TV Hat

Word is famous for being able to do 1000 things to a document, but the interface makes it faster to only do 3-4 of those tasks, and make it frustratingly agonizing to find some little known feature, which pisses me off, ruins my experience, and blows all the efficiency I just gained on complaining and hunting for what I needed.

A Ribbon would be great if word only did about 50 things, but then that's the problem, word is bloated and crazy. They've put the right interface onto the wrong product.

Then again, a Ribbon on Explorer might not be bad, because it really only does 50 things.

If we get Taco a Beowulf cluster, will he come back?

Nope, this time it's Slave One.

I like Gruber's information and his podcast, but he takes way too many shots at Google and not enough at other companies. But it is true that there is hypocrisy in Google's statements. If what Microsoft is saying is true, Google was offered to go in with Apple, Microsoft, et al. to buy the patents and said no. Then Google bid themselves bid on those parents. They were outbid by the group that they were offered to join! Had they done so originally, they would have ownership of these patents and there would be no argument or story.

If you believe Google wouldn't turn around and use these patents offensively as well, I have a bridge to sell you. Why would Google not jump into the patent group to defend themselves from this most likely scenario? Perhaps they were going to turn around and attack with the same patents? I believe that to be a highly likely scenario, and as such it's hypocritical and Google comes off like a "whiny bitch" because instead of playing the safe bet in the game and then working to dismantle the game, they played the game aggressively, lost, and then acts like the victim when they just screwed themselves.

I was going to say your post was unoriginal... OMG Ponies!!!

I have enough problems keeping the kids fingers off the window. They smudge and smear and make it look like shit, now you are giving them a reason to mess up my damn windows!

Now get off my lawn!

No what we need is simple, effective, efficient public transportation.

Okay this is just bullshit. First, this is not news for nerds, this is news for:

1) Apple Fanbois to thump their chest on
2) Android Fanbois to fires of their hatred of anything Apple
3) Business Marketroids, who are most definitely not nerds

Obviously I have to start voting with my eyeballs and look to some other site for quality news. There's nothing of substance in an article like this, it's just flamebait for all the Apple-Android flame wars.

But just to answer all three groups and point out my utter annoyance with all of them:

1) Just because you are popular doesn't mean you have the best product. Doesn't mean you don't, but "everyone else is buying it" is a top fallacy that everyone needs to stop using as a badge of honor.
2) I love how you point out 35% of people are [stupid/easy to fool/lambs to the slaughter/insert overdone cliche] and then out of the other side of your mouth point out how Android phones are more popular in volume than Apple phones. To those of you who do, see #1 and stop thinking you are somehow better than Apple fanbois because you are not, you are 100% just like them.
3) You are not nerds, get off this site so the nerds can mod these stories into oblivion. /rant