No software is released 100% bug free (though I'll acknowledge that some players can do a better job). Once in the hands of the consumers, many of them don't update their products regularly, so even a system that was soundly coded and fully patched at the time of its initial deployment may well end up being a security risk down the line as new exploits are uncovered.

Redbox is doing things that I believe hurt its own model, though, too. Inventories have been split between Blue Ray and standard DVD (meaning fewer titles for either format). Now, with the addiiton of game titles, that further erodes the space available for a variety of titles. Of the last half-dozen times my wife and I have stopped at a Redbox location, we only rented once (though we intended to rent each time). We just couldn't find any titles that interested us in stock (the ones we wanted were already checked out).

Some inexpensive small office firewall appliances support multiple external network connections, and can automatically move traffic to the secondary connection if the primary goes bye-bye. I believe one such device was a Multi-Tech SOHO firewall. There are like a lot of them out there.

Unfortunately, that's the type of attitude for which Blockbuster was once famous, the "sure, some [meaning most] people won't like it, but we get to make the rules" attitude. I've been with Netflix from the beginning. I really like the service. Even the price increase isn't too bad (only a 20% increase over the plan I currently have). It's the attitude that really pisses me off.

It should be modified to read "To most people who still have good jobs, it's a latte or two."

Now, there might be something out there, but I'm not aware of it. I'd love to find (and support!) and open source ERP tool. When I first found Spiceworks (http://spiceworks.com/), I fell in love with its ease of use, feature-richness, and simplicity. I'd love to see an open source project that would do for ERP what Spiceworks has done for network monitoring/management.

I've had no problems with our current telco, though it might have more to do with the services we do (don't) use than anything else.

I have been with TDS for five of more years now. We review every bill and have not found a single unauthorized charge. Prior to that, we were with Qwest for around 10 years. During that time, I remember finding one or two unauthorized charges, but they were quickly removed when I called in.

With our current telco, TDS, our bill does not vary from month to month. We have an unlimited local calling pack and our DSL service. We do not have a long distance carrier. No long distance calls may be made directly from our number. We requested the block when we established our service because we either used calling cards for long distance (at a little over one cent per minute), or our cell phones (no distinction between local/long distance calls). Because of that, our bill remains the same every month. If the bill ever is different, we can see it immediately. So, the two times we've used 4-1-1 service from the house were easy to spot, as was the change in the billing amount when we upgraded our DSL service (a price drop!).

I'm guessing that it is much easier to "cram" charges on accounts that have long distance services and limited call packages, since consumers expect that their monthly bills will vary. So long as the charges don't push the bill beyond where it usually falls, most people likely just pay up and wait for the next one.

What's the difference between renting a DVD and streaming? The utilization of your Internet connection. The kids in our house fall into two age groups, so we often end up with two different movies being viewed at the same time. When they both are being streamed, my wife and I can observe the slowdown while we are using the Internet for other activitities. For some consumers (especially in many rural locations), even a single streaming film would chew up most of their available throughput.

I got one. Thanks, John.

If I receive one, I'll post here so as to avoid duplicative actions.

If they ban outright the sale of pets, someone will find a way to get around the law. For example, perhaps someone will establish enthusiast clubs. Members of the clubs may obtain pets at no cost (provided they meet certain requirements). These clubs would have membership fees. Membership fees would fund the cost of acquiring the animals, along with any administrative overhead.

Perhaps simpler, someone might give away a dog, but then charge $300 for its carrier and some accessories...

So much for games on a family PC/console. With multiple kids in the house, each likes to have his own save file. Now, only one will be able to play. I really hope players will avoid titles like these, to send a financial message to the game-makers.

Perhaps they should have taken the time to survey companies (or to review published data), so they might realize just how many enterprises have adopted FireFox. While I understand their position, they're cutting off the enterprise customers that helped increase the FF browser-share.

lol

So, Orion's BO is now so strong they can see it with a telescope. Pretty cool. He'd better watch out how high he holds that arm, otherwise he's going to blow out that shoulder joint.