It looks like both WSJ and Gartner have both long since jumped the shark. I was in university in the 80s. Anyone who was at large university in the 1980s would have been there to "watch the Internet happen", so to speak. BITNET, ARPANET, MILNET - how can these "reporters" (and yes, I used 'scare quotes' intentionally) hope to be taken seriously when there are plenty of people still alive who were there when the whole thing started? At least wait until most of us have died off before trying to rewrite history like that. Amateurs.

I'm a college professor and I've never heard of these kickbacks except from people claiming that they exist. I select textbooks because they are what is available. I hate it when publishers change a few minor things and put out a new edition. I have three versions of the same book published within a four-year period and the fourth edition is coming out later this year. And they keep changing the order of the chapters so I have to change assignments, test questions, etc. Granted, I don't mind keeping my courses up to date, but I think a new edition of a text book every 16-18 months is a bit much, especially when the editions are not compatible for things such as exercises and chapter ordering. I LIKE used textbooks. I would encourage my students to use them if I could, but it seems that the publishers are trying to kill the used-book market for textbooks. I realize that things change rapidly in computer science, but I think they could slow down the update rate a little on these books without sacrificing much. The only thing worse is when a good textbook is NOT updated at all. One of my favorite texts is now horridly out of date, but there is no new edition on the horizon and I really can't find a better book for the subject. I've been forced to use two lesser books (which I also hate doing - I think you should have one textbook per class). Sorry for the rant, but I want people to understand that the professors are just as frustrated by all of this as you are, except perhaps the ones who author the textbooks. The fact that I receive free "desk copies" of books does not eliminate my frustration. I know my students are still paying huge amounts of money for textbooks and there's only so much I can do about it. I'm trying to find open textbook alternatives, and I may have to take time to write one if I can't find one.

No limit on atheism. We have had several atheist kids (whose parents are lawyers) involved with no problems. It was not due to any threats of legal action or anything. The kid needed to deal with the fact that scouting was founded, in part, on religious principles and had to deal with it, but we did not force any religion on the kid. Granted, there is no "religious" award for atheists, but there is one for just about anything else out there. It's the only one that both adult leaders (called "scouters") and the scouts can earn other than being put up for membership in the Order of the Arrow.

Citation needed on religion part. Where do you get this bit about non-christians not being OK in Boy Scouts? Seriously. I was very involved in Boy Scouting for quite some time - I went from being an assistant den leader to being a unit commissioner (oversees several packs/troops and the adult leaders) and never encountered any religious bias, and this is in the "deep south" in the USA. Yes, there is the bit about "a scout is reverent", but that is easily interpreted in ways that work even for atheists. The outdoor badges still require being outdoors. (Now, the Girl Scouts have a "cooking" badge that does not involve any actual cooking, but that's a different story entirely.) And there are Venture crews for co-ed scouting experiences.

You have got to be kidding me. They protested Fred Rogers?!? That is going way too far! They protest people who gave their lives for their country, and they protest Fred Rogers? I agree - being deemed picket-worthy by these gits would be an honour as I would be counted among such great people as Fred Rogers and the heroes who gave their lives for this country. I'm sorry. I grew up watching Mr. Rogers back in the late 60s and early 70s. That was one man whose heart was clearly and undeniably in the right place and who gave it all in his own special way. My kids watched him, too. RIP, Mr. Rogers.

Even the Ferengi know better... Rule of Acquisition Number 60: Keep your lies consistent.

Citation needed for the bit about the book of Genesis. It's part of the Torah, the five books of Moses that are foundational to Judaism. I have no idea where you studied religion, but my recently-passed uncle, who was Jewish, would certainly have disagreed with your statement that it was the Catholic church that gave the book of Genesis its authority. He taught me enough about his beliefs for me to know that.

Except that the Bible was originally written in Hebrew (most of the old testament), Aramaic (portions of the old testament), and Chaldean (portions of the old testament) and Koine Greek (new testament). The Latin was a translation.

Banning guns (or "hacker tools" or anything like that) seems to be mostly for the purpose having an additional thing with which to charge someone when arresting them. It's much like "resisting arrest". That way they can negotiate the suspect's cooperation and confession by offering to drop some of the "lesser" charges while they keep the charges that really matter. They're mostly "secondary enforcement" concepts even though they can be considered primary offenses. (A "secondary" offense is something for which you cannot be ticketed or arrested if that is the only thing but you can be charged if you're charged with something else, too. Seatbelt laws in many states in the USA are secondary offenses.) Honestly, when are they going to find out that someone is carrying a gun or has "hacker tools" unless they're already investigating the person for something else? I'm not aware of police (yet) doing random checks on people to see if they're carrying firearms without a permit. And, as may others have already pointed out, if someone's decided to commit a crime, the decision to break the law has already been made. Do you really think they're going to think "oh, no! I could be charged with illegal possession of a hacking tool when I use the hacking tool to break into the bank's computer."?

Not just guns... In the USA, there are several states where simply OWNING lockpicks is a crime unless you are a law enforcement officer, locksmith, or P.I.

You are so close... I won a decent (about $200 - six channel radio, etc.) RC helicopter at a conference, and I left it in the box since there was no point in taking it out before I flew back to my house. Wrong answer. The TSA folks at the St. Louis airport required me to take it out of the box and show them every piece in the box. Apparently, there is some sort of thing with bringing flying RC things onto an airplane. Granted, I'm 45 and I normally don't travel with RC toys, so I am not entirely sure if it was because it was RC or because it could fly, but the TSA agent gave me the impression that it was because it was RC and it could fly (so, an RC car would not have been a problem, apparently). Does anyone know anything more about this?

Desperation is the true mother of invention. These Lybian rebels are determined, and it's impressive what people can do when faced with something that important to them but a limited budget.