I second logmein free edition. I have it set up on literally half a dozen or more family computers, evenly split between XP, Vista and Win7. This is by far the easiest way to fix 90% of issues. The rest of the time the answer is normally to instruct them over the phone to reset the modem and/or router to fix connection issues.

You do have to tailor your usage to the family member. If they are completely computer illiterate, then setting up a separate non-administrator account is a good thing. Otherwise, particularly with Vista and later, just teach them to always say 'no' to the access control popups unless they check with you first. If you teach them safe habits, it'll be better for everyone.

For AOL, start by showing them how to use http://aol.com/ instead of the AOL software by making that the homepage on Chrome or FF. Also, try to make that icon more prevalent than the AOL software. If they don't learn, tell them that AOL software no longer exists when your finally able to get them a new computer. I've done this for 3 people already - it's not a lie if you didn't bother to check if AOL software still exists ;-)

As for other suggestions on here about Linux, that's a mixed bag. I successfully transitioned my Dad from XP to Linux for about a year or two when I cleaned his old computer. For his basic usage (email, movie listings, weather reports), it was more than adequate. The only issue I had was one exasperating series of tech support sessions with Verizon when he switched ISPs and they insisted they didn't support Linux on a 3-way conference call...eventually I got them to believe me that the modem was broken after looking up the manual and finding the non-Windows-CD configuration page...

Eventually he switched back to Windows when the computer died and he wanted something that could support certain Windows-only software. He knows not to install anything on the computer, and also tends to say no to all popups (good and bad), so I just have to explicitly run updates periodically.

Nintendo should have released the Wii U 1-2 years ago when the Wii was just starting to decline. At that time, it would have been a perfect mid-generation console upgrade adding HD support, competing with the Kinect/PS-Move, and riding the general buzz of the time while giving it the power-boost needed to compete with traditional games on the other consoles.

Now it's simply too little too late, particularly at their given prices. Once the PS4 and Xbox720 are released Nintendo will be back to being the underpowered also-run of the next generation.

I've always been a fan of Nintendo, but it's been hard to find much compelling in recent years. Owning a PS3 and 360, the WiiU has no interest for me today ... though the idea of a no-TV play mode would have been a killer feature if I was still a teenager living at home.

School funds are typically tied directly to daily student attendance. If they expect the RFID system to give them more revenues, then they somehow believe it will be more accurate than traditional roll-calls -- or at least give them more false positives.

+1

I've visited Europe a few times in the past few years, and in each case I find it a royal pain to figure out how to carry/sort the Euro Coins for small purchases. Carrying a coin pouch has been common in the past, but why should we revert to that today when bills are so much lighter? Then again, a cashless society would be even more efficient.

An ideal system in my head would be:
- Coins relegated to collectible souvenirs
- Add a half-dollar bill, and round all transactions to the nearest half-dollar (digital and physical for fairness)
- For the blind, consider giving each bill a slightly different size (Euro-style), or even better, texture.
- Use Tax Incentives/Banking regulation to accelerate the move to a primarily cashless society. Eventually, bills will only be used for small off-the-record transactions, kids allowances, senior citizens, and (maybe) tourists.
- Simplify electronic banking - specifically person-to-person transfers, including guaranteeing access to anonymous prepaid accounts (freedom of money = freedom of speech), and usage of cash will eventually disappear altogether.

That reminds me of once when I had a cheap antenna that only let me receive a handful of channels. One day I was cleaning up and forgot to reconnect the antenna, leading to the realization that the unconnected wire was just as effective as the antenna was! Suffice it to say, the next day I bought a new RS Flying Saucer antenna which worked well ... until I moved, and now need something better.

I have Comcast Internet, and typically I'm able to get half the broadcast channels via QAM, and the other half via OTA. Between them, I'm able to pick up most of the local stations ... and somehow there is little overlap between the two. If this change goes through, that will just add incentive for me to get a better antenna.

Desktop: Fedora (FC3 for a few months) -> Gentoo (~8 years until the MoBo died) => Ubuntu (due to lack of time) -> Debian (you know why) -> TBD
Laptop: Ubuntu -> Netbuntu -> Debian
LiveCDs: Knoppix (universal repair kit), Backtrack (cyber security training), and Networking Security Toolkit (network troubleshooting)
Router: OpenWRT

Android would also count - particularly if I ever take advantage of the Webtop mode on my Atrix to act as a full Linux environment.

FTFY. Each stage of the Saturn V was built and tested elsewhere before being shipped to Kennedy for final assembly.

Airlocks? Docking a train in a near-vacuum tunnel to a station has to be considerably easier than docking two spacecraft in a vacuum.

I suspect inertia has a lot to do with it. The northeast US was probably among the first, if not the first, major region in the world to have a 'modern' electric distribution system. As a result, there is likely a strong sense of the power lines have always been on utility poles, so they always should be.

Newer phone/cable/fios lines are buried because the public doesn't want more lines on poles, those companies want to ensure lower operating costs/higher-reliability, and, most importantly, I'm sure that burying low-voltage phone and fiber optic cables is a LOT safer, and therefore cheaper, than attempting to do the same for existing high-voltage power transmission lines which would have to be buried even deeper. If somebody accidentally cuts a fiber, some people lose service. If the same happens to a buried power line, somebody gets electrocuted.

That's my understanding as well.

If that is the case, I don't understand why it's the individual Linux distros that are buying the signature for the bootloader. Wouldn't it make more sense for w/e foundation is maintaining the bootloader of choice (which works with all Linux distros without tweaking), to compile and sign their own binaries that the smaller distros could then distribute?

Yes, it violates a distros ideals of compiling everything from source internally (or the Gentoo philosophy of the user compiling everything), but the bootloader isn't really a part of the core distribution anyway, just a tool necessary to boot it.

How about the (admittedly unlikely) case of a known bomb threat in a given region with a cell phone as its remote detonator? Or perhaps a known threat/disaster in an enclosed and highly crowded space where controlling information is necessary to prevent panic and facilitate an orderly evacuation?

The key is that such capabilities should only be exercised under extreme conditions where lives are in danger -- but never for mere political expediency (ie: impeding a legitimate protest).

My thoughts exactly. In fact, things would be far simpler if we actually had our homes wired up with DC power. Except for the appliances and legacy light fixtures, I doubt there's a single device left that's not using an AC->DC adapter of some form, though of course there's still quite a range of voltages coming out of those adapters.

I've recently started experimenting with various forms of the cheap LED strips myself. A single strip isn't quite as bright as a traditional fixture, but combining a few together and distributing them around the room can be quite effective.

My current project involves placing a strip on the inside of a wood trim that I mounted over my bar-counter (using custom brackets made on a friend's 3D printer). A single indirect strip provides adequate light for eating, and I suspect that will be enough to read by once I add the second direct-view strip. As a bonus, it looks great to - or at least it will once I finish hiding the power supply/cable.

For those that are interested, just search for "led strip" on Amazon. Average price is $35 for the RGB Kit (/w remote + power supply), or $15 for a single-color bright strips (power supply not included).

+1, though I was ~13 when I started learning Perl myself and it remains my favorite (if sometimes under-appreciated) language.

More important than the language though is the end goal. For me, I had no interest in Perl at that age, it was merely a means to an end-- in my case a login system for my Starcraft Clan.

Start by identifying what the kid is interested in and/or wants to build, then find the right tool that they can learn in order to achieve their goal.