While formatting options make something like EverNote look interesting, I haven't yet found a must-have feature for me that negates the loss of control I feel over my info. I do like Pinboard for bookmarks, which I don't really treat as private, but most of the rest ends up in plain-text files that I can read anywhere. Combined with an encrypted file sync service like Wuala or SpiderOak, I feel 90% of the way there. I might end up adding Tiddlywiki in the same sync folders for items which need a bit more formatting though.

Personally, I briefly held a Hotmail address. While I hadn't been using it, my non-obvious, hard to guess address still received a significant amount of spam. It's pretty much a smoking gun that they're sharing things they shouldn't, whether they do something similar with content or not.

Nope, I know how sheep-like people can be. My point is that there are choices available, and it's becoming more obvious to everyone. Sure, there will always be the stampede to the spoon-fed pap, but those who are interested can make different, educated choices (and technical decisions).

Simply stop buying their crap, there are alternatives. I think the choices will start to become more apparent to the masses over time, and the losers will be those depending on unsupportable business models.

Consider: You can buy DRM-free music, today, where they make no attempt to lock it to specific devices. Emusic is one, and Magnatune is another. In the latter case, you are even encouraged to share your purchase in limited amounts, and there's also free streaming if you are OK with the per-song nag message. Non-lossy formats are supported too, and they go for quality content instead of large amounts of crap. (Yeah, preaching here, but I just bought a lifetime membership.)

In TV/movie terms, Netflix has just released a season of a series, "House of Cards", that *they* produced. Screw Sony and their ilk, this is produced and distributed without their help. I'm hoping this gives big media companies a shocking wheeze, where it's apparent even to them that they're becoming irrelevant.

I'm using Mark Lauren's, "You Are Your Own Gym." No excuses any more, it's about 1/2 hour per day, 4-5 days per week. It's mostly based on using yourself, with what you have around you, so also works when doing the road warrior thing in hotel rooms.

The lens has everything to do with capturing enough light to make a useful image within that short shutter time. I keep my f1.4 prime 50mm on my Pentax, because it does such a nice job without a flash much of the time.

Much of that lower half would also disagree about which half they're in. Similarly, we are *all* above average drivers, right?

Rome is burning.

The government doesn't like it when others infringe on its territory. I'd be much more impressed if the US gov took as much interest in its own illegal snooping.

Fine, get one of those little sponges from Staples. Or, if you feel like making a statement, provide whatever DNA sample moistens the stamp in a way which matches your preferred sentiment. Your typical recipient won't know, but you've told the Powers That Be just how weird you really are. It doesn't have to be yours either, if you have alternative means to acquire said sample.