The lack of a microSD isn't really as onerous as it would seem. Just install the dropbox or zumodisk app and you can have an effectively unlimited amount of disk space if it's necessary. In practice it just isn't.

I think the GP meant that the __corporations__ of *Siemens* and *Nokia* are facilitating (aka "help"ing) to silence activists in Iran by providing deep-packet inspection tools to Government controlled telecom.

To that extent, a centralized government controlled data infrastructure can always be used for nefarious purposes, even if that wasn't the intent on installation. As for-profit companies, Nokia and Siemens probably approached the proposal by looking at the bottom line profit, not the moral implications. Its just business.

But regardless of the intent why the DPI machines were put in place, the possibility for good and evil are both increased in lock-step. Within the US our centralization and inspection of domestic data in the name of fighting terrorism takes us down a slippery slope, even though the possible (and likely) misuses of this data are swept under the rug.

There are those of us who believe that the only way to ensure free speech (and all the good and bad that accompany it) is to ensure societies ability to develop decentralized communications exchange,

Many people there live in small towns, far away from others. They do not see many others, except for tourists. Who in winter are very annoying, because of their stupid after-ski partys. ^^

Just *be one of them* (do not only play it), and they will accept you way sooner. :)
(Of course you would also keep your own traditions.)

I'd say the US comes closest to real freedom.

I'm honestly trying to understand, here. How is it that there is a single American left in existent, who still believes this?

Seriously, Americans; what will have to happen for you to finally stop drinking the ideological Kool-Aid which your education system pours down your throats? Will a future government literally have to start shooting you in the streets before you grow out of the fairy tales that you were raised with?

If the mythology about American freedom was ever true, it certainly isn't after the second Bush government. You've proven that your government is no better than any other tyranny on the face of the planet, morally speaking. The only real difference is that they're slightly less blatant, and more careful about making sure they don't get caught.

Huh. /Someone/ has been playing too much of that nifty little toy The Falling Sand Game and calling it research.

Yes, Super Fanicom/Super NES games that were released long ago are normally 800 points. However, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is an entirely new (well mostly new) game never released before in the States. If you spent anytime at all on any game site, you would know it was episodic. Even the wikipedia entry had this information for a year due to it originally being released in Japan for cell phones.

If you buy your games without reading up on it first, you deserve to get burned. If you don't think their pricing scheme is fair, then don't purchase and spend your money elsewhere.

You may not be able to X in your current country, but you can in country Y, next year, country Y is fairly likely to also not permit X, in the name of security, terrorism, whatever.

So you're basically saying that if country X bans porn but country Y doesn't, say, allow women to vote or go to school, it's just six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Of course, IMO, 'freer' is only a relative term.

Your opinion is evidence that you don't understand what real oppression is.

And we're PROUD of it, too!

Normal? You callin' me normal? 'Dem's fightin' words! ANYTHING but normal! At /least/ be considerate enough to say I'm abnormal!

=:^)

For that matter, "We wish you a happy birthday" should work, with the "Merry Christmas" version apparently public domain (listed on CPDL.org, choral public domain library).

Thanks for the update. =:^)

I'm using simple design (only, not low bandwidth) here "since a few days." It did make a difference.

However, I don't use disk caching on either main browser (konqueror and iceweasel/firefox/GranParadiso), in part because I run the connections of both thru privoxy, which I have setup to enforce (among other things) my light text on dark background preferences, and I want a refresh to really be a refresh, not reuse disk-cached content, either there or on other pages I visit after any privoxy changes (and my bandwidth is decent enough it normally makes little difference anyway). Thus, my browsing experience is already different than most, based on my privoxy config.

Anyway, if you're not seeing any changes at all, perhaps your browser is using cached pages, and disabling cache and refreshing might just do the trick. Otherwise, it's always possible to run privoxy (or firefox and greasemonkey works for many, IIRC there's even a /. specific script for it) or some other custom-filtering/rewriting proxy, and rewrite what you don't like, just as I do most of the web now, enforcing my light on dark preferences without changing the colors /too/ much (red is still red, for instance, just darkened to a brick red if it's background, brightened to bright red if it's text).

BTW, I had to filter the rss-feed recently too, creating a new filter just for it, as /. broke it somehow. The links had the title after them, which wasn't working -- clicking them would redirect to a 404/not-found -- so I had to filter it back to just the numeric link. Now it works just fine, and as a bonus, I killed the redirect thru whatever click-tracker it was they were using as well, thus allowing the page to load faster as well as avoiding the tracker. =:^)

I must confess as well to a definite socialist bent, so I cannot disagree with you. I am glad that Steve Jobs can get the treatment he needs but think it is a crime that the working poor cannot get such high quality medical care.

Still we have to look at both sides right? Let's ignore rich criminals for a minute and look at it like a utilitarian for a minute. What if the work Steve Jobs was doing was significantly improving the quality of everyone's life? What if he was not making iPhones, but working on a cure to cancer, and a breakthrough was expected within 5 years. Given there are only so many livers to go around, does a meritocracy based medical system keep the exceptional talents required for human advancement better than a socialized medical system?

I would still agree socialized medicine is the way to go. It's a moral issue, not a practical one. But then again, I live in the USA, so it is unlikely I will ever see socialized medicine.

I know everyone in general gets better treatment for AIDS now but Magic has had it since at least the early 90's when treatment wasn't as good and in fact some people still thought you had to be gay to get it.

His money has certainly helped him reach this point. People with money always get better medical treatment even in countries with free health care.

Steve: The regional governors now have direct control over their territories. Fear will keep the local OEM's in line. Fear of this operating system.
Linus: Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed; the ability to destroy a small OEM is insignificant next to the power of the open source.
Bill: Don't try to frighten us with your sorceress's ways Lord Linus. Your sad devotion to the ANCIENT RELIGION does not help you conjure up the stolen datatapes..or given you the clairvoyance to find the rebels hidden fortress...*choked*

How about this one from Geza Hofi: "In capitalism, people exploit people. In socialism, it's the other way around."

And no need to guess about going abroad: Hungarian politicians haven't seen a Hungarian hospital from the inside since WW2.