Smartphones are worse, because once they seize them and download their contents, additional info can be recovered: GPS tracks, search engine logs, etc.

For police, smartphones are the DNA or fingerprints of the 21st century. Soon every crime investigation will start with "any DNA on scene?" followed by "Who do the tower logs say was in the area at the time of the crime?"

While the corporations that use our data have profited much, so have users. I certainly have profited *hugely* from Google's free search engine, free email, free Docs service, free apps on iPhone and Android, etc. I guess some people also consider that they've profited from whatever benefits Facebook and Twitter offer as well.

The real problem is that the information that these companies accumulate can be captured by the government, and that the logs may go back years (or forever)...

Anything you do on a computer which doesn't belong to you may be used against you in a court of law.

Carry a live-VD, buy a tablet, or use any other means to do your personal computing. Never use someone else's computer to log into your email accounts, surf, etc. And if you think you have "nothing to hide" and can't even imagine how it could be used against you, then you *definitely* need to heed this advice.

The government should ban busybodies from serving in government or the legislature.

The only question should be: "Were the patients fully informed?" If I have a terminal or otherwise untreatable condition, I want to be able to decide for myself whether or not an unproven treatment is worth the risk.

Some people need "protection" or "hand-holding"? No problem. Protect them. But I also want the right to opt out of the government's protection.

A pardon means "we forgive you for your offense".
It would be better for us to say "This law was wrong and the conviction was illegitimate." The only people who should be asking for a pardon are those who voted for and upheld that law.

The current policy is wrong headed and contributes to current and continuing injury.
This policy must be changed such that convictions based on any crime that is now considered "cruel and absurd" must be overturned.

The only way to be reasonably sure of security is by using open source encryption (TrueCrypt, PGP). If you're only using a "black box" system to protect your information, you should expect that governments (and crime syndicates who can bribe individual government employees) will have access to your information.

What's surprising is that anyone with secrets worth protecting doesn't already know this, or hasn't already hired someone competent enough to tell them this.

As the summary says, this is not for laptops. But I find it a very good idea for all kinds of other devices, and well deserving of a patent.

If a government is in breach of a treaty obligation, it can be sued if the treaty provides for this. One example: countries are sometimes sued for imposing unfair tariffs of US goods.

Our landfills are not in any way "filling up quickly" or "running out".

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2011/02/go_west_garbage_can.single.html :
"Analysts from the Environmental Protection Agency and the landfill industry assure us that, despite having fewer landfills, total capacity has increased. That is, landfills are getting bigger, on average, faster than their brethren have disappeared."

Where this myth started:
http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/01/13/freakonomics-radio-the-economics-of-trash/

It's too bad that such crooks discredit the entire genome testing industry. I've personally been very satisfied with https://www.23andme.com/ , due in large part to their very rigorous criteria before claiming any effect from any particular gene.

Obligatory: Red Dwarf -- Picture Zoom Sketch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUFkb0d1kbU

Safety deposit boxes are not a good idea. As soon as the bank is notified that the person is dead, they will cut off access to the box and account until they get a death certificate. This can take time, and is not the solution you're seeking.