What I take away from this is that discrimination against cyborgs is a problem in the world. Accordingly, I will refrain from getting any cybernetic replacements until such point that a full-body prosthetic (a la Ghost in the Shell) is available. Because bullies may beat up a wimpy-looking researcher with fancy glasses, but they'll think twice before messing with Batou.

I second that.

There are places in China that feature vegetarian cuisine, but for some funny reason, the capitol of the country is dominated by meat-eaters. It's almost like they're higher up the food chain or something...

Economics: An afternoon and evening of intermissions in movies eats up about an hour of time, either requiring more paid work hours or fewer movie showings.

Until there's a high-profile incident where that is a major factor in slow emergency response. Then, welcome to the world of legislated mandatory femtocell installations for dead zones in large structures!

Full disclosure: mandatory femtocell installations would bother me way less than the TSA.

So, who do you think will be footing the bill to prove the fire department's radios won't be affected negatively? After you have that answer, then ask how many theater owners do you think are willing to take that kind of hit to their cash flow?

Three more words in response to those two: first responder "concerns"

What theater owner is going to want to invest in retrofitting their structures in a way that WILL generate negative attention from the fire inspector? ("So, you're telling me that you want to upgrade your building in a way that makes our radios not work inside?") Sure, repeater systems would allow firefighters/police/EMS radios to work inside such structures, but that's something that would need to be included in the initial installation, and don't think anyone but the theater owner is going to wind up footing the bill for that. (OK, customers eventually, but that's cold comfort when you're writing the check. Cash flow, you know?)

We should all remember that a Faraday cage will restrict/eliminate wireless connections, but won't do anything to the local resources of the device. Texting, email and calling? No, won't work. Angry Birds and video camera? Yes, work just fine. Oh, and guess which one of the examples I gave is the one that the MPAA/Hollywood want to block? No theater owner is going to be able to get financial help from those entities for installing a system that can't shut down cellphone cameras.

I agree partially, but uncommented code is classic "they can't fire me because nobody can understand this but me" prima donna behavior (even if from a group). Comments tend to stay with the code, everything outside the code (videos, emails, test documentation) can get detached and lost much more easily.

While this is an accurate statement that I heartily agree with, I am amused by the resemblance to the defense of communism offered by more than a few of the trustafarian/hipster types I've had the "pleasure" of working with in the past.

FTFM

I agree. One of the reasons waterfall-type project management is hard to reconcile with software development is that waterfall is great for physical projects, where making radical design changes made when the object under construction is 75% done cause a massive (and, more importantly, obvious) waste of resources. For example: it's hard to revise the foundation of a building when there are 10 stories of ironwork already completed above it without tearing everything down. With software, the cost of revision, while it can be significant, is less of a factor. Thus, iterative development makes sense for software, because the physical limitations are lessened or eliminated.

Use waterfall methodology with a software product today, and you're releasing a product that might be a year or two behind the times, while your more agile competitors, who are only a quarter behind, have something more up to date.

Mind you, both products might suck.

I second that.

Amazon may be addressing that using some of that newfangled "data mining" that all the young kids who won't stay off my lawn are talking about these days.

Because that vendor may have a greater shipping delay.

Oh, wait, I mean: Of course I know what a rhetorical question is!

Of course, the fixed costs of running physical retail outlets might outweigh those of robotic warehouses.

Speaking of obsolete brick and mortar stores, I wonder how Best Buy feels about this?