"iTunes is a terrible piece of software, and the crap it drags on to your system with it and hijacks your media settings by default (bonjour service, quicktime, airplay service) makes it completely unacceptable..."

Because Microsoft products never do that.

"The business world IS engaged in an overall betterment of humanity."

That is such bullshit.

Business' main concern is profit. Any "betterment of humanity" is usually forced by market concerns (profit), or regulation reining business in from full-on exploitation and physical damage (of human & natural resources). Philanthropy is typically mis-direction to counteract bad reputation.

For every business that strives to "do no evil", there are tens of thousands that couldn't care less about the "betterment of humanity", their employees, or anything outside of scraping every last cent of profit out of their endeavor.

I learned this from a family friend who was a butcher. He said when the chain store he worked in decided to switch all their work/cutting surfaces to plastic he and the other butchers experienced a significant increase in infections in the routine cuts they incurred as part of the meat cutting job.

They switched back to wood.

Yeah! What magic maverick said.

You insensitive clod! ;-)

Religion is not an ethnicity. And religious fanatics deserve no consideration of respect.

"Mac fans are disgusted with OS X10.7 and 10.8 too, losing Mac users left and right over it."

So, you've never used a Mac...

"Every time we get studies talking about the health risks of marijuana, there are potheads up in arms about the results. Is it so hard to admit that your sacred weed isn't as perfect and healthy as you imagine it is?"

I think I speak for the majority of potheads, maaan, when I say that we know there are some risks.

Like, first of all, we're smoking the shit, so there's that, man. That's probably not good for your breathers, y'know, man? But, putting aside the danger from the corrupt running-dog capitalist dealers, and the pigs, man, there's probably less danger to your health than sucking down a six-pack like a jock, man. I mean, heyyy, man, when's the last time you saw a bunch of stoners, like, start up a big fight in a bar? Or like drunk drivers man. Yeah, when you're stoned you have a pretty big chance of, like, getting honked at excessively for going too slow, or getting lost. But you're less likely to end up getting busted for speeding.

If you, as a Slashdot reader, are not listening to Tank Riot already, you should hang your head in shame. Or at least realize you're missing out.

Sputnik, Tor, & Viktor did a very nice episode (#128) on Gerry Anderson. Gerry Anderson!

Yup. Like the detectives who investigated the murder of my last girlfriend, (and I paraphrase) most murders happen to people involved, in some way, in crime. The cops were pissed 'cause she was a "civilian". Violent crime happens mostly to criminals, and the poor.

After that, it's crimes of passion (Yeah, I was the prime suspect for a few hours.)

My girlfriend was innocent, she had a degree from a prestigious university, and was successfully working in her field and building a career. She was 26.

So, numbers are numbers, and there are exceptions. FWIW, no weapons were involved, firearms or otherwise. The Chicago Police caught the murderer a week later. He was convicted 3 years later. He was 17, he'll serve 45 years without parole.

My point is, crime happens. These shootings happen. And they are certainly regrettable. But the news media blow it way out of proportion.

There are too many guns in the U.S., too many arsenals. I'm a gun owner too. But I know we have a problem.

But it's less the guns, than it is the society. There's too much fear in the U.S. That's what the suburban arsenals are all about. Fear. Read a gun or knife forum, these guys talk like they're walking around in a war zone. When in reality, they live in relatively safe communities.

It's not only the fear, it's lack of mental healthcare, and healthcare in general (see the stats on suicide by firearms). It's lack of community. It's lack of social support. It's poverty, unemployment, and anger at not being able to achieve the "American Dream" we all grew up believing in. And the stupid drug laws that put marijuana smokers in hardcore prison for the equivalent of drinking a six-pack. But let's drunk drivers stay on the street.

You know, you can probably buy a replacement AC adapter on eBay. I had to for my D-Link router. I got two. My D-Link router & separate WAP are still chugging along after... I lost count, many years.

Note: Though the AC is an AC, he/she has a point.

Much like the "pertectin' mah fambly" gun nuts who build up arsenals against the mythical home invasion, and like terrorism, the likelihood of a school/public mass shooting near you affecting your family directly is small. Not impossible. But small.

And surprisingly, less likely to happen in a big city.

Though in a big city you're more likely to get hit by stray bullets from a gang gun fight. But only if you live in a poor neighborhood with lots of gang activity.

Yeah... I quit reading after you said "Democrat". It's a stupid, petty insult, and it's grammatically incorrect. I won't take anything seriously, or even bother having a discussion with anyone who uses this term. It's infantile, something only worthy of fratboy-middle-school level discourse. As we say here in the City of Big Shoulders, "buh-bye!"

Please, please boycott Slashdot, AC. We really don't want your kind in this here shit hole.

Oh, please. The United States has always leaned right. Fox is a little right of center in the U.S., which is about 45 degrees of center for the rest of the world. MSNBC is closer to the center of the rest of the world. The Workers World Party, or the Socialist Workers Party is "very left", not MSNBC. Do you even know what "left-wing" means? Try this: Left-Right Politics.