Can we mod this down, please? It's completely wrong, The Microsoft thing has nothing to do with Flash cookies.

You'd have a hard time arguing that an installer wrapper is based on the software it's installing.

Um, he has no convictions.

From TFA:

However this is the first time he's facing criminal charges.

Look it up. When you were a kid in the late 60s, American kids ranked in about the same place they do now in math and science, and we became (and still are) a technology superpower. 80% of the innovation in technology comes from the US. I'm not saying we can't improve, I'm just saying it's not as bad as the media makes it out to be.

I think some people have been turned to the pessimistic side by the media.

Whatever happened to "American ingenuity"? You can't teach that. We just have it. It comes from being a nation of immigrants, who can survive pretty much anything.

The sky isn't falling, we just need some tweaks.

I will agree with you on the anti-intellectualism that is creeping up, but kids are kids.

Won't somebody please think of the children?

Wow, you are very lucky. I've lost two tv's and a cable box over the years due to power surges. The cable box was about 3 years ago when the pole my electricity comes off of got struck by lightning. I lost a lot of stuff that time. The tv's were ok because they were plugged into a surge protector. Ruined the protectors, but I'd rather spend $50 replacing a few surge protectors than a $2000 tv.

I've always had my audio stuff on power conditioners, though I probably don't need that on that stuff, but I did notice a boost in clarity in audio output.

True, a surge protector won't protect you from direct lightning strikes (says that right on the box, so they don't even promise that), but it can protect you from indirect ones, and power fluctuations overall. I used to work for a tv retailer (in sales, I know, I'm evil), and I can't tell you how many tv's we had to write off over the 5 years I worked there due to problems attributed to power conditions. Those were all plugged to utility power.

3D does make a difference to some people. Not me, but I'm not really an early adopter to that stuff.

There's a difference between power conditioners and surge protectors, though, make sure you point that out.

Surge protectors don't regulate voltage, they just trip a switch if the voltage gets too high. A power conditioner actually regulates the voltage going into your electronics.

Dirty power can affect audio output quality, especially in cheaper amplifiers that don't have their own power filters.

You wouldn't plug your computer straight into the wall, so why would you plug your very expensive home theater equipment directly into the wall? They are far more sensitive to power fluctuations than your PC.

You ever seen a flatscreen with a line drop? Not a pretty sight, and often caused by power surges. Plasmas used to have this problem we used to call "the sparkles" when a power surge would hit them. Not sure if that still happens, haven't been in the TV "game" for a few years.

But this HDMI stuff is pure bullshit. The only time it matters is when it comes to 3D. Some of the older (and newer cheaper) cables don't have the bandwidth for it.

I have, I love microbrews. I just hate when someone looks down on other people because they prefer a domestic lager as their main beer to drink.

I'm a huge fan of Sun King (sunkingbrewing.com), a local microbrew here in Indianapolis. Very tasty. Especially the Wee Mac and the Sunlight.

I'm tired of beer snobs. Go back to your pubs and drink your $10 cut-me-off-a-slice hipster bullshit and stay away from my beer.

Nothing beats a hot summer day watching baseball with an ice-cold domestic of your choice. I myself prefer the High Life, or maybe even a nice Sam Adams.