I think that most folks do better being an affiliate for one or more large porn outlets as opposed to making & marketing their own porn. I would expect that a well-designed website that was essentially a portal to many porn offerings (as affiliates for those companies) would do well with commissions. I have been tempted to this so many times but it comes down to not wanting to make money from porn.

I'm not a MS Fanboy - not even a little bit - but I still found his argument logical. Not liking his logic doesn't render it not logical. I think we often argue too emotionally in these discussions and we attach each other too much. People have different beliefs and sometimes both sides are mostly right and it's that murky area of overlap where the real work has to be done to tease out what is really going on.

I am okay with a little fragmentation if it means lots of choices in phones. Shopping for smartphones, for me, is like being in a big candy shop and trying really hard to choose. And, while I understand how appealing the iPhone is for so many, I really like having lots of choices (I chose and really love my HTC EVO). The iPhone is a great choice for many but many others like other choices. Too much "sameness" doesn't feel good to me though it feels great to others. I don't think either camp is right or wrong - just another choice to make.

I've lost touch with how many people belong to SlashDot. I am not sure when I joined but my user number seemed astronomically high at the time. But, I agree with the points you make: A little too loud and a little too shrill. Okay, back to my branch (I am, in reality, a sloth and this has been really tiring.)

I wish I had a hundred mod points for you.

Hopefully they get the gift of not having to spend any time with you.

I've hosted five commercial sites there for my customers over the past three years with zero problems. Their customer service has been excellent for me and their pricing is great. I can understand that they may not be everyone's cup of tea but they have worked out well for me.

I like very long (40+ hours in unabridged audio) fantasy novels that are based in England in the 1400s. I like Science Fiction that is at least within the realm of possibility so that I can "willingly suspend my disbelief." One of my current favorite authors is Neil Gaiman (might not have spelled his name correctly.) I love the articles in these magazines: Wired, Popular Science, and Discover. Finally, I like to read a book in a field outside of my own (psychology). A recent example was a 400+ page book on String Theory for non-physicists. Enjoy your trip and enjoy your reading. Something we know from the world of neuro-psychology and functional neuroanatomy is that our brain is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. People that do as few as two puzzles a week are far less likely to develop a dementia in old age than those who don't. People with graduate degrees, compared to the general population, rarely get dementia unless they had many first degree relatives who had an age-related dementia. Reading is a fantastic way to use your brain. So is surfing the web. Watching TV is a very passive activity and does little for brain health.

I used to subscribe to both and enjoyed both, especially in the late 70s and early 80s. Over time, they both became very liberal. I prefer a magazine that reports the news in a more neutral manner. I shouldn't be able to tell if they lean left or right. I want to read articles and decide how I feel about a subject. I enjoy excellent reporting and excellent journalism but I do not enjoy having someone else' opinion proselytized - even when I agree with that position. The only magazines that I still enjoy, these days, are science magazines and maybe a few others that manage not to preach.

Despite the shortcomings (perceived and real) that many will discuss regarding this particular telescope, it is still a very good thing that the U.S. and other countries continue to spend the money to develop, build, and implement new 'scopes. Considering how tight money is (worldwide) it can't be easy to find the funding for these projects.

I have a 12 year old bathroom scale still running off of the original lithium battery that was factory installed. I am amazed at how long it has lasted. Lithium is, admittedly, a different beast than alkalines. But 12 years is pretty good for any battery.

I agree with everything you said. But it still intrigues me and it could still be a part of another solution that needed the last piece of a puzzle. But, yes, there would be a lot of not-so-good unintended consequences.