Ships with life support. And, IIRC, even using just a minuscule power, soon the power source will be unable to provide it.

The good news is that as a phone sanitizer, I get to go first!

Also, we do not even have the experience of building something that can stay 10 years in space without constant support from Earth...

It just makes for some headlines, for a long time.

Those generations were also those of racial lynching, rise of fascism (hello American Legion), Japanese internment, social tension (Bonus Army)...

The difference that you see is the difference between living in a small community were everyone was known and falling to be "a good people" to the community could meant hardships, and living in a city where you can be a dick to everyone all day because you are not likely to found that people again. Also, do not forget that kids are usually shielded from most of the rough things that happen, so they memories usually are sweeter than reality was.

I mean, I grow some plants that require lots of sunlight but that for reasons beyond my power cannot be cultivated in the open air.

If the NASA sends me a couple of these atoms, I can assure them that I will use them on my plants, that I will keep a serious control of its growth and that I will tell them if some unexpected toxic byproduct appears in them.

Who would stop Caesar troops from taking New Vegas, if not for me?

A little offtopic, but your post reminds me of something I read not so long ago

"If religions say that life is eternal, why are they so worried about what you do in your first century?"

The main problem is the "there is no solution" answer. What if we use the algorithm for a number N for several iterations and found that there are no valid decompositions. Can we ensure that the number is prime?

Aka: I do not want the insecurity of losing my workplace if my boss happens to learn in slashdot how clueless I am.

Seriously... could you send us the resumé that you sent to get that job?

My thoughts exactly. What a hacker needs to succeed should be in his/her brain; a network connection is needed but bandwidth is not the bottleneck.

Unless by hackers someone means "Kim Dotcom wannabes".

TFA says that he is probably going to spend his life in prison (up to 124 years).

So (provided that he is currently not jailed), the sentencing is improved not by release date but by entry date. If that guy was to die (or released due to age) in (say) 30 years, entering prison today means a served time of 30 years. Entering in six months would mean a served time of 29 years and six months.

Who did this guy kill?

Following in your line...

I bet the six months things is just an excuse for the REAL plan. Currently, a "Man in black" is having surgery to get his face changed to that of Monsegur. The six months are needed for healing/removing the scars, and for tattooing the prison plans in his penis.

After the six months, and just after the entry in jail, that agent will protagonize an staged prison break with several "princes of the contraculture" that are currently in jail. Once free, he will use his new connections to reach to the alien leadership that is the real mastermind of all these movements (from Anonymous to Al-Qaeda, without forgetting PETA) and he will call in the black helicopters before the alien spaceships arrive.

Is that complicated enough for you, dear?

You are comparing apples and oranges.

Soldiers are many people expected to be under fire/firing back for an extended period of time(many people * long time firing = lots of ammunition that need to be provided). These soldier will probably be many kilometers away from its original positions. All of this means that automatic fire for military weapons is a serious burden put on logistics, which also have to deal with fuel, food, medical supplies, etc. In these conditions, restricting firepower in order to ensure that ammo is not completely expended makes sense. Also, typically soldiers will have support from heavier weapons for the more complicated points.

In the other hand, criminals are lonely or in small gangs; they typically won't stay several hours in a shootout because they have to flee from the police, and their objective is not usually control of the battlefield. They also usually are in the same city/area where they have their stock/supply. They do not have heavy weapons cover, so they have to rely in the firepower they carry with them. That means than carrying enough ammo for a combat and resupling later is less of a problem, while the additional firepower is more decisive.

The difference is that these guns might not be accurate, but they will easier to do. Making a gun and not getting it exploding in your hand needs some experience with the hardware, which is an entry barrier. This project completely eliminates that barrier.

A increase rate of fire gives advantage to the attacking parte, who can shot more before anyone can react. Also, the attacker needs way less precission, making quick attacks (with less exporsure for the attacker) more feasible (think of drive-thru shooting, would you like a semi-auto or a full auto for that).

Increase rate of fire and a benefit for quick attack will lead to more stray bullets in the air.