Yeah, I've got two Yahoo email accounts I've had since the Nineties (they said they were for life, I hope they meant my life, rather than their life...).

I like the Yahoo Mail interface, even more than the Gmail one in many respects. I've got a stack heaps of old emails (dating back 10 years almost).

But if Microsoft bought up Yahoo, I would be out as soon as I could.

Luckily I have access to POP for Yahoo, so I could just download all those emails that way (I should do that anyway...). (For those of you who have Yahoo email accounts, but don't have POP, I was going to tell you how to do it, but I can't get into my email account ... :(.)

Why don't I want Microsoft? Because I don't trust them. I don't trust Yahoo either, but inertia keeps me there...

Oh that's nice. First post and it's redundant.

Personally I have never bought a computer game in my life (I've only ever copied, without paying the asked for fee, about 4 times). So this isn't coming from my experience. (I have had games bought for me, and I have downloaded and played freeware games.)

Anyway, why is the used market so good? For people who don't have any money, the used market allows them to get good games cheaply. (I've never had much money either for that matter, but the main reason I don't buy games now is that I don't run MS Windows.)

They get hooked on the game, on the company, on the designer, and then, when they have money (after (if) they get a job), they can go and buy the games for the full price.

Used games are advertising for the company. Take Civilisation, I would happily buy Civilisation Four (or whatever number it is up to now), because I really enjoyed Civilisation Two (I don't, because I don't run MS Windows, and I don't like Digital Restrictions Management). Or Sim City or Command and Conquer, or a number of similar games, I have an older game, and would like to play the newer game.

That's what the used market can do.

* Computer-phobics today don't know how to create a bookmark. Nor type a URL. They just type what they assume is some kind of address in a google bar and click the first or second result.

There were two parts, the bookmark was for the slightly more literate types. As to Google, you've interviewed a random sampling of computer-phobes have you? You know what they do do you? You're making shit up aren't you.

* Even typing a correct URL you're not free from dns-poisoning
Yeah, that's why I just type in the IP address...

Etc.

It isn't the person's fault that computers are complicated, but it sure as hell isn't that hard to understand.

Yourbank.com...

command.com...

Umm, and I seeing a problem with that idea? Yes I am.

And the reason to turn it off, it doesn't always work (false positives, and false negatives), and it leads to a false sense of security. Like running a virus checker and then not caring about downloading random shit from the web. Better to just not download random shit from the web.

Personally I don't use Safari (I don't have a Mac, nor do I use MS Windows). I just thought I would take the time to rant about "anti-phishing" things.

I always turn such "features" off on my own computers, and would do so on any computer where I was the "tech support" (after appropriate consultation and education).

Why? Because blacklists don't work. Want to not get phished? Simple instructions that even the most computerphobic person can understand:

When you want to go to the website of your bank, credit union etc., type in what you see on the printed material you have in front of you! (Alternatively, for the more computer literate folks, create a bookmark/favourite after having typed in the address from the printed material from your bank. And only access it via that link.)

Never trust a link via an email, never trust a link from another website, not even if the address looks the same. (Character encoding, bad eyes and other things can make two strings look the same, even when they aren't.)

Simple advice and works for everyone whom I've told it to. (The same with, "don't download files from your email unless you were expecting them, which is a bit over the top, but the slightly more complicated, don't download executable files got reduced somehow.)

End rant.

I did have a look at the article, and to be frank, there isn't anything exciting in there. It seems that the only reason this got to the front page is that Safari crashes a lot. Umm..., I guess I don't care.

I honestly don't give two figs if humanity goes extinct (I certainly won't after the event).

Sure, if it happens while I'm alive, there maybe some un-avoidable pain and suffering for myself, but if it happens after I'm dead, well, I'll be dead.

Dead people can't suffer.

Anyway, extinction is a natural part of evolution, adapt or die motherfuckers, adapt and die. Yes, change from or to and is deliberate, because we are all going to die.

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Anyway, onto the actual scenarios. From the introduction:

Projections of climate change and influenza pandemics, coupled with the damage caused by recent tsunamis, hurricanes, and terrorist attacks,

None of these things is going to wipe out each and every human, nor even enough humans to make the population enviable. Unless climate change is really, really dramatic (in which case, there is nothing we can do about it anyway). And to talk about flu... Viruses have never killed more than 70% of a given population (number pulled from the air, probably less, Wikipedia says The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population.). Oh, and terrorism. Scary shit that.

Then we get onto astronomical events, comets, solar flares and stuff, and the paper goes on and on.

Basically, we are all going to die, humanity is going to go extinct (if nothing else, the heat death of the universe will get us), and to think about the issue with any great thought is probably a waste of time.

And the sad thing is that there are actually people who think like this.

Democracy (as the word is commonly used, i.e. to mean elected a bunch of pricks who rule over you, doing what they like until you get the chance to elect them (or another bunch of pricks) again) may well be better than the alternatives tried (it is better to be able to pick your ruler than not, at least that's the theory), but it still is a load of shit.

Try anarchy, now with extra helpings of freedom, and fuck off corporations, state, capitalism and tyranny. We don't need you to tell us what to do.

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Slightly more on topic, this is absolutely fucking crazy. It doesn't compete with the bus service, because cars are inherently more mobile than a bus run. Cars can go from point A, to point D, without all that visiting points B and C in between.

There are obviously two different markets, one, mass transport along fixed routes, two, point to point transport by small numbers of people.

Not to mention, if as FredFred says, only being able to go to work? Fuck off with that.

Me, I suggest that all interested person's in that province, ignore this fucking stupid law. If it should ever get to a jury trial, you would hope that they wouldn't convict. (Not a lawyer, not sure if this sort of thing is criminal or whatever.)