One could make the argument for targeted foreign intelligence collection. All that they've succeeded in doing so far is further eroding the already shaky reputation enjoyed by the United States. At best the NSA spins its wheels, at worst it's counter-productive to the U.S. economy.

I mean, we could tell you what we're doing, but then the terrorists would win. You don't want that...do you? Think of the baby bald eagles and amber waves of grain!

I was under the impression that one of the requirements for being a non-profit was the agreement that you wouldn't be an actionable organization. Seems to me that most of the organizations, both conservative and liberal, were rightly under the microscope.

As a United Statsian with experience in universities on both sides of the pond, your statement is quite laughable. Prestigious != 'most of the best'

Always remember that your barista responsibilites change based on your field. As a former archaeologist, I cannot tell you how many nazis I killed while working at Starbucks.

Didn't you know? All we need for a happier and more prosperous life is to go completely Thunder Dome!

And don't even get me started on goth teenagers with eating disorders!

Just make politicians have to wear patches on their suits indicating who their donors are. NASCAR style.

And yet if they did reinvent the wheel, they'd get sued into oblivion by these companies nontheless. With the speed at wihch technology progresses increasing as drastically as it has been, we need to rethink the we we grant patents. Software patents need to pass the CS201 stink test (if a CS201 student can figure it out, it ain't novel), and important hardware patents should have a shorter lifespan.

I'd be happy with English to Texas English for when I have to deal with my family in the South.

I've always wondered if singularities happening elsewhere are part of the reason we haven't discovered any extra-terrestrial life yet. A civilization looks at the expanse of space, shrugs its shoulders, and decides to focus inward.

I would trade all of that for one Orion slave girl.

Hell, I don't think that there's anything wrong with the Kindle. When I'm looking to relax at the end of the night, I don't want a multitasker. My Kindle does one thing and one thing only, it lets me read my novels and keeps them synced with my Windows 8 (shudder) tablet at work for when I get bored at lunch. If I want to make annotations, read comics or tech books, I reach for my Nexus 7. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do it with a Nook and use MoonReader+ to keep everything synced. If Kindle weren't first to market with the Paperwhite, I'm sure I'd be a happy Nook owner now.

Now that's an Android app that would give iOS a run for its money.

And in 20 more you'll be teaching macros in Filemaker. But I've heard that the lobotomy required for either skillset is rather painless.