"wasn't uncommon"

now you're just baiting him ;)

Ok - that is useful info to know that O2 honour their returns policy better than the other networks.

Why does it bother me so much?
Because I happened to have researched the 3G dongles for work (was asked by boss man to provide the sales men with the "best" 3G dongle out there.) Therefore I thought I could add to the discussion. I pointed out that all the operators were offering (at least on paper) the same thing that the GPP was stating only O2 provided. Hence I was correcting some information.

Then I had to correct some incorrect replies (ie. that someone thought I was talking about phones not usb data sticks and that O2 were the only people providing a returns policy.)

Not sure why I'm continuing this except that perhaps I'm a little bored at work and like the distraction.

Why does it bother you that it bothers me?

Not true - all the operators allow you this returns policy. My point stands - there is very little difference between the packages and O2's network sucks. Not going to do your homework for you, but as an example: 3G states 14 day money back guarantee here: http://threestore.three.co.uk/broadband/?id=1397

Mate - read the post more carefully - we are talking about 3G dongles that you plug into your laptop not phones. I am well aware that phones can be used truly as pay-as-you-go - in fact I run my iPhone as payasyougo.

*wonders why parent recommends O2 considering every single network operator in the UK offers pretty much the same deal for the "pay-as-you-go" 3G dongles and O2 has the worst 3G network of the lot.* None of them are really pay-as-you-go if you read the fine-print - they are more accurately called rolling monthly contracts. (ie. any credit you buy will expire within the month, you just aren't tied in to a 12/18 month contract.) Anyway I'm prolly a bit off-topic by now as if the OP uses this option over using the multitude of WiFi hotspots he won't care about the credit expiration anyway.

Fun Fact: Greg Egan is a vegetarian. Which is a shame - if only he would go a little further then Greg Egan would be a Vegan.

Please remember to tag posts like this as NSFW

I see you've really thought this one through... A warehouse full of servers that need regular maintenance filled with liquid nitrogen is sure to lower costs.

Very interesting and informative - thanks radtea! (I wonder whether there's been any sci-fi books based on more stable planets with very long lived sapient species)

I get obviously the concept that aging and death allows adaptation to the species - just having a hard time visualising that sometime in our evolutionary history there were some animals that didn't age. Never heard that before *shrug*.

Not saying that I agree with using the word "deliberate" either but can you give a possible environmental pressure that would have led to aging being successful?

Only in the "new" Dr. Who can they fly - it was an old joke with the previous Dr. Who incarnations that the best way to beat Daleks was to walk upstairs.

Walking robots is not just a gimmick - wheels and tracks can't go up stairs. The Dalek problem...

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.