I could certainly see the Russian engineers' constraints (obsolete process tech, a budget likely 250x smaller than Itanium's, etc) motivating them to come up with a more efficient design...

If we're strictly talking "cars," that technically rules out crossovers and even small SUV's such as a RAV4, hence the use of the [far-less arbitrary] phrase "passenger vehicles",,, ;)

The problem isn't a shortage of gamer girls but rather a shortage of those willing to actually take care of themselves (of course, the opposite certainly holds true, as well: a shortage of healthy, attractive females who are into cerebral activities such as gaming, and aren't dumb, superficial cunts).

Whoever came up with that choice phrase ought to stick to using words and phrases that they actually know the meaning of...

I seem to recall the speed limit out in west Texas being 85mph...

Their average weight might be close to 3000lbs, though I suspect that would require larger numbers of deathtrap-mobiles (Fiat 500's, etc) than I'm seeing.

Considering that even a Civic weighs close to 3,000 (and considering how many 4,000lb German sedans, 5,000lbs pickups and 6,000lb SUV'S I see on the roads), the median weight must surely be a lot greater...

THIS... is why I'm eagerly awaiting the [Last] Year of Windows on the Desktop. :)

Were the early Elbrus chips reversed-engineered from designs used in American pinball machines or something?

Sorry if I upset yourworldview, here... but we've got fascism masquerading as both capitalism *and* socialism (albeit being a bit more discreet about it on the left, implying that conservatives are easier to fool than liberals... but anyone who's compared NPR to Fox "News" knows that). Perhaps you've gotten actual Libertarianism confused with the Koch Bro's astroturfed synthetic version? *Nothing* is as idealogically anti-Fascist as true Libertarianism.

He's clearly feeling cranky; perhaps he had planned an illicit rendezvous in a portapotty with a male staffer and when he got to the park, the ingrate was nowhere to be seen... ;)

I believe a clue can be found in the following choice quote:

That would quickly solve all of the problems caused by money, though, wouldn't it: if people with money to spend would stop feeling entitled to receive anything in return for it... :p

Pretty sure it's eaten (and then puked back up) but my knowledge of the stuff is primarily derived from having watched Young Guns and The Doors twenty years ago (wasn't that mesc they were on, out in White Sands?) and having recently read a Jim Carey interview, so don't quote me on that.

I don't know about you but in public highschool ('91), i recall reading all about Westmoreland, the gulf of Tonkin, ho chi Minh and even Jane riding on an nva tank (what we *didn't* read about was Kennedy's resistance - and subsequent "removal" - the Golden Triangle, the cia/mafia's distribution of heroin in the inner cities during the height of the Civil Rights era, etc, etc... so I guess you're still more or less correct on a certain level). ;)

For long range, a 10ga shotgun with 3.5" (magnum) turkey loads; for short to medium ranges, a 12ga Saiga/Vepr with 20round drum loaded with either birdshot or #4 buck...