Having to take the extra step to compile and link your code takes it out of the realm of what I would call scripting. I've always thought of a scripting language as something that can be used with no extra steps between writing and running, not necessarily having to do with calling system functions (except inasmuch as every program needs some degree of I/O).

Well, except that C isn't a scripting language.

But that's just the problem: there AREN'T smaller phones available, at least on the high end. If you want a smaller cutting-edge phone you're pretty much out of luck.

I don't get it. A touring bike makes you a hipster? I thought they all rode fixies with tiny narrow handlebars and no brakes. A trailer is a poor option in my opinion. So much extra weight to be pulling.

Totally. I don't have a LHT, I have a Cannondale touring bike from 1999. I've ridden it so much that almost every piece of it has been replaced, other than the frame. It absolutely loved to be loaded up. The ride is so smooth. I always get sentimental for my touring days when I load my bike with any significant baggage.

And yes, a touring bike is awesome for commuting. I've been using mine ever since I bought it as my main transportation around town (up until late 2010 when I bought a house too far from my work to make the commute by bike). I'd guess that I have around 15-20 thousand miles on it.

My impression is that most tourists mount their handlebars at or above seat height, whereas most racers put them well below. It makes a big difference in terms of uprightness and comfort over a long distance. Personally, my bars are about an inch above the seat, which required that I swap out the stock stem for a super-tall Nitto Technomic. I'm really glad I did.

Also, as to your point about "ram's horn" bars (commonly known as drop bars), many tourists prefer different styles than that, though drop bars are generally what come with the bike when you buy it. The style I've heard mentioned most is mustache bars, also from Nitto. I've never had the chance to try them but I've always been curious.

There's absolutely nothing new about this situation. It's a fact of modern political life that if you want face time with a politician you have to donate to their campaign. Planet Money did an interesting podcast about the concept of political fundraisers in Washington that really sheds light on the problem: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/11/01/141913370/the-tuesday-podcast-inside-washingtons-money-machine

I've tried Cleverbot a bunch of times and I was really unimpressed. Just being able to spit back a human sounding response is really insufficient for this. The path of the conversation remains a random jumble. I've never even come close to thinking that it could be a human on the other end. It seems like the real test is the ability of the bot to hold a conversation about an arbitrary subject, not just random (and I really mean random) banter.

Sorry but it's not just a word. It has power that can't be willed away. If you use it like that you're asking for trouble, regardless of your intention. I find it offensive (as would most other residents of the United States, I'd guess), particularly when used the way you just used it. You can't make that reality go away by saying "get over it, people".

Except, perhaps, that this is in Canada. Do you know the rules for probable cause in Canada? I suppose it may be complicated even more by the fact that it's across an international border.

It has to be when I got my first Wacom tablet in about 1996, along with a copy of Fractal Design Painter and Adobe Illustrator. That was a really big purchase for a poor student but that tablet served as the foundation for my transition into a professional artist.

Am I really the first to point this out? The proper word there is "cum", not "come". Come on, people! Latin!

-David