I disagree. It's rough around the ledges.

Wouldn't this cause a rain shadow? The midwest would stop being useful farm land if all the moisture coming from the gulf stopped at the north end of Texas...

Apple IDs can be set to require two-factor authentication. Microsoft and Google may implement their killswitches and authentication differently. We'll have to wait and see.

You don't want a killswitch because you think the cost of an unauthorized use outweighs the benefit of an authorized use. Other people have other opinions. Many businesses, for example, require such features on devices they supply to their employees. So... perhaps your estimation of the likelihood of getting mis-used could be a little off?

Computing devices lend themselves to such features. Pants, wallets and whiskey do not. I'm not sure where you're going with this part. Also, the politician mentioned in the article is a local district attorney discussing local thefts and prosecutions, not a federal politician. You seem to think this is a government mandate, but don't provide any support for this.

I was wondering about the trolling because of the strangely aggressive tone towards victims of theft, not your purchasing preferences. I no longer think you're trolling, just sharing your verbose ill-informed opinions. Have a nice day.

> What's to prevent ... (the wrong person using a killswitch)?

Well, on an iPhone, you have to log in using your Apple ID. So there's that.
Find My iPhone: http://www.apple.com/ios/featu...

As for the Google & Microsoft implementations that the story is discussing, you'll have to wait and see, I guess.

> don't use them in sketchy places

Another option is using an app that will automatically call 911 when needed:
SafeTrek: https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...

> do you usually flaunt valuable possessions?

My car is highly visible in public. It's not unreasonable to have a smart phone. Why are you blaming the victims? "It's your fault if you get robbed, not only because you were flaunting it / asking for it, but also because only fools buy smart phones in the first place." Are you just trolling?

My pet issue is changing our voting system from "pick your favorite" to "choose all acceptable to you". It would instantly make every third party viable and reward reasonable middle ground positions instead of the extremism we have in Congress now. Pass it on. (Not that I expect it to ever happen.)

It would help your "facts" if you could provide some sort of reference or informative links.

Is there some more information since last year?
http://science.slashdot.org/st...

Why do you include all the accelerometer/disabling/passenger mode steps and not just skip to "Get caught driving with your phone? Huge fine & jail time."? It would require a lot less hurdles.

Personally, I'd prefer taking the device out of the equation, and just stick to "Driving badly? Heavy consequences." Much simpler.

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/11/20/017241/texas-drivers-stopped-at-roadblock-asked-for-saliva-blood http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/North-Texas-Drivers-Stopped-at-Roadblock-Asked-for-Saliva-Blood-232438621.html

This American Life covered it in 2010: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/420/neighborhood-watch

Mod this +1 True. The grand parent is thinking of other consoles.

I've been seeing Amber Alerts in Texas for a while now. I find the most surprising part of this that Californians have never seen one before... FYI, Settings > Notifications > AMBER Alerts (ON/OFF)

http://abovethelaw.com/2013/07/lawyer-apple-should-protect-me-from-my-porn-addiction/

At the end of this article, it notes that Chris Sevier has been placed on disability inactive status by order of the Tennessee Supreme Court due to “mental infirmity or illness.”

That's exactly right. Here he is refuting any current or future plans to do this: http://news.msn.com/science-technology/scientist-im-not-seeking-a-mom-for-a-neanderthal It's a misunderstanding of his interview. He just said it was theoretically possible, but would require an adventurous woman.

Apple doesn't allow porn on the app store, despite the fact that people have sex all around the world. How unjust.