I'm dying to know what exactly the ISPs have done to "bring this upon themselves". Yes I know there has been talk about Netflix and others negotiating dedicated pipes and all but how has this affected anyone else? My DL speeds have been around 15 mps for years and I don't notice any delays on any particular websites I visit.

This is nothing but another big gubbermint power grab. They're going to use this as an excuse to regulate the internet, something I think a majority of Slashdotters oppose. Then again, a majority of American Slashdotters voted for the socialist in the White House so I'd say the American people brought this upon themselves.

My favorite wireless router is the Asus RT-N12. It's got two external antenna ports (SMA-type) and readily runs Tomato. Remote access via https and ssh, not to mention everything else that can be fine-tuned (like RF power output) I wouldn't have it any other way.

THIS x 1000. Wish I had mod points right now.

Anything else sugar-coats the truth. You can't have real progress in anything without knowing the truth. As the old saying goes, know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

It's interesting how the common assumption is that if we find humanoids on other planets, they will be more technologically advanced than we. Imagine the disappointment when we find a planet populated by cavemen. Then again, there will likely be those among us who will seek to enslave them.

or "play-worthy" ?

There's a difference.

The ONLY thing that can stop a madman with a gun is a sane man with a gun. But we're not supposed to say that... according to some.

His buddy Barack agrees. Thankfully, the chances of this actually happening here in the US is probably much less. At least for now.

Maybe. The devil is in the details, and I'm looking forward to learning more about it. But Google has a shitload of money and they blow way too much on useless crap that no one wants like Google Glass and autonomous cars. They're launching fiber now here in Austin, giving Time Warner and AT&T some much-needed competition. Backing underdogs like Spring and T-Mobile makes me think Google may end up owning both. One thing Google does well is networking.

However, there is one caveat: will Google be sniffing all the traffic it sees on these newly-acquired traffic just to harvest it and sell to advertisers. THAT's where I draw the line. My ISP has only ONE JOB: connect me to the web without getting in the way. That's what I pay for and that's what I currently get.

Thus is the "war on drugs". Same old story, just new actors. It always amazes me how the US government THOUGHT it learned its lesson that with alcohol that prohibition doesn't work. But no, they just prohibited other substances and ended up with the same problems (organized crime).

I read in a Tor forum that it was Silkroad that was taken down (not Tor) and it was indeed due to a social slip, the owner logging in to IRC WITHOUT the protection of Tor, that caused him to get busted.

True, hard drugs and kiddie porn are to be dealt with. Fine. Go get 'em Barney Fife!

But what troubles me is that with all the advances in computer science, it's still impossible to create a truly brick-wall secure network where people can be truly anonymous. Is it even possible? It seems so, at least theoretically. Forget AI or self-driving cars. Baby steps. Let's solve some of these problems first.

Your theory would work if the cost of living in all of these countries was the same but it isn't.

Only if you use gmail, or communicate by email with someone else who does.

Wow, your people must really abuse their machines. My Lenovo laptop is 5 years old and in perfect condition. Yeah, the original battery is gone but replacements are a-plenty.

Tablets aren't a replacement for home use either. Everyone I know who bought a tablet still use their full-sized (or laptop) computers daily. Some of them don't even use the tablet anymore.