Dear Sir, I think you mean the "shushcopter".

... and no "In soviet russia" jokes? Oh wait, this is /. not youtube. Sorrymybad.

I agree in full with the article. I can only see benefits all around should ebooks be treated and dealt with in such "freeing" ways. However I have no issue in identifying myself when I purchase an ebook (part of an account system where I can recover my books in case of disaster and also protect such account from very bad people). It only becomes a problem when the government starts keeping tabs on the type of literature I'm reading (and as a consequence may consider me a political activist/terrorist) or the DRM owning company (ex. Amazon) chooses to erase ebooks without my consent (but possibly through orders of the government).

The problem is accountability. The government is accountable to it's people but no one is enforcing such accountability (yet we seem hellbent on giving them even more power). Should this happen in the way that laws were written and the government dedicated itself to actually protecting it's citizens, we would not be having this conversation.

A slashdot story with a sensationalistic title? Shocker.

Have you listened to radio lately? The 90's are still going strong, as all of its other traits. As for Google, if it remains as the only free and usable service, of course it will become the norm.

...headline for you:

"Google Wallet may mark the End of Anonymous Shopping "

There. Much better.

I read phonographic wrong. Very wrong. Need poffee, I MEAN coffee.

Eeehh, don't know about that. The wood might belong to someone so you might be trespassing. Or your presence might affect a native species or the environment so EPA might oust you.

I think you might as well go take a long walk off a short bridge...

When the article mentions open media, it refers to it regarding integration and usability, not the quality of U2 vs. an indie band. And as some have mentioned, as long as your media is DRM free, you can use it to sync your libraries (even, sigh, Lady Gaga).

do the companies have the right to protect their abusive and unfair practices... Free market anyone? Is it not possible to create broadband associations like there are housing associations? I think company intrusion is reaching dangerous levels.

Can you imagine the surveillance and tapping systems in place? I'm calculating a ratio line/surveillance person of approximately 1:1

"A UK academic has blamed..." That's the story, right there. Enough said. :)

I absolutely agree with the poster. Also, Germany is a country where privacy laws are taken über-seriously (pun intended). They also take crime very seriously. Whoever made the call to send the police in must have either balls of steel, perfectly knowing the media shitstorm that would ensue.

does this mean that if we achieve a tighter concentration of pores on the lens we will achieve gradually smaller scales?

Please someone mod this guy up as informative! That and he stole my comment.