Good ideas, but for 2, why not just get a Kindle or nook? They are fairly cheap, books are even cheaper than their dead-tree counterparts, and you can literally carry 1000's of thousand-page books with you (not that one would, but it's possible).

I am serious. And don't call me Surely.

I received the email regarding this class action and, well, it's stupid. people knew how much they paid and what they were paying for and agreed to it. this whole thing is unnecessary.

Perhaps not, but then again no new games can reproduce the nostalgic effects of a 25 year old game, however good they may be. Having said that, classics do have to start somewhere. Give it time and it just may become the next A Link To The Past...or Twilight Princess.

This says more about them (highly disrespectful and inconsiderate) than about you (thoughtful) and your gifts, to be honest. Dont be so quick to judge this as a bad idea - some families actually treat each other with kindness, courtesy and respect (something you may want to consider mentioning next time you talk to your niece) and thus will appreciate a custom-made gift - even if its something they dont like.

I'd say add Ubuntu / Linux Mint (which people seem to really like, more so than Ubuntu it seems). Other software could be: TrueCrypt and KeePass for internet security, calibre for ebook management,Thunderbird for email and LibreOffice for office needs. While you're at it, Skype (full download) might be good as well - i always seem to need it at the most inopportune moment). This might be a bit of a cheat, but check out here. You know your friends, see for yourself what they might like from here and download accordingly.

You assume that the device can do the work equally well, or at least reasonably good, than both the iPad and the Kindle/Nook, which is not be the case given the current reviews. There's a reason that specialists get paid way more than "jack of all trades"-type peoples - they're better at what they do.

You joke, but I think it could make for an excellent movie thriller. Put Liam Neeson in it, add some conspiracy theories, women, and spy secrets and you have your next james bond/jason bourne character (except less action, more intrigue). As far as opera goes, though, we'll see. I was never a fan of the genre.

I'd mod you as -1 troll for this, but I think it would be more effective to post a reply. Simply put, you are utterly and entirely wrong and misinformed about what capitalism is and is not. The fact they are getting bailed out by the government implies, at best, government (that is, political) meddling with the market. At worst, it's indicative of systemic political corruption designed to protect the wealthy and powerful corporations, neither which is any part of capitalism. In fact, in a real capitalist system they would have failed, which is why they needed the bailout in the first place and that would have been the end of it. The fact that you confuse government involvement in the market as part of capitalism means either you are extremely naive, utterly dense or just plain trolling

Don't get too excited. My (Irish) friend told me it already the pay-to-pee scheme has already started happening. Here's some proof. Never underestimate what Michael will do to increase revenues. I would not so easily discount this as just a PR move.