Well, outside the US, Iran and some other countries I'd not consider for permanent residency, schools are usually required to teach a secular world view.

Commercial console games aren't. But a 25 year old who has been making computer games since 12 is going to have an advantage over someone who didn't write a line of code until university.

Perhaps they are leased in some cities, but in NYC there are million dollar inheritance fights over who gets the medallion.

I think you read too much into it. All she does is trying to force everyone to live by the laws of her imaginary friend.

Especially because conflict-free cultured diamonds have no chance of threatening the De Beers cartel and the "diamonds and guns" that The Transplants sang about. "It's a wicked world that we live in. It's cruel and unforgiving."

</sarcasm>

Why are medallions even sold as an asset, instead of leased from the city government? It just creates a vehicle for private rent-seeking and speculation. Some Slashdot users have tried to answer this in comments to earlier stories about Uber by treating a medallion as a share of the city's curbside "real estate". I can sort of see this, but why isn't it taxed like any other commercial real estate?

Eventually some songs will sound like other songs just by coincidence. There are only about 14^7 = 105 million or so distinct hooks of eight notes.* So if someone wants to honestly compose original music and release it under a Creative Commons license, how is he supposed to ensure he didn't accidentally copy someone else's work?

* 14 is 7 distinct intervals modulo octave equivalence, times 2 for short or long note. Raised to ^7 instead of ^8 because the last note doesn't have an interval or duration.

I pity the US, but don't worry, there are still secular states in existence where religion has no say in science.

As long as politicians get laughed out of the parliament when they as much as suggest that creationism should be considered something akin to science, my hope in our politicians isn't entirely lost.

No.

why we let religious loonies dictate what can and what can't be taught. Separation of church and state my ass!

Only if you don't use a rubber!

The more use, the more legal footing, as more lawyers and people will have thought about it.

Most people do not have a clue how to use Objective C right. What "world" is that you are talking of?

Movie makers edited out lens flares at one point. There were a LOT of complaints. So many that even in pure CGI movies and animations, lens flare is now edited IN.

I think it was the second of the unofficial Han Solo novels during the time of the Original Trilogy that first had TIE Fighters in the atmosphere. So you're absolutely right that they're impossible, but it's "legitimate" extended canon. (Which is why I don't consider anything after the first movie "canon" at all.)