Isn't that exactly what doctors do? Patients die. Shit happens. We're only human and our power is limited.

OK well how about a refrigerator that can access recipe sites via the web. Or your car's navigation system that can get your routes from your desktop via the web. These things are coming. Would you argue that all of these devices should allow the user to have full access to the entire web and all the problems that may come with it? Do you want to get a virus on your refrigerator?

Now, I think whether or not a phone is such an appliance is an open and interesting question. But surely you think there are SOME devices that should be closed and only have access to certain protocols/sites.

Steve Jobs is in favor of closing off one device that has numerous other important functions, not the whole internet....

He's implying that no-one should access the web with a closed OS under any circumstance. That seems ridiculous. There are many items that may benefit from web-access that don't need full/open access. I think right now people are arguing over whether or not a phone is such an item. Personally, I don't want root access to my phone. I'm happy to give up full freedom on my phone in exchange for it NEVER failing to do what I need it to do.

Yeah the keyboard might be the weakest link. I don't find range to be an issue, but there is a slight latency and I get a lot more typos for some reason. It would be a pain to use for extensive coding or word-processing, but for e-mail/chat/etc it's fine.

I use an Adesso SlimTouch which has a built-in touchpad, which was the killer-feature I was looking for. Overall I'm very happy with it. It's a lot like using a laptop because I can sit-back on the couch and use it without needing a separate mouse (which requires a table/desk of some sort).

mod up

I hooked up my Mac mini to my 42" flatscreen and this has basically replaced cable and a normal computer for me. I sit on my couch with my wireless keyboard and either surf the web, skype, or watch Netflix/Hulu/etc.

Interestingly everyone that comes over and sees the set-up wants it for themselves. It still takes *a little* geek savvy to install a system like this, but not for long. Once people get more exposure to this sort of thing they'll never look back.

It's much more enjoyable to watch TV-shows via Hulu/Netflix than it is once a week with long adverts, anyway.

um, maybe not word processing...

...welcome our Lego overlords.

With banning cartoon-style advertising of cigarettes. How would people feel if they started giving away free MP3s with purchases of booze (or whatever 21-year-olds are into)...

I think people need to relax, they're not robbing you of any sort of personal liberty, they're just toning down advertising for products you shouldn't be consuming anyway. It's in the best interest of the whole world.

Car analogy: an old Honda can basically do everything a Ferrari can do. They essentially have all the same features. But one does it with style and feels good to use. Also, regarding your Treo. MP3 players were around for years before iPods, and we all know how that played out. Just accept it, form matters. Function isn't the only issue.

You're right - that's probably where it started! That said, codon refers to the only (that I can think of) true code in biology. The other potential codes just mentioned (DNA methylation, histone mods, etc) are really more biochemical features that interact with proteins to regulate gene expression. The triplet code (code) is basically universal. TAA means STOP to every organism on the planet from worms to fish to bacteria to man. Histone mods and DNA methylation matter, but they're much more specific to particular cells/organisms.

Let me follow-up with a car analogy: Imagine you found the blueprints for a car that had a slight problem (say occasional aberrant acceleration, for example). Sequencing cancer genomes is akin to *finding* these blueprints. But it gets worse, the blueprints are in a different language and have no idea what 70% of the parts in the plans actually DO. Yes - the blueprint is helpful. Very helpful. In fact there's not much you can do without it. But it doesn't immediately help you FIX the problem. The only feature of DNA that is truly a *code* that was had to be *cracked* was the triplet code for amino acids and that was cracked by Khorana, Holley and Nirenberg in the '60s.