It's only a problem with Apple devices. Both Android and Windows devices are generic bluetooth. My Windows Phone (HTX 8X) works wonderfully with my VW, which connects via bluetooth for the phone part, and bluetooth audio for the music part. Works seamlessly. iPhones... not so much. As long as people use devices that conform to generic bluetooth standards, it's not a problem.

Do the best and the brightest know the difference between "lose" and "loose"?

I'm SO happy that I pay for software. I don't have to deal with all of this open source drama bullshit, and have to worry about when somebody's temper tantrum decides to end or radically change some software that I rely on for my business. My eyes glazed over halfway through the story summary, and I really don't care.

Hilarious article. Shuttleworth is giving himself entire too much credit. Is Apple is doing this, they won't be following his failure. They'll be following Microsoft's still-in-process move of trying to combine the two.

Requiring people to use upper body strength is probably considered assault by most Slashdotters. Nowhere have I seen more people complaining about not being able to pick up Gadget X or Gadget Y because the few pounds it weighs is overwhelming to their frail bodies.

. FACT: higher corporate taxes leads to reinvestment in the company, which leads to an expanding economy.

I can personally vouch for that. Absolutely.

Looking at the financial state of our Federal government, state governments, and local municipalities, it is entirely unfair to leave off the Republicans and Democrats from your list.

Republicans and Democrats generally don't use "refusal to pay taxes" as a plank in their platform/philosophy.

Only when it's voluntary will we be civilized.

Just curious, what does your Ayn Rand shrine look like, kiddo?

Oh sure. I'm sure that plenty of thrift stores and libraries have volunteers who know what an "API" is...

"Why aren't libraries using these scanners and pricing their books appropriately?"

Because their mission is to help people in their communities get better access to books, not make a profit.

"But then, ALL retail outlets will eventually go away except for boutiques and big box stores. There's really no need for anything in-between and such a business will always be less efficient than one which has no physical presence."

You may be right in terms of efficiency, but it makes for a shitty life if your town (like many already in the US) doesn't have retail stores.

"The only thing that depends on physical presence is impulse buying, where you get someone in your store and sell them crap they don't need."

Those of us who aren't sociopaths actually enjoy going to retail stores, and speaking with human beings in our community. It's a richer life than spending your life in front of a glowing screen.

I thought we already had this technology, and it was called "flat screen" technology. I swear I'm not a crotchety old man, but I can't stand flat screen monitors/TV's/laptops. All of them have this same effect, when compared to the bright, clear, viewable-from-any-direction CRT's. I don't care much for saving a few inches in depth, so I try to use CRT's whenever I can, because unless you're sitting directly in front and center of a flat screen anything, it's very difficult to read.

You know, fluorescent lights come in all kinds of color spectrums. I buy the warm ones, and nobody can tell the difference between them and incandescents!

? If no would you bother with your online store if having it required you to?

Of course! It's just a piece of software. I'm prepared to do what I do every day: buy a piece of software and pay a subscription to a service to handle it. I already have to do it for payroll, so it wouldn't be any big deal.

The only retailers that online sellers are putting out of business are smaller electronics and computers stores.

I gotta disagree with you there. I live in a very very progressive college town, and as of the last 5 years we no longer have any:

- book stores

- music stores

- video rental places

I think that a lot of people just don't care, but it definitely has a negative impact on my quality of life.