M$ is betting the farm that they can solve this exact problem. Want a laptop AND a tablet, we give you both with one great OS. I would love to have my laptop in my docking station and remove the screen when I have to go to a meeting and take notes, etc. i.e. the new ASUS transformer.

It might make them look less competent, but on the flip side suggests an "isolated" incident, and that it won't likely happen again, whereas if it's hackers you as a customer may wonder when the next hack will happen and what effect it will have on your websites, DNS etc. I.e. we better move off before it gets targeted again.

Didn't they already do this with Magic Johnson for exactly $200,000??

OR....so they force you to buy two packages of buns. When hot dog makers start putting 8 to a pack, bun makers will conveniently scale down to 6 buns and call it the "economy pack", and remove all 8 bun packages from the shelf.

It's already mandatory in a lot of states http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_auto_insurance to own car insurance...except in a few states where guess what...you pay a fee (tax) to drive around like an idiot in an uninsured car.

Here comes the car analogy..

This is the exact same concept as automobile insurance. If you are an idiot and don't buy car insurance, then get into an accident, the uninsured person pays out of pocket, and in the event they cant the other insurance company does (through an uninsured motorist rider). This increases most people's premiums and the uninsured motorist rider. There are a few states (Virginia) that don't mandate this, but you pay a fee (tax) to drive your uninsured car around.

How is this any different?

Good god man, it could also be syncing. http://thelousylinguist.blogspot.com/2010/09/syncing-vs-synching.html.
I personally think synching looks like it should be pronounced "cinch-ing".

into the Nevada desert and get it back themselves? And why did they leave it there after filming in the first place..sheesh.

Since internet traffic itself is routed through the ISP's line's, are they sophisticated enough to block the IP ranges of the Pirate Bay, or would it be simple DNS blocking?

Exactly. Think of the inventions that came out of a project like CERN. The big difference is you know they will be selling/licensing all these instead of giving them away.

It's called Facebook, and it seems people feel compelled to post just about every activity they do already.