Hypercard was incredible back then. If Apple had thought about integrating it with network features from the beginning, the internet might have looked a lot different.

Yes, it is true that the battery is currently still a pain point, and it will take a few more years to break the 1 week barrier. I don't think it will stop sales though, people are so used to charge their phone daily.
But I also think that the battery is just one of the many elements, and even an Apple hater has to admit that they were thorough and innovative in several areas, most notably in the straps and bracelets. These things have been in status quo since decades inthe traditional watch world, while Apple truly started from scratch. For example you can resize the bracelet without tools. No sales clerk hammering on it. Then you have the straps with the magnetic locks. And the sporty straps wher ethe leftover bit folds under the strap, which is very neat (I expect that this last one comes from designer Mark Newsom who is assisting Apple with the watch design, he had done similar straps for his ikepod brand). Also the lugs of the straps are integrated and can easily be replaced, meaning every strap can have the ideal lug instead of the generic one on traditional watches.
In general the material choice is also more akin quality watches than the Pebble etc, for example the ceramic back.
All in all, while the local Apple hate puts blinders on the eyes of many slashdotters, if you have an open mind you have to admit that they really thought things through.
Will I buy one? Maybe in v2 or v3 when they will have added more sensors. The health focus will be the killer app for commercial success.

Somehow, I wonder if the Samsung CEO will now suddenly come out.

Somehow i wonder if the Samsung CEO will now also come out.

>> The new iOS 8 makes older iPhones slow and dysfunctional. So fuck you Apple.

I waited to upgrade my iPhone 4S until the recent release of IOS8.1. It seems to work pretty well. Indeed, there is a bit of slowdown but it is quite acceptable. For a 3 year old device this is quite good support, I'd say.
I have not yet tried 8.1 on my iPad 2. Does anyone have experience with it?

After driving 200 miles it is good practice to stop for a few minutes so this recharching should fit right in.

Exactly, it puzzles me why it not left in officially. Performance issues maybe? A non optimal gui? Or a sinister conspiracy?

Where did I claim or even infer that the US is at fault ? Reading comprehension, young padawan! Global warming and pollution are issues to be handled by every country. Finger pointing is not productive.

I am happy that the people I interact with have a more positive attitude to life.

"Our" wasn't meant literally. I don't have children either.
But I think we have a moral obligation towards the next generation.

I mean it seriously, we need to think about what kind of world we leave for our children.
There is global warming, leading to more chaotic and extreme weather patterns. There is also pollution in general/
I currently live in Hong Kong. In general that is a great experience but there are days when lots of smog comes from the Shenzen area. I first thought it was fog, that is how bad it can be.
We should all do an effort, on country, company and personal level to make this world more livable for our children.

From personal experience I doubt if you'll get useful info out of the panels and presentations, I mean information that you could not get otherwise. But of course your conference may be different the ones I sometimes attend or where I occasionally have to speak. However in my experience, conferences are good for networking, which is important in longer term career or commercial planning. Would I pay for my work related conferences? Probably not.

Fair enough, but is it a problem? Any company could get secret requests for 0-250 accounts.