I'm still using a Northgate Omnikey I scavenged from the rubble of The 3DO Company's chip design organization back in 1996.
I think it was already at least ten years old when I got it.
Not as noisy as an IBM M, and has the best tactile response of any keyboard I've ever tried.
Always works perfectly, and has a configuration switch to put the CTRL key to the left of the 'a' key, AS GOD INTENDED.

I expect to leave it to my son in my will; it'll outlast me.

I have an Avant Stellar too, but it doesn't feel as nice, somehow.
The Mattias Pro series are almost as indestructable, but much noisier even than an IBM M.

I don't know if I'd say its necessarily siphoning off just the left leaning though. I've voted Conservative for the 3 years I've been allowed, mostly because my political views were heriditary. As I am getting older I'm starting to adopt more and more of my own views - but I've still kept conservative since I'm in Alberta and its usually to my benefit anyways.

But the Pirate Party actually deals with issues I care about. Honestly, the GST change hasn't done much. 5% or 7%, most retailers just alter their price to accomodate their customers. When Gas gets too expensive I take the bus. The reason why voter apathy is so high is that they are like me: we don't feel any compelling reason to vote for Conservatives or Liberals since there is one thing we like for every one thing we dislike about their platform. It's stupid that I have to weigh whats important to me more than other things, rather then just have a party that shares my views.

So when a party comes around that actually holds one of my views, probably the one I feel strongly enough about, leaving itself open to its constituants for the other platforms, I'm going to jump on board. They probably won't get a majority, but if they keep any of the other parties from getting a majority, well lets just say I prefer the minority government. In order to pass a bill, they'll need the support of one of the smaller parties, and that gives the Pirate Party leverage to accomplish their goals.

So long as Liberals, NDP, and Conservatives are the only guys with a voice, no one is going to say a word about Copyright reform, its not mentioned on the television debates, its not listed as their platforms, they don't publicize it as a reason to vote for them.

What motion has there been towards Copyright reform before now? And do you think there will be one if they register and run?

> the reason capitalism and a private sector is so good
> is that it promotes economic diversity,

Unregulated, capitalism tends naturally to produce monopolies which have all the defects of "monoculture" state solutions, plus robber barons unaccountable to the society as a whole.

It may be a delusion ... to imagine that state power can ever create a just society. But one reason some people are perennially tempted to try is that private power is generally so comfortable with unjust ones.

George Scialabba in What Are Intellectuals Good For?