The Sheep Look Up is indeed grim, not least because of the way that reality increasingly resembles the world it depicts. Most depressingly, the eminently practical solution it arrives at to allows human life's continuation (in a still-ghastly dystopian world) is unlikely to be adopted in the real world. Stand on Zanzibar isn't particularly upbeat either. Or The Jagged Orbit.

Certainly MS's attitude to patent abuse deserves to be punished. However, it is not as if this money is returned to the people from whom it was extracted in the first place. Rather, it goes to yet another bunch of thieving lowlife scumbags.

The patent system is so messed up that it can support multiple tiers of extortionists, each preying on the one below, but for MS to unilaterally moderate their own abuses of the system (which would be nice, admittedly) would have little effect on the overall state of affairs, where the entire business model of numerous companies is based upon extortionate patent litigation (though generally against much smaller, more vulnerable companies than MS).

Alcohol, definitely. Probably strong. The exact variety consumed will depend upon season, inclination, and availability.

There are lots of calories in alcohol. And with a G&T there is the added health benefit of the vitamins in the slice of lemon (and the tonic will protect you from getting malaria).

Alcohol's main benefit though, is its mood-altering qualities, putting one in a better state of mind to enjoy and appreciate the film, whatever it may be.

More to the point, this being Norfolk (right here, where I am), the job of tracking the entire county police force could be done by a single suitably-inclined human without computer assistance. (Someone with the right sort of Aspergers Syndrome, say.)

For example, in the small hours of the morning, (I have been reliably informed by a serving member of the Norfolk Constabulary) there are precisely two officers on patrol.

Try using a blunt instrument.

Lots of computery people end up doing this, though.

That's an unfortunate example to choose, preteens in Singapore being likely to be both better educated and more law-abiding than their US equivalents. (And quite possibly more affluent too.)

They do have the worlds largest escalator though, for assisted walking: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central-Mid-Levels_escalator

Ferry, hovercraft and hydrofoil are also sensible commuting options from certain locations in HK.