I know the rules for a roundabout. That is not the problem. The problem is that no driver is required to know the rules of the roundabout. It is NOT required. Additionally you have people like my wife who thinks they know the rules, but give wrong instructions ... AND won't believe me when I correct her .. who won't read the rules for herself.

So, you'd spend huge amounts of time, stealing words off a screen, in order to not buy a book, because you're too fucking stupid to spend the same amount of time doing something legitimate work for pay and have change left over for the coffee you consume while stealing said book?

"Whats so hard about a roundabout that Google's famed engineers couldn't program the requirements into the car?"

Nothing. It isn't the roundabout that is likely the issue, it is the other drivers doing stupid shit because they don't know how to handle the roundabout. There is no instructions on roundabout protocols, people are just expected to "know" them. AND they don't and guess wrong all the time. In our city, they are mostly wrong all the time. You can't program a car to do what is right, when everyone else is doing it 100% wrong.

I never said it was dead. And the HVAC systems I've seen still use Serial, which requires a serial to USB dongle. I carry one in my laptop back for just such an odd occasion. Haven't used it in about a year.

#1 Web (box, dropbox, Drive, OneDrive ...)
#2 Printing? What am I printing again? I email documents or links to documents. I rarely print any longer.
#3 Wired Networking standard on my Laptops. My cell phone does Wifi tethering (for iPad other WiFi only devices) . There is also Bluetooth for other things.
#4 Odd Peripherals are connected to my docking station, full of USB. I don't need them typically on the road. Most of the other "odd" peripherals have Bluetooth these days.

Seriously, I use USB daily, but typically only using the plugs as a power source for recharging my devices. Perma-attached items like Mouse/Keyboard etc excepted.

I'm in IT. When I travel I have iPad, Laptop and CellPhone with me. Additionally, I have a Spare battery that can run both my phone and iPad for a few extra hours apiece. I carry all the cables I might need in my bag. I have a TSA approved bag that opens up wide and zips up when done passing through the XRAY.

I still don't need USB Sticks. I have a dozen or two from Six years ago, if you want them.

USB port? Why is that important? I don't carry mice, keyboards or even thumbdrives. USB is the new Floppy. About the ONLY thing I use USB for these days is charging my peripherals. Wireless (Bluetooth, WI-FI) are much more important features to have, and quite honestly, are ubiquitous on devices. Heck properly configured Projector uses Ethernet for displaying, no Display Port dongle needed.

And having used an iPad and Surface, I always go back to my Android tablet, as it just gets everything right. Size is right, keyboard (Swype) is perfect for one handed fast typing. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional 4G for connectivity. Plenty of apps. iPad keyboard and the onscreen Surface keyboard is unusable for me after using Swype. And let me know when Surface speech to text is as good as Android, and is as usable across all applications like Android's.

I get a giggle out of Surface commercials when they tout "Photoshop" on a tablet. It is woefully underpowered for running Photoshop for anything more than basic tasks. Because I can tell you, nobody doing Photoshop work professionally, is going to go Surface, and casual users aren't gonna buy Photoshop to run on Surface.

I'd rather have a full Laptop for when I need it, AND an Android Tablet for when I need something bigger than my phone on the go. And for the cost of a fully setup Surface Pro, with all the bits needed to be a "real" computer, is more expensive than a Tablet and better laptop (with touch screen). Midrange Surface Pro 3 (no keyboard) is $999. Lenovo IdeaPad with similar specs is $729.99, A decent Android Tab is 200-250 depending on features. I think Surface is a product that is neither a Tablet (too big) nor a Laptop (too small).

Aspirin is a trademark or Bayer.

As I watch the NFL games this past weekend, I saw plenty of Surface tabs all around the studio as props. Most of them unused and sitting pretty on the desktop, one in front of every commentator, announcer or personality. They were UNUSED. The guys(and gals) were using paper notes, behind the props.

The real issue with Technology, is that unless you USE it to do your job all the time (constantly), as part of doing your job, you don't and won't use it. And surface has a steep learning curve, being Windows 8 and Metro. There is little or no need for using Surface in a Broadcast of a football game. Microsoft would have had better luck striking a deal with Fox and MSNBC news operations, where they might actually get used.

It would be a shame if the IRS Audited you.

For Apple, the genericization of the term iPad is a double-edged sword. It waters down the trademark, while at the same time pointing everyone back to the source. It is one of the reasons I believe AppleWatch is not an iWatch. In fact, the whole "i-Thingy" is probably dead now. As for the NFL and Surface, that is gonna be a long term problem. The term "Surface" is an actual word, used beyond computers. It is really a dumb name to use for trademarked device.

And a Surface is nothing more than a crappy overpriced under performing laptop that wants to be a tablet. Either that, or an expensive Tablet that also wants to be a laptop. You need a laptop, you'll buy a full laptop for less than the cost of a Surface, and have a better machine. AND if you need a tablet, you buy tablet for less than a Surface. And if you need both, you get both, and use them both.

You also used to be able to TXT from the US to anywhere in the world. That too disappeared. It was quite useful form of communication to people in other distant time zones.

Landlines are going bye-bye, regardless of what regulation/law says about them, because they are too expensive, and too limiting. The regulations that apply to them either have exceeded their usefulness or no longer make sense in a world of Cell service.

And this is the problem with regulations, because once we are beyond the usefulness of them, the regulations remain, and you can't get rid of them. Stale laws and regulations should be cautionary tales of intrusive governance. But rarely are.

My solution would be simple. Confiscate their wealth. ALL of it. Even the stuff squirreled away in Trusts and whatnot. People should not be able to hide illgot gains in trusts. Their kids and grandkids should make it in the world just like all the other kids that aren't trust babies.

That is not the ONLY difference. All of Europe is about 1/2 the size of the US. Size matters.

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