"Tiny octopus-like microorganisms named after science fiction monsters"

It's kind of hard to continue reading after that. If you don't grok the difference between science fiction and fantasy, how can I take anything you have to say about science seriously?

Simple, to get coverage in the US you have to play politics with the big telecos. If you don't need that headache, why not avoid it?

In most European countries you just buy the phone and the SIM and off you go. Some of the practices of American service providers are actually illegal in other countries.

Sorry to break it to you, since apparently hadn't noticed before, but when it comes to mobile devices, Americans are used to paying more for less.

Someone mod this up! I couldn't agree. more. University is about education. More importantly, being reasonably conversant on a range of disciplines. The better ones, gasp, still try to offer that.

Focusing on one subject to the exclusion of all else is not a degree. It might be directly applicable to a given job, which makes the exercise job training. You might take subjects that you have no interest in or, more frustratingly, no aptitude for, but that's part of the ride. If nothing else, the reason such education is still valued in the modern world is that it proves an individual has at least the fortitude to tackle a spectrum of topics.

I only did it once. Still, point. Joe User? Non Techie? EveryPC? Person who in prior decades had 12:00 blinking on their VCR?

I literally meant grandma, actually. To be honest, mother in law, but it didn't have the same ring. Though grandpa uses the Ubuntu box I set up for him without issue. Their printers are recognized by Ubuntu, be we've had other things that result in tech support calls ( me. ) Every question about some USB dingus, like a camera or wifi dongle, makes me cringe.

I generally recommend everyone buy Apple. Then they can bother their "geniuses" and not me.

The only real thing that holds Linux back on the desktop is hardware. No so much the actual computer as the myriad of junk people plug into them.

A POS printer from Walmart will run fine on Windows, but not any Linux distro. So many of the external toys that people expect to simply buy and use have zero Linux support. Wifi in particular is tragic.

I use Linux and accept I may have to do a little research to get some PlugAndPray toy that will work. Grandma is lucky if she can figure out where the plug goes. If she plugs into windows, it will usually hold her hand, at the very least say something. If she plugs it into a Linux box, it can be ominously silent.

This is obviously a Lex Luthor like ploy to benefit from oceans rising. Utah gets the nod for both long term planning and evil.

And so, because a large amount of money changed hands before the company disintegrated, this makes it acceptable?

Thank you for effectively reinforcing the point of legality, ethics, and money. Enjoy your stimulus package.

Sorry, if half of your list is just Linux distro shoutouts, you fail.

A single linux item is tolerable, though still a cop out. Listing the same distro twice is just highlighting your mediocrity.