You are a fucking retard.

BTW, forcing me to pay for your cancer meds when I do not have cancer and never will get cancer is not ethical. You fucking Christ-fags are everything which is wrong with America. Do as I say, not as I do. Hate they neighbor if he is not like me. You are a piece of shit.

"loose cannon"? Bullshit.
Don't you think for one damn minute that the NSA is "off the ranch" with their programs. They were implemented at the behest of our beloved and benevolent leaders.
The "justice" branch (haha) just declared everything is just fine after all. The executive branch and legislative branch has already said time and time again that the NSA is doing useful and important work.

What really chaps my ass, is not that the government tells people these programs are for the so-called "war on terror" or that certainly, the government would never use it against non-terrorist, but the that nearly every poll indicates that most 'mericans fucking believe them!
I know they have done their best over the last 40 years to indoctrinate kids starting in kindergartener, but it is sad that so many folks just close their eyes and refuse to ask hard questions.
Think about it...forcing children to pledge allegiance to a government... It is fucking crazy. We are brainwashed never to question our masters, and it is working. Fuck, look at the shit your facebook friends post! That is a representation of America.
Disclosure, I feel I have the right to bitch. I did my 4 years in the services and about half that was in the shitty hotspots of the world keeping and eye on brown people.

This is exactly what google+ excels at. Having circles of friends is much closer to the way we live . Of course, the circles are very small, since no one else uses google+.
Hmm, this is also closer to real life too :(

For those interested in photography though, check it out. It is worth it.

Seriously, this is classical French behavior. Over the years they have put various taxes on this or that to protect this or that industry. Think taxes on blank media which should go to the record companies. Not a cent to artists mind you, but I digress.

Actually, the only real way France will learn is to simple ignore them. By ignore them, I mean completely pull out of the France. No french versions of websites. No, french youtube, no French google or bing.

I wonder how long it would take for the French people to freak out for being cut off from any meaningful content?

Alternatively, for French versions of websites, you have have a "pay to enter". On youtubes page, there can be a sign saying due to the ridiculous cost of operating in France, you will need to pay 5€ per month in order to watch any videos.
The same on google and bing and yahoo. Want to search? 15 cent per search.

I say call their bluff and pull out of France. Now, if we could just get those surrender monkeys out of the EU....

Perhaps not. But who gives a fuck if Samsung hides from taxes in Korea. The US is not in Korea last time I looked.
But, your buddies at Apple hide out in Ireland and pay only a tiny percentage of taxes they otherwise would. Meanwhile, we are firing teachers left and right. We cannot afford to fix our roads and bridges. But no, lets help companies like Apple and GE make insane profits operating in our society, while they contribute almost nothing back to it.

Oh you mean like the ITC banned Apple products the president overturned it, stating that such bans should not happen, but then a similar Samsung ban happened and the president said nothing?
Yeah, the legal system works a treat in the US. No protectionism there at all.
1 billion for look and feel pattens. Things where were NEVER intended to be patented. Only in the USA.

Hey, justice is blind!

Why do think they have a scale? The side who puts the most money on the scale wins! The judge could not care less what the person looks like, or even it is "person".

No, he is a threat to our very way of life and our prosperity. He should be executed for high treason.

Are you telling me that the US government has decided that that US government is indeed allowed to do anything it wants with regards to total surveillance on every living person in the world without any actual cause? I didn't see that one coming at all.
Seriously, if anyone, even for one second thought that checks and balances existed with it comes to the government grabbing power for it self, you are out of your F'ing mind.
Historically, there is only one way to curb the power of an out of control ruling class. That, however, is something most people won't have the stomach for until things get far worse.

I may be in the minority among the /. crowd, but I cannot help feeling that Linux, in general really missed the boat in 2013.

2013 was not to be the year of the linux desktop. Neither will 2014. It could have been "the year of the Linux tablet" though. From my way of thinking, linux is perfect for a tablet. It runs perfectly fine on slower hardware AND you still get to actual computer stuff!
The entire reason I do not own a tablet (aside from a 64gb HP Touchpad given to me) is that I like to do actual work. Tablets are, with the exception of the, to expensive Surface Pro 2, are media consumption devices. Very good at it mind you, but consumption products nonetheless.

If I knew that I could buy a Nexus blah blah or a Samsung tab umpteen and install an actual Linux OS, which was designed with a proper touch interface, I would be all over it.
Just think, being able to run a full office suite and run programs in a, I know it's crazy, window!
I know there are loads of apple and android fanbois out there who will scream how wrong I am, but I am not wrong. Mobile OSs like Android and iOS are complete crap for anything other than watching media and playing nonsense games.
And that being the case, I really think that Linux missed a once in a lifetime opportunity by not providing a touch friendly, lightweight OS which works on ARM platforms.
And please dont say ubuntu touch. And if you insist on saying how wrong I am, try saying why I am wrong since I am just not seeing it.

Seriously, so what if those things are here on Earth? It would make more sense stop shitting where we eat so to speak. Same reason we use all the brown people oil before we use our own. Use your own resources only when you must.
Sure, right now costs more in terms of money to get the stuff, but "because it's cheaper" is not a real reason to fuck up the planet.

Take for example, Titan. They just found such a huge sea of hydrocarbons there, it would last us longer than we could calculate.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/12/meet-the-kraken-hydrocarbon-seas-spotted-at-titans-north-pole/
Nowadays it is possible to convert this into energy in a very clean way.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/9784044/China-blazes-trail-for-clean-nuclear-power-from-thorium.html
They are pouring loads of cash into Thorium reactors.

You sir, are a racist dick.
Let me guess, you are American and know that only Americans can build space vechicles right?
Remember that time that NASA totally fucked up a Mars probe because they were too stupid to use metric?
Remember that time that NASA fucked up the Hubble telescope because they were too stupid to make sure the optics were correct before shooting into space? Geez, seems like all NASA does is fuck things up!
Of course, I know it is not true that they only fuck things up, but I am making a point.
China, despite your ignorant racist views is every bit as advanced as 'Murrica or Russia. Maybe you should think about going there. Maybe should consider leaving your basement and going to ANY other country.

No, it is not new. Irrational fear has ALWAYS been the keystone to American "patriotism". Hell, just look at the whole McCarthyism thing.