Yeah, except that already exists as SMP Minecraft. Login to any public server, and marvel at the half-finished creations sitting between phallic towers and treehouses.

Your experiences at Borders were a lot different than mine. Barnes & Noble was always the snobby bookstore in my area, Borders was normal and laid-back. Some of that may have been location, but it was also reflected in their pricing differences and general employee demeanor. Half-Price Books fills the used book niche pretty well. Books-A-Million fills the "here's some books, maybe there's something decent in the pile" niche. I'm going to miss having a normal book store around.

You suggested the police just print up a weekly map of geocaches, and refer to said map whenever someone calls in a suspicious package .... and I need to come back to reality? Mkay. In case that wasn't clear, up your meds, champ.

Seems to me that they are taking the "not my problem" way out, because frankly, it ISN'T their problem. The geocachers are the ones with a suspicious-looking hobby, it's incumbent upon them to make sure they don't alarm people.

In the case of a capped or limited internet connection, that certainly seems like a good policy for you to follow. as such, i can see the limitations of Steam having some impact on you. I'm lucky enough to have an unthrottled connection, so it hasn't affected me.

I'm not sure blaming Steam because your ISP wants to limit your connection is completely accurate, however.

Perhaps I've altered settings and don't remember, but all of the games in my Steam library auto-update whenever they detect an update. Since it auto-updates, it's always been ready to go for me. I've grabbed a laptop in a hurry out the door, and still played my games while offline for a week.

Just addressing one of your points, not the list, but ... it hasn't been my experience that I need to go online to enable offline. For most games, you must launch it once while online, but after that, it'll detect the lack of an internet connection and prompt you to restart in offline mode.

Most dumps around my part of the US euphemistically refer to themselves as "transfer stations".

Call it what you like - incandescent light fills the room in a more uniform nature, and with a more visually and psychologically pleasing mix of color.

Perhaps I, and others, equate incandescent with "natural" light because the brightness is at least closer to sunlight than the weak output of either CFLs or LEDs. I've used both alternatives at various points in their technological evolution, and I remain unimpressed with the results.

I use a single CFL bulb in my home - in the garage. It's remained lit for going on 3 years now, and it serves that function well. Garages aren't meant to be visually pleasing; I don't read there, for example. But in places where I do read, sunlight or incandescents are my only viable option.

You say incandescents aren't cheaper - but they are. I can buy a 24 pack of type A's for the price of two or three CFLs, and maybe half a decent LED fixture. I've found the difference in electricity costs is minimal.

From a technological standpoint, I'd love to advance my lighting needs past burning metal filaments, but aesthetically, I just can't.

The spectrum of LED lights is all off. Same for CFLs. Incandescents are the closest to "natural" light , and also happen to be far, far cheaper than the "green" alternatives.

Trader Joe's is the alleged nirvana of retail grocery shopping. It got it's start in California, which should tell you what you need to know about it.

I'm the same as you on the "don't talk to me, just tell me how much I owe and let's move on" camp. I think it's wonderful that some people feel the need to form deep personal bonds with their cashier - I am not among that population.

Domino's delivery isn't free. It's quite clearly labeled as "$2 Delivery Charge".

I don't think legality, or lack thereof, is a prerequisite for something being evil.

You asked me to elaborate on the difference between a static logo and dynamic ads, not delve into personal preferences, which are completely subjective.

There's also the "slippery slope" argument, i.e., if this goes over like I'm sure it will, ads will become more obtrusive. No, they are not currently overly obtrusive.

If it doesn't bother you, that's good. It does me.

Well, to start with, one is static, while the other is dynamic.

If you meant, "besides obvious semantic differences", the former is a non-changing logo that's always in the same spot on a non-user-interface area, i.e. the top bezel, or the rear panel.

Compare and contrast to a updating ad placed inside the user interface, namely, the e-ink screen.

I don't generally stare at the rear panel or top bezel when using my Kindle, but I am fond of looking at the screen while using the device. Hence, it's intrusive, and a sea change compared to a static manufacturer's logo.