If true - how is this not a flagrant antitrust violation?

Company X provides a device that collects personal data.

Company X announces a standard that prevents anyone from using such data for purposes such as advertising without the user's consent.

Company X exempts its own services from this restriction, such that its services - which otherwise compete on par with third-party services - can utilize such data notwithstanding, or even contrary to, the user's explicit withholding of consent.

Company X's services therefore have an unfair competitive advantage that is directly leveraged on Company X's sale of the device to users.

This is pretty much the definition of unfair competition in the form of tying, If the FTC / DoJ Antitrust Division had any teeth and, er, other body parts, it would be all over this.

It's so hard to keep those C64s running these days!

This excellent blog article describes a technique developed by Judea Pearl decades ago to do exactly this. Would be interested to understand how this is different/better.

I'm not sure what the benefit of that would be over the very large mega-yachts the super-rich currently use - they're mobile, so they get the benefits of going to places around the world in luxury, plus being able to move out of the way of bad weather, etc.

I suppose the possible sheer _scale_ of a floating city has an appeal as a display of wealth to some.

Sadly, no new A-10s have been made since the mid-80s. I'm not against keeping the A-10 around, but to do so effectively requires re-starting long-dead production for planes and parts, which is no small - or cheap - matter.

Dwindling? CITATION NEEDED.

They do not like anything that winds up with them selling fewer electrons. They don't even like cogeneration. When I was a reporter, writing about the electric industry about ten years ago, at the time the industry was saying they would help large businesses implement cogeneration to achieve greater efficiency, I learned about the "cogen killers" - people working for the electric producers who would on the sly, go and pressure large businesses to NOT implement cogeneration. This industry is rife with this kind of thing, so I would suggest you take anything one of their PR people says with a gigantic grain of salt, and then start following the money.

Inbox is a merge of Gmail with Google Now. I'm hoping they add Keep functionality to it. If they do that, I'll probably switch over full-time.

Note: "Scotland"

I don't predict that will be a problem for the locations they're likely to be planning on. :)

Just keep that famous saying in mind, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a cheesy special effect." This even happens with nature - ever seen an aurora or a video of one? It looks like really shitty CGI, but it's real. *shrug*

I had forgotten how featureless the stock launcher is. Gads. I feel crippled. I also really liked CyanogenMod's Privacy Guard feature.

I will not miss the bugs of CyanogenMod, though, that's for sure.

I'll be searching for a replacement launcher ASAP. Any recommendations? I used to use ADW back in my Gingerbread/Froyo days...I'll have to see if it's been updated for Lollipop/ART.

You used the phrase 'despite knowing' but I think you meant to say 'because'. Obama has a very bad habit of appointing foxes to guard the henhouses. I voted for him twice myself. It's not like his opponents would've been better, though. *sigh*