He made rockets out of prisoners?

You don't get to call someone a sociopath just as an insult; it has a technical meaning.

Aren't they obliged to cancel your account if you ask, though? I mean, say you say "i want to close my account", they asked if you're sure, aware of the great deals etc. Say no, again, politely, then firmly "close my account now". What would happen if they continued trying to get you to stay and you stay silent? You aren't obliged to go through their script; you've told them your side of things. Can't you just stop paying them and if there's any come back tell them the date/time of the call, who you spoke to and ask what the problem is? Perhaps there needs to be a mandatory website/service where you just click/say "i'm out of here" and there's no come back on their part?

> If only tablets had on-screen keyboards

They're dreadful.

> Bluetooth keyboards or keyboard docks!

A decent bluetooth keyboard costs a lot of money. Keyboard dock? Why not just buy a laptop?

> All you're doing is reducing the impact of the point you're trying to make.

But i'm right though. That's what this story is about. Using a laptop, not a tablet, when you want to do something other than consume. How many people use laptops to write books, code etc. And how many use tablets. Thank you.

> It's entirely possible for a kid and with iPad to produce their own podcast or video
> presentation for a class.

Sure. It's posssible to use a Raspberry Pi, and enter text via a morse code key. Wouldn't that be fun?

>This proves that all the Slashdot talk about software freedom is thinly disguised
>Microsoft hate since everyone here seems to be pumping up heavily locked down
>iDevices and Chromebooks.

Many people - especially Slashdot readers - don't use Microsoft products unless, perhaps, they'd paid to use it at work (either as end users or developers). They're just not relevant to a discussion about tablets (they don't make any that have any impact on the market) or Chromebooks (which are usable in seconds, are free from the `you've moved your mouse - better restart your pc, oh, and don't forget to install todays set of patches for Windows and Java` crap to which Windows users subject themselves).

Chromebooks beat tablet hand's down because it's possible to do anything on a bloody tablet except surf or watch netflix. Students might want to..you know...type something in?

> Let me spell it out for you: if your file is on Dropbox, then a properly worded warrant
> needs to be served to Dropbox, and they'll allow searches and copies of anything
> their hard drives contain.

Let me spell it out for you. You're safe outside. If anyone attacks or robs you, they'll be breaking the law.

There's another kind of scientist?

> Where's the factory-reset button when you need it?

It's on the Chromecast.

> They need to be hardware buttons

It's a hardware button.

In addition to being extremely hideous they're just as bad as Slashdot for posting non-tech stuff. The other day it was something about food delivery in India.

> They only have permission to search for certain specific categories of
> evidence, despite having the entire archive, so they wouldn't be able to find
> them guilty of some minor illegal activity unless it was part of the specific
> categories the judge authorised.

Or unless the details of the minor illegal activity (or major illegal activity but unrelated to the investigation, come to that) are acted upon within a seperate investigation.

I think businesses will find time to focus on security when fines for leaking customers details bankrupt them.

Because you don't want to annoy large customers with requests for small amounts of money you know they can afford and will pay for at some point.

> Unless I'm missing something, the hardware seems relatively unremarkable.

It's a PC, playing Windows games. It's hard to imagine anything Google would find less interesting in taking over.

Squirrels eat pine cones; i've never heard of a person doing that.

And you can't have salad for breakfast; that's just wrong!

They could still do it, and then the "spotlight" will be on a bunch of clowns in suits trampling over common sense and decency. They could always fire whichever clown was responsible and say "we apologize for our gross error of judgement; clearly you'd have to be on drugs or mentally ill to refuse such a simple request".

But the UK is telling people not to travel to the US with flat batteries. Why? If you don't have a connecting flight, you're not getting on a plane at the other end.