third option: enclose the astroturfing in astroturf tags

<astroturf>XYZ App is the greatest thing ever. It completely paradigm shifted my synergy</astroturf>

You've complied with the company request and made it obvious that it is not your own writing/feelings.

Nope, just informing your colleagues of potential problems.

if they interpret that as a threat that is their problem.

Until it comes from your boss, it's only a request and you can say "no".

If you're proud of the application, and you think it might help some people you know, by all means tell people about it.

Until it's an order and you disagree with the text of that order, you don't have a problem.

If it is an order and you disagree with the statement, then you have to consider whether that damage to your reputation is excessive given the consequences of not complying.

Can we please have a special variant of Godwin's Law for Americans? The first person to mention Communism in discussions not directly related to the Soviet Union, China, or Cuba loses the discussion immediately. Call it Beck's Law or something, from what I hear he's probably the most likely to cause it's invocation.

Would it also be fair to assume that as soon as a crack starts propagating upward, it will increase the stress above it (same force but less material) and thus be even more likely to crack vertically?

"better regulated market like the North Sea"

Seriously? The North Sea, split between famously cooperative countries like Britain, Holland, Germany, Norway, is better regulated than the interior of the USA?

You guys are in serious trouble.

Living in an earthquake-prone country, I'm more worried about the effects of destroying the integrity of the underlying geology.

The poisoning of drinking water is only of interest to lifeforms that depend on water to live.

"spent eight years slaving over a bottle opener that quickly and neatly extracts all the cork along with the wire restraint and foil wrapping from a champagne bottle."

Hardly sounds like an easy job, or much like a buggy whip.

By the way, NZ law specifically excludes inventions that have been patented elsewhere, so patenting 'extrapolate one obscure datapoint to generalise millions' is probably blocked by the yankee precedent.

Beautifully said sir. I applaud your erudite and insightful analysis of the situation, and pray that many will follow example of pecuniary support to a just cause.

What more precautionary measures could Megaupload have taken? They are a non-USA company, operating outside the USA, with executives living outside the USA. And even if they had a spare 25 petabytes of storage for co-location, somewhere other than outside the USA(???), the USA would have seized that as well.

How does "acquitted" make it a grey area?

Most of the best investigative journalism has been thru some form of misrepresentation. Like the journalist pretending to be mad to expose the horrors of early twentieth century asylums...

Ok, I'll bite.

Christ is an inspirational person with some really interesting teachings, but not the Son of God.

Bullsh*t!

Inalienable rights are the basic requirements for all people to have a reasonable chance of enjoying their lives within society.

Religion has absolutely FA to do with it.

Hah! Being America's friend is much better than being his enemy ... or ally.