I think it's interesting the arguments about whether being too clean makes one unhealthy or not. I realize the article really didn't answer that, but I think in general history tells us the answer pretty clearly. For most of human history we lived in our own filth, didn't bath and had many other unclean things about us. And we've learned that being cleaner has doubled or tripled our lifespans. And cleanliness especially plays a role when someone is not healthy for some reason or another. While I am not certain of this fact at the moment, and would love to research it if given the time, but I believe that during the medival period in Europe people in the cities had a shorter lifespan then people in the country. It wasn't that country folk bathed more often or did much difference in living, but the real difference was that they weren't constantly being contaiminanted by other peoples "dirt". So I think a kid digging in the dirt doesn't really need to rush in and clean off the bacteria. But I think a kid in the mall run his hand along all the places other kids run thier hands, playing in the playgrounds where other kids have played, and don't get me started on those plastic ball pits and what's in them... there, perhaps a dose of cleanliness afterwards is useful. I think overuse of antibiotic cleaners would indeed have several potential problems, but if used in context and looking at where true risk really is, I think they are useful.

Hasn't been to the Supreme Court yet - but - "According to the latest ruling out of the Ninth Circuit Court, it’s perfectly legal for federal agents to secretly plant a GPS locator on your car in the middle of the night, even if it’s parked in your driveway, and then use said locator to track your movements as they see fit. Even without a warrant."

I'm 45, well 46 in a month, and I've been programming since I was 17. I've worked in easily a couple dozen different languages from the lowly assembly code to the higher end object code. Sometimes I actually miss the control you had of the computer when everything was assembly, but on the other hand, the new languages really take a lot of the tedium out of the process and allow you to get to the important parts of your code. In any event, as I am moving on to iPhone development now and continue to learn new platforms, I certainly have not burned out and don't see myself doing so anytime soon. And I can say for a fact, all the mistakes I've made in the past have certainly made me a far better programmer even when working with a newer language. In the end, a computer is still a computer is still a computer and they basically do the same things now that they did then. Just far faster and with many more options. In my opinion the solution to not burning out,is to never let an employer use you as a commodity that they just use up and burn out. I've held my ground on never working constant overtime and making sure my employers know I have a life outside of work and I'm not their slave to be called in at their whim. And no, I've never been let go for holding my ground in this manner, while being flexible enough to come through for the company on a tight deadline. Just don't allow one tight deadline to follow another to follow another, etc, etc.

I've hired a couple programmers in the past and there is always one question I ask that I have found sorts out some of the better candidates. The question - "I've just requested you to do some task and you find you really haven't worked out that type of task in the past and aren't fully sure the best approach. What do you do?" The answer I'm looking for is basically they'll let me know that's a new area for them, but that they'll go out and find examples of that type of task and research it and find out how to make it happen. If they say anything along the lines of having me help them, or ask to go to a class, or anything along that line it will automatically set up red flags. And of course, just answering the question "correctly" doesn't automatically mean they are good at doing that, but you can dig deeper into how they'd research it, etc. I've been a programmer for over 25 years now and while there are certain core things that a computer can do and some it can't, the actual processing of it is what matters and it's nearly impossible for you to remember every little detail of every language and system, the real power is in knowing where to look to quickly get your answer. And as a final important talent, a person needs to be good at understanding and conversing specifications from someone that is not technical. Just my thoughts on what I've looked for....

It's 56 degrees at 8:40 this morning and this is the 4th story I've read after I got up around 7am and have had 2 cups of coffee. Damned numbers are everywhere....

Clothes you have to buy anyways, computers you do not.

I have to wonder, if England of the 1770s had the type of security we do now, would the Revolution have succeeded or would we still be under English rule? It's just something to ponder I think, where is the best balance of being secure, yet not having to fear the ones providing the security. I don't personally think we are there yet, but where is that line?

I for one prefer my Kindle (ver 1 for that matter) over an LCD screen any day, but not for the eyestrain reason. I can read my kindle by the firelight of my fireplace, or a candle, and not have any issues with eye strain at all. While I can read my LCD in a completely dark room, or by any indoor light, it does eventually give me eyestrain, but it's really not very much. For me the big difference is in power. I can read my kindle for two weeks and not have to plug it in. Even my best LCD laptop only goes about 5 hours. On a 10 hour plane flight I'd either have to bring extra batteries, or only read for half the flight. And on camping trips, forget it, but with the Kindle I can be on a week long camping trip and still know I'll have something to read.

In the end, I think each has it's place, just as people debate which is better, a PC or Mac, each has strengths and each has weaknesses. The Kindle, Nook. iPad issues will be the same, and in the end, it comes down to what do you want out of it, and what are the most important features to you. That will be all the difference in making one better then the other.

I had this happen once from a movie ticket purchase on Fandango. Bought some movie tickets, then a week later got an $80 charge from some place I had never heard of. I made a very loud argument to Fandango about enabling my credit card number to be fraudulently used, etc, etc. Within 2 two days I had all my money returned and some extra for the trouble, several free movie tickets, and a promise from Fandango that they would change the way companies advertise when they are sharing financial information, and indeed they did. People just need to just stay on top of their accounts, understand their rights and loudly speak up your intention of fully enforcing your rights and usually that's all it takes.

Against my better judgement I upgraded early on - I'm usually the type to wait awhile and see what people find. However, I have to say, I've not had any issues other then a 4.5 hour download for the updated packages. I've been running it a couple days now and not once has anything crashed or given me a problem. Perhaps it's the fact I'm using a nearly 4 year old laptop though, so all the drivers are fairly stable now.

Not sure where you got your information about Jefferson. Even though he repealed the whiskey tax he was still able to reduce the national debt by one third. Now his personal life was a bit different, he died greatly in debt.

It's the same argument heard again. It's really nothing more then a dislike of change. Deep inside most people don't like it, but even that changes as change becomes more rapid, it becomes more easily adopted. Putting a telephone in every home was resisted by many people. It would destroy the fabric of socialization. Why go visit the person when you can just call them. The fact that many prefer texting now vs talking, it's the same argument as the phone really. Someday perhaps we'll have fully interactive holograms doing our visiting of each other and we rarely have face to face interactions. Will this be bad? I'm sure it will be considered so at the time. But then they'll remember that back in the day, when people talked less and texted more, we didn't get stupid. Or back when the that talking box on the wall made as all quit "dropping in" unannounced and broke up our socializing habits.... Fear of change is the only stupid thing here....

I work from home for a company that isn't in my state, but I also do independent work and have my own small company. I don't want a seperate machine for each place, so for my main employer, I have a monthly stipend added to my pay for the use of personal computers, printers, office supplies, etc. This way I still own the equipment, but I also get some money for it's wear and tear, etc. Of course this means I pay for repairs and supplies out of pocket when they are needed, but over time it evens out.

I don't know about Chicago, but the blocks in Portland are small, at most you have to walk 4 car lengths to get to a box. I'm not sure about you, but walking 8 car lengths out of my way (to the box and back) does not really tax my time or physical endurance. Consider it 2 minutes of exercise for the day.

Just because one doesn't want DRM on something doesn't mean that one is going to "steal" the content either. How many people have cut CD's and DVD's, that they bought, into a digital format so they can use them on other devices they bought. Did they steal them? When I buy music, or a movie, or a book, I believe I should be able to use it on whatever device I want, but that doesn't mean I'm a pirate and stealing revenue from the company at all.

The real issue is never directly addressed though. Who owns what you buy? If you buy a CD is it your CD? Obviously you don't own the rights to the music on it, but what about the physical CD? You can give it away, sell it, use it as a frisbee. You own it. DRM takes that away. You do not own what you buy. At any time your right to use it can be revoked for any reason. Look up Amazon and 1984, look up Wal-Mart and MP3's (though they reversed their decision and didn't lock out previously purchased music).

My issue against DRM is not so that I can "steal" things, but so that I OWN what I buy, use it where I choice, and can't have it revoked at any time, or if I want to sell off my collection of movies, mp3's or books, that I can do that too, because I bought them.