Seems the brand name of the trike is apt: ICE. I've been in the market for a trike lately and they have been a top contender. Just have to get the cash to buy one.

Let me just say that, by far, most of us Americans *do* care about the surveillance going on in our country. And we're horrified by it.

By the way, the deposition isn't where it used to be. Here is one that still exists (PDF warning).

After reading this article (yes, I actually read the article and the deposition) I think automobile software should be reviewed by anybody that wants to review it. Let's face it, the software may be somewhat sophisticated, but it shouldn't be rocket science. Certain algorithms could even be patented for all I care, but the code quality must be reviewed. For those of you that haven't read the deposition from the link above, the upshot is that the expert witness saw horrible software practices being performed in a vacuum - as it were - he couldn't even take a pen and notepad in the room where he could view the software. He had to exit the room, make notes, then come back in after a security screening. This is the worst kind of software, and people are driving with it every day. Until software that has my life in its hands is peer/public reviewed, I'm going to buy only older cars for as long as I can. I sold my Prius after reading the above article.

I've had the pleasure of using a duplicate clicky keyboard for many years. Loved it, but frankly I type so much that the sound was just driving me crazy. I've tried many keyboards - from the MS Natural and everything down to the pathetic Dell keyboards (which I can't believe how bad they are). My new favorite keyboard: The Apple Keyboard. At first, it took a little getting used to, but it didn't take long. And of course it's for a Mac, which I use. But it's quiet, easy, and fast to type on. It doesn't feel flimsy, even though it's quite small/thin. I don't think I'll ever go back to the big clicky keyboard again.

While a nice idea, I would foresee the API being an absolute horrible twisted XML wasteland that nobody can understand. Sort of like the Open MSOffice XML document format.

It seems a bit premature to dismiss him out-of-hand just because he hasn't led a software company. Yes, I know it's different, but his successes are better than anybody else on the list. Now, saying that, I don't know his leadership style. But if he's a good leader, he'll surround himself with people that know what they are doing and that have mutual trust between Mulally and those he surrounds himself with. That's (one of) the recipes for success.

Yes, the earbuds come out for drilling and cleaning.

I got these along with a cheap set of Samsung earbuds. Put the mold in your ear, and while it's soft put the earbuds in. After it hardens, drill a hole to the ear canal. I used a dremel with a 1/8 inch bit. Naturally, don't drill while it's in your ear. (sorry, but I know somebody's going to troll on that)

I love them. They are unobtrusive, comfortable, don't fall out, and are inexpensive. Best of all, they sound great.

That's because Obamacare is "doing it wrong". My rates are doubling, and my deductible is doubling, *and* I get less coverage than I did before.

I had a similar situation. I inherited a company program that was written in a language called Magic. It was some sort of table-driven record-based language that, to code, literally went up one side of the screen and down the other. It was as bad as it sounds.
I rewrote the software in Delphi (this was back in the 90's) and it was orders of magnitude faster.

I don't see how anybody could build a semi-complicated system from scratch in a few months. A system this big would take at least a year to get right, and that's if everything was spec'd appropriately, and the coders were good, and the project was managed well. Since the project actually got under way only several months ago, I knew it would be - at the very least - quirky. If it ran at all.

Really, this thread isn't about politics, and it didn't need to devolve there. There are plenty of other places to whine about politics.

http://xkcd.com/1014/

Airlines have been handling luggage for a very long time, you would think they would have this figured out by now.

Anecdote: I flew Delta quite a bit some years ago and lived about 2 hours/90 miles away from the airport. They would routinely misplace my luggage (never lost it, thankfully) and they had to have somebody drive my bag to my house when they found it. This happened a dozen times. It must have cost them about the price of my ticket for each delivery.

I can only assume that it was because of the luggage missing connecting flights, but most of the time I had at least an hour layover. It just seems like they could make this work