I could sure use some naked lady waitress action...

IMHO the "polish" gap is narrowing rapidly. I use Fedora with KDE4 for my primary personal desktop, and feel the latest release (12) was every bit as usable and "polished" as the Windows 7 beta I tested a few months back, perhaps more so in some ways. And if you factor in ease of installation and out-of-the-box utility, Fedora has beaten current versions of Windows hands-down for the last several releases. Please note: I haven't paid for a retail version of Windows in many, many moons, so I have no idea if the final version of 7 has more "polish" than the beta.

Guess he/she's not a karma whore...

Flushing is what the MUTE button is for!

Who says you need to pay back the investors? Historically, initial space ventures are funded by governments, not private entities whose means are far too limited. For the most part, governemts employ deficit financing. Bonds are issued to fund expenditures which exceed current revenue, and interest is paid in future years, sometimes by future generations. The real payback from space exploration comes in the form of technological innovation. Look at the myriad of new tech spawned by the last space race.

The wireless service is provided by AT&T. Says so at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/features/

Perhaps it's the Slashdotters, not Slashdot itself, that should be providing the spell check. The number of otherwise smart people I see that haven't mastered spelling is simply astounding. Perhaps if we promoted teachers based on merit instead of seniority...

It is where I work, company policy is very invasive. For example, because I drive a company vehicle, I'm required to report any accidents or traffic violations in which I'm involved, including those which occur off-duty in my personal vehicle. Employees failing to disclose such incidents are subject to discipline, up to and including termination. There is no freedom when you work for the private sector.

I married my favorite geek 19 years ago, and here are a few of the things I've learned:

Be considerate.
Shut up and listen when she wants to talk.
Respect her opinion.
She's smarter than you are, get over it.
It's more important to be friends than lovers (sex is fun, but no foundation for a marriage).
Give her the remote before you fall asleep.
If she prefers Windows (or a Mac or a different Linux distro), let it go.
Very few things are important enough to argue with your spouse about.
Money is the biggest marital stressor, to avoid this, live well within your means.
Settle disagreements quickly.
Even geeky girls like tasteful jewelry.
Make time to take her out on a date at least once a week.
Don't be an insensitive clod.

Holy shit! $499 for a 1.5 meter network cable? Looks like Denon has managed to out-monster Monster. I wonder how many idiots have ponied up for this boondoggle?

Most contractors want to do the job right, but disputes can arise, especially when there are no written specifications. What were the terms of the contract, did it include cable specs? If you spell it out up front and the contractor provides the wrong material, installs it incorrectly, etc., they have to fix it or you don't have to pay because they failed to satisfy the terms of the contract. Wait, let me guess... you already paid them? Prior to acceptance? Wait, let me guess again... you didn't perform a formal acceptance? Well how stupid is that! Guess this one's on you.

Oh trust me, the OP was correct. I've been calling them "Interruptible Power Supply" for years. There isn't a UPS made that can even come close to the reliability of a DC system with multiple rectifiers, battery strings and distribution paths on a common bus. The Telecom industry has been the using this setup for a century, and it routinely exceeds five nines of reliability. I still don't understand why the data center world hasn't embraced this technology wholesale, given the nearly universal availability of switchmode DC/DC converters. The added complexities involved in inverters and paralleling of AC sources are the UPS systems' Achilles heel. A DC/DC system with batteries would mesh nicely with wind and/or solar generators for third-world applications.

Easy! Use Linux. Not only is antivirus not needed, but it's free (as in libre and beer)! Most distros can also do much more than draw BMP files and typer TXT files out of the box. For a typical SOHO user, additional software isn't required.