In all fairness, if you've ever spent time in factories/cities and little cottages in the mountains, you'd know that's a pretty accurate assessment. :)

"Why is the latter so much better, America?"

Because that's what the propaganda says. Seriously, Americans are consumers driven by marketing and America is marketed as it exists, and not how it was supposed to exist or could exist, and that marketing is, and will be, consumed as long as there continues to be breads and circuses. Gotta go, almost out of DVR space and don't want to lose American Idol...

"The Dungeon Master is tasked with giving directions to other players, which Muraski testified mimics the organization of a gang."

Or a corporation.

The ridiculous amount of tax dollars has already been spent. We've already paid for fiber to the door, we just haven't gotten it. Those that have gotten it are paying more and getting less than the telcos promised we'd get.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20060131/2021240_F.shtml

No. It's an Apple iPhone, I knew this when I bought it. I no further expect to see Android apps in the App Store than I expect to see ones for Nokia phones.

Get this, I also don't care if they're not selling Dodges at the Ford Dealership.

If I go for an hour's walk into the forest, lose my footing and sprain my ancle I'm not going anywhere. Oh I might crawl to civilization if no help was coming, but normally I'd call in a rescue.

I believe that the above thinking is what leads to this problem, with the tech only making it easier to accomplish. Rescues are for emergencies and spraining your ankle is not an emergency (nor is your water supply tasting salty). If you sprain your ankle, you grab a stick, make it a crutch and hop/limp/hobble your pansy ass out of the forest.