Todd,

I have been harassing you the past few months on Slashdot.

While I do not agree with your views, my behavior has been unacceptable, and mean-spirited.

I want to apologize to you for this, and assure you that it will not happen again.

- Jake

Well, no, it's not really news that when you tell TWC or Comcast you're bailing, they will dig out "promotions" to keep you.

I would be very suspect of the claim from the Customer Service rep that the bill will only go up 5 or 10$ per year, though, that's not my experience.

I do think that the $70 or so the OP is paying for Internet and phone is still too high, unless the Internet is wickedly quick. And seriously, the IP based phone that he is still paying $30 or so for is WAY too much.

Power goes out, Internet goes out, phone goes out. Spend that $30 on a treditional copper-wire line for 911 and such. Otherwise, why would you need more than your cell phone? IP phone service is WAY overpriced.

Yes, I know, after the copper wire hits a switch of some kind, it probably gets routed over IP anyway, but at least with copper wire to your house, you almost always have a dial tone, hence 911.

Almost fully automated dairies are already a reality, systems in place that allow the cow to enter into an automated system when it feels the need to be milked, the finds it's way to a system of machines that disinfect the teats, milk the cow, send it on it's way. There are automatic massage / scratching machines, systems that robotically clean stalls... Seriously, most people don't realize how automated dairy science is. 30 years? It's already here.

Google it.

For those that did not RTFA:

Those who pay the licence (since it's being patented)?

Much like Dewey Decimal.

Yes, but in a general sense, there's nothing wrong with masturbating.

You need to expand your scenario:

"...at the office."
"...in your car."
"...while paying the pizza delivery guy."

Something like that.

Here is the memo that this story is based on:

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/ms...

I've noticed that Slashdot admins have been using their unlimited mod points to deep-six anti-Beta posts into moderation oblivion, as well, not to mention all the anti-Beta "Anon Cowards" that they simply delete...

I should have been more specific: The under-cover cop encourages the perp to hire the under-cover cop to kill the spouse. Quite common with these sorts of crimes.

Paul Vixie can pontificate on the Unevenly Distributed Intelligence at Dice that has resulted in this abomination known as Beta Slashdot...

It happens all the time, the best example being the "To Catch a Predator" type stings. Law Enforcement create a situation, a honeypot if you will, and waits for the flies. Fake pawn shops for fencing stolen goods is another example. Cops have also been known to encourage murder-for-hire in domestic situations like messy divorces.

But like this Bitcoin thing, "entrapment" is not legally defined the way most people suppose it is... In criminal law, entrapment is when a law enforcement agent induces a person to commit an offense that the person would have otherwise been unlikely to commit. They seem to get around it by supposedly providing opportunities to walk away. But like a fat person in front of a table piled high with Little Debbie's, it usually works out for the cops...

From Bruce Peren's http://technocrat.net/ ...

Perens shut the site down because there was not enough traffic to support it.

From http://technocrat.net/ ...

Based in Bangalore...