A lot of "arm-chair" lawyers here, but the basic thing is that they tried to fight it in open court and they lost, over, done. And if you think the others (Google, Facebook, etc) would have fared any better, you are simply fooling yourself. You can try to reinterpret what treason is all you like, but the fact is they are compelled to comply.

"Refusing a search w/o a *proper* warrant is not treason. Secret court generated 'warrants' do not count as being proper by any stretch of common law." Apparently they do count.

All information gathered by the NSA in regards to German emails was given to the NSA in a mutual exchange of intelligence information. What the Germans are doing now is trying to wash their hands of any complicity in the matter, even when that very information helped capture two Russian spies. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/trial-of-russian-spies-in-germany-strains-diplomatic-relations-a-908975.html

Everyone touting how great their encryption methods are. I wonder how do they know they are secure or not? How would you know if the NSA was monitoring you specifically or you are simply too obscure to be noticed? Send a threatening email about a politician or a fake terror plot and see how good your encryption is. Are you willing to bet your ass on it?

Sounds like application-based routing algorithms that allow programs to design specific routing patterns on the fly.

"While the lack of contamination is encouraging, Jackson said he wondered whether the unidentified drilling company might have consciously or unconsciously taken extra care with the research site, since it was being watched. " Ya think?

Profiling? Let's just spy on Arabs and Asian? It's works for the police doesn't it? Blacks and Hispanics are the criminals, so concentrating on them is how America should reduce crime right? You see, the assumption is that there is some flag or indicator that allows organizations like the police or the NSA to identify potential criminals before they become a threat. News flash...there isn't. At least not often enough to save people from an individual intent on causing massive harm. All I have seen is outrage about the NSA practices, but what I haven't seen, even in the most offhanded opinion, is an option for how to be just as effective without the perceived violation of personal privacy.

Seriously? And who do you think that 12-year-old Chinese hacker works for (oh yes I said work)? What? You think hacking in China is a hobby? Grow up.

"(Disclaimer: I'm not a conspiracy theorist, nut.)" Sure you are, you're just not good at it.

I see the tin foil hats will be all the craze this fall.

I'm sorry, but I think you're completely wrong. Intelligence doesn't breed opinion, emotion does. Without the desire to be correct, all answers to the same problem will eventually be the same. The desire to hold on to a theory based on flawed data is an emotional response that machines would and should be without.

So I know everything about the phone except, where's the Gorilla Glass?! I know there is a newer version of the Corning Glass, but I want all the goodness of the S4 to be well protected whether it's the new or old version.

Intelligence is the perception of those around you. If you are perceived as intelligent to a rational person, then you are. Anything beyond that is philosophical and not worth discussion in a practical sense. All I see here is humans trying to make excuses for themselves to appear special. I am sorry, but you parallel processing is impressive, but ultimately reproducible.

"Western" meaning it's market would be primarily to a western audience. Where it is created is moot in an international market, where it sells the most is what's important.

This was the game you would be playing. Even after the other two came on the stage, City of Heroes was still the best out there for the genre. They had done amazing things graphically with it considering it had an 8-year-old graphics engine. The best part was the the developers who we as approachable as any player. The Devs listened to the community and made them a part of the games evolution. Some players could actually boast that features they suggested were actually in game because of them. The community even bought the Dev staff dinner after the news came out, that's how close they were. It was like family and you got to be a superhero!