As another Canadian, my response is "know thy enemy".

I don't get my news from Slashdot either, you dirty, dirty men.

Yeah I know, the great unwashed.

Sad world.

Putting Table Tennis, CounterStrike and Chess in the same bucket is pretty weak. (Chess and CounterStrike I can see since they're games (not sports), but Table Tennis at international levels is very physical indeed.)

One of my former coworkers has been competing in Table Tennis at the international level for decades and I can confirm that he's an athlete.

Seriously, how long will it be before tablets have 32GB of RAM?

I certainly agree with all that, but I also think that there's a spectrum there as well. Not all hobbiest photographers will need a real workstation, though many certainly will. Are they in that 1%?

Or perhaps my numbers are off and it's more like 75% 20% 5%?

In any case, the vast majority of people I know who are not software developers or visual artists could do all of their computing on a Suface, and certainly 80% of them don't do much more than web browse.

Agreed, and this is where Windows and Ubuntu mobile devices have an edge over Android and iOS.

I agree, but the question is really how big is that part of the market?

And again, this is where Windows and Ubuntu mobile devices win and Android/iOS loses.

And this is where I disagree, the tablet market is established as BOTH a replacement and an augmentation to the PC and I think it will grow as the power and capabilities of these devices grows. (Note that Microsoft is no longer losing money on the Surface.)

Which is what I said. I'm sure I'll have all three devices myself as a power user, but I doubt that will be true of everyone once truly mobile dockable desktops become a reality.

Again I disagree, I don't think we're even close to being done with Moore's law.

And that right there is pretty much my point. :)

I think there's three markets here: (and my numbers are complete bullshit)

1. Joe Public, needs a web browser and perhaps a word processor (90% of the old PC market)
Solution: a cellphone, perhaps with docking station and external monitor (TV)

2. Advanced office user and 50% of developers and gamers (9% of the old PC market)
Solution: Something like the Surface tablets, with docking station and external monitor

3) Real power users and gamers with more money than sense (1% of the old PC market)
Solution: Workstation calibre desktops

Contrariwise, what we need is a trustable CA that gives out free certificates.

Just because it's highly unlikely doesn't mean it's not an interesting thought experiment.

Your memory serves you well, the aluminium cans did not take off until the late 70's early 80's when the technology needed to recycle them was invented.

Disclosure: one of the inventors on that patent is my father, his other research was in solar panels, ocean thermal engery (otec), the aluminum air battery , the use of adhesively bonded aluminum structures such as the Jaguar XJ and hybrid diesel electric vehicles.

Oh I don't know, that was one of the best flame bait comments I've seen in a while. It was damn near poetic.

Some time between now and November 2016, I would like to see one article about Africa that doesn't have a comment from some mouth-breather emoting all over the page about Obama.

Is that really too much to ask.

I am sick up to here of the bullshit.

Swing and a miss.

I vote Liberal, I call myself a socialist, I sent my kids to private school and I probably make more than you.

Congratulations, you won todays "Race to the Bottom", your prize of a fetid pile of turds can be collected from your local Republitard office.