The non-reversing mirror is cute, but the driver-side mirror with no blindspot actually has applications. I'd buy one now if they were selling them.

You don't believe in me? I'm real! Santa isn't. I don't make all the 49 yo ac comments though.

As a 49 yo grandmother, feminist, and C programmer for 20+ years I feel highly qualified to comment on this. The answer is that in my experience merit alone has been the only factor.

It's even worse than that. The problem of counting lattice points is closely related to the Riemann Hypothesis, the "most" important unsolved math problem. Clearly that is what Shaneson and Cappell are after. I've looked at the paper, and it is only 40 pages (compare with the 200+ of Wiles work), and these guys are respected mathematicians. No one has said it is wrong. I don't know the area, but it shouldn't be as hard to check as the Wiles paper. Maybe people are waiting to see if they announce a proof of the Riemann-Hypothesis.

As a 49 yo grandmother, c programmer and feminist, I find this offensive. Additionally from the article:

"The player is are so simple that a grandmother could use it".

This is just agist garbage. They wouldn't have said a grandfather couldn't use it.

What are you trying to say, that mothers are less technically competent?

I think you mean this:

The (real) press-release:
http://www.dragthing.com/blog/?p=285

NBC taking the above seriously:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/tech/5318008-is-Too-Dirty-for-the-iPhone-63149437.html

There will always be higher res movies to view and process, and more data from the world to be saved. I remember one colleague telling me in 1995 that if I got a 2 gig drive it would never be full.

That makes sense. Added to the cost of the zillion employees they have to comb the thing for video that need to be taken down, or at least to write the software. And the constant legal issues. Throw in just the machines, and now I see that is reasonable as a loss, esp. that they don't sell anything. On the other hand everyone I know generally uses it as a first choice. Maybe in a few years it will make money. Remember the (good?) old days when Amazon didn't show a profit for years?

Yes, but what is the cost of running it that can cause it to lose a half a billion dollars in one year?

Maybe that's exactly what the North Koreans want us to think! It really worked, so they are reporting that it did, and we assume everything they say is a lie!

Yes, I agree. Although that could just be his personal style. I've noticed a lot of my more uptight friends are really horrified by these emails, or simply make believe to misinterpret them.

In case you don't want to go bother and look, the others are pretty funny:

1. "Small friend is for hiding, big friend is for showing off."
Even if the product they are pitching works as promised, I still don't think I would be walking around the neighbourhood showing off the results.

2. "The hard friend in your pants will look up into the sky."
Thanks, but I would prefer it if my friends stayed out of my pants.

3. "Men will see your power in every public shower."
If they did, wouldn't I be arrested?

4. "Who doesn't love a big gun in the pants."
Isn't that what holsters are for?

5. "Make your love torpedo drive all the way to her tanker."
Maybe I missed that SexEd class, but I'm not entirely clear on where I would find a woman's tanker.

6. "Transform from a grass snake to a python."
Have you ever seen a python? Ick!

7. "Make your man's carrot grow."
What the heck are they selling, fertilizer?

8. "To the stars your manhood flies when you are happy with your size."
This writer's a poet and they don't even know it.

9. "We can make your man's volcano erupt like a famous Etna!"
Lava. Fire. Smoke. Thanks, but I can do without those in the bedroom.

10. "Put your doughnut in her oven."
If my 'thing' looks like a doughnut, I should see a doctor.

I'm not sure, but there is almost always someone in the US who will sell you something where you make monthly payments. Of course, there usually is an unreasonable interest rate.

I'm not sure I understand. How does the user know what keys to hit? Are they not physical buttons?