Oh, where are my mod points when I need them?

This is realism disguised as cynicism. We have the same situation in my own country.

Every English-speaking nation is suffering the same problem: those in power are terrible, those opposed are atrocious.

Perhaps it has always been this way but it has never been more visible.

Well, I think now I'm doubly-confused because I didn't see anyone posting something that disagreed with this position of yours, nor was anyone positing an argument that in some way suggested that a sophisticated tracking system wouldn't be used, at least that I've seen. I guess I just don't quite see the link between what they were saying and what you appear to be countering with. :)

Sure, but that's not really the argument, is it? I may have missed something but I've never seen a laser system without sophisticated target tracking capabilities.

Hmm, think I might have already proven myself wrong with this 104KW polonium-210-powered laser rifle [PDF warning]. Think I've finally found what I want for my birthday!

Move to New Zealand! All our major banks are predatory Australian entities - with this as your political platform you'll be elected prime minister in no time.

Tasers to maximum!

Thank you for taking the time to explain, I understand your argument a little better now.

I think I need to educate myself a little further on this topic. I appreciate this is a simplified example but I'm still not getting why the pies and baskets haven't lost their value when the market was suddenly able to supply 10x the normal amount. Or am I reaching outside the metaphor?

I'm missing something: now that Mike's factory has changed the game, where is the market for one pie that's ten times as expensive to make as the ones Mike manufactures? An honest question, no snark intended.

(This is based on the assumption that you meant 'Bill trades one of his baskets for ten pies', please correct me if I'm wrong)

Whilst I wouldn't put it past House Putin, even without the Landsraad he'd still have some explaining to do. Could provide some interesting popcorn-munching action for those of us on the arse end of ol' Terra. :)

Joking aside and somewhat offtopic, Herbert saw the obvious outcome of using these weapons; it was scarcely twenty years into Muad'Dib's reign (when he used nukes against the shield wall) before his eyes were taken by the 'burner. Once that Pandora's Box has been opened there's no going back. The foolish notion that the use of 'limited', 'limited yield' or 'very small tactical' weapons can in any way contain the size of a nuclear engagement must also be laid to rest.

Nice and simple, works for me. :)

You're right, the summary could have been better, however I can say in its defence that the summary as you read it now is an awful lot better than the one I submitted.

It's quite a reasonable assumption that combustion is involved when coming across a discussion about a methane explosion, however in this situation there was no actual combustion. Despite this, the event was still quite accurately described as a methane exploding. Is there a common method of differentiating the two other than affixing a disclaimer about a "pressure explosion" versus a "combustion pressure explosion"?

An easy excuse to make a great documentary with reconstructions played by Peter Sellers? :)