I masked all versions of udev above 171 because of the /usr merge. There are some nice things that udev does, mainly ensure consistent matching of device names to actual hardware. However, (for any of my systems anyway) the plug-and-play stuff isn't really needed until after the OS is up and running. I really don't need the system to do anything with random USB thumb drives or game controllers at boot time. The thought had occurred to me to simply go back to a static /dev.

I've looked into alternatives. There is tmpfs-based /udev support in the kernel that seems to work well (minus security settings). mdev, from busybox, seems to work well. I've also looked at mudev, though not much past the project page.

If Gentoo devs are forking udev into a new project that supports separate disk partitions for root directories, then I'll fully support and install it.

Think I'll take the Venus flytrap option from Leather Goddesses of Phobos. There is something to be said about slowly dissolving in extreme ecstasy.

Not if most of those 21 million webpages reference the same small set of licensed images.

I've always liked Clam AntiVirus. I really like the email feature. It notifies me via email whenever a computer that I monitor gets infected.

I'm not sure how the quote supports your definition of "Progressive". At first glance, the quote suggests that we, the American people, are of such great character that we would restore the Constitution if it were to be discarded. I do not generally study political history. However, this conflict of logic piqued my curiosity. I thought that maybe, within context, the quote would support your definition. A quick Google search only returned links to political propaganda sites. I thought it a bit strange that I couldn't find this quote in a historical context. Even Wikiquote.org doesn't seem to have it.

I'm a little confused by this idea. At no point does the warp ship go from point A to point B faster than light would travel the same distance. The path that the ship takes is shorter than the path that the light takes. The distance is not equal.

If an observer were near point B, I can see how it might appear that the ship arrived before it left. However, this would be an optical illusion based on the greater distance that the light traveled.

I've used Citadel. It is not a bad groupware package. It is open source, easy to install, and actively maintained. I don't believe it supports encryption of the database and it uses a file attachment model rather than a file server model. However, it works fairly well for calenders and messaging.

I figured as much. I just thought the loop was funny...

I see that this patch does offer an executable download. However, not all patches are available as executables. I'm not on the machine now. So I'm not sure of the patch numbers. However, I have a Vista machine that has 2 security updates, from May, permanently stuck in an install loop. They successfully install about every 10 minutes. I tried several solutions. Microsoft has a FixIt application that told me Windows Update needed to be repaired. It claims to fix it every time it is run. However, the problem does not go away. So I tried to find the downloadable version of the update to see if installing it in Safe Mode would work. No Go. The only file available for download was a .msu file. Unfortunately, msu files require that Windows Update be running with an active network connection. They do not work in Safe Mode. At this point I think a reinstall is needed. However, Vista is a major pain. If I have to reinstall, I'm putting XP back on the machine.

So, to protect users from potentially trusting a fake Windows Update server, Microsoft is releasing this update through a Windows Update server, which potentially could be fake? I suppose that if your computer already trusts a fake server, it is too late. However, I wish Microsoft would go back to providing downloadable updates that didn't depend on Windows Update.

Yep, and then Microsoft created a free web browser and included it in their OS in August of that year. Everyone was quick to jump onboard. Al Gore invented the Internet and Netscape copied Microsoft and then sued.

Oh wait, it might not have happened that way. You should check your facts... Of course, I remember using an account a friend had at the university to access the Internet in 1985 and using Netscape Navigator in 94.

It is something I thought about while looking for work. I even did some searches on the idea. I didn't find much information. I did find jobs for teaching english as a second language. However, those required that you speak the native language fluently. I also found advice that I should become employed in the USA with an international company and after working there for some time, get transfered overseas. But then, that still requires employment in the USA. You are asking why the unemployed in the USA do not just jump on a boat and start working overseas. I'd be very interested in any information you have on how to accomplish this. It is not like I can just drive 50 miles and do an interview.

You might want to revisit the history books on this one...

Columbus was sponsored by Queen Isabella of Spain. There were several reasons for this sponsorship, though Columbus's personal wealth and power certainly came into play. At the time, the Ottomans and other Islamic nations controlled the trade routes to the east. Europe wanted the spices and medicines available in China. One of the hopeful outcomes was an allegiance with Murtada Khan of the Golden Horde. Murtada had expressed an interest in Christianity. With the recent defeat of the Moors in Spain and expulsion of the Jews, Spain was looking for new allies to continue the Christian assault on Islam and the capture of Jerusalem. Then too, I've also heard the rumor that King Ferdinand just wanted Columbus out of Spain so he would quit flirting with his wife. However, I've not found much to support this.

Given the events of the time, I'd say that religion and politics were the primary motivators, with profitability being a nice side-effect.

I didn't realize Pete was running again. Good to hear. Lets hope he gets elected this time!

Well, I guess it all depends on your definition of full. There are those people that won't believe there is an over population problem until the bodies are stacked to the upper reaches of the atmosphere and fed by single-cell organisms. Then there are those people who think a place is crowded if they can see a neighbor from their front porch. You can enjoy living like a cockroach so long as I can't see you from my front porch...

Netflix depends on Silverlight. Silverlight is not supported (or usable) on Linux. Doesn't even work under Wine. A good alternative to Netflix is Hulu. It uses Flash for video.