Very valid points. Although I think you could emphasize Apple's success quite a bit more:

Apple is the 2nd largest American company period, by market cap -- right under Exxon Mobile.

Let me say again: Apple is the second largest company -- not just tech company, company in general. They have $50 Billion in liquid assets, with no debt. Their latest quarter was their best quarter ever. And by most accounts, they are still growing at quite a clip -- most analysts have Apple's stock pegged to go significantly higher. And their stock is at something like a quite-reaosnable 20:1 P/E ratio -- it's not a bubble stock price, in other words.

Yes, Apple is selling something like 10% of consumer computers in the USA, and less than that globally. But they are the SECOND BIGGEST COMPANY PERIOD, and one of the most profitable companies period. I think if the game keeps playing out like this, they have no interest in doing what Google, or anybody else, is doing.

Not an answer to the problem (which is huge) but at least now people can target their efforts to make an impact on the core issues that are leading to this. Interesting that the Army seems to have been a big contributor -- GO ARMY! :)

Absolute bull crap. Blackberry was the phone that most people agree was first to be associated with the concept of smart phone, and still is considered a smart phone. It is not way more open than the iPhone, in the way that you argue Android is. Are you arguing that Android is the only smart phone platform out there? Ok, so you've invented your own personal definition of smart phone, and iPhone does not meet that set of criteria. Good for you. Back on Earth, nobody cares about your personal definition, and just about everybody disagrees with you.

No, not for revealing a potentially dangerous flaw in AT&T security. What-evs.

I heard and read the word Goatse more today in the mainstream media than all points of my life added together, and I can only imagine how many lives were ruined by the ensuring Google searches! Hahahahahah!!!!!!!

You should read Halting State by Charles Stross, good bit of 2nd-person near-future sci-fi involving online gaming and associated economic issues. And crime and spycraft and other neat stuff -- it's really good!

I'm going to immediately disregard everything you ever post for the rest of your or my life, due to the fact that you are PINING FOR THE DAYS OF EXTENSIONS SETS.

OMFG MAN, ARE YOU REALLY SERIOUS?!?!?!

DOES CONFLICT-CATCHER RING A BELL?!?!?!?

Some people... cwaaazy!

There once was a boy who was only a head. His name was Randy.

No body, no arms, no legs, only a head.

Every day, he'd roll to school and get picked on by everybody for only being a head. "Randy, you dweeb, you don't have a body!" they'd say.

So every night, before going to bed, he'd pray and pray that someday he'd grow a body.

And wouldn't you know it, one day he woke up and... he had a body!

Randy was so overjoyed he ran around screaming, "I finally have a body! I have a body!"

He ran all throughout his neighborhood, and then ran all the way to school, all 3 miles, because he was so overjoyed.

When he finally got to school, he ran toward the front entrance, ready to show off his body to everyone.

He ran across the street, and BAM. He got hit by a school bus. He died instantly.

The moral of the story is -- quit while you're a head.

The only problem with this observation is that in 2010, Google _REALLY IS_ Big Brother.

Burn those hairs right off your head!

And they even sell death-ray kits! Oh, I like these guys! http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=27_82

I'd like to chat more, as I grok ya. nickgold42 at comcast dot net. Drop me a line dude!

DUH... The LHC gets fired up, and suddenly this kind of thing just randomly starts to happen? Suuuuuure.

Clearly, this was a mini black hole spawned by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and indeed they ARE harmless and just disappear after a few moments, or else we wouldn't have this little thread going on here, now would we?

Doesn't "dirtier and more complex" also tend to come with a price?

Up! is an amazing, amazing movie. What they were able to do with that movie, which as far as I'm concerned is a legitimate piece of quality cinema, is simply fabulous. And how can you not like Doug, and Kevin, and an awesome airship?!

Before that there was this little movie called WALLâE you may have heard of -- I understand it was kind of successful, and well-received...

Yeah.... I'm not too worried based on the last several flicks. They've had a few movies I wasn't as hot on, but the recent trend seems to indicate higher quality than ever before, not lower.

However, the duplicated copy of you would NOT be you, although it would sure think it was. But you would still be dead and gone! For the dead you, there would be no continuity of consciousness. Because, again, you'd be dead.