http://www.opm.gov/policy-data...

A GS-15 in Atlanta's starting pay is $120034 and they top out at $156043. Now, that's the top level, but you can make decent money as a gevernment employee.

Your basic FBI/DEA/ICE/Secret Service agent is a GS13. Their range is $86,355-112,261. I'm sure some people on here make more than that, but I bet a the majority don't. If you go here (http://www.whatsmypercent.com/), it states someone making $100k is in the 96%. That is the entire US workforce, but should paint a relevent picture.

""A 'threat,' according to the bill, is anything that makes information unavailable or less available."

With this definition, the whole internet is a 'threat'. If you are downloading something from site x, you are using bandwidth that could be making site y "less available". Therefore, any site that requires the use of bandwidth to access could be consider a threat.

"I would argue, though, that the man could have had other content on the drive, which was unknown, and which could have incriminated him for some other crime. In which case the ruling would be improper."

That doesn't work. Otherwise, everyone who commits a murder should keep some cocaine handy. Then when they search your house for the murder you could argue that the cocaine constituted an illegal search because they weren't looking for that.

"US law protects people in the USA. That's how "laws" work - they apply to a geographical area, not to a diaspora of people spread across the world."

Not totally true. You are liable for taxes as a citizen, even if you haven't set foot on US soil in 30 years. Even if the company you work for has no presence in the US.

Additionally, if you leave the US with intent to violate certain laws elsewhere you may be breaking the law. i.e. Going to Thailand with the intention of having sex with 13 year olds would be illegal.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is another example. You don't have to be on US soil to violate US law.

"According to the WSJ, citing Gallup, "62% of the more than 18,000 U.S. consumers it polled said social media had no influence on their buying decisions."

I suspect most people would answer a poll saying advertising NEVER influences their buying decisions. Independent analysis may prove otherwise. Coke, GM, or whoever don't spend billions on advertising because they think it helps. They have done lots of tests and analysis, and they know it helps. Sure, lots of advertising is a waste. But targetted advertising at the right time and place can have a ROI.

"Bill said he was out at lunch with clients for an hour, but the geolocation-software installed into his phone says he was located around a car dealership, and was there for 3 hours."

That sounds like horrible software if the managers don't know to take it with a grain of salt. GPS isn't accurate down to the foot, and there are restaurants located beside car dealerships. Plus, he could have dropped his car off for service, left his phone in his car, and gone to lunch wtih clients.

There will likely always be an exception. The car doesn't know that you are the only person in the car, and there is no reason that a passenger can't input nav data while the vehicle is in motion.

This will make for some great action movies though. Imagive the hero doesn't know where he needs to be, but can't stop the vehicle for GPS to work because there is a carload of mafia terrorists chasing him.

Yeah. Its so hard to find a Kroger :/

Mine has probably 75 different cheeses from all over the world. If you can find a Whole Foods, you will probably have even more variety. Its not that hard to find anything anymore.

Exactly. They may have just realized they can't hide stuff in open view anymore. I'm sure someone has or is planning to buid a drone and fly it over area 51, the pentagon, and other "secret" and protected types of places. If they take those images with a decent camera and dump that via cellular as its taken, then shooting it down won't even do much good. If you are willing to lose $1000-5000 worth of gear, I suspect you could have extremely high resolution images of anywhere. And once you get those photos and post them on the web, there is no stopping their distribution.

OK, Wikipedia says fossils "are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past"

So I agree that laptops and coffee mugs don't become fossils, but that doens't mean thay can't still leave signs of their existance. According to the same source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_Footprints) dinosaurs footprints have been found. They are even said "These tracks were fossilized and largely hidden until many were unearthed". I know its surprising that Wikipedia si contradicting itself, yet there it is.

And how do we know about those cities if they are compeltely lost? Perhaps from some record or artifact? Or is there a really old guy that remembers it and talks about it while sitting on the front porch when children wander up?

You could also throw in the fact that intelligent life isn't enough. We were intelligent for thousands of years, and only recently stumbled across radio waves. That could have lasted millions years if we were a little less intelligent or motivated. Or if religion banned scientific research for some reason and executed anyone from that type of experimentation. Or if the handful of people who firgured out key parts of out knowlege were killed before their eureka moment. Or if there was a virus that killed 25% of the population every century. That could have kept mankind from ever advancing beyond a certain point. Or if silicon were as rare as gold, computers would not be as available as today. Or possibly a combination of those and 100 other potential items that could have kept us from advancing.

It has to be better than sex. Plus, people like diversity. So it has to be better than sex and have differnt ways to do it. Still, that won't replace sex. If you can get it anytime from a robot or colander on your head, then you won't appreciate it as much. A good part of sex for many people (especially men) is the feeling of conquest. The knowlege that you actually got someone to get naked with you and get it on. Its easier for women, but not entirely. Especially if they want a super hot/rich guy. Getting new sex partners is an ego boost that people will still pursue, even after you can simulate it. Its not like masterbation quenches people's desire for sex.

Plus, I'm still confused about how you use the three seashells.

"Even our most durable polymers would break down in much less than 65 million years and erosion and the action of plate tectonics would likely wipe out any trace of such a civilization."

If there are traces of dinosaur bones, feathers, teeth, etc, then there would definately be signs of dino laptops, coffee mugs, or whatever else they built. Sure, the polymers would have broken down, but some would have fossilized or left some traces of their existance.

We also have the donosaurs to thank. Without them and their era's vegatation, we wouldn't have all the coal and oil energy to be as technological as we are. Imagine where the human race would be now if there was no coal or oil available. We will still be burning wood or maybe slowly developing hydro power. Plastics come from that petrolium also. It would be hard to make all those iPhones without plastic.

Yes. Those British and Japanese peasants who aren't allowed to own guns probably just shiver at night in fear of their government and hope some meany doesn't break into their homes where they are totally defenseless.

The 2nd amendment states "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

That doesn't have any limits? Are you ok with people owning hand grenades? Machine guns? C4? RPGs? Small Pox? Nuclear missles? Can they walk anywhere they want with their arms since they can't be infringed on their right to bear them?

All those are arms. Is it unconstitutional for the government to place limitaions on any of that?