Unfortunately, fun as it sounds, that kind of thing doesn't work (along with tossing it out a window into oncoming traffic, blowing the piss out of it with your favorite handgun, mailing it to Europe, etc). The thug--sorry, cops monitoring the device will know you've discarded it after just a few minutes, and since these things are so cheap and easy to obtain, they'll just attach another one.

Um, sorry. Are any of those things crimes? I think not. Trying to justify surveillance for any of those things means you're either in favor of this kind of invasion, or too cowardly to fight it.

Uh, yeah - afraid he's right. All the examples you give happened during eras that pale in comparison to now. You have exactly zero personal freedom in the US today; the government can (and does) arrest and detain (without limit) its own citizens for no apparent reason and holds them indefinitely without trial. That fact alone makes the former statement you're questioning valid.

One is obvious, the other isn't. If I, as a law-abiding citizen, notice the cops following me around, I'm probably going to find out why (honestly and non-confrontationally if possible). A tracking device is hidden, and therefore is being used without my knowledge.

IMHO, both are invasive and should be non-permissible without warrants; both violate the 4th amendment. As if the Constitution means anything anymore.

Not sure I would completely agree with the effectiveness of this study from a psychological perspective. It's interesting, no doubt, but the problem is that the people in the capsule still know they're on earth, safe, etc. They have a known end date for the study, etc. Assuming all that's taken into account here of course, but I wouldn't rely on the results in assuming that a human could maintain santiy for this period of time while actually in flight.

I agree - unfortunately I think Steve's "vision" for Apple is a consumer company that no longer caters to the tech market (Mac Pro is going away, Macbook Pro is about to just become a really expensive tablet with a keyboard, etc). In terms of making billions (more) for the company, that's brilliant. But it dishonors the company Apple was founded as originally, and unfortunately leaves those of us who love and explore technology out in the cold (in terms of their products). IMHO, Microsoft has been trying to do exactly the same thing for many years now, they're just not as quick and efficient as Apple (i.e., they both see the same goal - Apple can quickly and efficiently get there, Microsoft flounders around ineptly for a while but still somehow gets there).

Eh - maybe. I think there will always be a open-source solution, and the only folks that won't use it in any capacity will be those who don't need the flexibility and creativity open-source provides. Of course, those using the open-source solution are a small market (i.e., they won't make you rich), but if you're writing apps for the apple app store and expecting to get rich, you've already lost the plot.

Every time I've tried that they either didn't have the part I needed (9/10 times) or it was at least 3 times more expensive than the average online resource. So this geek doesn't buy there, period. If I need a part fast, Amazon/NewEgg will overnight it - never needed one faster than that. Best Buy is a waste of good retail space.

Heard that. I'd rather put a drill bit through my skull. Slowly. Best Buy embodies all that's evil in the mediocre tech world.

You're out of your damn mind.

Do this and you've 1) assigned ultimate control of all passwords to the government, and 2) assigned everyone a bar code. Sounds like a great idea, Stalin.

How about this (policy at my company since we can't afford a decent auth token solution) - share your password, lose your job. Period. IT occasionally conducts "stings" (i.e., social engineering pen tests) to find out if anyone will do it, thereby keeping awareness and paranoia at a healthy high.

Otherwise, let's not get city hall involved in this, please. Auth tokens are great, but let's keep control in the hands of the organization, or at most a (private) group of central authentication companies.

While I do see your point, I think the devil is in the details here. Surely before extradition the country with which the evil trash-burning planet-destroyer has citizenship would want to see more than just unsubstantiated whining on behalf of their neighbor (i.e., does this country have an actual list of the damages caused, backed up with data, etc.?) Also, IANAL but I think extradition treaties do generally have lists of crimes which are worthy of extradition, and I seriously doubt said crime would be on the list.

Well unfortunately, yes - it has to work both ways. I may not like it, but I do have to abide by it.

Dropbox is secure - just use PGP to encrypt everything you put up there, and decrypt it upon arrival at your host machine. I suppose that would require a jail-broken Android, but that's not all bad... I don't generally accept arguments that the cloud isn't secure. It is, if used correctly (see above). The cloud is like a public restroom - you treat it differently than the one in your house by being much more conscious about cleanliness and such (in the cloud, more conscious about security), but it's perfectly acceptable to use both.

True, and imagination is a trait of artists and free men. Indoctrination is how one creates slaves.

Well said, but doesn't modern society in general equate the two? Would that possibly be one of the strongest criticisms of modern culture, or what passes for culture?