'Zactly. PNAC/Likud false-flag plan to shatter the political status quo of the region. Exacerbate identity-based politics (Zionist "tell") and derive opportunity out of ensured resulting chaos.

Iraq and Syria were the two LEADING states that - for varying reasons - minimized ethnic/identity basis for state integrity, opportunity and use of power. One is shattered using ethnic "Balkanization", and another on the verge. Lebanon became valid and healthy only after settling these internal divisions in a loose compromise. The fingerprint of Shin Bet and Mossad in re-opening these conflicts (with Rafic Hariri assassination, etc.) is evident to anyone who evaluates the evidence without starting from a conclusion.

Don't you see? You play into this hand of manipulation yourself, when you drive postings that pose theological difference and superiority.

My guess, the FCC chair will do whatever his former employers tell him to do so that he can guarantee when he's done pretending to be the regulator he can go back to his cushy lobbying job.

Does anybody really believe they're going to do anything not endorsed by the cable, wireless and content cartels?

Having that guy in there is pretty much the definition of regulatory capture.

You know what the next logical step is?

It involves the internet ... so I'll assume some form of pornography.

I can "ghost" MAC on every OS known to man - practically. Most of those with a Berkeley-derived TCP stack are
sudo ifconfig /dev/device lladdr xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx

What we want here is not to just selfishly hide - but to pollute their collection with billions of plausible "false positive" pseudo computers and mobiles.

"We didn't spy on Congressional office holders, or their staffers. We don't conduct mass surveillance. We track only metadata. Our Agency leadership has been exceptionally truthful at all times, under every circumstance. We have never lied about these things in general public statements or in sworn testimony. Edward Snowden is a bad man, a liar and a dangerous enemy of the people of this country."

However, "a good slice of luck" doesn't belong at news about arguably the recent highest engineering achievements of humanity.

Why not? It's an honest assessment of the task at hand.

According to TFA:

Esa says it will be a one-shot opportunity. Events will be taking place so far away that real-time radio control will be impossible.

Instead, the process will have to be fully automated with the final commands uploaded to Rosetta and Philae several days in advance.

So, basically you plan as much as possible, do everything you can ... and then when it happens, you're in the dark, and it either will or won't have worked. But you'll have had to send everything a few days in advance, and you'll be sitting and hoping when it really happens.

I think it's at least honest and open about the real challenges. Because when you have to rely on the automated stuff working 100% perfectly, and you have no chance to correct anything, you still are coming down to luck.

Would you rather they acted like there was no luck involved in this?

This isn't parallel parking your car. This, as you say, is some of the most complex engineering around. And the people doing it are under no illusions that they have it completely under control.

I have no problem with them pointing out how just how hard this is. If it works, they're rock stars. If it fails, then they've at least been up-front about the limitations of what they're able to do.

I think it's a recognition that what they're doing is incredibly hard, and you can plan all you want, but there's still going to be stuff which isn't within your control.

We're talking about setting something down on a spinning body which is really far away, and which there is likely a very long delay in any of your controls.

As much as we like to think space stuff is pretty commonplace, it's not exactly a small undertaking to try to do this.

I'm betting the people who oversee this know damned well the risks, and are trying to manage the public perception of it ... because if it goes wrong you're going to get tons of people saying "Yarg! I could have done better".

But you have cookies, and browser fingerprints, and logons, and device ID / Application ID info...

Riding on a free uplink doesn't do jack.

I think we can really fuck with them. Chaff, deception traffic...

Let's get started on making more hay for their stacks, people! Hell. You'll run a client for SETI, why not run one to preserve your intelligent life, here on Earth!

It depends on what you need to do, and what you know about it.

If you are not willing to walk away from it, on short notice? Then buying nothing is wise.

The trick about big financing is that you don't own a house - a bank owns you. Your on their plantation.

If you didn't barter or pay cash, you are on Massah's rules, Massah's time.

Yes. Enjoy 15-30 years of BEARABLE slavery. But you OWN something... Just ask the taxman.

You have Stockholm syndrome - and don't recognize it. You should read about Edward Bernays, some time - before lashing out in pseudo-moral rage against a proposition who's arguments you fo not actually comprehend.

We are stardust
We are golden
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

The tyranny of location! Don't worry. They have a fix for that with TPP and TTIP. ;-)

One law to rule them all, one law to bind them...

Perhaps Lem comes off less morose in jzyk Polski