It was originally part of a media bundle (Mediamax or some name along those lines, text messaging for so much plus data for $15) which they don't offer that particular package any longer. This was back when they were still having their identity crisis and trying to figure out who they were - Cingular or ATT.

Really? Here's my recent experience:

I was recently looking to upgrade my phone. My last phone was from ATT with a two year contract, and I wanted something more updated and faster. When I signed the contract, I was able to get unlimited data added for $15/mo. (they no longer offer this plan) So I looked around for a while and debated between the subsidized Nokia E71x, or an unlocked Nokia model. Now the ATT subsidized Nokia was only $99 after rebate, with of course another two year contract. An unlocked Nokia E75 was $399 after $50 rebate.

However, the subsidized E71x required their PDA/Smartphone data package which is $30/mo - that seemed pretty ridiculous because I was currently getting unlimited data at $15/mo. After talking with an ATT rep, I found that if I bought an unlocked phone I could either grandfather in my old plan and leave it be with the data at $15/mo, or I could upgrade my plan to a current package and tack on unlimited data for only $10/mo! The reason is that ATT cannot force an unsubsidized phone to use their "special" data plans tailored for their subsidized models (please - $30/mo just because the phone has a QWERTY?)

You can do the math. Needless to say, although I've spent more money upfront on a phone, I can recover the cost before two years. If the phone lasts/stays with me longer than two years, I'll be saving even more from it.

Btw, not only are unlocked phones nicer to have in case of travelling/switching providers, you also aren't stuck with the customized provider firmware that they slap onto the phone. From past experiences I've found that the branded firmware often limits advanced functionality.

Thanks alot. Now I'm going to get slashdotted.

Second for Mario Kart with the motion sensor. I started on it that way, and have stuck with it since. I can get precision turns with the complimentary intuitiveness of steering. Mario Kart seems to be the most refined implementation of a driving game for Wii using motion sensors - Nintendo did their homework very well.

Then again, I'm probably one of very few who plays Geometry Wars with the pointer. Personally, I like how it works over standard analog controls, I just feel it's more accurate.

I think many people try the motion control, get fed up after a few minutes, and revert to what they've been used to for decades. From presonal observation, it seems like they just don't want to take the time to learn it - they just want to play.

AdSweep works really well in Opera, though it can be a bit overzealous at times. However, the builds are weekly and refined more and more as time goes on.

I've been using Adsweep for Opera, but it can also work with Chrome. Works pretty well, but I've ran across a couple pages that it's been too zealous on.

Looks like ICANN at least takes public comment, though at this point I don't know how much good it would do. They seem pretty bent on doing this.

Just to clarify:

This would be addressing those whose viewpoint of creation is that the earth really is only a few thousand years old. Unfortunately the Bible actually does not support this viewpoint.

In the Genesis account, the Hebrew word rendered "day" does not refer to a literal 24 hour period - this word can in fact refer to simply "a long time" or "the time covering an extraordinary event." So, each creative "day" as spoken of in the Bible could have been multiple thousands of years.

Ah, but how would they receive free marketing if you never pulled out your fancy device in a crowded area? People would not be able to woo as they watch you touch your phone and wish to themselves they had their own.

No doubt Apple realized that each time someone used it in a public setting it would be a conversation piece or at the very least get people to think to themselves, "Oh, hey, it's that one phone!", at least during the phone's initial debut. If people are simply pressing buttons, let alone out of the view of public, they lose some buzz.

There are people who are still in awe over the phone, however most of them have gone out and bought one themselves so that they can publicly display the phone themselves. This then becomes a situation of people simply displaying it publicly in hopes to look important or culturally elite, as no doubt all of us have seen quite more than we'd care to.

I realize that there is some intent of humor behind the post, but really why would it be so hard to believe that someone actually gave Vista a serious look as opposed to having a blog-formed bias against it before using it? Yes, XP is not "giant piece of crap" but Vista is better.

Sorry, I'm just tired of hearing crap flung against Vista when people don't give it a serious look. I look forward to Windows 7 for somewhat similar reasons as the Vista-haters - we won't hear any more about Vista. But the difference is that I'm hoping it will take the bias away as well.

Vista nicely demonstrated a failure at marketing (Vista-Capable) and a failure at showing users reasons why it would be worth upgrading to (on capable hardware).

The problem was at the time it was released, people just did not see the reasons or benefits for upgrading. Most people who bought into the Vista-is-crap FUD without actually trying it for themselves or were simply unwilling to orient themselves with a new, updated OS are now realizing that XP is looking dated. Because of the perceived negative attributes of Vista (seriously, stop likening it to ME - Vista uses a very stable NT kernel, unlike the very unstable kernel present in ME) anything looks better than Vista at this point - even though there are many similarities between 7 and Vista.

Yes, we will still have people who stick their feet firmly in the mud and refuse to transfer their own skills into a modern OS. These are the same kinds of people who either still use 2000 or eventually moved to XP with a lot of kicking and screaming. But, people will upgrade when a product is correctly marketed. Just look at iPods.

Your signature made me chuckle when I read your post.

The gasoline service is in effect and upheld by the state fire marshal to prohibit consumers from dispensing flammable liquids. (I'd try and find where this is on their site but their search is craptacular)

If you've been born and raised in OR, then at first it's kind of nice to have. But, until you've gone outside of the state and have had to fill up on your own do you appreciate filling up your own car. Waiting in line for drivers to figure out which way to enter into a station and then the attendant taking ten minutes to finally get to your window is extremely annoying. I wish they'd lift that law.

The "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" exhibit has been going on for quite some time (three years now). It was in Portland two years ago where I got some pics of the same exhibit.

The only reason I visit these pages is to read the responses of this nature, probably because I feel the same way. There's also a measure of comic irony in that quite a number or /.ers are disagreeing to the posting of disagree mail. I like to watch for comments that tear up these posts in hopes for a chuckle.