Of course, the stories I'm following are the ones that picture totalitarian governments. We should therefore pass laws barring any government agency (there than very local law enforcement) from having any powers.

Ok, I may take some flack from everyone on this, but I'm not going to suggest more wiring in the walls, etc. etc. Instead, I would suggest, if you have the option, to consider earth sheltered concrete. Properly designed, you can minimize heating and/or cooling load on the structure, potentially eliminating the need for gas/oil/electric furnace all together.

That said, once you've got your basic structure, feel free to load it up with all the wires, wireless, automation, and other toys you like.

It's not lying to omit older information on your resume. Typically, you only need to go back 10-15 years... unless there is something specific you want to reference from before that.

What I find hard to conceal is my gray beard.

So by this logic, someone could write a computer program that would randomly file a take down notice against Warnerbros.com and it would be OK, since it was done by a computer algorithm.

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Seems to me that they should suffer the same kind of damages that they would insist on if someone tried that stunt. Can we say $N,000,000 per instance?

With only 19 or so years to go, we'll have to act quickly to get a long range space craft up to this asteroid if we want to alter its trajectory so it certainly will hit Earth! There's no time to waste if we're going to set up for this future crisis!

I've read some of the comments, one way and another, and would like to make a couple of observations:

1. Insurance companies collect money whether a claim is paid or not.
2. Collecting higher premiums is good (from the insurer's perspective).
3. If, after having collected said higher premiums, the claims against policies are not higher, this is even better (for the insurance company).

The only thing preventing the insurance companies from raising rates is competition. If they can point to something like GW as justification, they stand to make more money. At worst, they won't loose any. Yes, there are higher costs associated with weather related events, but as has been pointed out in many posts, there are more people building (more expensive) structures in areas subject to those events. Global Warming? Can't say, since I'm not scientifically trained in climatology. But you might want to hedge your bets either way.

Not everyone agrees.

I don't know what the tech will be like in 10 to 15 years, but right now the material that you use in the current generation of 3D printers to produce an object costs more than the object would if made using traditional manufacturing. The only place that it makes sense to use it right now is where you can't use mass production techniques... i.e.: individually customized items.

Of course, that is now. If those costs drop (and there is no reason to believe they won't), then traditional IP will be out the window. At that point, a consumer would be able to print a standard widget for the cost of running the printer. At that point, customization of the CAD drawings will be where the money will be at.

I'm not up on the details of contemporary physics, but it occurs to me that since the universe is supposed to have been expanding since the big bang, the overall density has decreased during that time. Does space/time and the Quantum Foam also have a density that might affect the rate at which super massive black holes could gobble it? Could conditions in the early universe encourage black hole growth/consolidation more than the current space environment?

Black hole growth via this method may still occur today, and be measurable in our own and nearby galaxies, but the rate may be so slow that it is hidden by other factors, e.g.: consumption of local stars/gas clouds.

Meanwhile, I'm glad I drive a pickup. My next one, bought in three or four years, will probably last me until I don't need to worry about driving any more.

Using lasers for communications is not new. HAM Radio geeks have been experimenting with it for some time. The big problems seem to be maintaining the alignment of the laser, and atmospheric attenuation of the signal. That aside, the bandwidth of visible light signals will be awesome, compared to longer wavelengths.

We buy a Sunday paper almost every week because it's really hard to line the bird cage using a flat screen monitor.

Throw in a Domino's pizza, and we can dispense with a couple of steps.

Obviously you can't stop them from tracking you. But the point about saving your battery was worth saying.