The endosymbiotic theory suggests that mitochondria are--or at least were--a separate species themselves. That they developed from bacteria co-opted by other cells as power plants, eventually becoming the stripped-down symbionts we know today. It would explain why they have their own DNA, and I'd say it would make them (mostly) irrelevant to determination of the species they inhabit.

I was happy with http://www.rjtech.com/. They offer a lot of customization options on top of their bare bones laptops, and I found their service excellent. They're not cheap, but they've got some very nice kit, and I didn't have to give MS money for an OS I didn't want.

NT

The Venus concert is a special collaboration with the Europe reunion tour. Weird combination, no?

But Brain, where are we going to get the virgins to stand in front of the treadmills? Oh, right. We're on Slashdot.

I picture a truly epic case of brain freeze....