Except it isn't. Some salt comes from salt mines. Hence the expression, "working in the salt mine".

Exactly. Take even the simplest Linux command, like 'rm'. Now look at this excerpt from the man page:

--no-preserve-root
                            do not treat `/' specially

What does that mean? That little blurb really isn't sufficient to learn what that option does. If you already are familiar with rm, then that blurb will likely remind you of the intended action. Unfortunately, the goal of a lot of online documentation is to refresh your memory, not teach. That's why you need good dead tree documentation. That way, even if they make some minor changes in the future, you'll still have a good solid understanding of the way the system works in the first place.

You're telling me you put a $190 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116997) operating system on a $160 computer?

But Microsoft doesn't want to deal with this. With the release of Windows 8, they will have four (semi-)separate code bases (XP, Vista, 7, 8) to keep secure. That's a coding nightmare that nobody wants. If Microsoft can get everyone on the same OS, then their costs of producing patches drops to a quarter of what it once was.

You don't want frequency shifting, but rather amplification of only that narrow band.

You don't become a great artist by looking at great paintings. You get there by painting all the time. You don't become a mathematician by watching the instructor. You get there by doing the homework. You don't become a famous author by reading Jane Austin and Mark Twain. You get there by writing.

In every case, the thing you must do is create content. However, that's almost impossible on tablets (no keyboard), hard on laptops (small keyboard, no real mouse), and even slightly challenging on desktops (ever try typing out a complex mathematical equation in Latex?).

Today's latest and greatest systems (I'm looking at you, iPad) are really geared toward content consumption, not creation. We should focus more on making it easy for kids to express themselves and then give them the tools that do that.

Thanks for the correction. I was wondering what kind of Roku device wouldn't do Netflix streaming...

Is this really such a big deal? I've used third-party high end cooling solutions for over a decade now and I always buy tray-only CPUs. I buy AMD and I can usually find the processor I want without the heatsink and fan. Are things that different from Intel?

I say it's a great change. How many stock fans and heatsinks will be saved from gathering dust because of this? How much waste will this reduce? Plus it will put $10-15 in someone's pocket (probably Intel's).

Asking shouldn't make it right either. I know I'm saying this through U.S.-colored glasses, but free speech is a fundamental human right and no one should ever be expected to give it up.

More to the point, the problem here isn't social media, rather it is that the police feel its okay to shoot kids and the kids feel its okay to loot and riot. Both of which can occur just as well with or without social media.

"That seems like the wrong approach. How about emulating the hardware, and running the Xbox OS from a hard disk image (or real xbox hard drive)?"

But now you're talking about copyright infringement. I know it's ironic since what most emulators are used for, but still, requiring an emulator to use a copied ROM would just get you a nice lawsuit from the gents at Microsoft.

Excellent nitpick!

This is Intel's effort to reclaim some of the profit margin they gave up when netbooks became popular. The idea is to create a premium form factor that offers enough perks to make them attractive compared to a netbook, while keeping the price under that of the entry level MacBook Air (currently $999).

Don't get too excited about a $475 BOM, though. That number comes from Intel and the purpose is to convince manufacturers that they can produce a retail $999 ultrabook and still make a profit. Manufacturers have been expressing doubts about the form factor.

Screw you guys, I'm going home.