...into thinking that it is much easier to a nice selection of books with me in a tablet than it is to carry them any other way.

and your enemies closer.

Yes, I know we would advance technology by solving the problems inherent in making the trip, but there is still plenty to explore (and plenty of science we don't yet know) here on Earth that can be done with much less money.
Mars exploration makes good headlines, but it's not the best use of our limited budgets for science and exploration.

As far as I can tell at ATT's wireless site, they don't care where you got the phone so long as their sim card fits and the phone works on their network.

Can you provide a link to a carrier's site that confirms this?

No, but how about the phone's manufacturer: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone/iphone4s

Scroll down to where it says "Or get iPhone unlocked and contract-free".

For me, the breaking point came when my next-gen iPod couldn't use the $1 cables I'd had with my previous-gen iPod, and now I was expected to buy Apple-branded chip-locked cables for $50. FIFTY DOLLARS!

Old FUD is still FUD.

No, worst case would be having Majel Barret record the voice. Or would it be worst? Imagine, one of the most famous scientists of all time speaking in the voice of one of the most famous computer systems of all time?

If he can get Majel to record the voice, then he will have once again turned our understanding of the linearity of time completely upside down.

I'm certain someone knows exactly what frequency ranges are being discussed, but apparently no one (including the FCC) really want to make that information available. "White spaces" is a marketing term that doesn't inform.

...where a commercial enterprise has to DECLARE that they operate with the intent to make a profit.

No wonder our financial system is nearly in ruins.

That's funny, because I often legally project source material from commercial HDCP-protected BD-DVD sources. I do have the proper gear for this task. What I don't have is a graceful way to switch between pre-show PPT sources and the BD-DVD sources. You may live in a sandbox where HD-SDI is the standard, but most of us are still working with multiple clients in multiple venues where media distribution methods are far from standardized. "Cameras and decks all have..." was my first clue of that.