The biggest problem is that the definition of "geek" has been widely expanded. What people consider as a geek is not what it used to be. There are many internet/it/technology pundits calling themselves geeks out there that might otherwise be written off as kooks with a soapbox if it weren't for the internet or TV.

As for the anti-college kick, I think some people are missing the point. Its not so much that college is useless, its that the ROI for some folks isn't worth while to attend. On one end of the spectrum, you might be better off going to a technical/trade school instead of spending a ton of money on a degree that may not land you a job paying all that much better. On the other end of the spectrum, you might be better off skipping an expensive education because you've already gained skills enough to learn and grow on your own. The folks in the middle are still probably better off going to college because of lack of skills or because specific jobs require large amounts of training (ie, a doctor).

People who end up in the innovation industry (computer or otherwise) usually learned what they did by dyi trial and error or early on the job experience. Just taking a look around my own office, the people I look up to and respect are also the ones that either didn't go to college, or didn't go to college for what they are doing now. The people who don't can't be left alone and expected to get stuff done without a script are usually the ones who went to school for the specialty they work in now.

.. is the day I adopt Windows as my desktop again. It would be painful, but there is no way I'm turning my desktop into a giant iPad.

its a moving target with too many variables.

And really.. I wouldn't blame AMD for your woes. You bought hardware from Gateway, not AMD. They released it with the intent of supporting Vista. It supports Vista, and you chose to put a different OS on it. Not AMD's or Gateway's fault for that.

Considering I live in the US, the US dollar makes the most sense. Getting paid in any other currency would make things more difficult since EVERYBODY else in the US uses the US dollar (save a few places along the border). I'd like to buy groceries without having to pay a currency exchange fee. I'd like to buy a pack of gum without having to weigh out gold dust in the exact amount for whatever gold is trading at when I decide to buy said gum.

So yeah, the US dollar makes sense.

Years ago my previous employer had equipment in two different datacenters in the building. Its more than real estate, or a massive datacenter. Its a very dense internet peering hub with datacenters and office space. I can definitely see this move as strategic, as it puts Google in the "middle" of all the different players.

There are definitely folks out there who can afford to buy a hybrid without concern of gas savings, but most people are going to buy a vehicle that is within their financial means so the upfront cost has to face the reality of cost of ownership. I was one of those people who put enough miles on their car to warrant a hybrid. I did the math and it was cheaper to buy a brand new Prius than continue driving my paid off SUV, due to ongoing maintenance and fuel costs. Several years later, I opted to trade the Prius in for a "clean diesel" that delivers nearly the same MPG but with more comfort and space than the Prius offered. It costs me a bit more overall but due to my changing needs and cramped legroom I think its worth it. Environmentally speaking, I like having a vehicle that pollutes less, but I can't afford not to drive something as fuel efficient which is ultimately why I bought one.

A G5 isn't that old and is still pretty powerful. It still has a lot of life left in it. If you can't figure out what to do with a high end workstation from 1 or 2 processor generations ago then you're best bet is to sell it to somebody who does.

If you're not going to sell it, put a more recent version of Mac OS X Server on it that supports the G5 CPU and put it to use for whatever you need it to do.

I had a Netgear Wireless N router and was unhappy with the speed of the router itself as well as the lower than expected performance in mixed G/N modes. I now have a Dlink DIR-825 "Dual Band" router. It can run multiple wlans on each band so that the traffic doesn't interfere with each other and so that you can support older devices that use WEP (like my Tivo) at the same time you can use WPA2 on Wireless N. Wireless N on 5Ghz band gets nearly full strength signal all the way from my basement up to the 4th floor loft where my mancave is.

The average person probably doesn't know much about one gun from another. I don't fault them for not knowing the make and model. It doesn't look like an assault rifle to me though, it looks more like a high powered long range sniper rifle. Not the sort of thing you bring in to shoot up the office.

I like the comment from the cop though.. be more discreet. Yeah, next time make sure you hide it under your trench coat. :)

That's funny, I don't remember ricin used on 9-11.

If the boxes came from HP, and you know you didnt order them, why not just refuse delivery?