Wow... I forgot about AmiPro. Back then I didn't have nearly the needs later on, when I learned WordPerfect 4/5.1. I managed to get my boss to buy one copy of 1-2-3 and WordPerfect for a cycle after the Microsoft Office debut, but after that it was game over. Shame; wish something today would work as well, even with the crashing!

In my mind, the problem is it is a missed opportunity. I know XMPP has been around for a very long time, but I notice our small business just hit the critical mass for deploying jabber to support remote workers... and we are on Google Apps. The problem with Google's proposed solution is that it still ignores the desktop in all meaningful ways.

Sure, I understand: it doesn't help sell advertising. It also reduces the value of google apps.

The problem with that is doing a hard-wired connection to a portable device. If you provide a plug for it instead, you have made an extension cord, which is classified by UL as temporary unless you get a field UL inspection.

Exactly. That is the biggest issue. You are creating a class of semi-portable device with ill defined interface with the permanent wiring system. There are ways to do it, but UL becomes quite a pain, and then the same happens for the local electrical inspector.

The only way i can think to make it work is to have a standardized class-2 (low voltage) power supply that is limited to ~75W. USB is only good for a maximum of 22W, which isn't nearly enough for many applications. FireWire goes to 45W, but it is dead already. Personally, I would like to see 24VAC take off, but that is the least likely solution

It is all in how you say it; if you say that if the publisher offers a better price to another outlet, they must match that price for Apple, then it is ok. The tricky part is that if Apple's clause says that Apple can match any other retailer's price and give the publisher 30%, but that would seem like it still isn't collusion; it creates a situation where selling to Amazon at wholesale is better than selling to Apple at an Agency model. Hence the publisher's collusion amongst themselves to force Amazon to the agency model.

What I understand of the agreement seems pretty clean from Apple's perspective, but not as much for the publishers.

...until you find you have all this orphaned equipment that nobody actually knows what it does in 5 years.

The problem is proving that the total actual savings are in alignment, requiring cooperation between a number of different departments. If the program is optimized to maximize ROI (which they never are), you target avoided capital expenditures first by consolidating into sites with available capacity, and onto existing systems with available processing/storage from sites that require major infrastructure upgrades. One trigger is often battery replacement, and you use the opportunity to move towards a better solution.

Later rounds try to further improve by avoiding the CapEx of replacement equipment at multiple sites.

Sure, if you have a half-rack you are going to get screwed in terms of power provisions; you aren't really paying for power. Likewise, if you go with a site that is designed for high density and you are a low density tenant (or the reverse), you are going to get screwed.

For a bigger tenant (every lease I have ever worked on at least), you generally negotiate a fixed PUE* of 1.4-1.6 to cover cooling and system losses. The annualized PUE is usually closer to 1.3-1.4 for most general-purpose sites at reasonable load factors, so they effectively have 14% markup. If you have a really good lease, that markup gets factored out based on actual operating costs.

*PUE(tm) = Power Utilization Effectiveness(tm) = Peak Critical Demand (kW) / Peak Total Demand (kW)

Why not just switch the numbering to the sha of the package. Equally informative...

Monsanto doesn't have a case unless someone uses RoundUp or one of the generic alternatives on the "polluted" seeds.

Did the grain elevator advertise the seeds as RoundupReady? Did the grain elevator sell him RoundUp? The farmer presumably knowingly used Roundup on the seeds, which is where the license is required.

You are wrong on a number of your points which I lack the energy to refute, but this one needs response:

5. In this day and age, kids are competing with people from all over the World. A GPA less than 3.5/4.0 means you are going to have a hard time getting employed. Compared to back in my day, just graduating with a 3.0 meant you were golden.

We actually avoid hiring people with a GPA over 3.1.

The problem is that the cost of education pushes people towards "high earning" careers to compensate for debt. To succeed in school today, you need to understand that no matter what your degree is, you need entrepreneurial drive and to learn what (little) an MBA of yesteryear did. A better strategy is to focus on aptitude and market demand.

State taxes are one good reason.

This is news for nerds. You specifically add to the conversation by adding useful knowledge in the matter for non military nerds, and provide a source for additional information.

And get off my lawn.

You can do basic 3D with Excel in pivot tables, which is about all an accountant needs. A 3D spreadsheet has a number of great advantages, but it isn't something to push to everybody.