...so I could properly thank him for the pleasure and enlightenment I've got from his books over the last 20 years, and try to express the sadness I feel at this news. Sad, sad, sad.

Don't come to the UK (or many other civilised countries) because I think you've just committed a criminal offence here (under the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006). Then again I'm guessing you don't get out of your trailer park often.

Hear, hear. Also I suspect "Alcohol" would be the desired treat of choice of most of the "children" roaming the streets here. Hope it rains, Bah Humbug, bloody Yank import *, etc.

* Yes it is, regardless of what Wikipedia says. Trick or treating was vanishingly rare or unknown over here before Buffy and the other high school programmes popularised it (and High School Proms, gawd help us).

Well, there *were* punched card decks to produce on the line printer various "artworks", since you ask! ;-)

Well they could get really gooey if you got them wet!

Can and do happen is in the UK, and other countries with schemes simimar to the UK's PAYE, where you pay a pre-assessed amount directly from your salary. As it's pre-assessed, and circumstances change, there may be an adjustment, either a bill or a repayment, at the end of the year. For most peoiple this is zero or small. The instance of these "end of year surprises" *should* reduce in the UK from next year, when RTI (Ral Time Information - sort of PAYE on steroids) is intrduced.

In 1989 there was an earlier Malware scare http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS_(trojan_horse) claiming to come from "PC Cyborg Corporation" and demanding money. I worked for a company called Cyborg Systems that made payroll software for IBM Mainframes and the like. PC Plod turned up, wondering if we were branching out...

Well I am in my mid 50's, and I want to retire at some point!

I sit corrected on Celcius, which still requires the degree symbol. I'd love to be able to say I only use Kelvin, but....

Neither the SI temperature unit (K) nor the most common (C) require a pesky degree symbol. As the internets is supposed to be worldwide and modern, perhaps chosing one of those units might have been more appropriate?

You missed out the next step. The lawyers & marketing bods get involved, realise they are losing money, and split the hardware and software up into discrete items again, that they can sell to you individually. Rinse, and repeat.

Only if you make up the religion yourself. Otherwise the priest class do the governing, and are sometimes part of the government, or are manipulated by the ruling class.

You have jobs?

Yes, he didn't die, he retired to Hebden Bridge.

...the only force strong enough to hold back the technological singularity!