No, Microsoft's MIDI renderer is complete shit. Or did you mean on Linux? True, one can install replacements.

The sample being 30,000 years old doesn't seem significant because it's quite recent relative to the history of life, and even primates. The same kind of virus or a close relative is probably still around and the sample age probably has nothing to do with its size, but rather a happenstance of observation in that we tend to study old things harder than we do current things, and thus notice more.

God likes 'em big

You sound like a typical Democrat voter: anyone who disagrees with the Democrat party line is automatically a "nutcake gun-owning, violent conservative", Obama somehow isn't at fault for anything his administration does but Bush can be blamed for all current Democrat policies, and calling Obama on his pro-Bush policies is somehow "hatred of technology and science" and makes one a Holocaust denier.

Honestly, I used to think the Republicans were the nutty ones, but these days I'm starting to believe it's really the Democrats who are insane.

If you can't read the scaled-down map reproduced from the report in the linked blog post, you can either look on p. 54 of the PDF, or else here's the site on OpenStreetMap. It appears it's not just that they're being given permission for the launches, but also that they're being given use of the land: the approved launch site is Texas state-owned land in Boca Chica State Park, which they'll be allowed to construct a facility on, and use for a certain number of days/year.

A quick glance over at Newegg would throw into question your statement that "most intel/amd sound chips don't support high range, 5.1 or 7.1 surround". Supporting 5.1 & 7.1 surround are de rigeur on even the low end motherboards that are available. As far as "high range", if you don't define it, I guess we don't know if they support it.

I had a sound driver that could play digitized audio over my case buzzer. Worked OK on my laptop.

Soundblaster cards don't have the imaginary qualities audiophiles look for?

You are misinformed and ignorant.

Sounds like a typical American.

I wonder if it fell victim to the Capacitor Plague. It might have just needed some new electrolytic caps.

Why is low power consumption a special, unique requirement? All of my computer equipment was chosen and/or assembled with low consumption in mind. My Desktop's TDP is under 350W and I can play games at 1920x1200, albeit not with everything turned on any more. I have a small fleet of netbooks for performing long-running tasks or for traveling, I sold an HP EliteBook and bought three of them. I even took an EEE 701 4GB running Jolicloud on a six-week vacation to Panama. My most power-hungry portable has two cores and the CPU has a TDP of 13W, and I'm undervolting.

Much of the goal was to be able to run on solar for long periods, which I do occasionally. Not so much lately, unfortunately, but I've mostly rebuilt my mobile solar rig. That reminds me, I should order some aluminum piano hinge.

If dead people can vote, they can go to war also.

We already have what you're asking for: it's called "QML", which is part of the Qt toolkit.

...underwater in a thunderstorm while blindfolded.

I think "YEC" is quite fitting.

Or perhaps:

CRAC - Creationists Rationalizing Age Creatively