Wow - I had gotten used to the brain-dead twattle dominating the comments, but this is ridiculous. Good bye, Slashdot! It was fun when it really was news for nerds, and when the stuff really did matter.

Sounds like Twitter forgot to take advantage of RFC 3514. More generally, I'd like to see this implemented more generally. It would make things a LOT easier!

My old Kaypro I is still working! Got it in '86. Go C/PM!

I'm all for it, as long as nothing could possibly go wrong!

A democracy doesn't mean that everybody gets to do or not do whatever they want - that is what is called anarchy.

As for voting, is voting a right, a privilege, or a responsibility in a democracy? I think a democracy would run better if it tended more towards being a responsibility.

Maybe if more people participated there would be more people invested in the outcomes. Maybe if more people voted, politicians would change their behavior to appeal to a genuine 50%+ rather than just 50% of 37%.

I think it is an idea worth considering. As you said, many people are fed up with the whole political process - so surely we would not want to keep doing the same old thing?

If you were forced to vote, then you could vote for a politician who promised to end the mandatory voting!

So I've seen sever of these comments - saying basically that somebody else - media outlets - should be the ones doing the posting and if they don't, the terrorists have won.

I agree, but what if instead of saying "If YOUR decision is YOU do not want to print the pictures because YOU are afraid for your OWN life, etc" you said "If MY decision is I do not want to print the pictures because I am afraid for MY life, etc"? Or better yet "WE" - should we not all be posting the images to our facebook, google+, instagram, snapchat, etc. accounts?

I admit that I haven't, but as I consider the situation it seems to me that this is a "we" issue - WE need to solve it, not sit back in our easy chairs and call for others to stand up for us.

Wish I had an "insightful" mod point or 10 for you. Nicely said!

I knit! But only during football season. That being said, I don't think I'd knit one of those.

Transport seven crew to the ISS? Well, I'm impressed!

Why do I get the feeling this was a paid ad?

The Vatican is using green friendly e-smoke and electronic balloting??? Wow!! Now THAT is NEWS!!

However, I wonder what init system the voting station OS will use? That could be of critical importance.

I guess you need to ramp up your exaggeration of ignorance! I know far too many people that are saying exactly what you joked, but they are dead serious. Very sad!

What displaced all that cold air in the arctic when the arctic air came down here? I.e. don't just think about "warming" in isolation - also think about "global". Summarizing climate sciences in one or even two words probably means that you are probably leaving out some details.

Yes, by Robert Heinlein. My first thought was a scene from that, or maybe it was another story, I don't remember - but the character D.D. Harriman walks into a Pepsi exec's office with a Coke logo pinned to his suit (I'm sure the companies weren't mentioned by name, but that was the idea). The exec is pissed about it, Harriman says from the distance from me to you, this button is the exact size of the full moon. I just came from there - they've got a great plan to write their logo across the face of the moon. The exec - that's outrageous! Harriman - yes, a travesty - we've got to stop it, but I just need some more money to get this ship launched - if I get there first, then it won't happen. And, of course, Harriman does the same thing the other way around, extorting every dime he can.

Anyway, it's a fun story - very interesting to see real life creep up on it!