Who has a monopoly of what? Intel dominates the market for desktop and laptop processors, but is way behind in the mobile markets, which are totally dominated by ARM licensees. Breaking up Intel, like most break up efforts, would come too late. Remember when the Government tried to break up IBM?. A few years later, IBM was almost irrelevant.

Mr. Nash's creativity and his illness were two different things. There are many people with the same illness that he had, which appeared to be a form of schizophrenia, who have no creative accomplishments, just delusions, illness, and death.

Mr. Nash spent many years in the grip of delusions and manias. He was, after a very long time able to achieve the ability to live with his family, interact with his community, and work on Mathematics.

That he was able to do so speaks well of both his family and his community. Most people with his illness do not. They wind up institutionalized, or, what is worse, homeless, uncared for, subject to substance abuse and other illnesses, and premature death.

"If I were to draw a picture of Drew Barrymore prostituting herself out on the Vegas Strip"

Do you mean that she doesn't?

I knew Pons's father, and he was a fraudster, who took some one I know for six figures worth -- and there was no technology involved.

You gonna pay for new hardware for us?

Figured.

Moheeheeko: 'doesn't explain why they're charging such enormous sums for these cards,' 'Because they can.'

They can charge anything they ant to charge. That does not compel anyone to purchase the gizmos. Right now their US sales are zero, and they may stay that way.

Lots of posters above recommend expensive cameras like DSLRs (>$600) or the Canon S100 ($430). My advice would be that the best camera is one you can carry with you, and that you can use easily. All of the major brands produce cameras in the $100 -- $150 range that will take excellent pictures. The current level of specifications for these cameras is easily illustrated:

"For $91, Nikon Coolpix L22 has a 3.0 inch LCD display screen, 12.1mega-pixel sensor, and 3.6x zoom lens (35 mm equivalent 37 â" 134 mm). Its features include built-in electronic Vibration Reduction and Motion Detection, Scene Auto Selector and Easy Auto Mode. It will fit in your pocket and weighs less than 7 oz. Powered by AA batteries, easily available anywhere."

I found the above information at DPReview.com which has some terrific comparison tools as well as detailed reviews of many brands and sizes.

The most important part of photography is not the camera but the eye, the mind, and the heart of the photographer. Learn about lighting, perspective, and composition before you worry about gizmos.

Put a pool in my back yard, and look forward to floating through the hot afternoons.

Mod it up. Very funny.

You didn't spend time with my kids.