The word you're looking for is "Nerd". It's OK to say it, it's in the title-bar of Slashdot.

In California, lack of correlation doesn't prove lack of causation.

Please see the 9th Amendment.

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

And stop construing.

CmdrTaco, is that you?

Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other, and I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe that there's one all-powerful arithmetic controlling everything. No math controls my destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense.

I had a more direct conversation:

Mod Parent Up. S&P didn't just "make a perfectly valid assumption", they were given

A=X
B=X+2
C=A-4

and concluded

C=X-2

(because they used B instead of A)

So you're saying the "first iteration" took 19 years. You must use the word "iteration" differently at your shop than we do at mine.

That's fiction. US manufacturing output is still far ahead of every other country. [1] [2]

I would say I'm amazed at the economic illiteracy of /.'ers

That quote really ties your post together. Most people are able to see right through the bullshit statistics you cite. I would have assumed all /.'ers would see right through them. You, however, have let yourself be totally manipulated by them. But, the best part is that you believe that others disagree because they are not as informed as you.

Classic. Really classic.

I really dig my iPad, and have no reason to get this new one.

Except..Apple is going to make me download the new OS, making my iPad 1 slow to a crawl. Just like they did to my iPhone 3G.

Yes I know I could never update. But, that doesn't seem like a reasonable thing to ask your customers to do.

The iPad 1 already has video-out: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC552ZM/A

It only works with certain apps, but you definitely can do presentations and such on a 50" screen, from your iPad.

Now make the same argument about gasoline:

Companies should not be permitted to purchase gasoline from other companies that have it. Those companies that use less than their government alloted ration are in compliance. Those companies who use more gasoline are fined. You either follow the law or you don't. Commerce is a farce. If we allow commerce to happen, next people will be using it to buy and sell illicit drugs.

GP: Mono is not portable
P: Yes it is! Here is a link to its license!

Being open source doesn't make something portable.

That people are doing this is a sign of a broken fiancial system (as if fiat currency based on debt didn't already establish that). They are not producing anything. They are buying low and selling high units of wealth that others have produced. They are not creating wealth, they are redistributing it.

The are producing something, liquidity. Liquidity has value. It's like saying cab drivers don't do "real" work, they just redistribute people who do.