Obligatory XKCDs are the best!

Logged in to comment but you got it. Seems a whole lot of replies aren't in the loop for leading computer science schools, considering TACC regularly has some of the most powerful supercomputing clusters in academia which wouldn't see funding for a no-name school, let alone regularly building a leading top 10 cluster.

At one point (if not still?) didn't visiting linuxjournal.com get you on that list?

So in researching a reply to a comment above, limit does come into play (as the article calls out this guy's usage was 30,000 times higher than an average user
The ToS section 4.3. Restrictions on Use states (among other things) "use it for high volume purposes"
http://my.verizon.com/central/vzc.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=vzc_help_policies&id=TOS

What does "high volume" mean... well I'm sure 30,000 times that of an average user would qualify

The ToS is everything here, and the ISP can choose to dictate its use as they feel
If those terms are unacceptable to you, you can choose to not use the service

As for fine print... not really. It was pretty easy to find the section in Verizon's online ToS, found with a simple Google search and a very quick scan of the document
http://my.verizon.com/central/vzc.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=vzc_help_policies&id=TOS
Section 4.3.
4. AUTHORIZED USER, ACCOUNT USE, AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
3. Restrictions on Use. The Service is a consumer grade service and is not designed for or intended to be used for any commercial purpose. You may not resell, re-provision or rent the Service, (either for a fee or without charge) or allow third parties to use the Service via wired, wireless or other means. For example, you may not provide Internet access to third parties through a wired or wireless connection or use the Service to facilitate public Internet access (such as through a Wi-Fi hotspot), use it for high volume purposes, or engage in similar activities that constitute such use (commercial or non-commercial). If you subscribe to a Broadband Service, you may connect multiple computers/devices within a single home to your modem and/or router to access the Service, but only through a single Verizon-issued IP address. You also may not exceed the bandwidth usage limitations that Verizon may establish from time to time for the Service, or use the Service to host any type of server. Violation of this section may result in bandwidth restrictions on your Service or suspension or termination of your Service.

I'm sure someone has already said this but my first thought after reading this was
This guy was not in violation because of how much data he was using, but rather what he was doing to accomplish it
The amount of data he was using just made him stick out for further investigation
Verizon is clearly in the right that this guy is in violation of the ToS (love it or hate it, if you agree to it you are expected to abide it)
If you dont like whats in a ToS, or the concept of ToS the only option you have is find an alternative provider or go without said service

Honestly, I dont see this to be an issue.
I have 3 kids ranging from 11 to 4 who are very much into LEGOs.
My two daughters are into the LEGO friends sets, while all three enjoy the various Harry Potter and LotR sets as well ,havent quite got them sold on Star Wars yet:(, but in all cases, they build what the instructions say once, and then we never see that again. It gets broken down, and incorporated with the rest of their LEGOs.

So has LEGO sold out? They still have their original set series and assorted blocks, and options to create your own, and sets for the "billion-dollar franchises"
My kids truly enjoy building worlds with some of their favorite movies, using blocks or characters they can associate, but their creations are still original.

For Christmas this year each of my kids are getting a (small) LEGO set from one franchise or another, and a larger gift of 650 assorted blocks, no sets, no instructions, but we had to go online to get the latter.
I find Toys''R''Us to be less guilty of this, but most stores do not offer the LEGO original sets, or if they do its very small section on the shelves.

As for the kids, well i know mine enjoy LEGOs as they should, but for any kid who cannot do more than follow set instructions, their parents aught to throw away those instructions and teach their kids to enjoy imagination.

In my opinion, if there is any issue, it is in what stores choose to stock on the shelves.

Paranoid people start wondering about what if and maybes, quick derail the project before all of civilization falls.
While there are instances where privacy concerns are legitimate, in cases like this it is my opinion (yes I'm entitled to it, no you dont have to like it or agree with it, and so what if you dont) that the only people concerned with the what if's and maybe's are those who do not abide the law.

iGoogle wasnt about signing in to search the web. In fact you don't even have to sign in to use iGoogle as an RSS reader or any of its many widgets.

No, I'm "Meh" about Reader, for now

I've been using iGoogle since '05, I feel like this is a loss but I'm already moving over to Google Reader and getting used to the new interface... at first I'm "Meh" about Reader, but I dont hate it, yet.

OS upgrades are a bad idea anyways, fresh install and no worries
All of you have backed up your data already... right?

Play the game, you dont get that level of control

Well it was sufficient for about 10 minutes of distraction

Before you know it, he's the one wearing the fancy clothes/jewelery that's dropping precious metals and stones in the street