It's obviously a parody video, and pretty spot on.

I remember Traveler! That would make a great framework for an MMORPG.

I think the Firefly universe would make for a great MMORPG. The classes are pretty much already made in the form of the Serenity crew, there's a ton of worlds, and there's all sorts of opportunities for space/ground combat.

Better to be tried by twelve than carried by six.

So, a nine year old OS doesn't work on a modern computer without some major tweaking? Whodda thunk it? Just out of curiosity, how well does a linux distribution from 2001 work on the same machine? For instance, say ~ Slackware 7.1, released around the same time as XP.

Actually, harboring a criminal (i.e. illegal alien) is illegal, falsifying documents is illegal, and lying to federal agents is illegal. They could not only lose their tax exempt status, but be brought up on Rico charges as a criminal organization.

True, of course, but the ability to play HD content was emphasized.

I don't quite get the appeal of this form factor: way too big for a phone, too small to match the power and input ease of a laptop. I mean, a 7" screen? Who wants to watch video on a screen that size? It's too big for a pocket or a belt clip, so you've got to lug it around. It seems the whole mobile market would be revolutionized if somebody could make decent (durable, good pic, decent battery life, not dorky looking) video glasses, so that mobile devices wouldn't even have to worry about providing a screen at all, and thus could be made easily to clip on a belt or shoved in a pocket and stay there. Just a video out (probably HDMI just for the size/compatibility) and either a track pad/ball on the device or a motion tracker built into the glasses for GUI-only input (a la a touchscreen), and a USB port for hooking up a real keyboard/mouse if you're not actually on the go at that time. In other words, a true portable and flexible PC.

Yes, Bush's entry into Afghanistan was idiotic. Obama's tripling of the number of troops there was likewise idiotic.

It really is just a matter of timescale. Ok, there's been a warming trend the last 30 years. So? In terms of geological timeframes, which is pretty much the timescale you're talking about for world-wide climate, 30 years is a blip. Being worried over a 3 decade trend in climate is akin to the people who argue global warming is/isn't happening because this summer has been hot/winter has been cold.

I'm more worried about "those that are truly interested in doing the public good" than the most corrupt politician. What the do-gooders think is good is invariably quite contrary to my well-being, and there's no dealing with those advocating some "greater good". At least slimeballs will strike a deal.

Can you get power from humans? Sure, but why would you specifically breed them for that purpose? I mean, really, nuclear would be a great deal easier, and provide much more power. So would burning coal. In either case, you don't need to set up an elaborate virtual reality to keep the fuel cells in line. Hell, even if you accept that bio-generated heat is an ideal power source, why not use cows? The VR would be a great deal simpler. Finally, even if for some bizarre reason humans are the only option, why even bother with a VR at all: just lobotomize them or induce a coma.

That's one of the main reasons I was so disappointed in the sequels: they got way too mystical. What would have been better would be if it had been found out that the primary reason the matrix was made was not for power generation, rather computational power. A portion of each inhabitant of the matrix brain was used as hardware for the AI. In order to keep the brain functioning correctly, the VR had to be generated. It would also explain "The One"'s ability to hack the matrix: he could access the part of his brain that was being used to generate the matrix, giving him access to the fundamental underpinnings. In essence, a backdoor exploit. I personally think it would have been more satisfying and dramatic if the original teaser line "what is the matrix?" had been answered in the sequels as "we are the matrix".

1. The IP address of where the laptop ended up. Since it's in another state, it's not unreasonable to assume that the laptop was sold to someone, and probably not out of the back of a van. That means probably an internet sale, and that means probably ebay
2. The exact model of the laptop. I assume you have this information.
3. The date of the robbery
4. The first time the laptop accessed gmail after it was stolen

I think you should try doing a search on ebay for your laptop make and model sold in the time between the robbery and first use. You may get several hits, but since you know the exact specs of the laptop, you should be able to narrow it down. My suspicion would be that the thief attends your university, or at least lives in/near your town, thus that should narrow it down further if not make it unique. At that point, you could send the police report to eBay along with the suspicions regarding the seller. I don't think eBay wants the rep as being a vehicle for fencing stolen goods, so you could get some action on their part.

Well, that's the thing about judicial hearings: in general, they won't answer questions along those lines. Either they'll say they won't answer hypotheticals without exact details that don't exist, or they can't answer a question because it's a case that is likely to appear before the court. Either way, you can't get a straight simple answer out of them. Consequently, all we have is their record, either as a judge or as a legal scholar. All we have to go on, and all we're likely to get, is that she did speak out for stricter government control over certain kinds of speech with which she disagreed. Unless there's new evidence of a "change in heart", that's all we're likely to have.

Is there any evidence that she has changed her mind? Advocating laws be specially crafted to skirt around the First Amendment to ban things she doesn't like is troubling, and I hope she has had a change in heart about it.