"...The claim that using a phone at 4 would somehow break a child so that they could not develop socially is pure Luddite propaganda..."

If that's what you're picking up from the negative comments, then you're totally missing the point.

Letting your 4 year old use your smart phone is not going to screw them up. But giving them a cell phone *in lieu of* actually being there for them IS NOT going to be positive. Kids *should* be learning how to use the phone. How to remember Dad's work number (they should be able call from *any* phone, not just a single phone that happens to have your number programmed into it). They should be able to call grandma and explain how their day went, or what kind of excitement is planned for the day.

BUT a cell phone IS NOT a replacement for your real-life interaction. If the parent is gone so often that the primary care provider's phone is not enough, there is something seriously wrong. It really does fall into two categories... Either the parent is fostering a needy child where communication is expected to be immediate, at all times, and the parent is hovering. OR the parent is all but abandoning the child and to ease the quilt is throwing a video-capable cell phone at the 4 year old as a cheap parental replacement.

A balanced situation does not include the 4 year old *needing his own* phone.

-CF

"....My IQ is average than most people's and I'm very successful in my life....."

What does it mean to be more average?

Where exactly did your 4 year old go by himself (and for how long) that he needed a phone?

There's a balance between being a "helicopter parent" and "not parenting".

-CF

3 Things:

1. You don't need to be a baker to know when you have a bad pie. (In case you don't get analogies: You do don't need to be a parent to spot a bad one)

2. I AM a father of 2 and I can't imagine a case EVER where a 4 year old *needs* a phone. Just about every comment on here condemning the premise (and parent) that a 4 year old should have a phone is spot on.

3. Best "phone" for a 4 year old is an old one with the battery taken out. Our kids loved these. Sometimes a block of wood worked just fine (yes, in our household we still use wooden blocks and other toys that don't come in fancy packaging, and yes our kids can pretend that just about anything is phone, or a car, or a plane)

-CF

One of the arguments that the ISP are making is that they are *more* than a provider, but actually a type of "editor".

"..The company [Verizon] claims that requiring it to treat all traffic equally violates the First and Fifth Amendments. The Fifth Amendment, it says, protects against having to give other companies a "permanent easement" on its network, claiming a kind of unfair digital eminent domain. And it argues that the First Amendment says the FCC can’t force it to distribute others’ "speech" (like video or calling services) without the chance to decide how it’s transmitted...."

Though I suspect that once liability is contributed to the "editor" they would argue "Hey..don't look at me...I'm just a provider...."

-CF

<EOM>

That level of automation is typically driven from the highest level. So yes - managers (especially middle-managers) will be hard hit. Just as was stated, there is a difference between a manager and an operator. An Operator of robots will be needed - until the operator's function can be automated. Ultimately the only protected class is "owner" and "shareholder" - as these are the ones who will be slashing jobs and adding automation.

I don't have a problem with this. Evolution will sort it out. Too many unemployed doesn't mean there aren't enough jobs - it means there are too many people. We may *think* we are in control of our destiny - but as a species (being the entire collective of "us") we are not. Even if we make laws to slow down progress - the status quo will not last for ever. We evolve towards equilibrium, but that target is ever changing (until we hit a population of "0").

-CF

You don't need to be a baker to know when you have a bad pie.

I typically find most spots on Earth

really.fucking.awesome

Standing at 14,110 feet in Colorado: Really.fucking.awesome
Sitting in a kayak watching littlenecks squirt water 5 feet into the air at sunset: Really.fucking.awesome
Snorkeling in Cairns: Really.fucking.awesome
Watching tornado clouds form: Really.fucking.awesome
Looking from the top down or bottom up of the Sears Tower: Really.fucking awesome
Mountain Biking Moab: Really.fucking.awesome

stupid spell check was off....

What a gift from Google.

Usually developers find themselves on the other side of this fence. Maybe back in 2003 you had your own Map Pinboard idea that you were trying to implement (I did), then suddenly Google Maps shows up in 2004 and within days (it seems) the entire Internet is set ablaze with Map Mashups.

That's the 200 Pound Google you don't want in your space. Because they have the resources, the smarts, marketing, and the followers to instantly drown out all other competitors in the area.

But when Google PULLS OUT this is a blessing. It's a void. And if you are a developer/small company, you need to jump on this QUICKLY.

1. There is a population of users clamoring for missing functionality
2. The big boys (Google) are leaving, not entering. the arena
3. Money can be made. Now go make it!

-CF

Developers -

You HAVE to flip the tables on MS and every other platform. Don't even think about paying a dime to be "published" or "licensed". If your product is worth anything - the demand will be there. Make MS, Sony, ETC come to you - NOT vice-versa.

MS charging a fee to "reach" their customers is no different than Comcast trying to force Google, etc to reach Internet surfers who connect with Comcast.

YOU (developers) are the ones in demand - act like it. The only reason to play the game-maker hoop game is because your product sucks and you're just trying to ride coat-tails.

-CF

How can a "lie" cause "tremendous damage to the country'?

If it were a lie, the NSA would have given the default "We can neither confirm nor deny" answer. The fact that it has upset so many people is pretty clear indication that he is nearly (if not entirely) spot-on. Calling this a "lie" is spin.

US government spying on American citizens was (re)confirmed in the American consciences in 2002 when the AT&T sysAdim broke the news that AT&T was cooperating with the NSA (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/foreign-affairs-defense/what-an-nsa-domestic-spying-operation-looks-like/). As far as the US citizenry goes... this is old news.

I'm not buying the "damage" to the US thing. If 80% of Americans already believe that the government is spying on them, then why is it even a secret that Verizon was asked to continue the process? What exactly is damaged?

What's damaged is not that Terrorist may now change their MO. It's that the American People might get upset. It will bring more scrutiny to the process. That's not damage to the US - it's damage to the spy operation. And those two things should be weighed independently.

-CF

The irony is that the group most likely to defend the 2nd Amendment left the barn-door open on the 1st and 4th amendment.

So while we'll be able to retain our guns to "protect our Freedom from the tyranny of the Government" the guns are worthless as the Government will simply do as they please with you in secure private setting. No one will hear you scream as you fire off your 60-round 3D printed AR15. The Government will wait till your magazine is out and you'll never be heard from again.

2nd Amendment protects YOU. 1st and 4th Amendment protects US. In terms of the longevity of the country, which is more important?

*We* gave up our Freedom on 9/11 in the guise of protecting us from Terrorist.

-CF

Everyone who is bitching about this must do the following:

1. Pick up the phone, call AT&T and voice your displeasure about the surcharge.
2. Tell the attendant that you will be leaving AT&T
3. Find a new service provider
4. Switch to new service provider
5. Use social networking/blogging to call out AT&T, explain what you did and who you went with - and repeat this message.

They will continue to do it as long as they get away with it. If it hits them financially they will back off. YOU have the power. Don't believe otherwise.

-CF