How long ago did you live in Japan ... 10 ... 15 years ago?

The P905i is already outdated. I've had mine for over a year now. Lots of the phones they have now make the P905i look like ancient tech. Motion sensors which rotate the clock display so it stays upright as you turn the phone 10Mpx cameras with touch screens for selecting your photo subject. 4 inch tv screens with multimedia capability that would make your head spin. You can record your favorite TV show while you're at work, bring your phone home, plug it into your TV and watch the show on the big screen. Complete webkit stack (Yes, that means you can become a walking web server).

Seriously, you're iPhone sucks compared to what's out now.

Isn't that what reference letters and a reference list is for?

Seriously, it's not like the internet invented corporate networking.

And if the voltage at the mains does change, so what? It's not like power can't be generated at whatever voltage is required.

I was able to terminate my 2 year contract (after one year) with Sprint for no charge. I just told them I was moving out of their service area. I assume this technique would work with other carriers (landline included) as well. This was about 4 years ago though ... YMMV.

Sorry, DirectX -> ActiveX

More info about the ActiveX component here: http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/r20521695-DSL-Activation-Crapinstallation-without-user-permission

Does anyone have more information about this? I don't live in Verizon territory, so I don't have first-hand experience. Presumably the username/password in question is for PPPOE, but I would expect them to simply tell you what it is, then have you type that into their Windows-only config program, not the other way around.

Here is a detailed explanation of the problem: http://www.humans-enabled.com/2007/06/verizon-dsl-doesnt-support-linux.html

TFS: Some (not all) Verizon PPPoE internet setups use a DirectX script to "assist" the user with modem setup. All queries to 192.168.1.1 are redirected to the DirectX setup. If you do not have DirectX, you are given a page that says your OS is not supported. To bypass this problem, you must disable the 192.168.1.1 redirect in Firefox before you can access the modem configuration page.

I was horrified when I went to Japan recently and had to let them take my fingerprints and a picture. I was even more horrified when I complained to my Japanese friends and they let me know that America has the same practice.

You have your friendly neighborhood DHS to thank for that one: http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/info/tinfo-customs.html

I think this program is security theater more than anything else but our entry/exit requirements still aren't that onerous compared to other countries I can think of.

Of all the countries (a lot) I've been in and out of, the U.S. has recently become the most troublesome. And, I carry a U.S. passport. I can't even imagine how difficult it is for non-U.S. citizens. It's embarrassing.

QR Codes are used extensively here in Japan, and have been for many years. I also have no trouble at all reading them. Takes less than a second, and I don't need internet access to read them. I've also been amazed at the kind of data: coupons, ads, Business card, small maps, flight information, restaurant food nutritional information, and that's just scratching the surface of what they're used for here.

Frankly, the thing I see killing this one that it relies on a central server. Man-in-the-middle anyone?

It's hard for 7 year olds to accidentally kill their playmate and have drive-by shootings when guns are

properly handled and locked up

Parent is clearly advocating gun safety here.

Work computers and school computers cannot be thought of on the same legal level.

Primarily because work computers contain gobs of intellectual property. That's to say nothing of all the sensitive security, passwords, and customer/client data that exists on corporate/company laptops. Whereas school computers (at least up through high school) do not have any of these risks.

The difference here is that corporations lock down computers to protect the corporate IP and sensitive data, whereas this article is talking about locking down computers to prevent it's user from using it immorally. This is a problem because the school can't implement moral restrictions with which all parents can agree, and that could become a legal quagmire.

In the real world employers don't and or legally can't force you to censor your personal PC's at home, where they are not paying for the Internet Service.

Too bad you posted AC, that's worth some mod points.

Reality is, the school has no jurisdiction over what the student does off school grounds. Including what they do on their computer.

IANAL, but if you want to control what they can and can't do with the computers, you have to keep the computers on school property. Otherwise, I suspect you would be running into legal issues.

The above post is also right in recognizing that no matter what you do to try to prevent the students from doing certain things on the computer ... if they want to do it, they'll do it. Live CD's anyone? How about a dual boot?