And here on my other computer ... anything that I want

I don't know what it's like where you are or in whatever technology you work in, but when I was feeling like you are a few years ago I started getting involved in the local programmer community. There are a lot of user groups out there that get together, usually about once a month, to talk about technology. I've found that a couple nights out a month with motivated peers does wonders for my morale. The format of most of the meetings I've been to is a lecture by someone knowledgeable about a specific topic preceded and followed by opportunities to network. The later networking is usually done at a nearby pub.

HINT: make sure to go to the pub afterwards: that's usually the best place to talk about whatever technology you're really passionate about.

But what you consider unnecessary might be vital to me. How do you decide what to cut?

First thing that comes to mind is: so what? This whole argument that smaller is better is crap. The reason that software is bigger these days is that it does more for you. How productive was the GUI for Turbo Pascal (it sucked), how good were the other tools that came with it (nonexistent), how fast were the release cycles (about the same as today). So with what people call bloat we get better tools that make us more productive thereby driving down the cost of software development.

Or to put it another way: if you really don't like bloat, when are you going to trade in your car and start driving to work in a hot wheels?

More likely they'll invent Live Tiles, stealing the idea from the same place as Google did.

The problem with a rocket launcher is that either you are firing at a car beside you or behind you in which case who cares, they're not in your way anymore. And if they're in front of you then there is now a large piece of fiery twisted metal with a bunch of smaller pieces of twisted shrapnel on the road in front of you that you have to maneuver around at high speed.

But shouldn't the true price of gas not only include the price to extract and refine but also all of the ancillary costs associated with consuming gasoiline such as environmental degradation and health care costs due to tailpipe emissions, the costs of maintaining infrastructure for the vehicles that burn gas (the federal highway system), the eventual cost to the economy of global warming from carbon emissions and a host of other externalized costs for the auto and oil industries? And isn't the price of gas in Europe closer to that "true cost"?

So what about your right to be given air? Are you saying that I wouldn't be depriving you of your rights if I took away your right to breathe?

By that logic, why do we have laws against cocaine and heroin? After all, only a weak-willed moron would become addicted to thse substances.

And BTW, if you're giving coffee to children then child services shoulod be knocking on your door just as they would if you were giving cigarettes to your kids.

You're assuming that Surface is supposed to replace a television. Most people don't gather around the television and interact with each other, they sit in front of it and mostly ignore each other. The whole point of the Surface is to get people interacting with each other. That's why the model is a horizontal table and not a vertical television set.

So Apple has come out with a docking station that six to eight people can crowd around? Cool. I think I'll run down to the Apple Store right now and check it out. ...

So the people at the Apple Store haven't heard anything about this Surface like docking station that you're talking about. Can I have some of your drugs?

No.

They're strategy is and always has been we don't mind losing a little bit of money in the short term in order to make a whole buttload of money in the long term.

Of course. Because it's sop much fun to have 6 to 8 of your closest friends crowding around your iPhone all using it at the same time... Oh wait...

Beause the GPL is exactly the sort of bedtime reading that every 4 1/2 year old wants to hear.

But the rise of fundamentalist Islam in an area that was quite liberal up until about 50 years ago is a result of the west's and particularly the United States intervention in the area. Three things in particular have contributed to this rise:

1. The creation and support of the state of Israel: when Israel was created in 1947 it was done with no regard or consultation of the indigineous population of the region. And the fact is that Israel has been quite belligerent with its neighbours knowing that it can depend on the U.S. to protect it no matter what.
2. The imposition and support of oppressive regimes in the rest of the region: the house of Saud in Saudi Arabia, the Pahlavi Dynasty in Iran, Saddam Hussein in Iran, the Muhammad Ali dynasty in Egypt, etc.
3. The direct support of fundamentalist groups during the cold war in the (possibly mistaken) belief that they were required to ensure that the region did not become communist.

Some of them hate us becasue we are free. Most of them hate us becasue we won't leave them alone.