Exactly. If the parents are buying the computer as a teacher in the same sense that they bought the TV as a babysitter then they're doing it wrong. Kids who want to learn and grow will see it as a tool to help them perform that task, whereas kids who want to play Farmville and watch YouTube will see it as a tool to help them perform _that_ task. Perhaps the presence of the computer in the home strengthens the divide, but the divide has already been there. The student has to want to learn. There are exceptions, but generally (at least in American culture) low-income households and neighborhoods don't place a very high social value on education, and kids pick up on that at a much earlier age than a home PC can affect.

The threat of violence is much closer to "violent" than "non-violent." If one believes that the person asking for (or demanding, in your example) money has a firearm, compliance with their demands would probably be the wise choice. I would, however, characterize a willingness to give money to anybody who calls me on the phone as an unwise choice.

My thoughts exactly. If Facebook is stronger than your religion, then your religion could use a little strengthening. It reminds me of when a guy at a church I used to attend said that he saw The Da Vinci Code in the theater and it "challenged his faith." I suggested that he challenge his faith more often, it could really use the exercise.

My thoughts exactly. I don't think they put quite the effort into the first iPad that they really could have because its success on the market was so questionable. The device was a risk to say the least. But the sales numbers speak for themselves at this point and it's probably proven to be worth more investment from Apple.

Speaking for myself, I don't see the iPad really justifying its price tag right now. That's just speaking in terms of my own gadget budget and gadget needs. But I'm definitely counting on future releases to make product a _lot_ better. Maybe the next one will be worth the $600 or so. And/or maybe the release of the next one will drive down the prices of the legacy one if there's such a gap in the specs. It's all just speculation of course, but I'd be willing to bet money that the next iPad will be pretty awesome (for definitions of awesome which fit within the iDevice ecosystem, so the average Slashdotter can apply their own metrics there).

Dear non-US mobile providers,

Please do not look to US mobile providers for ideas. You will only encourage them. Thank you.

Sincerely,
A US citizen who wants his options to get better.

I'm not an expert on this by any means, but here's my two cents...

Try not to think of it in terms of light trying to escape in a straight line and just not being strong enough to do it. Instead, think of the straight line as not being straight. Gravity wells curve space-time (a Google Images search for "spacetime" will yield some familiar diagrams of spheres resting on a fabric), and the event horizon of a singulatiry is the point in that curvature where it's so "steep" that it curves back in upon itself. This is difficult to show in the aforementioned diagrams, because it's less about the picture and more about the math behind it.

Basically, from behind the event horizon it's impossible to escape not because you don't have enough force to get away but because all paths lead back to the singularity.

If somebody with more knowledge/expertise on the subject can correct/elaborate, please do.

It's how they make sure the kids are presentable for their class pictures.

Granted, I could have elaborated more. But I assumed any reader would know what I meant.

And how much of that was actually her? Or how much of it was her job as Solicitor General? It's a far cry from arguing the position of one's employer to actually holding one's own position on such matters.

That's a refreshing bit for me right there. I'll admit that I don't follow politics much and don't really know anything about this person. But if neither dominant party thinks she's toeing the line enough then that's _exactly_ the kind of person I want on the Supreme Court.