Ah, sorry, that's what a 'firecracker' is, right?

Earlier the article in the (UK) Daily Telegraph had a headline about his having let of a firework. This contrasted with CNN quoting some US senator saying it was a 'quite sophisticated explosive device'. The more I hear 'pop and fizz' the more credit I give The Telegraph for being on the money... except that they seem to have retracted it now (?)

There's Frank McCabe's talk at SRI. Of course SRI are just obscure academics, right? What have they ever supported that became mainstream (apart from the Internet, the mouse etc.)?

I made the article. I'm nothing to do with the language authors, but had come across their language before and thought that it should be properly documented for the non-academic crowd in light of the coming argument over the name.

Android phones? Johnny-come-latelies. The Nokia N95 was massively superior in many regards at European iPhone launch (even compared to its later 3G re-launch), but Europe doesn't really consider technical capabilities in what's 'cool'. Nor price (the N95 deals were also much better).

Thanks for the posting guide. May I offer some advice in return? In order to understand a post please consider what it's replying to. You said:

It's the equivalent of saying that Germans have no right to comment on the actions of Israel because they once tried to exterminate the Jews

I explained why it wasn't the equivalent at all.

If you want a sensible decision of whether the Americans must still be held responsible for restoring the Shah, and for arming the Iraqis in the Iran-Iraq War, DON'T GODWIN!

Hmmm, yes, this was certainly coherent. I don't remember the United States having been through a regime change comparable with losing a war, partition and reunification. Could you let me know when that happened?

Except that the populace have voted for a second candidate against the one supported by the ulama before. I hardly think Americans are in a place to criticise in any case, having openly supported the Shah's ousting their first ever democratically elected ruler.

The government is democratically elected. It is not a free democracy however because all candidates have to be approved by the ulama. The ulama are not democratically elected, and also oversee adopted or doubled-up functions normally attributed to government. Dude.

I don't like the term 'Anti-American' or 'Anti-Iranian'; I like most American people I've met and most Iranian people I've met. I don't like either of their flawed democracies and I don't like the undue influence of either of their fundamentalist religious movements.

I almost regret my dashed-off sarcastic comment below when you took the time to write something so much more appropriate and balanced. 5's too low a score for this.

[confused]I thought they were only a cover for nuclear weapons development[/confused]

A more pertinent question is when iPods are going to ship with an eMusic client.

MS Research are not the ones behind the production operating systems. That's like refusing to program in C because your phone line's unreliable.

What kind of 'combine' harvests tomatoes, lettuces and all the other plants that are currently hydroponically grown for mass markets?