This hits one of my sore spots.

English is NOT my first (not even my second) language, and yet - I am constantly baffled by the utter lack of spelling of the "natives".

Reading through the answers to this post, and seeing how people who criticize "kids" for their spelling can't themselves keep their own posts correctly worded is amusing and saddening at the same time.

I don't think anyone even noticed yet in the summary, quote: "Professor Claire Wood. 'There is no evidence that children's language play when using mobile phones is damaging literacy development.'""
10 mod points for anyone correctly pointing out the verb in this sentence? Anyone, anyone?

I know that "real languages" are dying, but i wonder if we are just "evolving" or in fact "devolving" our culture.

When I saw the movie "idiocracy" for the first time, i thought it was a hilarious comedy. Now I start to get second thoughts and start to wonder......

For people who want to compare Android phones in the market, take a look at:

http://www.google.com/phone/#

If you need (or want) a phone which is completely open to reflashing, I highly recommend to buy the "Nexus" brand devices.

Nexus One and Nexus S are both the Google "gold standard" and come with a completely open boot loader.
http://www.google.com/phone/detail/nexus-s

It's interesting to see how many people here are jumping on the bandwagon and either claim that vendors act maliciously by delaying updates, or blame Android for this.

Fact is - you bought a phone which did everything you needed at the time, and it still does.
The phone didnt suddenly stop working or lose features.
No, people are just giddy that there is another "new big thing" and want to update to it.

Please note that 99.9% of the USERS of those devices dont care.
They are still happily browsing the web, sending emails, and checking flight status with their Android 1.x devices.

For geeks, nerds and people who compare version numbers of their phones at cocktail parties, there is a simple solution.

Buy a "Google Experience" device, like the Nexus-One or Nexus-S devices.

Those devices receive the update straight from Google, and come unlocked and "open" to update the OS.

Now you say - but - you can't afford to spend 500+ bucks on a phone, if you can get one for $99 from your carrier.
Well, in that case, if you buy a carrier subsidized device (actually, you didnt buy it, it's more a LEASE), then you shouldnt complain that it comes with strings attached, and your carrier remains free to make a business decision which phones to upgrade, and which not.

Unless the other 99.9% of users who dont care, start calling the help desk and start asking for upgrades, until then - you're out of luck.
 

You probably also still believe that the pizza around the corner really is the WORLDS BEST PIZZA!!! sure.

Once you travel outside your county, come visit the "Blue Lagoon Spa" in Iceland.
http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/thebluelagooniniceland/ss/bluelagoonphoto.htm

Last time i was there, we spent an amazingly relaxing afternoon soaking in - effectively - the runn-off of a geo-thermal power plant.
It's built out as a spa resort.
They sell the sludge as "skin care product" to visitors, and i'm sure you'll find some or it in a high end spa of your choice.

I guess it just depends on who's propaganda you listen to this morning.

been there, done that..... Looooong time ago!
http://www.google.com/jobs/lunar_job.html

actually at my local Costco i can still buy flats of glass bottled CocaCola imported from Mexico.

those are made with REAL cane sugar, and i can taste the difference.
(in fact having grown up on real sugar, i HATE the taste of HFCS in sodas!!)

no, you meant to say: 66% of all people have below average math skills.

this works amazing, we should find a new name for this revolutionary device, how about we call it a WINDOW????

only downside, it doesnt work when it's needed most, namely AT NIGHT, when it's dark.

Maybe WINDOWS version 2.1 will fix that??

Likely the system administration has been outsourced, and is now run from a CSC guy in Bangalore.

first thought: who's still using Subversion when we have GIT-Hub??

well, they already did that.

since people started selling "pennies" for scap metal (worth a lot more than a penny), the USA has replaced the copper pennies with copper-plated Zink pennies in 1982.

http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/f/copper_to_zinc.htm