Well, Fluffy *had* caught a record-setting number of mice about the plant recently . . .

hawk

Christchurch had a 6.3 magnitude earthquake a few years back...

The transcript will be up Monday. Our transcript person didn't have it ready today. Grrr.....

Now maybe we can have gameplay and originality again.

Is Chrome going to stop illegally violating the trademarks and copyrights of small businesses by replacing their web sites with often inaccurate warnings about how they are responsible for malware?

When did Google become the Internet police and by what authority do they presume to deface a third party's web site and publicly accuse that third party of distributing malware?

"As Americans continue to be ripped off by illegal Chinese currency manipulation..."

FTFY

I'm really with you, except on this point. Federal judges, and especially Supreme Court justices, are notorious for being wild cards. In retrospect, some of the most notoriously liberal judges have been appointed by Republicans (think Brennan and Blackmun), and some (though fewer) of the most notoriously conservative have been appointed by Democrats (think Hugo Black). Once they're in office, they are essentially little dictators. They don't have to run for reelection. They can't be fired without being impeached. Their salary can't be decreased. They can't lose an election. And they are appointed for life.

This was by design, to assure an independent judiciary. They are not bought and paid for because they answer to no one. Their only political pressure is whatever judicial legacy they want to craft (this is why we have Obamacare---Roberts didn't want to be known as the arch-conservative who shot down the law). If there is any legitimate complaint about federal judges, it is that they are too independent. But again, that's by design.

My mom has that same trait I've seen in films of wild monkeys -- if she sees a snake, ANY snake, she immediately screams and points and jumps onto the nearest raised object. It's hardwired, totally instinctive reaction on her part.

I react the other way around -- if I see a poisonous snake, I instantly go into hunter/killer mode, and woe unto the rattlesnake that crosses my path.

People who start sentences with the word "actually" are usually towering assholes.

"Were we directed by Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we would soon want bread."
-- Thomas Jefferson

(Don't know offhand where to find the whole statement, but...
http://stevengoddard.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/screenhunter_159-apr-26-06-08.jpg?w=640 )

He didn't say spying was good, right, or legal. He said it's reality among governments, and always has been.

I dunno if you were intending it to be the Funny it's now modded, but that's an interesting insight, which I hadn't considered in that light.

Telling how many of the responses are on the order of "don't blame Slashdot because you can't make up your mind". Not only that, /. rails at Facebook (which I personally detest) but praises itself as a source of opinion, as if moderation doesn't at least partly function as a "Like" system.

I've changed my mind (and become more libertarian myself) in part due to discussions on /. -- occasionally fueled by liberal elitism. It's useful to have bad examples. ;)

A lot of component prices have been "stuck there" for several years now -- we're no longer seeing the precipitous annual price drop in last year's model, in part because some components are already about as cheap as they can get and there's not much room for improvement. Frex, there's nothing commonly available and technically above a Blu-Ray to drive down that price. Unlike DVD drives, which are now in the $20 range (and unlikely to go lower, given there's a certain manufacturing cost that has to be met).