And if said car killed your family?
And if said electricity killed your family?
And if said gunpowder killed your family?
And if said theory of relativity killed your family?

I'm not sure you've considered the logical extension of your argument...

I have it on good authority (No, I can't reveal my source) that this is EA responding to being voted the worst company of 2012 by Consumerist.com. The higher-ups are worried about the bad press right before the stock holders meeting, so they are deliberately trying to spin the negative press as being tied to their support of LGBT. However it's pretty obvious that the voters at the Consumerist were much more focused on EA's price gouging and charging extra for downloadable content just to get the basic content, anti-competitive measures and a host of other issues.

So when you hear EA saying "They hate us because we're taking a stand for human rights", you know the truth is "They hate you because you mercilessly squeeze every dollar out of your customers, you provide horrid customer service and because you deliberately hold back game content as DLC, making the customers feel like they're being blackmailed instead of being consumers."

I would assume you failed to speak German because people were speaking English to you. I once thought the way you do (I don't have a talent for languages) until I took a 6 month contract in Brazil doing wiring and electronics for a large installation. I spoke no Portuguese when I arrived. But the only ones who spoke English to me were the company translator (who was often busy so only available for a few hours a week) and the sister of one of the Brazilians who I worked with, who met me a couple of times so she could practice her English. Armed with an English-Portuguese dictionary, and the people on site who were only speaking Portuguese to each other, by the time I left, I was fluent enough to shop, order in a restaurant, make small talk and curse the Argentinians. :) Seriously, the secret was immersion, being willing to have people laugh at me when I would parrot them and having people around me who were patient.

I've spent many hours playing TF2 over the years. (I was a fan of TF, so I bought TF2 full price when it was released.) Occasionally, there will be a technical issue with Steam where it can't access your 'earned' items, so you get a default loadout. In other words the same items you get when you first start playing. And I've got enough experience/skill that I'm able to do quite well, usually scoring in the middle of the pack with that gear. That's my proof that they are doing it right. Experience/skill is not handicapped by not having the latest and greatest.

Oh, and I haven't spent *any* money on TF2 other than my initial purchase, yet over the years I have picked up pretty much all the weapons from random drops and crafting. I don't have a ton of hats, but I have at least one unique one per class, and that's all I ever really wanted. BTW my lack of buying isn't because I don't love TF2 (I do love it) but more because when I'm on Steam, whenever I look at buying something, I get distracted by a new shiny game and spend my money there instead. :)

I've heard about this kind of ignorance, but I'm a bit astounded to find it on Slashdot.

Basically, we still haven't found the Higgs boson. Yet physics has advanced far beyond that point, leading to several breakthroughs that we are enjoying the benefits of. And with time, we're eventually going back to prove the Higgs boson. I could name similar "theory points" in almost every science where something has not been proven, but the evidence is enough that we can move forward making assumptions and make other breakthroughs. And we can enjoy the benefit of those breakthroughs long before we verify the 'unproven'.

I weep for the mindset that you have where, if something is not yet proven, you believe that we shouldn't be funding anything beyond that point. That strikes me as very penny wise, pound foolish.

Was working with a company that was dealing with some security issues in late 2008, and we found out that the source of the breach was going right through Norton like a hot knife through butter. However, just about any other security solution would stop it. At that time, we theorized that whoever had created the problem had some intimate/inside knowledge of Norton systems and we even joked that "Symantec better check who has their source code".

The banks are considering two-factor authentication? That's great! Now my bank account will finally be as secure as my World of Warcraft account!

http://us.battle.net/support/en/article/battle-net-mobile-authenticator-faq

(Seriously, my favorite online game has been offering two-factor authentication for years. Why is this a new revelation to banks?)

" and flip-flop on any issue where new evidence causes him to modify his position"

If there's one aspect of the political system that mystifies me, it's this. One of the very definitions of intelligence is the ability to take information and make conclusions. Obviously new information can lead to new conclusions. Yet in politics, even a hint of a politician displaying intelligence by changing his stance after new information and it's the political kiss of death. So instead we get politicians who will stick to their beliefs despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. So why are we pushing so hard to support political figures who don't demonstrate intelligence and tossing aside the ones that do?

This is ridiculous. That's like saying everyone arrested should just be considered guilty and sentenced because it's simply too expensive to have trials for everyone. Yes, our courts are jammed and yes, trials are a burden, but the alternative is simply unacceptable.

So why is this any different?

> Also, pretend to be from Canada, they might not kidnap you quite as readily.

As a Canadian... STOP DOING THAT. Look, you Americans have messed things up, stop trading on our good name. Proudly proclaim that you're American so you can take the kidnapping/beating you deserve.

It's just getting really annoying when I go abroad, mention I'm Canadian, then have people assume I'm American.

Either you die a hero, or you live long enough to become a public nuisance. ;)

Well I see by the clock on the wall.
That it's time to bid you one and all:
Goodbye Goodbye
So long So long
Farewell Farewell
Adieu Adieu
Be good Stay Well
Bye Bye Keep Warm
Relax At Ease
Take Care Stay Loose
Adieu mon vieux.
A la prochaine.
Goodbye 'til when we meet again!

Already sold to my cousin. But thanks for the offer. :)

I was questioning the value of my iPad at that price before ever looking at the Touchpad. For the value a tablet, any tablet, brings into my life, I don't think any tablet is worth $499 to me. So the answer is no. But that's with knowledge gained from owning an iPad and seeing what and where I'd use a tablet.

However, I think if the Touchpad had been in the $249-$299 range, I would've paid that. That made $99 a no-brainer.

If I was buying my first tablet and didn't know how I would use it, I admit that my inclination would've been towards the iPad. It's the big name, the leader of the pack. So the Touchpad would have to be priced lower to capture my interest, that's all there is to say. If the iPad and the Touchpad were both $499, I'd buy the iPad. But having bought both, having used both, as I said my Touchpad is used regularly and my iPad is soon to be sold to my cousin.

I was one of the lucky few who got one of the $99 HP Touchpads in the store. And, as an iPad owner, I have to say... My iPad was gathering dust. I originally bought the iPad because I was sold on the apps. It seemed like there were so many and I could do anything! But it didn't take long to realize that doing any kind of involved work on a touchpad was slow and awkward. And soon I was just using my laptop for any of that. All I used the iPad for was web browsing, and watching video. Enter the Touchpad. For browsing the web? A superiour experience, as not only do I have flash, but I quite like the webOS cards for handling multiple browser windows. For viewing media? I have a homebuilt PVR that I use to record tv shows. They are recorded in a format supported by the Touchpad. So how much effort is involved in transfering my TV shows to the Touchpad? I just plug it in, the Touchpad shows up like a USB drive, and I transfer files. Compare that to having to run iTunes and open files and synch... The Touchpad is just so much more convenient. You can argue specs, you can argue "The iPad has apps!" But as an item filling a niche between laptops and smart phones and finding myself with access to both, I'm reaching for the Touchpad much more than I'm reaching for my iPad.

TL;DR I never would've checked out the HP Touchpad except for the price. But now that I have, it has already displaced my iPad as a better product for my needs.