Thanks. I was hoping you would turn me on to a specific brand to watch out for. I already use them, as does my wife (she's a research chemist). Years ago I used to use composition books, and between the two I have a shelf of them that I've filled over the years. Plus boxes and expanding folders full of index cards for projects where they work as tools.

Alas, most tablets don't come with screens larger than ten inches, so topping out with a 10.1 inch screen, it's pretty standard. Exactly how much larger are you looking for?

You know, if you've found something great, a bit of specific information would help share that. Brand? Supplier? Buler?

Or else...?

I'm pretty damn sure there's a fairly wide history of casual conversation not requiring footnotes. You know, among human beings. Also, primary research, opinions and soapbox ranting is perfectly fine in the real world. We're not living la vida Wikipedia and trying to write an encyclopedia here. We're nattering on about interesting, ephemeral topics.

I'll bet you're a blast at parties. "Hey, this is a pretty good beer." "Not NPOV! Citation needed!" Actually, having one guy become apoplectic in that manner at a party would be kind of fun to watch.

You're absolutely correct in the right context: my wife publishing a journal article has to provide citations. But Slashdot is not a academic journal, and is much closer to a bunch of people on a porch with a six pack. Social context: important!

It turned out to be "The Year of the Linux Smartphone", and it happened already. Also DVR and similar devices.

Having not seen it, I can't really be certain, but it would appear from other comments that have not been disputed that part of the movie mocks politicians. That would generally be considered political. It is said to include footage of "Stephen Colbert making fun of the NC legislators", which would seem, as it is a clip from a political comedy show, a fairly clear cut case of it being political.

Just because there are global warming documentaries that are falsely accused of being political does not mean that no movie about the subject can ever be made that is not political.

Of course, not having seen it, it could also be legitimate commentary on the news coverage. Or even a anti-global warming movie mocking Steven Colbert's style as typifying coverage. I have no idea -- and am comfortable saying that I don't know. But it is silly to say that no movie on the subject can be political in nature just because some are falsely accused, and from the clips that have been discussed, it does seem to, at least in part, lean toward that more political side of things.

I'll state publicly, under my account, that I appreciate pendents.

Really? Asking for somebody to demonstrate a wild claim results in your turning it around and demanding proof that it isn't true?

Okay, I'll say that it is objectively true that there is life on Mars.

No, no... I don't have to *defend* that statement. The onus is on *you*, Buckaroo, to demonstrate there *isn't* life on Mars.

Wow, this makes putting out claims much easier. Thank you for your logic, AC.

I'm not taking a position here: I don't have a firm opinion. However, I will point out that audio recording is not obvious, and cell phones can not only do that, they can also easily send exactly what is being said to somebody in real time by simply calling them and then sliding your phone into your shirt pocket (mine, by the way, also has the camera peeking over the pocket, so I could record video as well. I tested it once, and have had zero reason to do so since.)

So, audio recording is not obvious already. Yet people speak freely, even when somebody casually lays a phone down on the table in between everybody.

Or if leave a review of something on Google Places.

Seriously: this is simply putting your review of a topic next to the ad for that topic. You know... that review (even if it is just a +1) that you made public, on the internet? I would think that posting something public already qualifies as an opt-in. They are simply indexing the information you put out into the public differently.

They've been putting the same information next to search results since the beginning of +1 and Google Places. Indexing and cross connecting public information is what Google *does*. And they are doing it here, and allowing you to opt-out of this new cross-connection. I'm not sure how this is slimy. It's like quoting something somebody wrote about a topic in a newspaper article: they put it out there, and now that public statement is being used, with full attribution, in conjunction with the appropriate topic.

That is more of a classic. I also habitually tpyo and make spalling and grammaticals errors. My use of spalling dates to 110 baud BBSes in the 1980s. I'm pretty sure saying people were being pendantic is something I picked up from usenet and I now use regularly in edit and commit comments. Of course, it assumes an audience who gets it, much like CDO (compulsively alphabetizing things).

Actually, that isn't a terrible idea (yes, I get your joke). A more serious implementation would have the comments be invisible for the first hour. People can post them, but only people with moderation points can see them and moderate them. Thus the initial set of visible comments starts off pre-moderated, and presumably sorted by their score. People can game the system -- by putting in high quality replies directed only at the article (or editor/author/summary -- this *is* Slashdot), which is not a bad thing at all.

I would say that games like Trauma and (I believe, as it hasn't actually come out yet) The Witness tap a similar vein from the player perspective.

As I don't often play video games, I would imagine that others could find plenty of other examples that fit. Of course, then I fear (this being Slashdot) you would have to deal with pendants who ignore subjective "feels like" perspectives... which are actually relevant in this case, as we are dealing with art. Still, there are spiritual successors out there that do comprise part of the legacy.

Last Saturday evening I watched that happen in a Nashville truck stop. The guy was really good, the patrons generally really enjoyed it, and the guy got a meal.

Yes. That's what that means. It applies to all people equally: people tend to tout their good news more than their bad news. You are repeating my point.