The biggest problem I found so far with the Raspberry Pi is the buggy and broken USB driver. Bening based on an USB-on-the-go implementation in hardware, and not in a standard EHCI host implementation a lot of devices that are working without problems under Linux, like printers or usb-to-serial adapters like the ones used on Arduino duemilanove, aren't working reliably with the Pi. I hope that this problem will be soved soon, because is clearly a deal-breaker to use the Pi on general embedded linux applications. If you think the Raspberry Pi as a toy computer to be used by children with only a mouse and a keyboard, a dodgy USB driver isn't a big deal, but if one likes to use it for more general purposes not knowing if a given configurations works reliably it's a big problem.

I've a homebuilt desktop PC with Windows 7. With the classic window manager (Aero switched off) and using Microsoft Security essential makes the system quite responsive. Unfortunately the prebuilt systems are loaded with a ton of unusable crap that fills the memory and slows down the cpu.

I think that the tuition should not be too high and should be relative to the performance of the student. For instance if a student has all perfect grades for the current year, no tuition should be paid at all, if the mean of the grades taken is in the next best 3% of student, a low tuition should be paid. A student which the mean of grades is under the mean of grades of the school, should pat the full tuition, that should be not over a reasonable limit, say $2000/year. Then make a policy like "you must pass all the 1st year exams in the 1st or else" to stop the really rich to continue to try to pass exams by brute force. Problem almost solved.

Ask to our Romanian friends for a domain name for a site that's the reciprocal of me.ga http://mic.ro/

You can build pirate cards on Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/One-Piece-ge-2034-Playing-Cards/dp/B0045SWBUA/ref=pd_bxgy_t_img_y

Actually Press TV is perfectly visible on satellite television, not on BSkyB channels. http://en.kingofsat.net/find.php?question=press+tv&Submit=Zap There are a bunch of satellites that are transmitting now Press TV, including Hot Bird 13, so It's simply a matter to point a dish to the desired bird and enjoy some of their programs.

Teletext services could be transmitted with digital television signals, both satellite and terrestrial, and are a standard MPEG feature. A set top box will automatically decode the data and send them over the analogue outputs, or superimposes the decoded page on the video output. Satellite broadcasting for Italy, Germany and France are still sending Teletext pages. I've experience with the MHP services on terrestrial television in Italy. Simply put MHP services are totally and utterly slow, even if MHP decoders are more costrly due the bigger CPU they have to run Java ME, instead of use only the computer power equivalent to a Z80. Worst of all the user interface between various broadcaster is different, even if they're sending teletext-like news and it's too easy to put animated adverts everywhere.

The Pi is not a microcontroller. It's a general purpose personal computer aimed to teach programming to schoolchildren. It has a GPIO connection, but doesn't have all the shields and software libraries that Arduino has. It has a full fledged operating system as default, you could also try to program the bare hardware but it's not the standard programming way. The Arduino has a simple control program and some libraries and most important the usage of the i/o is fully and clearly documented. By the way the official Gertboard I/O for the raspberry han an atmega 328 installed "arduino style".

I suppose that after this move, everybody is now entitled to put an aerial system to receive TV, even on condos or homeowner association controlled zones. Something like this: http://www.associazionemarconi.com/public/images/castel_debole_13_8_2012d.jpg I suppose that due the first amentement you've the right to receive OTA free channels, even in the USA.

Did you say? Actually if you go to Wonka's site http://www.wonka.com/ Yuo'll see that actually they're Nestlè

Augustus Gloop Veruca Salt Violet Beauregarde Mike Teavee and Charlie Bucket.

If instead of diesel fuel one wants to use natural gas or LPG there was a solution developed in the '70. Take an engine from a Fiat 127 (or first model Fiat Panda or Uno), bolt it to a three phase geneator, modify the engine to run on methane, LPG, or biogas, put a governor to make the engine to run at constant speed. You get a nice system that makes electricity and heat. Unfortunately newer petrol engines with electonic fuel emission control are a lot more difficult to adapt to be used as engines for generators, and are a lot more complex to service.

Older phones had more rugged connectors. I've a DECT cordless phone that has two metallic plates that make contact with two spring-mounted electrode, put in the cradle, the weight of the handset is sufficent to slide the phone in the contacts. The same method is used on two way radios, where it's a necessity due the higher charge current used. Unfortunately with current smartphones, the space required for a rugged connector is too big to blend in thei sllek design, so weak connectors are used, that could fail easily.

Another key difference is that only some projects in other engineering fields have to be signed by a PE, and are project that only one person could follow reasonably, and that have a set of rules by science or by law that have to be followed. A project for a car or an airplane doesn't require to be signed by a PE, even if requires a lot of engineers, simply because is too big to be followed by a single person and the regulations applicable are only on the whole product and nothing is said for the design phase.

Seems to me that Microsoft is trying to follow Apple moves because are quite successful. But Apple is mainly an hardware company and the operating system in an accessory revenue. More importantly the hardware ecosystem is reduced. Now I've tried to look at the new windows 8 beta image in a virtual machine, but even after playing with bios options and virtualbox configuration the operating system failed to install. If the final version remains so picky with the hardware refusing to run in a virtual machine or on a beige box PC, when 7 and Xp could run happily on the same hardware or virtual machine, it could me a graveyard stone in the adoption of the new operating system. If Windows 8 installation in older hardware or generic hardware is difficult, people will stay with older operating systems, or even try to downgrade the operating system on new machines, and this is naturally bad if not for sales, for the adoption.