I could just be ill informed, but why do pundits, media, and government officials keep trying to push the idea that you need giant military organizations to lauch an attack (ala nuclear weapon building).

Is it not completely possible that one intelligent man, $300 laptop, and an internet connection be just as "deadly" as any country's electronic warfare unit?

And why this old relic of an idea of a cold war. I am sure that there are many individual actors that are in active attack mode.

I would mod you up if I had points. Agreed, finally something sensible from a Missouri politician that doesn't make us the laughing stock of the country.

They already do this. See my comment below about the "trading cards" system. In the EA hockey game there is another mode called "be a pro". Yes, if you want to get better equipment or stats you have to purchase with real money or use the hard to earn in-game points.

The digial age started in the 1950's. What we have here is greed. The blood suckers smell fresh meat. And people like you just roll over and take it. It's not the digital age coming, its the apathy and ignorance of the populous.

I know you are tyring to be fair, but your comment enrages me.

Oh...thank goodness. I was worried that when i spent $60+tax on the game, that I was going to get everything that was on the disk. Glad to know at least some of it stays locked behind a pay gate!

I was lucky enough to be around for the early days of PC gaming. I remember when the manual actually told you to make a backup of the floppy. (for you young viewers, manuals were small booklets that used to come with games giving you tips, backstory, art..)

I guess it's good that I am nearing 40 and don't get into gaming as nearly as I used to. This stuff is just turning me off completely.

Considering the typical audience here, there are probably not a lot of you that play EA's NHL (yearly susbscription game). They have already been testing the waters for this from at least 2011 when they indroduced a mode of play called "hockey ultimate team". In this mode you build a team by using "cards". The cards actually come in foil packs that you can buy (all virtual of course). They offer a way to pay for the packs with earned in-game points or real-world money. My son plays the NHL13 version of this game and it is obvious that the system is entirely designed to get you to need to buy more packs of cards to continue paying.

As expected the good hockey players are "rares" (and i mean really rare), and you continually need to feed contract cards and injury repair cards to keep playing. The amount of points required to get the medium and larger packs are so high it is difficult if not impossible for a weaker player to ever purchase with earned points. I'm a software engineer, I see the patterns and thresholds and how they are clearly designed to maximize the need for more "cards". it is completely obvious to me; my son however is too naive to see this....as are probably many other people under the age of 20 or 30. And that is why these microtransactions are "popuar". Mom drops $20 into the kids account and he blows it on virtual garbage. (I refuse to allow my son to buy with real money)

F**k EA. F**k the industry for....well...becoming an industry with the corporate greed that comes with it.

\end-rant

I actually read the article; what a useless waste of a web page.

There is only one paragraph that mentions anything about the technology, and that is the paragraph in the summary here.
The rest reads like filler material and pimping the advantages of investing/working in the upper midwest.

Lame. I was hoping for more details.

I wonder how much water is now being stored in the increased population of humans and domesticated animals.

Using wikipedia articles on average water in a human body and world population growth you get about 40billion liters of water being stored in humans in the year 1800, up to 280billion liters being stored in humans in the year 2012. A more indepth study would be interesting.

There is a word your (and apparently Ayn Rand's) actions: hypocrisy

[citation needed]

Perhaps your post is nothing but filtered 'facts', chock full of slanted opinion?

What decade are you living in? Or is your interpretation of 'young adults' anyone under 50?