let the OEMs sort it out, but I don't have much of a problem with the "random ballot" -- other than that it's going to lead to the best marketing winning, not the best software.

That's just how Microsoft became a near-monopoly: with the best marketing, not the best software.

The cat's brain is made up of 1 BILLION neurons and 10 trillion synapses. So with the nuerogrid chips, it will require at least a kilowatt to simulate.

Given that the fingerprint is due to "radio-frequency and manufacturing differences" and "significantly different for same-model tags," isn't it also possible that a tag's fingerprint may vary over time?

And if the idea is "to detect counterfeit tags," how can they do that if tags of the same model have different fingerprints?

Where do you get your statistics from? I was under the impression that either heart disease or lung disease was the top killer in the U.S. (sources cited.)

They've also refused service on devices where their litmus indicator shows signs of turning pink (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9214797, http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/14/smart.phones.buggy/index.html, http://techgeist.net/2009/09/apple-iphone-abuse-detection-sensors-abusing-2/). It sounds like they're still looking for more excuses not to honor their "warranty."

I won't be buying any more Apple products.

Using file-sharing software does not equate to sharing files illegally. I admit to using BitTorrent to download Fedora ISO's, and there's nothing illegal about that.

Enough said.

I already get a low-mileage discount on my auto insurance from State Farm ( 7,000 miles/year), and I imagine other insurance companies would have similar programs. So what's this bill proposing that insurance companies don't already do?

One reason marketers have given products names instead of numbers, which isn't mentioned in the article, is that courts have ruled that companies can't trademark numbers (though I can't find a source reference).

I've been using MS Money 4 ever since Microsoft released it for free. I've looked at open-source alternatives in recent years, but there were always one of two blocking obstacles to migration: either the user interface is so vastly different and complex that it was impractical to use for simple checkbook balancing, or it doesn't properly import all of my existing data from MS Money. Since all of my historical financial data is stored in MS Money's proprietary format, I can't simply switch to another financial management program without the ability to export and re-import all of my existing data.

At least I don't depend on any online banking features, so as long as I can continue running Windows 95-XP on a virtual machine I can keep using MS Money.

An official has said it will be used in part to crack down on the US population of illegal emigrants.

Fixed it.

Out of curiosity, what would you have used Tricia Helfer for?

Some of us aren't into women, you insensitive clod.

Give me one that looks like Jamie Bamber instead. :^)

Reminds me of when I was in France, and still having trouble understanding the spoken French language. I was talking to a guy who asked me, in translation, "Brothers, sisters, one, two, three?" It took me a while to figure out he wanted to know how many siblings I had. Dumbing down the question like that didn't help me understand him any better, it made it worse. Using correct French grammar and simply slowing it down would have been much more helpful.

I imagine Wolfram Alpha is like that.

Reminds me of the movie The Green Slime I saw when I was way too young to be watching late-night TV.