Instead of a gatekeeper, I'd rather have a layer of software that automatically lies about myself (such as always giving my name as "John Doe" or my GPS location as being somewhere in the open desert near Timbuktu or something), so that not only the data hoarders don't get my personal information, but their data pool gets polluted. Bad data is much more of a problem to them than no data at all.

Fingerprint identification is great as long as (1) you trust the organization that uses it with that very, VERY personal data, and (2) you trust that they're not so lame as to lose your fingerprint data.

(1) I wouldn't trust credit card companies with anything more serious than an easily replaceable 4-digit PIN number

(2) Sheesh, even government routinely misplace confidential tax data of their citizens. Need I say more?

In short, I'll keep using good ole anonymous cash to spend at local retailers for my purchases thank you very much.

I think the two can coexist.

After all, the individual-based teaching is about how student A learns best, how student B learns best, and letting them learn Subject Y in whichever way they are better able to process it.

Moving cross country while you are in 4th grade and learning all the states and capitols? Have current school document how you are learning for next school.

"Yeah, Johnny? He does the route memorization moving thru the states in a grid like pattern, but his sister Jane does better trying to sing along with Wakko's 50 States and skips around the map a lot"

CIA employees won't be furloughed. It's only agencies and services that people need or want that get shut down.

So... "mitigate risk of a population by spreading it between all of them, whereas before you only got that benefit if you qualified for a group plan"

Isn't a group plan just a small(er) population? And maybe a better one to be putting risk to - employed people, usually full time vs. Everyone ?

No need to legislate this. Most people I know go out of their way to avoid buying products that don't charge with a USB connector if they can avoid it - at least computer-related products.

Me, the last device I bought with a special charger was a Casio Exilim camera that has unique enough features that I had no other choice. But I hate that charger each time I have to carry it with me on business trips when I already carry a USB charger that takes care of all my other devices.

My hurricane check list includes checking the ammo supply level... I live across the road from just over 1000 acres of forest, has the potential to be a grocery store....

If I lived more urban, the check list would still include an ammo check, for "social issues" that may arise.

Thing is, currents changed with the big earthquakes that have happened in the past few years. If it was enough of a change to affect migration patterns (it has), it was also probably enough of a change to alter the predictable long term weather models. Anyone know if the modeling software has been updated with the new data?

communicate in real-time faster than anybody else: it's called high-frequency trading.

Yup, the plane'arium manager here at the college I work for is one of the new Hustlers...

http://www.sfcollege.edu/planetarium/

With links to old Star Gazer episodes with Jack and the new ones at http://www.youtube.com/user/MiamiScienceMuseum

Well, it sorta has unified all of us who hate it....

So they're going to prosecute themselves?

But then again, most makers that sell both direct and thru distributers/wholesalers/dealers will typically price their in-house sales to the public at full retail price (hey, lets call that the MSRP!) and heavily discount to the distributers/wholesalers/dealers, which lets the second tier dealer charge the same or less and still make $.

Or a total lack of a hard drive.....

Well, they can always cheat to go faster...