This laptop came to me with Vista, and was nigh unusable. Upgraded to Ubuntu, which vastly improved every aspect of my user experience. Now every time I have to touch a windows infected system, I can't help groaning from all the fail I have to suffer through to get anything done. (Especially when I have to connect our iPod or iPad to iTunes. Vista + iTunes must be that special level of Hell reserved for child molesters and people who talk in the theater.)

I was thinking something along the lines of carborundum or artificial corundum, either of which would make very durable disks.

Chuck also dug up the Oak Island treasure with a runcible spoon. If that ain't geek, I don't know what is.

I edit my own work.

(There was additional unnecessary elaboration in this comment, but I edited it out.)

How long until they release the version for linux? I haven't used Internet Explorer since I gave up on Windows several years ago. I keep reading stories about IE getting better than rival browsers, including Firefox. I'd like to install it and take it for a test drive to see for myself. It's still free, right?

I must agree that Unity is very nearly unusable. Not just because it's new and buggy, but because the entire concept is flawed. Cramming ALL the icons to the left of the screen is retarded when you claim you want to optimize for smaller/wide screen formats. The solution to the small screen is to fill the entire damn screen with program and utility icons. Palm did this way back in 1997, and iOS is doing the very same thing now, ditto Android. This is a good paradigm for a usable universal desktop, not trying to cram everything to the edges so you can look at your pretty wallpaper instead of being able to find the program/utility/app you want with a glance. Unity is fundamentally broken and needs to be scrapped or thoroughly reworked before pushing it out to end users.

I've done that. No weird glare from a backlit display. I second the recommendation for fresh bags. All these people whining "But I like to read in the bath, I can't do that with a ebook reader, waa! So that's why I stick with REAL books." Shut up. Get the e-gizmo you prefer, drop that sucker in a ziplock and get as splashy as you damn well please in the bath. We are geeks, are we not? It should not be so difficult to think of such a simple solution to such a trivial problem. Seriously.

I just finished my first novel on a Sony Clie TG50. IMO it's much better for writing than an iPad (which I also happen to have) because it is very much more portable with a longer battery, and has a hardware keyboard built in. Add-on keyboards for mobile devices universally suck for real work. I've tried too many and I've given up on them as being too clumsy. Haven't bothered getting a hardware keyboard for the iPad for this reason. I'd rather use my kid's netbook if I want to use an iPad-sized portable gizmo for typing. No, I probably wouldn't bother, the Clie is just too damned convenient. FYI TejpWriter is the best writing app I've ever used on a Palm. I shouldn't have to say that the coolest hardware is crap if the software is crap - this has been the problem with everything I've ever tried with any "mobile" version of Windows. It's always been pure crap which is why I won't even bother looking at WinPhone7. Even if it's miraculously not pure crap like every previous version I've handled, I've already wasted too much of my life with WinMo to look at it again. I've long since given up on MicroSoft, and I suspect the growing hordes of people doing the same has them grasping at every successful thing they see around them and trying to imitate it - badly. Unless they can stop imitating and start really innovating, they are doomed to becoming a third-rate company. (They're already second-rate as far as I'm concerned.)

How long before Amazon tries to ban this?

the 2nd amendment clearly requires membership in a well regulated militia.

Um, No.

You're completely wrong.

Read the actual words in the amendment and parse the syntax correctly (any good geek on this site should be able to do this).

The correct interpretation goes something like this: "It is an unfortunate necessity that a state must have a well regulated militia to preserve itself, therefore, the people shall be afforded the right to have weapons with which to defend themselves from the state."

Remember, the people who wrote this very simple code had very recently fought against a state that had used its very well regulated militia against the people. Of course that does not preclude reasonable regulation of citizen ownership of weapons to keep them out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them (crazed wackos, criminals, children). Criminals, of course, can be expected to ignore any restrictions and regulations that law-abiding citizens would observe. (They are criminals, after all.) For my own part, I'm happy to have the option of using a completely legal shotgun to defend myself against an armed criminal invading my house, rather than only being allowed to dial emergency so that the police can show up twenty minutes later to look at my bullet-riddled corpse. For the state to have any chance of protecting an unarmed citizenry from violent criminals, they would have to station police everywhere and constantly monitor everything all the time. (How's that working out for you, England?) I'd rather not live in a police state thankyouverymuch.

I voted Supernatural and Earthly because I plan to dress up as Jesus with tanuki ears and tail. The tanuki pouch will remain beneath the robe. I fully expect heads to asplode.

An hour or two? You must be kidding. TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life!

Feh. I don't care. I'll just stick with my REcursive writing. It's more useful for geeks like me anyway.