I mean, I REALLY want it. I like it so much that I want my phone to continuously send a stream of keystrokes, URLs, and any other data that fits into their protocol directly to their servers, even if I have to stuff it directly from a random number generator. Hell, can I get 3 or 4 streams going at once? How about ten or more from my PC, tablet, and laptop too? My GPS numbers can demonstrate faster than light travel around the planet! Perhaps a direct feed rebroadcast from live news sites might help them fill their databases. They want data - let's flood them with it until their data is so full of garbage that no one will buy it.

Apparently, you haven't been there. In the US people who get antibiotics take them for the full time span prescribed. They kill ALL the target bugs. In Europe, the attitude is to take them for just a few days until you feel better, leaving the strongest of the bugs around to breed a more resistant population.

The chip has eight cores, they all work, but you can only use six. The other two are reserved for the DHS and cronies. I, for one, do NOT welcome our dual-core overlords.

(I've always wanted to start a conspiracy theory.)

It already is. I'd like to have it consolidated where I can review it and address any issues that arise. Including opting out of parts or all of it. Location data like this would necessarily be under privacy protection laws, so some company in Minnesota can't get info on my location unless I initiate some form of contact with them.

All the comments so far have been focused on why it won't work or will be a problem (I'm not counting the snarky ones.) How about you geniuses come up with workable suggestions? I've thought for years that we need a trust based system. Every method for authentication is fallible and hackable, so we need to use a mix of them. Every time my face is on camera (red light camera, store security camera, the web cam two cubicles over...), it should be verified that I match previous facial recognitions. Every time I speak any microphone within range should authenticate my voice. Automatic tracking of my cellphone and car should contribute. One very important factor is location tracking - if I am at work I can't be authenticated at the gas station unless enough time has passed for me to get there, even if my credit card is swiped. Every validation of my identity should raise the trust level, and it should decay over time so new authentications need to be continuously collected. That way passwords can contribute, but using one in the wrong place or time when I am demonstrably somewhere else will be denied and noticed. Yes I can still buy stuff over the net with a credit card, IF authentication says that request came from a device I am using AND I provide another token (i.e. password) or verify that purchase on another nearby device, raising the trust level in my location and intent to purchase. As long as it has a short-term and long-term memory, trust based authentication like this can handle the variations in humans from catching a cold or encountering a life-changing situation. Truly, location tracking with decay and continuous updates contributing to a calculable level of verifiable identity is the best we can do. Funny to say, but it is no longer black and white in this digital age.

Time for the EFF to become a customer of these "services" from verizon, google, facebook, etc. Then they can start a daily report called "Browsing Habits of the 1% and Their Families." Throw in a few demographic reports on the top 10% broken down by zip code, or by political affiliation. Re-tweet the top words and phrases on twitter from the topmost identifiable household income levels. That might get a reaction.

Have you considered another scenario? Just 2 weeks ago I posted this in an article about artificial brain cells: Every day replace some brain cells in a human with an artificial one. Take five or six years, and replace every cell he/she has. At what point does this become artificial intelligence? Would the consciousness of said person survive the transition? If you succeeded, would an exact copy of the result also be conscious? I don't think I'd volunteer, but I'm sure someone would.

Every day replace some brain cells in a human. Take five or six years, and replace every cell he/she has. At what point does this become artificial intelligence? Would the consciousness of said person survive the transition? If you succeeded, would an exact copy of the result also be conscious? I don't think I'd volunteer, but I'm sure someone would.

I want a tile made into a beer mug! Maybe another one as a scotch glass too. Icy cold to the last drop.

The right to bear arms was put into the constitution specifically to protect the people from a corrupt government, militia, or police force. Now we need a new right, specifically the right to bear cameras (and full protections on what we record, including the right to share it.) Sure, there's some details to work out; no recording classified stuff, etc., but anywhere a police action occurs, the public should have the right to record it, and to use that recording as they see fit.

The right to bear arms was put into the constitution specifically to protect the people from a corrupt government, militia, or police force. Now we need a new right, specifically the right to bear cameras (and full protections on what we record, including the right to share it.) Sure, there's some details to work out; no recording classified stuff, etc., but anywhere a police action occurs, the public should have the right to record it, and to use that recording as they see fit.

While you visit a friend, give his kids a bootable USB stick and let THEM play the game. When they "win", show him what they just did.

All they want is more international traffic to cross thru china so they can eavesdrop. They've been trying to do this for years already by mucking with BGP and other routing tricks. The international community should use it solely for honeypots and as a base from which to probe chinese computers. We really should be pushing for ways to route ALL internet traffic around china and other repressive governments. Not to get the packets into the country past their censors, but to close off all business and governmental organisations from access. Or at least to protect our datastreams from their snooping and possible manipulation. Moving any form of resources, especially compute resources, into chine for any reason other than to serve the chinese is foolhardy at best.

"That's how things work in a representative government." No, that's how things work in a schizophrenic government. Nowhere in the constitution is power over the government given to political parties. They were invented solely for overcoming slow communications and lack of education during elections. We have significantly improved both. Yet our "representatives" do not represent us at all; they vote according to who they party with rather than in the interests of their constituencies. You've heard the phrase "across the aisle." What it refers to is the fact that senators and representatives do not sit with others from their own state - they sit in two big camps of Democrats vs. Republicans. They should be forced to sit by state and to completely deny any party affiliation once they are elected. Right now most of a politician's time is spent trying to thwart the efforts of half the government. It's a wonder we get anything done at all the way this beast keeps tearing at itself.

Rather than tunnelling in and trying to push around an irregular mass, adjust it a little to suit. Focus lots of sunlight on it until you have a molten ball. Then stick in a nozzle and fill the center with air, like glass blowing. Done right you could even stretch it out to a cigar shape. The molten phase would provide an opportunity to mix a few asteroids together or add a few metric tons of stuff to make some rough alloy with the nickle-iron. Once it cools you can move in and you're off.