I agree with you on the tribalism issue. And I agree that Obama has not lived up to many of his promises. However, you're not living in reality if you think nothing good has changed. Take a look at PolitiFact's Obama promise meter - certainly he hasn't kept his promises, but (a) he's not a dictator and (b) I think its fine if he gets to office and finds things are different than they looked before he got there, due to secret intelligence, etc.: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/

This is a summary of an article showing that DC transmission of electric power is cost effective up to about 7000km (4300 mi). It's rather old, but I don't think anything has changed in terms of physics. Also superconducting power lines have started being installed, which was not the case when this article was written: http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/library/technical-articles/transmission/cigre/present-limits-of-very-long-distance-transmission-systems/index.shtml Regarding the climate change, I think that is debatable. The amount of incoming energy is the same whether or not PV panels are present or not. More may be reflected from white sand than a dark panel, but a lot of the heat the PV panels generate is reradiated upwards. And you also have to factor in the reduction in CO2 output the PV panels give you vs gasoline engines, coal, etc.

That's actually the clutch pedal, not the clutch itself, hence the remark about the resident pedant above yours.

I think MMR is the only common childhood vaccine that might contain egg proteins, and very few children with egg allergies actually turned out to be allergic to MMR. In any case, children can be tested for an allergic reaction to the vaccine before the vaccine is given.

don't click

I've recently flown on two one-way tickets, LAX to SFO and SFO to AUS (on different days), and was not selected for extra screening at either time.

I agree the Android market is poor right now, but I can see it improving over time as the apps get better.

I totally agree with your comment about "dual core" being a useless feature. I used an iPad for quite a while before getting an iPad 2, and while logically I know the iPad 2 has a dual core processor and more memory, the only improvement I've really noticed is that the iPad 2 is noticeably lighter and easier to move around.

"Custom" implies someone somewhere has a machine that can build the custom software.

And besides, that's a great way of justifying getting a 27" iMac... you want to start developing iOS apps :)

I think you really mean: - Lets you download slow, bandwidth intensive, battery-sucky ads: Galaxy Tab - Supports Custom Applications: both - Lets Mom and Dad f*ck up their tablet: Galaxy Tab So yes, we have a clear winner...