Why? Simple: because the Windows firewalls have a built-in white-list. That completely removes it from my consideration. I'd argue that 'firewall' is not even applicable to that service.

Checks may seem "quaint" to you techies, but vast swaths of America's infrastructure and social mechanisms are still greased this way. Checks are superior to cash in too many ways: if I'm carrying my checkbook, I'm technically carrying as much cash as I have, and the recipient doesn't have to make change. If I send my kids to school with a check, lost,stolen, or "misdirected" is not an issue. Plus, I always have a receipt.

I've been doing this for years through my credit union, with my flatbed scanner. With cell phones commonly pushing over the 3 megapixel mark, it's not at all surprising to see this as a natural extension of the existing process.

Consider it a loss leader. If those people play the game, love it as much as the average person, and mention it to others or directly expose them to the game, while also sharing the great value in the deal, then those people will probably go an and buy the game as well. Most people wouldn't admit to paying $0.01, so their friends are likely to spend more than that. Personally, if someone introduced me to the game, and I found out they paid $0.01 for it, I'd pay MORE just to make up for them.

Children of parents who encourage poor & impulsive choices grow up to make poor & impulsive choices.

I think I figured out a problem here; you keep saying "the bible", when surely you meant "a bible". It's a common mistake. A lot of people need to learn the difference between "the" and "a".

I usually do my best coding when I'm nowhere near a computer. Sure, eventually, I'll have to sit at a computer to *implement* it. Coding, the true poetry part of it, happens wherever it wants to, and often when I'm not at a computer. Seriously. The idea will strike, ferment, pass or fail some roughshod mental testing, and start to form into pseudo code a while before I can implement it. I can write a serious amount of pseudo code in my head. After all, the poetry of programming is in the logic, not the words.

I have a lot of records & CDs. I *could* convert my collection to MP3s, but I am lazy. I sometimes download someone else's copy.

I *have* the physical media; have I committed a crime?
Has the person who made it available for download committed a crime?
Are they given the chance to prove they also own the physical media?
If they don't, then the possession of the MP3 *may* be illegal, but is the transfer of a copy to me illegal?
Am I not legally entitled to own a digital copy of the music I bought on physical media?
Do I have to make it myself in order for it to be legal?
Can I legally make my copy available to others who have asserted they own the physical media also?

Internet connectivity is approaching "utility" status with many people. It's how I work, how I do my banking, and how I make & receive phone calls. Should mere accusations of alleged illegal activities be permitted to shut me off?

Ridiculous? Quick & dirty numbers here: we have at least 90 ESX servers, with at least 800 virtual guest servers. That's 4 million US dollars worth of physical servers we didn't buy. Not to mention the cost of power, rack space, and associated infrastructure. I can't begin to estimate the cost savings in 100% remote management of every aspect of those 800 servers. Cost is all relative.