Max Payne was released in Australia unedited. It was rated MA15+

So no, it is not that simple or stupid.

This is an extension to a system that is already in place. Having pills was not a sufficient reason for Left 4 Dead 1 to be RCed for example.

It would vary on a) the type of drug and b) how the drug was used in game.

Fallout 3 for example was initially refused classification because they used morphine to heal the player rather than one of the made up drugs they used in previous fallouts. Once they changed it to one of the made up drugs it went through without issue.

The company can then also appeal the decision and it goes to a different set of people who get to examine the game. Even bureaucrats are not that bad, this is not some proposed new system, you can see how these decisions are made by looking at what they have already done not by just assuming they are robots.

Funny you should mention that. The reason why you have "stimpacks" and "jet", etc in Fallout 3 was because the original plan to use genuine drug names such as Morphine had it refused classification. Fictional drugs tend to be classed as okay. Also only a fairly small number of games have been RCed. Most games have ended up released here under M15+

You mean the Bing Toolbar which is explicitly stated as being installed?

I don't think that everyone is sick of zombie novels. Feed was well written, as was the sequel Deadline and the votes bear this out. In the final votes for best novel Feed only came second by 26 votes. Feed had the most votes for the first 3 rounds until they were eliminated. Which means that if everyone is indeed sick of zombies then Feed must be doing really well to be rated that highly.

Then what if I don't download?

You select your OS when you purchase, you can also change it later on.

Can someone on a non-windows OS check to see what is checked by default?

It might be determining your OS and automatically checking it. I know that for me it checks windows, but that is accurate.

I agree, I really like the interface and the general look and feel.

Unfortunately it lacks two applications I really want on my phone. Latitude and an SSH client.

I use latitude a lot with and really miss it when that is not there. Not knowing where those friends who have it are when I am attempting to time things or contact them.

I use SSH even more for irssi on a remote server. I am rather surprised that I simply have been unable to find any apps at all that handle that.

I don't know about you, but the kindle fits in my pocket (only just, but it does)...

In Australia most kids do not live away from home when they go to University unless the travel time is rather large.
The issue is the degree of content.
An R18 rating is a much stronger message to parents than an M15+ title, a parent willing to jump one category because they decide their child is can cope, may not decide to go with an R18 rating.
As things stand however, every single game in Australia has to be acceptable for a 15 year old to view. Games that based on ratings for other places are not are making it through with an M15 rating. This is not acceptable for various parental groups. That games also do not make it through uncensored is unacceptable for adult gamers. Clearly a solution is to add the rating.
Another solution would be to make the rating system optional, which also would allow games where getting them rated is impractical (such as downloadable games, especially via the iTunes store) to have an official position rather than just a "We haven't yet decided to enforce it" stance that is currently in effect. I don't see this happening any time soon however.

No they don't, the sheet order is random for this reason.

Not just the G1, they also did a similar thing with the Nexus One.

And you can have Steam track time spent playing the game as well as chat to friends through Steam whilst you are playing. Which I consider perks in any case.

There is also at the least the Fighting Fantasy series on the iPhone which are recreations of the old books.

You'll have to make your own maps, but the game keeps track of your inventory and stats.

Yes, because Xbox Live in 2002 completely resembled a content delivery platform rather than a method for online multiplayer gaming. I would argue that Xbox Live only became a real content delivery platform when games became available for purchase via the service.

Gah, that was me by the way. I don't know why it posted AC when I logged in.