If only most people could go to a store where knowledgeable sales staff could demonstrate Win 7 multitouch on long rows of demo devices in a comfortable space. The computer stores around me with Windows PCs lock down the demo units with awkward devices, start trying to sell you instead of helping you explore, and don't have much patience/interest if you're "just looking".

Apple stores play no small part in the success of their devices.

I can assure you that we have full diplomatic immunity in 84 countries around the globe.

Hydrogen peroxide powered rocket packs fly for around 30 seconds, because they have a specific impulse of around 125, meaning that one pound of propellant can make 125 pound-seconds of thrust, meaning that it takes about two pounds of propellant for every second you are in the air. Mass ratios are low for anything strapped to a human, so the exponential nature of the rocket equation can be safely ignored.

A pretty hot (both literally and figuratively) bipropellant rocket could manage about twice the specific impulse, and you could carry somewhat heavier tanks, but two minutes of flight on a rocket pack is probably about the upper limit with conventional propellants.

However, an actual jet pack that used atmospheric oxygen could have an Isp ten times higher, allowing theoretical flights of fifteen minutes or so. Here, it really is a matter of technical development, since jet engines have thrust to weight ratios too low to make it practical. There is movement on this technical front, but it will still take a while.

John Carmack

I've seen this mentioned in other places - where are you getting the idea that iLife will be included with Leopard? It won't be. What will be included are some apps that previously only shipped with new hardware: Photo Booth and Front Row. If you want iLife 08 your options now and later will be to either buy a new Mac, all of which are bundled with iLife - or purchase it as a separate product.

If you click on each month, and combine Mac OS with MacIntel, you get the following:

Sep 05: 3.74%
Oct 05: 3.87%
Nov 05: 4.11%
Dec 05: 4.35%
Jan 06: 4.21%
Feb 06: 4.30% (4.28 + 0.03)
Mar 06: 4.37% (4.29 + 0.08)
Apr 06: 4.49% (4.33 + 0.16)
May 06: 4.42% (4.19 + 0.23)
Jun 06: 4.32% (3.92 + 0.36)
Jul 06: 4.29% (3.80 + 0.49)
Aug 06: 4.33% (3.71 + 0.62)

The reported 0.02 decline by the Inquirer is the difference of Dec 05 (4.35) vs Aug 05 (4.33). I'm not sure why Dec 05 was chosen as the comparison month vs. Sep 05 (which paints a rosier picture) or Apr 06 (which paints a bleaker picture) but there you have it.

No, I'm just out of the office this week.