I have to disagree.

When Sega crashed out of the console market, they were releasing some of the best games of the generation. The Dreamcast, for all its faults, was home to some incredible games. I don't think anyone can deny it that.

If a console's success was measured purely on the strength of its games, then the Dreamcast would surely be one of the most successful consoles ever -- which is remarkable, considering its criminally short life-span.

So I'm afraid you're wrong. Sega may be making "shitty games" right now (I certainly wouldn't argue with that), but they were doing the exact opposite at the time they abandoned the console market. The truth is that Sega left the hardware business due to financial problems. What a pity. :(

If none of your laptops have lasted more than three years (with a median lifetime of about one year) then I certainly wouldn't say that you've cared for them "moderately well"!

I've had my 1GHz Titanium PowerBook, a laptop often regarded as one of Apple's least-robust, for over six years. And yes, it's been used almost every day as my primary computer. Put through its paces -- in both hot and cold climates. It's been back-and-forth to work god knows how many times, it's been on holiday and it's been used on public transport. It can withstand intense heat much better than I can! I don't switch it off unless I need to (seriously, I can't have used the power button more than about 25 times in all the years I've had it). I look after it, but I don't "baby" it by any means. It's on its second battery and it's third hard disk -- other than that, nothing has changed from the factory specs.

What's the secret to laptop longevity? In my opinion, it's good laptop bag. I've used a rucksack-style bag from the beginning, and it ensures that the laptop is securely transported from place to place. Just trow it in the appropriate compartment and forget about it; the bag is well-padded and takes care of the rest.

Having said that, my sister's iBook is now nearly five years old and she doesn't use a specialised bag (it just goes in whatever bag she feels like using). She's had it since she was 16 and it's been through the wars. But it's still the only computer she uses, and it works as well as it did when she first got it. Sure, cosmetically it isn't what it once was (it has a few cracks and bumps), but it's just as capable as it was before. Miraculously, it's only had its battery replaced once. The internal hard disk has, admittedly, lasted longer than is to be expected (they say the average 2.5" drive lasts about three years).

So I think that, whilst hardware failures will no doubt occur, the MacBook is robust enough to take the beating of everyday use that a schoolchild will throw at it. And if the bully breaks the little kid's laptop then that bully should be punished accordingly. It will serve as a valuable lesson that other people's property should be respected -- and if kids learn that at an earlier age then that can only be a good thing!

I remember going to a conference presentation by John Bush back in 2005 which detailed the physics behind water striders. His presentation was very good, and the video footage he presented was absolutely fantastic (see here and here). I think the work referenced in the main article isn't quite as groundbreaking as they'd have you believe. There has been quite a lot of work in this area over the last five years.