The reason why Facebook is so popular is because -everyone- can use it.

Didn't facebook throw registered sex offenders off? They're the henin, or untouchables, of the US class system. Even lower than felons. The new negros. It's perfectly ok to hate them and lock them out of everything. They're not a legitimate part of "everyone", right?

Okay wise guy give me a list of all the innovations that Microsoft Research has brought to market.

I think Clippy and Bing will be the only noteworthy items.

So instead of not using Facebook because you prefer some different degree of privacy, your claim is that you do not use Facebook because you feel like you are living in a situation similar to post war East Germany?

And you think the people who get hassled by your government drones 'deserve it'?

Disabling the messenger service will get rid of ONE of Microsoft's Security holes, but there are plenty more which attract 114,000 virii. So, to get RID of malware, just get rid of Microsoft and install a good open source software such as www.kubuntu.org instead. ultimate acai max

Again let me fix that for you:

"however the principle is appalling to me: using force to get what you want. This is especially true when you have a corporation known to be at least influenced (if not controlled) by a few powerful people and organisations."

GET A CLUE. The power is THERE and it WILL be grabbed. It is only a question of WHO.

I would rather that the government have the power. At least then there is at least some vague way for the people to have some sort of control over it.

Give me a break. You stole your signature from the MIT Dormline telephone system. I've gotten that message myself.

Really you should attribute your sources. You are not half as clever as you are pretending to be.

The Internet and the gear that runs it is a source of Power to whoever runs it.

This power WILL be taken and abused by whoever controls it.

Take off your blinders and understand that our economic system and our society exist ONLY because there are government regulations to hold it together.

You speak of corporations acting freely but you fail to realize that it is the power of government that allows them to have this freedom in the first place.

You are INSULTING and WRONG to paint everyone who disagrees with you as hating free markets.

Again you FAIL to understand that free markets DO NOT EXIST without government regulation to keep them free.

Here let me fix one of your sentences for you:

"Yep, history sure has shown how pure, fair, reliable, trustworthy, and incorruptible corporations are. Uh-huh."

Since they are talking about brain waves, it doesn't necessarily need to be inside the skull. I'm not clear on why they call it an implant, unless they absolutely positively want it to always stay in the same place, a somewhat dubious requirement.

Hmm, I think that your distinction is not too bad, but then the argument for counterfeiting being a national security issue becomes unsustainable. And, again, why wouldn't this simply be considered a trademark violation in addition to copyright?

The whole purpose of trademarks is, after all, to render this type of nefarious behavior (passing off a product as if it were made by the legitimate manufacturer) illegal.

It seems to me that the term "counterfeit" is being abuse a bit. To my mind, and obviously IANAL, "counterfeit" is falsified monetary instruments of some sort (money, checks, etc.). Trademark doesn't cover that type of thing. Falsified commercial products are trademark violations, probably in combination with copyright and possibly patent violations.

Yep, I think the innate American desire to be fucked over by their corporate overlords will prevent the US from sliding into a European style society. Americans just like to be indentured servants.

You're right. Teenagers can all have sex with each other without creepy old men breaking into the circle of newfound love and excitement. A 13 year old can have sex with someone just as not ready as they are.

I for one welcome our newfound elite high powered smart phones and offer my services subjugating the less powerful smart phones as the growing energy gap widens between them. With the vanishing middle class of smart phones it is obvious that the high powered multifeatured phones will rule the less powerful, featureless unwashed masses of crapgadgets.

Eventually a new breed of simple highpowered basic phones using E-ink technology will eventually overpopulate and violently overthrow the elite phones in which I will help in this revolution, betraying the high powered smart phones at the most inopportune time, thus endearing me to the savage phone armies and securing once again my place of comfort as I exploit the peasantry.

Truer words have not been spoken in a long time. I wish I couldn't relate to pretty much that whole thing.

I have about as much say in the matter as I have in how the government spends my tax money. I completely object to US involvement in any war that does not directly threaten the U.S. Not a whole lot I can do about it. Not a whole lot millions of people in the U.S. can do about it... we've all tried and failed.