I was thinking along similar lines. Apple needs to implement "remote brick" that pops internal fuses and wipes the storage. Make it a valueless slab of silicon and metal.

You woke me up for this? Bah.

Slackware from floppies checking in. I was so excited when I found an InfoMagic CDROM set at a computer fair and could install my next darkstar without switching floppies 20 times.1995 was a great year for Linux...

Sam's Club has a similar system on line now too. It's an app that you install on your smartphone. You scan each item into the app as you put it into your cart, then hit the "checkout" button to verify your payment. You show your phone to the receipt checker at the door, who scans it with a handheld scanner to verify that you paid for everything in your cart, and you are done.

IMO, it's not a bigger threat to employees than the self-checkout kiosks. It simply reduces the utilization of the self-checkout lines, reducing the maintenance costs of that hardware and saving the company money. There is still the same person at the exit doors validating the items in the cart match the receipt (mostly a simple count of items).

First and foremost - Skilcraft US Government pen, fine point. They write *forever* and I have never had a line bleed or morse code along a ruler. Nice fine lines. My everyday pen. Slightly thicker than you are asking for, but meets the other criteria. Always ready to write. I pulled some 20 year old stock from a storeroom and they started writing right away. No excessive force needed. *cheap*
Second - Zebra F701. Wonderful pen. I've had mine for about 3 years now. Durable and good looking. Finer and better looking ink text and lines. Meets all your criteria and is a joy to hold. All stainless construction.
Third - Fisher space pen, matte black finish. I've had it for 10 years. The ink is a bit smudgy and stays wet for a long time. It's been supplanted by the Zebra. Does not meet criteria 1 or 3. The finish is a bit slippery and fatigues my hand during long sessions. Strong enough to use as a stabbing weapon.
The Zebra and Fisher live in my uniform, even when hung up in the closet. They serve me faithfully and I never let them out of my sight. I'll give away the Skilcrafts all day but get anxious if my "babies" are lent out.

From a long-time /. reader, thank you for working so hard to keep the site thriving. Slashdot was one of the first tech news sites that I frequented, and more than a decade later I come back on a daily basis. I have many good memories of wasting time here instead of working. I wish you the best in everything!

Bah. Kids these days with their "superior" 5 digit UIDs...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10208

A whole RAINBOW of colors there. Even pink!

When I do the whole burn-down-rebuild on a system, I let it evolve to my tastes. I like a change of scenery now and then, and a new OS install is the right time for me to get that. I try new apps, new desktops, new ideas all around. I might do KDE next time, I might stick with Gnome. I get new icon sets, experiment with new color schemes and wallpapers. It keeps me entertained and I always end up with a usable desktop in the end.