I think the criticism of his art style is a bit unfair. If you compare his earlier stuff to his later stuff there is a huge difference. That said the amount of time he takes to produce is abysmal, the plot has been getting worse and worse for years and it's getting almost impossible to follow anymore. Megatokyo has a special place in my heart from when it first came out but really it started going downhill after Rodney left and it got to the point about two years ago where I just gave up on it. It was sad to have seen it happen but I just don't think Fred is cut out to do it as his career.

Actually we can argue that a country can do without a military. Without even looking it up I know Costa Rica doesn't have one. Oh look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_without_armed_forces That said I wouldn't say for a minute that the US can do without their military but it has grown so far out of proportion to it's needs that has simply become ridiculous with them constantly having to invent reasons for its existance.

Exatley this. What this is, is a change in society's values. You can argue that people have always had the tendency to give up their privacy but with the internet we have a medium that allows an incredibly easy way to give up your privacy. Couple that with a corporate world that has discovered just how easy it is to farm this for increased profits and people's inability to see the results of their actions and you get people happily giving up their privacy and never thinking about it's consequences. Privacy is a dying concept. It isn't even a case of "if you have nothing to hide" anymore. It's simply not seeing the value of privacy. And if society has no interest in privacy, noone else is going to protect it for them.

speed does matter... try playing second life... every extra bit is welcome