I saw this on Reddit a while ago, and most people either believed it or thought it was bullshit for other reasons. Reading how an experiment is conducted is usually the first thing I do. It's like a crap detector built right into the study.

Really? They annoy me. I can see they try to get the Tumblr crowd, but normally I find the efforts kind of embarrassing, like an old person in a Lana del Rey T-Shirt trying to talk to a group of young hipsters.

I don't know. I'm absolutely broke most the time, so I really like the "pay what you want" model, like Amanda Palmer uses. To use her as an example, I got her album free when I couldn't afford it--she said to take it. And it balanced out, because people pay what they can afford. When I got money, I bought the album for the few dollars I had. This method probably wouldn't work as well for new artists, but it's worth thinking about. Kickstarter is great for all sorts of artists. I fully believe in supporting artists (I'm writing a novel I would like to be paid for one day) but I think there's other ways to do it than the traditional way.

I pass a private girl's high school on my way to community college, and I have to say it feels like a slap in the face. I have a job and work hard academically, but I'll never do as well as a mediocre student at that giant ass private school where they play polo all day, and they probably won't have to work in college, freeing up study time. I definitely understand what you're saying, and it's frustrating.

I'm going to a (pretty nice!) community college and it's STILL extremely expensive, and I'm only taking 15 credits this semester. Next year I'm transferring to a state school where I'll live with four other people, and it will STILL be really expensive. I'm hoping to be able to get an on campus job this semester so I can work without it interfering with my studies, but I don't know if I'll be able to get it. Point is, some of us are really trying out best, here, but it's still difficult to afford. I can only hope my degree will end up being worth it, but I think I'll need grad school to make it worth it. There's some more money being spent. I do have to say for any college students reading this, though, that payment plans help a LOT. See if your school has one.

...Which is a charity, despite what you believe. It's done far less harm than most aid charities, and has done quite a bit of good. And some of those criticisms, specifically those under "Education," are fairly subjective. Personally, as far as HIV/AIDs goes, I'd be more likely to donate to Elton John's foundation, which gives money to local projects that need it. It seems more "grassroots." But it isn't like shit isn't getting done at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

They also said people use it to "talk," whereas if people really wanted to see each others faces, they'd use Skype. It's really a pointless app. It's boring to use to talk, and people can take screenshots of sexy pics.

I have a 7" tablet and I disagree. I don't have to pay monthly for a phone because I can use Text+, it's smaller and more portable than a laptop, and the screen is the perfect size for eReading. I mostly watch youtube videos on mine because the screen is better than my laptop (yes I have a ~$250 youtube machine), but I know students who love them for school and artists who use them to draw. It all depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to code or write a novel, then the laptop is obviously the better choice.

I didn't have to look far. Just back a few pages. Bing search, too, if that makes much difference.

Wow, okay. Just did. Again. I didn't know. I guess that's what I get for just reading the blurb and not clicking the links/Googling...

He may be a wonderful person. I've heard little about him, and it's good that he's trying to fight corruption in government (good luck to him). But does anyone actually like McAfee Antivirus? I always think of it as something non tech-savvy parents and grandparents use.

Sorry for the late reply. That would also be a good plan, but I don't see how the current one is "off the path of liberty." It's no different than using Facebook for free in exchange for sending data to third parties, except that in this scenario you potentially have a job. Neither situation is ideal, but I fail to see how it's really harmful? Also, Coursera seems to be mostly "mass video lectures" and a few peer graded, short essays--not at all equivalent to a full course, in my opinion--but Udacity from what I understand has some fairly high quality course material.

A bit of privacy is sacrificed here, but I think it would be worth it in the long run: free education and possible job prospects? Sounds good, and it's a good way for MOOCs to make some money. The article said there would soon be charges for certificates, though the course will remain free. I can't see anyone paying for a certificate of completion for a non-accredited course. Is there any benefit to these certificates? Overall though, I love MOOCs.

Hm, tell me what to think when you switch. I was actually thinking of switching myself (or to Arch Linux, for obviously different reasons) but I wasn't sure it would even be worth the hassle. Ubuntu is pretty great.

How come people dying for games don't just run Linux and their Windows OS of choice on dual boot? I use Ubuntu for most things and Windows 7 for Dungeons and Dragons Online.