It might be useful to clarify that Apple Might Let You Use Face ID With a Mask Without an Apple Watch in the Next iOS Update. For anyone that doesn't know if you are wearing a paired, unlocked, apple watch Face ID will unlock an iPhone while the user is wearing a mask.

I'm running the Toshiba DT01ACA300 drives mentioned in the report, not had a single one fail over several years of usage. Compare that to the Seagate ST3000DM001, also in that report, I had 10 of them at one point, and over 4 years 90% of them failed (not counting those replaced in the first year under warranty!). They report a nearly 30% failure rate, which is comparable to my experience. Only one Seagate left, and I expect that will be gone within the year (it's got a hot spare waiting to take over when it does).

My Toshiba drives (and a couple of HGST HDS5C3030ALA630, which became the DT01ACA300 Toshibas after the plant transfer to Toshiba) were installed as the Seagates died, have up to 27,700 power on hours (3+ years), and so far flawless reliability. They don't look so reliable in their report, but the failure rate they report is low enough that its not unexpected that I wouldn't have seen one die yet.

I had sworn off Seagates, but it looks like it may have just been one bad model. Useful to see these sort of numbers released as it's helped to remind me not to so easily write off the entire companies drives. Having said that, that specific drive is still available in the retail channel but I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

Might be the only way to stop the Met Police thinking they have jurisdiction over the entire country. Then again, they seem to think national borders don't apply to them either for "intellectual property" enforcement, so maybe not.

Exactly right. I'm a Scot who voted no at the last referendum, my decision was never in doubt, and I'm fed up with all the calls to repeat the referendum again. This said the UK exiting the EU would make me strongly reconsider my No vote, and I'd probably support having a new referendum whatever my eventual decision on my vote.

I'm more worried about some lowlife turning one on the police helicopter.

Eric Frank Russell, Fredric Brown, Keith Laumer (Retief in particular), Jame Tiptree Jr, H. Beam Piper. Basically plunder all the free ebook sites for classic/pulp - there's a lot of good stuff there and I even quite like the not so good :-)

I refer my learned friend to the answer given in Arkell v. Pressdram.
There are many hits on google but this is a nice uncluttered version.

(For those who are unaware Pressdram is the publisher/company name of Private Eye, a long running UK satirical magazine which is often sued and Arkell V Pressdram is frequently referred to in its pages)

I keep thinking of SCO v Novell for some reason, can't think why...

I realise it's not for my benefit. The first time it popped up I thought it was a phishing site, but they're not normally as amateur. It wanted me to phone up and give my card details over a number I'd never heard of. An the Master card one is as inept. I rarely use either of those cards so it's not a problem.
I have also considered the use of the disposable cards you can buy - they're pre-paid but act like a normal card. Some companies used to allow you to create one-shot 'cards' so you only deal with a known institution.

Mostly I only buy from a few sites or small amounts via paypal (which I haven't confirmed/whatever so the exposure is low)

I'm even happier at the coalition then. I'm not really a fan of coalitions but this one may work - keeping the looney LibDem Left and the ranting Conservative right under control and working on a sane(?) middle ground. Laws is seriously impressive, as are Gove, IDS and Hague. I'm not too sure about Clegg/Cameron but if they leave the others to do their jobs that's probably enough. Just ditch Cable asap.

I think we may have the least worst option really. I just think everybody should be aware that their vote is in theory traceable.
<JOKE> You could have used the ID card to prevent fraud... </JOKE>

The real worry would have been elecronic voting - use your ID card to vote and have it recorded in a database for future reference: "Sorry officer, what did I do wrong? Well, yes I did vote Green when I was 20....."

I wouldn't give Clegg and the Lib Dems all the credit - this lot was in the Conservative manifesto and would have happened if Cameron had won a majority. The only people against all of your list (I think, not sure about some of the smaller parties) were Labour.

Yes, they're having a database of foreign nationals but not of UK residents/citizens/subjetcs. The National Identity Register is going.

From the bbc: "Once the cards are illegal, the National Identity Register will be "physically destroyed", say ministers."

So they are getting rid of the database too, which is the more important thing, but the combination of card and database was the really bad news.

I realised your lack of expertise (or thought) from the rest of your post. As for educating you, I'm sure others will help me out here...

You're doing better than me, I need several userids and passwords - Verrified by Visa and the Mastercard equivalents or paypal spring to mind. And please tell me that you really expect to replace coins and keys with an ID card. These things would soon have been cloned you realise. And how are you going to get mulinational phone companies to use a national ID card as a sim? And how often do you need to worry about your sim card(s)? As you don't have any privacy concerns please tell us you name, d.o.b. address and bank account details - or did you miss Jeremy Clarksons little cock up by doing this? The Bank Of England doesn't have all my wealth, no one institution does. Does Germany also have the Big Brother database that was going to go with these useless cards?

They have a miserably small effect on crime solving at present, and I'm sure the rest would have been great for the Staasi. You should consider the possible unintended conseauences as well as the stated aim. The fact that it is possible to identify how anybody voted in UK General Elections also makes me unhappy, or did you not realise that the ballot papers are traceable?

The trouble is these things normally tend to happen, laws get applied more loosely than may have been intended: 'sus', 'stop and search'. and the unlwaful harrasing of phorographers (stretching some 'anti-terror' legislation). Someone one descibed Jack Straw (as Home Secretary) as too right wing for Mrs Thatchers government. Another oft-quoted saying is that Labour do what the Police tell them and the Tories tell the Police what to do. Look at the number of laws passed in the last 13 years which can result in imprisonment and read the 'Great Repeal' bill just announced - and be grateful we know have a Con/Dem coalition. I hope they are looking at Detention Orders too.

It won't be unconstitutional without a written constitution, it would probably be illegal though. Who watches the watchers? Try Googling for 'sousveillance' or looking into some of Mark Thomas stuff - there was a brilliant radio show where he was highlighting the absurdity of the Labour Governents legislation on demonstrating in Westminster where he got permits from the police (as required) for a large number of different demos on the same day in slightly different places, including one to try and sack the police Superintendent in charge of permits - who thought the whole thing was brilliant. Mark Thomas also wrote a book on the arms trade and supplying regimes with the means to suppress and torture dissidents called "As Used On The Famous Nelson Mandela", and has done lots of interesting TV stuff too. Thomas and I are at opposite(ish) ends of the politial spectrum, I'd label him as a raving lefty and I'm a liberal conservative but I agree with him on most of what he campaigns about - civil liberties, freedom, safety and so on.