Worth the time and money? Depends I guess. I just got back from a week-long CS conference and I think it was definitely worth the time and money, but then I can well afford both. Some people have said that conferences are only for networking, ass-kissing etc. I think conferences CAN be valuable for meeting people and making making connections with others. This could help you professionally or academically in the future. But that isn't all. Personally I got a lot intellectually out of the conference I just attended. But I work in academia and have 3 degrees (2 graduate degrees). I met people I could see myself collaborating with in the future, and learned about areas of research I was not well-informed about. If you are an undergrad and not thinking about doing any graduate work, perhaps you could give it a miss. But if you are, or are thinking about doing graduate work I think it could definitely be good for you. You can also ask if there is a registration fee reduction for students or low-income cases.

There were threads about him with 1000+ Diggs *** AFTER *** the election, due to an interview with Keith Olberman (AFTER the election) where he appears to be several bricks short of a load. What does his becoming known after the election have to do with Alvin Green being unknown prior to voting in SC? Illogical argument.

Have you see this line (see the Amazon kindle listing): USB Port: USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) for connection to the Kindle power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer. That suggests to me that it can be charged with a computer or other USB charger (probably an iPod charger for example).

I have lived in Japan for the past decade. I think it is great that youtube and any other internet services are challanging the way things are done in Japan. For egalitarian reasons (?) the law says speeches are only broadcast on NHK - but in reality the way most of us hear about the politicians is from the damn sound trucks that set up outside of train stations and drive around neighborhoods. They have these vans outfitted with (VERY LOUD) loud speakers on the top of them, and often a place for an entourage to stand on the roof. There is often some woman with a bright, chirpy voice talking about the politician incessantly while he (or she) waves at everyone while wearing white gloves. (To show how 'pure' they are or some such shit.) I absolutely loath these people and this system. I have talked to many Japanese about them and everyone agrees they are annoying, but kind of shrug their shoulders and say 'what can you do'. That is the way things are done. These vans are often parked outside of big train stations but they also drive around neighborhoods (as one is doing right now while I am writing this) blaring their spin about the candidate over a wide swatch of a residential area. I would love it if youtube and Japanese web sites could change the way we get our information about candidates to lessen the noise polition and aggravation that are the norm today.