The new organized crime. Now with databases!

Shades of Blade Runner.

Actually, Ted is probably right.

At least for most people in the U.S., if the grocery closed people would starve to death. They have no idea where food comes from or how to prepare (grow or kill/clean) it.

In urban and even many suburban areas, the number of people that simply never cook (at all; all meals eaten out or delivered) is astounding. The groceries could stay open, and these folks would still starve if the fast food places closed.

As far as "global warming", people have a hard time understanding it, and why only a few degrees is a big deal. If you consider the Earth as a closed system raising the global average temperature means that you are adding energy to the system. A planet-wide average temperature change of just a few degrees is a mind-bogglingly huge amount of energy.

That energy has to go somewhere, and it can't leave as fast as it's coming in. The result is wind and storms and shifting weather patterns. Deserts where there used to be arable land. Ice where there wasn't any. Melted permafrost where glaciers used to be. It's sort of like turning on the blender - everything gets shaken up.

The problem is that while there are likely to still be plenty of habitable places in the world and new places to grow crops, there's a problem. We divide the land politically. Everyone in the U.S. can't just move to another country where conditions are nicer (or the other way around).

I don't know why they make this topic so complex; it's not difficult to understand. By obfuscating it, people are turning off, thinking the problem doesn't exist or will just "go away".

The eyes (when blinking) and the mouth (when smiling, parted) are not right. I suspect that those are the only actual CGI portion of these images.

Intentional Streisand Effect?

"If you're going to meddle in politics, do it skillfully enough not to get caught."

With no penalty, there's no disincentive for misbehaving. There actually an incentive, as there's nothing to lose. If all the FCC does is a "do over" - performing rework on the public dime - they are not doing their jobs.

The thing that struck me as I looked at these photos, is that science fiction devices, like starships, seem trivially simple compared to the reality of these complex machines. They're beautiful!

Before the Internet, I used was various BBS. There was as much creation as there was consumption. I'd say a much higher ratio than today.

BBS started interconnecting (FIDO). Not long after that, "the Internet" started to become generally available (I got access through work). It was email (connecting multiple proprietary systems: ATTMail, Compuserve, etc.), telnet usenet, ftp, finger mostly.

In the early to mid 90's, Mosaic ("the Web") became available. The first version I used was text only with links. Pictures followed quickly.

New users seemed fascinated by the web (still are), and except for email, ignored pretty much everything else.

Social networking? Anyone here old enough to remember the Internet Oracle? There was some great stuff in there (both funny and sad).

We've been buying our glasses from Zenni Optical (5 pair now). They are cheap, fast, and our optician says the prescription is correct. In fact, he said as long as we were willing to wait a little longer to get the glasses, we were better off getting them online. We've been happy, and you can't beat the price.

OOPS

Orbital Object Pulverizer for Satellites

People still shop at malls? Why? Is it the decor? The junk food court? Paying 50% more for everything?

Chased out of the mall by a security guard? It's for your own good.

RugerRedhawk: OK, you're sexist.

The only reason you see a difference, is because you've been culturally trained to consider women the weaker sex. As a result, inappropriate sexual behavior by women can be ignored; after all, they're just women. Men on the other hand are perceived to be in power, so inappropriate sexual behavior is also an abuse of that position.

If you consider men and women to be equal, the inappropriate behavior should be treated the same. As much as we like to think otherwise, we are a long way from accepting that perspective.

I use this handy device:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16812232002

However, popping the cover off the drive and bending the platters with a plier work for those that won't be recycled (old sub-2GB drives).

DRM is the snake oil of the 21st century. It simply takes advantage of those that don't know any better. It should be illegal, but since most legislators are also local snake oil distributors...