say what? a hojillion comments?

RE: "gratis" software. Excellent use of the word. I will use this word when I have to distinguish between "gratis" and "free" software. Frankly, no one's going to use the word "libre" when talking about software.

Hmmm, what they're doing has to be some sort of illegal. Does anyone else think they're posturing like this: "As a result of these developments, we are no longer interested in acquiring SanDisk at $26/share, (but we'll take $12 a share, which might be the value of your stock after reminding your investors of all the "bad" moves you've made recently.)"?

A blurry shrubbery!

I've been looking for a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo like that for a while. That's all I would buy myself.

I think this a good idea, because it's *optional* and can be used at the parents' discretion. Personally, I support the lowered radio volumes, mandated seatbelts, and limits on driving speeds. It could save a kid's life while they're still getting used to driving responsibly. To those who are saying that kids are likely to "binge" on irresponsibility once given the regular keys, it all depends on the parents' ability to communicate the reasons for giving them full driving privileges in the first place. I'd probably give my kids the dumb keys for 6-12 months, and then, if they had proven themselves, I'd tell them that I expect them to handle themselves responsibly when behind the wheel. One of my priorities when I have kids is that they trust me, and know that the reasoning for my decisions is not arbitrary.

I think people attacking the hypothetical parents who haven't raised their kids to trust them are missing the point. Sure if you are overbearing your kid will reject your protections and want to rebel, but there's no reason to assume that most parents are that way. This is a tool, to be used responsibly, or irresponsibly. The effects of its use will follow directly from the way it is employed.

Um, fwiw, I first read "Modder adds codpiece to binoculars, bill belichick seems interested."

I didn't quite know what to make of that until I read it again.

Yes! They DO make drool-worthy laptops. And they have been for years. At least they're thin and well-designed. Kinda funny, though, because now the bar has been raised so much as far as general design, and they're just entering the laptop market. Hell, even Dell is putting out some nice laptops. I personally am not so much a spec-whore, so I don't really know if they're all that great from that perspective.

I'd take it with me to type up reports for school, because I would actually carry a UMPC with me, unlike a normal-sized laptop.

sorry, i know i'm going to catch a lot of flak for this, but i'm sad to see such tacky crap come out of east asia in general, imitating western trends. i know we make enough tacky crap ourselves stateside, but i wish the chinese would take a little more pride in their rich history. maybe it's just because i know more chinese youths than elderly, but sorta like the american youth, they are completely lost in the sea of material goods that commercial purveyors want them to want.

i know this is a very strong generalization, but i have to say it. i think it's sad to see the effects of western cultural and economic hegemony on other cultures. the one small difference between our crap and theirs is we tend to incorporate small facets of our culture in our products, whereas (as i see it,) the consumer-oriented machine in (specifically east asia) seems to have no grounding in anything but glitz, and trying to one-up the next guy in the aspects we are told are desirable by those who sell their wares.