note: "champing at the bit"

see http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/champ

Oh, my other pet peeve: For oral communication, the word is pronounced "fort," not "for-tay." It's from the French, meaning strong; as in "être une forte personnalité" - to "come on strong."

Thank you for your kind attention. Please continue your fine work.

It's a rather simple equation. Apple did not sell him an iPhone; they sold him an iPhone for use on AT&T (read your sales contract, fella). If you choose to attempt to make changes in the phone, you have violated your warranty, and Apple bears no responsibility for what happens after that (incidental or consequential damage is a phrase that sounds familiar).

Someone who didn't hack it didn't have problems. Someone who did, ended up with a dead phone. So when Apple provides a system update, they should make sure they don't conflict with any non-standard software this gentle man loaded on the phone? Perhaps he'd like to bring a class action suit against Ford because they tuned his car to factory specs, but it blew up because he had secretly installed a different engine control module? That is the same as he's claiming.

As well, if he hacked it to activate a different mobile service, and didn't pay AT&T at the same time, he likely violated his sales contract, and is liable for damages to AT&T. And their lawyers have a lot more money than his.

You bricked it, you bought it.

Wow, staggering stupidity.

An analogue amp for a digital player. It must deliver incredibly warm, nonexistent overtones.

One quick caveat for you, Arpad. On a new vehicle, these could be used because the designers can adjust weight distribution for the change. But their rigid properties are still problematic. It would take an entirely new tire to compensate for that.

Actually, these are a form of ceramics, not what we normally consider plastics, which you confirm with the glass reinforcement. And this is my professional bailiwick. Steel belts were a great improvement because they mimic they better qualities of the rubber tires. Rigid glass makes rigid plastic more, uh, rigid. The benefit of using ceramics is the stability and rigidness of the material. Once it's fired (at temperatures exceeding 2,000 C) the molecules are locked in place. High performance brakes are made from (glass) ceramics, precisely because they won't warp at those extreme temperatures. But when they do fail, it's explosive, and the shards rip up the brake lines and engine compartment, often resulting in not-so-small fires. Multiply that by 10 or 20 times when the wheel fails. I don't want to be in the next lane when it happens to your car.

On a 3,000 pound car a change in weight of 60 to 100 pounds makes a great deal of difference in the balance of the vehicle. While few of us travel at speeds of 170mph, NASCAR drivers will move 10 and 20 pound weights inside their vehicles (I don't know if this applies to the new COT) as little as 10 inches to make a notable difference in handling. In the Northeast, everyday passenger vehicles toss one or two 25 pound bags of kitty litter in the trunk to improve handling in snow (we used to put in bricks, but the kitty litter also helps when you're stuck on the ice).

Now tear all the aerodynamics off the car (so it looks like your Impala or Avenger) and strip that 100 pounds away from around the shocks, strut, springs, and sway bars. At 70mph it makes a great difference. If you doubt the difference, run a quick lap around the back yard. Now, do it again holding a 15 or 20 pound weight on top of your head. To make it even more complete, replace your hightops with some wooden clogs. Your balance has completely changed, your ability to absorb and adjust to changes in the surface has disappeared, and you have to change the way you start. stop, and make turns.

There are places in vehicles where ceramics is a great idea, like brakes, valves, pulleys, pistons and more. Select early 2000 MBs had pistons as a "secret" pilot program. Not a single one failed and the wear was phenomenal. They're just too expensive to manufacture right now. But wheels is just not a good use.

That would be really cool if they'd add epaulets. It'd be the Members Only jacket for the 21st century!

Show of hands: Who still has one in their closet?

I'm proud to say I was (barely) cool enough to skip that fashion statement.

Another solution in search of a problem.

Metal wheels are superior, in part, because of its weight. These will screw up the balance of every vehicle on the road. God help the SUV driver with these. And let's see how well your 911 corners when you tires are pulling 1.2 g's and your 100 Grand car is now 200 pounds top-heavy.

Metal is also a better match for rubber tires, because it expands, contracts, is flexible, and can distort on impact. Rubber also distorts based on temperature, friction, and load. Plastic composites are incredibly stable, which means they can't adjust with the tires. They are also almost universally brittle - that doesn't mean they break easily; but when pushed past their limits it results in catastrophic failure. Not a great idea at 75mph.

...and after about 3 days of using the Command-click it becomes second nature (except saying "command" instead of "alt"). Plus, once used to it, you begin to appreciate the wide single button, and the lack of pain in your right thumb.

A patent? Didn't I have this in my 1984 Pontiac Fiero?

Damn, I miss that car...

Not to beat a dead, uh, steer, but how can a server OS that's already 4 years late be called "on track" by any stretch of the imagination?

And based on past performance, running WHS seems about as smart and secure as leaving your front door open and stacking your jewelry and stereo on the front steps.