There is no Federal moratorium on the collection of state retail sales and use taxes. The Federal moratorium is on Internet access fees.

I watched the Aussie version and found it painful. Near unbearable (as in the "What Were They Thinking") segments. It turns out I like the UK version just fine and occasionally watch it on BBCA. But what I want to watch is the first-runs of the UK version without any customization for the US.

Any compelling reason not to use Clone Drive (Virtual Sheep, http://www.elby.ch/fun/software/index.html)?

I think Tigh seeing Ellen is his accidental discovery of the Cylon's ability to "project" their surrounding.

Which makes me think there's little doubt now that Baltar is the final model.

Unfortunately, Google Maps won't do it, even if you manually try to re-route. It always tries to route you onto 50. Apparently this is a known issue (http://groups.google.com/group/Google-Maps-Troubleshooting/msg/058ba9b4a71068b3) and was even reported in the Post.

I would like it if Google Maps wasn't afraid to route me on 66 inside the Beltway in Northern Virginia. 66 is HOV only 6 hours of the weekday but Google won't send you on it ever. Live Maps has no such fears. I don't know how complicated it is to add time restriction flags to certain routes, but I hope they can tackle it at some point.

"The Spartans will certainly fight, whether reinforcements arrive or not."

I can think of two ways:

The post is about a technology which is a "simulation to make it seem as if two joggers from separate cities are actually slogging it out together." My original post describes a similar approach which allows you to interactively race against a "Virtual Partner."

My reply to you addresses the claim that my original post was thinly disguised marketing. While I was on the topic I address the portion of the post that reads "Or, indeed, a form of motivation that helps us -- no, forces us -- to start jogging in the first place" by explaining how the aforementioned device satisfies my need for exactly the motivation sought by the author.

This final reply is only loosely related to the topic of the post. However, I would share my experience that a threaded discussion facilitates this type of banter in a way that non-threaded discussions discourage replies and hence create an expectation of looseness with regards to the germaneness of comments.

I hope that this clarifies your confusion as to "what,if anything,your comments have to do with this post" though I would agree that the subtle satire used in my reply may have thrown the unobservant reader off track.

That's funny. Actually, I just cut-and-paste from http://www.garmin.com/products/forerunner201/ which is the third Google search result for "virtual partner garmin forerunner". So, I did use quotes but did not cite my source: my apologies. In fairness to you, I thought that my post would read "fishy" but I decided to post anyway. For further disclosure: I am a Garmin customer (Forerunner 301 and 205) but am not an employee, shareholder, nor did I receive any financial consideration for the copy-paste job above. I credit the Forerunner for keeping me interested in running, though. I started 3 years ago thanks to the metrics that I can keep track of using the device: "As an added benefit, you can analyze and store data from your workouts using free Garmin Training Center® software, which lets you analyze data with interactive graphs that chart your pace, time and distance. Overlay your run on a map so you can pinpoint specific areas and see how elevation and other factors affect your performance. Or, upload your workout data to MotionBased.com, Garmin's web-based application that provides in-depth analysis of your workouts, online mapping and route sharing that will take your training to the next level." (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=230) I believe I purchased both of my Forerunners from Provantage where the 205 is currently selling for $197 (only $28 less than what I paid for it in March of 2005). Google Product Search shows a bunch on sale for less at other stores. How's that for viral?

I use the Garmin Forerunner (205). The Forerunners have a mode called "Virtual Partner": "Use Forerunner’s unique training tool, Virtual Partner®, to help you meet your training goals. Simply enter the distance and time or pace/speed you want to maintain during your workout. Virtual Partner appears on the Forerunner as a tiny runner that "runs" alongside of you, displaying your goal pace compared to your current pace — so you can see at a glance whether you're keeping up or falling behind. To complete your workout and meet your goal, just stay ahead of the Virtual Partner."