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The Smithsonian is already 3D scanning things and sharing them with the public. This is an article from about 2 months ago, but I read a more recent article in the paper the other day..

http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/13/5100190/the-smithsonian-is-now-sharing-3d-scans-of-artifacts-with-the-public

Do you know why Apple has that stupid "whole screen slides to the side" unlock now? Because someone put a patent on "slide to unlock"

That wouldn't by any chance be, well, Apple.. would it?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/25/apple_unlock_patent/
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/10/3479550/apple-expands-patent-coverage-on-slide-to-unlock-feature

Though their effort to put it to legal use in Europe fizzled.
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/04/04/apples-slide-to-unlock-patent-invalidated-in-german-litigation

Sure, maybe somebody else popped up with some prior art (like, say, http://www.dailytech.com/Analysis+Neonode+Patented+SwipetoUnlock+3+Years+Before+Apple/article24046.htm ) - but forcing Apple to change theirs just as dozens of others were forced to abandon or pre-emptively stay away from the slide-to-unlock slider button type deal entirely for years seems like just deserts.

Of course it's a stupid patent no matter who 'owns' it, or any variant of it.

Xbox One: $499. Steambox One: also $499.

The main reason I don't have a PC near the TV is if it has to have the grunt to play new 3D games (or even h264 when it came out) then it has to be relatively expensive and have plenty of cooling.

Manufacturers of SteamOS PCs claim to have solved the cost and cooling problems. This preview of iBuyPower's Steam Machine guesses a price on par with that of the Xbox One.

Cooling doesn't have to be noisy. To be fair, my dual-core 3.2GHz Phenom II, GTX460 isn't the latest and greatest, but the TDP is up there and requires a decent amount of cooling. According to the sound meter on my phone (which is probably inaccurate), the noise level is 2-3dBA above ambient noise, sitting at my desk right next to the PC. Hard drive search noise is subjectively the most apparent, and it's still very mild due to vibration-damped mounting and could be solved completely by either using quiet laptop drives or SSDs. Heck, I'm even using the stock AMD CPU cooler, which is surprisingly quiet when you let the motherboard control its speed.

I make do with a well-designed case and some very quiet fans running at reduced voltage. Antec make some really nice cases for quiet computing, with layered panels, vibration-damped hard drive mounting etc., and I've found that BeQuiet! makes some of the best quiet fans that still provide good airflow.

Building a quiet yet decently-powered computer is not hard, you just have to start with the right components, and the case+fans+PSU are the most important by far. The case needs to be steel, relatively heavy to dampen vibrations, have multi-layered panels and soft rubber feet. It also needs to have space for large fans, the bigger the better. 120mm or even 140mm are prefereable, since they can still deliver good airflow when running at 7v instead of 12v for reduced noise. It also matters a lot to have the inside of the case as free of clutter as possible, the time taken to properly route cables really pays off in the end.

Fair enough in a lot of cases but I just don't buy the argument about electrical interference.

Laws that require hiring a bonded electrician to install HDMI, USB, or Ethernet likely exist as a safety (or safety theater) measure arising from the 115 or 220 volt (depending on region) AC lines in the walls.

The main reason I don't have a PC near the TV is if it has to have the grunt to play new 3D games (or even h264 when it came out) then it has to be relatively expensive and have plenty of cooling.

Manufacturers of SteamOS PCs claim to have solved the cost and cooling problems. This preview of iBuyPower's Steam Machine guesses a price on par with that of the Xbox One.

Fair question. How is rectangle with rounded edges patentable? http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/7/3614506/apple-patents-rectangle-with-rounded-corners

My suggestion too. But make sure that laptop runs linux before buying it (and don't get bricked like some samsung laptops, you are at risk even using only windows). And check that the hardware is supported even if you install Linux on it, some vendors don't (at least the local Samsung representative here don't give support/replace defective ones if you install something else).

And remember, all the antivirus that you put on it won't stop the backdoors that the NSA is installing on them. Installing Linux (reinstalling it if is one of the cases that come preinstalled) is a must if you care at all about your privacy or your data.

'They are doing this through software emulation. I'm not sure what kind of performance you can expect, but this is their way to try and bring more touch-based apps to the Windows ecosystem.'

More likely a pretext to extend the Microsoft Tax ..

The AARD never worked in a shipped version of Windows. Stop getting worked up.
And Netscape made plenty of big mistakes, including this one http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000069.html
Not to mention that the code was hugely bloated, that Mozilla Firefox is still trying to fix, after ~15 years. An OS that didn't ship with a browser would be laughed out of the market.

There are plenty of such stories about Apple or Google too, but they're not pushed like the MS ones seem to be.

For example, see how Google squashed Skyhook
http://www.theverge.com/2011/05/12/google-android-skyhook-lawsuit-motorola-samsung/

Aliyun and Acer prevented from launching a phone because of the secret rules of the "Open" Handset Alliance.
http://www.zdnet.com/cn/report-google-stops-acer-from-launching-aliyun-phone-in-china-7000004246/

Apple and the famed 30% cut of even sales from Apps, an example of how they used someone's OSS code in Safari and then banned them from the app store:
http://blog.readability.com/2011/02/an-open-letter-to-apple/

Yet you hate on MS and think of Google as a savior. Tell us, what is YOUR interest against Microsoft that you're spreading lies and FUD? The fact that your posts are modded up is the reason that Slashdot is losing readership as even the circlejerk echochamber gets bored with the same hating posts and posters.

Shoot anyone against it.

Also. The FCC is filled to the gills with politically well connected, revolving door sycophants there to do industry's bidding before jumping back on the gravy train. It's the poster child for a watchdog agency overrun and infested with regulatory saboteurs and common's-hating overpavers.

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/20/136492206/new-republic-the-fccs-revolving-door-is-shameless

http://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/search_result.php?agency=Federal+Communications+Commission&id=EIFCC

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62718-2004Nov19.html

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/30/business/la-fi-mo-powell-20130830

http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/20/3670940/michael-powell-fcc-chariman-cable-companies-mercy-contet

Not quite.

They denied a "secret contract" to incorporate a known flawed RNG into BSAFE.

They did NOT deny a secret contract to incorporate DRBG.

If they did not know, at the time they made the deal that the RNG was flawed, then they could truthfully claim they did not knowingly take money to incorporate a known flawed RNG.

The pedant in me would like them to categorically deny any link between the $10million and incorporating Dual EC DBRG.

They didn't actually do that.

Given just how much scrutiny they KNEW their statement would be put under; and the fact that their lawyers would have reviewed the thing before it going up, it is striking that so many news sources are identifying it as a dodge rather than a head o denial.

Here's another article...

http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/23/5237788/rsa-nsa-backdoor-non-denial

Its hard to believe, again, given just how much scrutiny they KNEW their statement would be under, that the lack of certainty was anything but calculated.

This is more like if the NSA misled the FISA courts

Sorry, NSA did lie to the Congress.

NSA's director James Clapper, when testified, under oath, to the Congressional Oversight Committee, LIED.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/19/5228672/lawmakers-slam-intelligence-chief-james-clapper-for-lying-to-congress

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/18/rand-paul-clapper-lying-nsa-surveillance?guni=Network%20front:network-front%20main-3%20Main%20trailblock:Network%20front%20-%20main%20trailblock:Position2:sublinks

Stuffing the channel? I don't hear stories about huge write downs. If anything Nokia was supply constrained most of the year on most models.

The number sold isn't that small. That's the point, the number sold is larger than BlackBerry at its height.

They are making progress - but 8.8 million windows phone sales is not "larger than Blackberry at its height". http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/29/5041666/nokia-lumia-sales-q3-2013 Blackberry's top was http://aaplinvestors.net/stats/iphone/bbvsiphone/ . Revenue wise - ASP is falling for lumia and is well below what Blackberry was dosing. Lumia is making headway against the low end android market.

Thought it was going to get banned like Aliyun because of the stories below.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/14/3335204/google-statement-acer-smartphone-launch-aliyun-android

http://www.theverge.com/2011/05/12/google-android-skyhook-lawsuit-motorola-samsung/

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/3/

Anyone know if Jolla phones are banned from being made by the Android OEMs because they're using a third party jvm for compatibility?

Yes, the terms of the OHA prohibit OEMs that ship Android phones from making "Android compatible" phones.

But Oppo is shipping an Android phone, so it's not an issue. If Oppo were to ship an Aliyun phone or a Jolla phone, they too will get a phone call reminding them of their legal commitment to not make a phone that does not run Android but can run Android apps. (So you can make a phone running your own OS, as long as it does NOT run Android apps).

Yes, it's CyanogenMod, but it's still Android in the end. That's perfectly allowed. In fact, Cyanogen is the only one allowed to distribute Gapps outside of Google.

Though, this makes the Blackberry announcement interesting - since Foxconn makes a lot of Android phones for others - are they going to be harassed for making Blackberry phones since those can run Android apps that are not Android?

Thought it was going to get banned like Aliyun because of the stories below.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/14/3335204/google-statement-acer-smartphone-launch-aliyun-android

http://www.theverge.com/2011/05/12/google-android-skyhook-lawsuit-motorola-samsung/

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/3/

Anyone know if Jolla phones are banned from being made by the Android OEMs because they're using a third party jvm for compatibility?

Yes, the terms of the OHA prohibit OEMs that ship Android phones from making "Android compatible" phones.

But Oppo is shipping an Android phone, so it's not an issue. If Oppo were to ship an Aliyun phone or a Jolla phone, they too will get a phone call reminding them of their legal commitment to not make a phone that does not run Android but can run Android apps. (So you can make a phone running your own OS, as long as it does NOT run Android apps).

Yes, it's CyanogenMod, but it's still Android in the end. That's perfectly allowed. In fact, Cyanogen is the only one allowed to distribute Gapps outside of Google.

Though, this makes the Blackberry announcement interesting - since Foxconn makes a lot of Android phones for others - are they going to be harassed for making Blackberry phones since those can run Android apps that are not Android?

Thought it was going to get banned like Aliyun because of the stories below.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/14/3335204/google-statement-acer-smartphone-launch-aliyun-android

http://www.theverge.com/2011/05/12/google-android-skyhook-lawsuit-motorola-samsung/

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/3/

Anyone know if Jolla phones are banned from being made by the Android OEMs because they're using a third party jvm for compatibility?

Thought it was going to get banned like Aliyun because of the stories below.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/14/3335204/google-statement-acer-smartphone-launch-aliyun-android

http://www.theverge.com/2011/05/12/google-android-skyhook-lawsuit-motorola-samsung/

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/3/

Anyone know if Jolla phones are banned from being made by the Android OEMs because they're using a third party jvm for compatibility?

and finally the 'Microsoft tax'

The article is about the lack thereof, unless you're referring to some patent royalty.

Valve is gonna have is the same problem 3DO did.

But not quite so much because the other console makers have caught up in price. The first commercial Steambox will cost $500, the same as an Xbox One. Hopefully by then, Radeon drivers for SteamOS will have caught up.

but since Valve isn't making the hardware they're not _subsidizing_ the hardware.

If an operating system is a component of a computer system, then Valve is subsidizing development of this component.

Everyone is claiming that if you were within 3 feet of the Cobalt-60, you would be dead within 30 seconds or within an hour. How come the guys who stole the Cobalt-60 and opened the box are still alive? Lots of doom and gloom but the thieves are still alive days after and none appear in grave danger.

I will not be surprised at all if Tata emerges as the "Knight in the shining armor" rescuing Nokia from the grab of the "dirty Microsoft".

Nokia knows that as well, and are hoping it will happen.

That's why they're hastily developing an Android phone range that'll at least allow them some cash flow while they extricate themselves from the market-share draining clutches of WinPhone.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/10/5197746/nokia-android-phone-normandy

Why can't my washing machine/dryer/microwave send my cellphone an alert when it's done and I'm in another room?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samsung.washer&hl=en

Why can't I turn on the lights at home from the grocery store so I don't have to carry my groceries in while it's dark?

http://www.smarthome.com/android_apps.html

Why can't I turn on the jacuzzi during a rough day at work so it's ready when I get home?

http://www.balboawatergroup.com/iphone-Application

Why can't my DVD player turn off my lights and close my blinds when it's time to watch a movie and then turn the lights back on when I pause it to get a drink?

DVD player? What decade are you living in?
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_MEDIAPORTAL_1/15_Customization/Home_Automation

Why can't my refrigerator detect what's in it and suggest recipes and tell me what's expired?

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50364798/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

Why can't I check to see if I forgot to turn the stove off after I left the house?

http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/22/2816405/samsung-smart-oven-android-app-control

Why can't my sprinklers check the weather forcast and put off watering if it's supposed to rain?

http://gigaom.com/2013/10/10/smart-lawn-sprinklers-cut-down-on-water-waste/

Why can't my blinds and windows automatically open and close to regulate the temperature in the house?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_glass

Are there any other inventions of the past 20 years that you missed and want me to google for you? Or do you think you've got it now? Tech tip: Put the world "Smart" in front of whichever thing you're looking for in your search and generally the first link will be the one you want.

Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? I think that might be the big one. Remember he/they own almost 3/4's of all the bitcoins mined

There are over 12 million Bitcoins in circulation. The estimates I have found for Nakamoto indicate about 1 million Bitcoins., though others have come up with as much as 1.5 million. Either way, that's obviously far from three quarters.

As for your first question, an interesting recent theory is Nick Szabo.

The Steam Machines Valve will be selling aren't consoles under lock and key, they're just PCs with a form factor more fitting for a living room.

Valve is also selling a very limited number of Steam Machines. Other manufacturers, such as iBuyPower, will be selling Steam OS devices to the public. Is there evidence either way as to whether these will let the user install and run X11/Linux games obtained other than through Steam, such as free software and other games that one can get without charge in a typical X11/Linux distro?

SteamOS is supposed to have the ability to stream Windows games from a running Windows box with Steam installed as well.

But does this include games that were obtained other than through Steam? Say I'm developing a game, and it isn't quite far enough along for me to seek Greenlight approval. Will I be able to stream daily builds?

Found one.
They are also not without flaws;

So back to StarChase, this "revolutionary" GPS launching system: It has some flaws. The cannon costs $5,000 and the non-reusable GPS "bullets" cost $500 each. During a recent media demonstration, four sticky bullets were fired at a car, but only one of them stayed stuck.

That was under good conditions. It is a good idea but not very practical.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/19/5122290/small-empires-010-squarespace-video

They used a raised platform and even put some rope lighting underneath around the edges. Looks great and would give you a way to run cables underneath to the workstations.

So games are your argument. For one thing, an Eee PC has the Intel "Graphics My Ass" integrated GPU that isn't really intended for heavyweight 3D gaming, and Wine runs a lot of the 2D games. For another, Wine isn't needed for any game that is ported to Linux, and once the Steambox One ships next year, video game publishers that want money will commission Linux ports.

The Verge has posted a hands on with Jolla. It's not good news:

Yes, it sounds very reminiscent of the Nokia N9, but in practice it's highly unintuitive and unwieldy to the point where the entire UI paradigm can be considered broken. Screen transitions and in-app animations go from left to right, inviting the user to swipe from right to left to go back, but thatâ(TM)s not how youâ(TM)re supposed to do it. A notification pops down from the top of the screen, but if you try to swipe down to view it, you're liable to unintentionally close your current app, or more annoyingly, lock the entire phone. Then there's the fact that a swipe from the middle of the screen produces a different result than a swipe from the edge. It all adds up to a frustrating learning experience. The user is forced to adapt around the operating system rather than the other way around.

All the effort of adapting to Jolla might be worth it if the device offered some unique advantage over others on the smartphone market, but it doesn't. The only standout quality it has is the goodwill of old Nokia loyalists and those who like to support grassroots projects. Unfortunately, there just isn't a very good smartphone here, and that's what you need if you intend to compete with behemoths like Google, whose Nexus 5 is a startlingly good value at 70 euros less.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/29/5156446/jolla-smartphone-hands-on-preview

It does read like an advertisement, but it is one that, as a parent, I want to read.

I fully want this in the cars my kids drive in a few years. I recall very well my driving habits when I was 16, and they were terrible.

If my kids don't want this, they can buy their own cars and pay their own insurance. If they want to drive my cars... well... :)

Welcome to Daddy, "a.k.a. Big Brother". :)

GM and Verizon Wireless are already on the second generation of their OBD II dongle that offers the services LoJack is promising.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/7/3845570/delphi-verizon-car-connect-remotely-unlocks-cars Realtime location map, geofencing alerts, alerts when the vehicle exceeds a certain speed and what's probably equally handy - the app on your smartphone can double as an extra key fob in case they lock their keys inside.

What a strange reply. As far as bang for one's buck goes, the US healthcare system is severely lagging and pretty much everyone knows this. Perhaps you should go back and read what he had to say instead of spouting nonsense about the need for facts without providing any.

The main reason why many OEMs don't do that, is that if they do, the no-evil company turns into an Oracle-Microsoft hircocervus and will strong-arm them into desisting, leveraging their market power and technical leadership.

Likewise, Russia won't do it, as they've got crime syndicates taking advantage. It's up to countries like Brazil and India to speak out about these things..

Because Brazil is crime free and doesn't spy? I expect that India is similarly virtuous.

No, because Brazil and India have more to gain than they do to lose. And we already had that debate regarding Brazil, cold fjord... If I peek over the cubicle wall to see what my co-worker is up to, that's not the same type of spying as comprehensive meta-surveillance. Likewise, the oranges from Brazil aren't the same as the rotten apples from the US. First clue: Brazil announced what they were doing publicly, NSA lied to congress about what they were up to and have had a steady program of misleading information and character assassination ever since. If Brazil was able to openly admit to what they were doing, I'd trust them to speak out about what other countries are doing too.

Likewise, Russia won't do it, as they've got crime syndicates taking advantage. It's up to countries like Brazil and India to speak out about these things..

Because Brazil is crime free and doesn't spy? I expect that India is similarly virtuous.

This blog spam quotes The Verge's Report from a Blog post from Google which is summaried in this post on slashdot...

How much info is summarized from google? 3 sentences:

1) Google and HP are pausing sales of the HP Chromebook 11 after receiving a small number of user reports that some chargers included with the device have been damaged due to overheating during use.
2) We are working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to identify the appropriate corrective action, and will provide additional information and instructions as soon as we can.
3) In the meantime, customers who have purchased an HP Chromebook 11 should not use the original charger provided with the product.

Something the EPA should look at is huge health (bill) implication for veterans exposed to dense acrid smoke from open-air burn pits on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is a seriously appalling way to run garbage disposal: 10 acre open pit fires going 24/7 burning all camp waste.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/28/4771164/the-next-agent-orange-why-burn-pits-are-making-soldiers-sick

Those patents are a complete failure. There is nothing to watch out. Motorola even got sanctioned for patent trolling.

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2013/09/06/apple-google-motorola-patent-troll/

Motorola continues to lose billions.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsky/2013/04/30/motorola-googles-12-billion-road-to-nowhere/

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/21/4853808/google-motorola-losses-moto-x

While you might have been joking, they have been caught trying. http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/29/5045076/russia-denies-using-poisoned-flash-drives-to-spy-on-g20-attendees

Possibly: http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/17/4850738/nexus-5-google-play-store-price

Secret program approved by secret courts run by a guy who has no qualms about lying under oath. Sorry but your credibility will only return once you get rid of FISA courts and replace yourself with someone who doesn't consider people who disagree with mass surveillance as being filthy, disobedient children. Massive ass that you are. And yes, he did make that comparison.

There is none, because there's nothing the Lightning connector can do that USB cannot

I have no devices with a lightning connector, so I might be wrong here. I am by no means an expert on such things. My understanding, though, is that the lightning connector is reversible. It also appears to be more durable (on solid piece) and redundant (if the contacts fail on one side, flip it over). You also assume that 12 watts is the upper limit, but only Apple knows this. The point is that a device with 12 watts will charge quite a bit faster than a device with 9 watts. Most importantly, the lightning connector appears to support USB 3.0 with the same form factor (though this is not confirmed, but it has 9 pins so it should work). USB 3.0 requires 10 pins (though two of those are ground so really 9 pins) - the micro USB 3.0 connector is a ungodly thing... have you seen it? Take a gander: it is a USB 2.0 plug with another plug right along side of it. It has the advantage of being backward-compatible, but at the cost of being almost as wide as a full sized USB connector. I don't know how anyone could look at that thing and not be envious of the lightning connector.

12v through any data cable to a phone would make the copper so hot that it would melt though it's plastic protection in a few seconds, short, and blow the socket.

With all due respect, you shouldn't be telling me that I don't know what I'm talking about. Higher voltage will let you run lower currents, which will reduce heat. V=I*R and P=R*I^2, which also gives us P = V*I. The heat of the wire/connector is proportional to the current, not the voltage. So I can get 12 watts with 2.4 amps at 5 V or 12 watts with only 1 amp at 12 volts. Thus, higher voltage will increase the power capacity of the wire without inducing more heat.

And immediately afterwards Google updated their policies to clarify that personal servers were allowed. Non-commercial VPN is explicitly allowed.

Maybe they can blame their buggy copiers. Didn't this used to be a quality company?

I hate to say it, but in the world of end-user apps, Javascript won. (Note that I'm not talking about niche applications like 3D rendering or server software.) And I write this as a committed Mac and iOS developer. Moore's Law and improved JS compilers have made Javascript responsive enough for 99.9% of applications. Native end-user apps will stumble along for a while, but they're walking dead.

There are no more technological hurdles for Javascript to overcome. The payment model is the last nut to crack. Firefox is working on that. Maybe it'll take a bigger player to make it happen. But make no mistake: it will happen. It'll happen because it's cheaper to pay one development team that can deploy to every device.

As recently as last year, Facebook moved away from mobile to native, but that move already looks amazingly dated. Since Facebook moved from "HTML5" to native ObjC, Apple released the iPhone 5, which was over twice as fast as the 4s, and then the 5s, which is about twice as fast as the 5. The Javascript version of Facebook may have felt unresponsive on an iPhone 4 or 4S, but those days are history.

A lot of people may be reading this and thinking "yeah, yeah, people have been talking about 'write once, run anywhere' for decades." They're right—we've been staring at the oncoming freight train for decades, and now it's finally here. If you write end-user apps and you're not polishing your Javascript right now, that train will roll right over you.

The only way to get even less window space in relation to interior volume would be to design it as a sphere. Even a borg cube would have more windows.

May I suggest a modest design improvement: dig a canal to the bay and moor Steve Job's equally iconic and ugly yacht right in the center of the frisbee ring. The point is so nobody forgets him, right?

If you go to The Verge and look at their "coverage" of this by Nilay, it comes across as a massive advertisement, too. It's a long glowing article and then the video accompanying it has the author in many locations all shot beautifully on high quality cameras with great lighting, including two places that are clearly in the offices of the company, where they throw a couple softball "here's where you read the part of the script about how awesome you and your company are" pieces. The whole thing came across from beginning to end like a giant paid-for puff piece. Just like when you watch your local news and they're doing some "big story" that is really just a promotion for some show or movie that the network affiliate is involved in.

The only places it wavered at all was at the very last few seconds of the five or six FIVE MINUTE video and then somewhere later in the *comment* section where the author mentions to a reader that Amazon has a nice fire alarm for $31.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/8/4790896/nest-protect-smoke-detector

Of course, there are no questions raised in the comments about it seeming like a giant ball-sucking advertisement, because VOX doesn't put up with that shit and deletes anything questioning VOX Media properties fucking swiftly.

Of course, maybe it's not a paid-for piece . . . in which case -- jesus christ, what is with the long suck-up article and video? You'd think it was Nest Inc talking about a Nest Inc product in Nest Inc Magazine.

Onward with the criminalization of American society! First the Attorney General went after "astroturfing": http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/09/new_york_attorn_2.php (does he realize that the vast majority of product reviews on Amazon are fake?); and now he's cracking down on the "sharing" economy to reestablish social and economic order. He should join forces with the Manhattan district attorney, who has been inventing new and interesting ways of criminalizing satire under New York's "fraud" statutes (forgery, identity theft, etc.). See the documentation of two exemplary cases at: http://raphaelgolbtrial.wordpress.com/ and http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/2/3718094/street-artist-nypd-drone-posters-arrested-surveillance

The Verge thought it was shit too

"Google is building Chrome OS straight into Windows 8" http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/5/4806562/google-building-chrome-os-into-windows-8#main_comment_form

Samsung has been known to be unusually corrupt, even for Korea, for quite a while. Here are some links to discussions about it

http://lanle.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/book-on-samsung-divides-korea/
http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/30/3709688/samsung-25-years-lee-kun-hee

I forgot the link showing the initial rollout will only be 300Mbps.

They've already started.