Still, depressing. I use software that's at version 8.1 (soon to be 9.0), and with a free conversion application is backwards-compatible to version 5.0. If that can have backwards-compatibility back 4 major releases, why can't Apple do the same 2 versions back?

...I don't see how writing a sci-fi that takes place in the US Air Force, rather than coming up with an entirely new division of the government with its own rules and regulations which doesn't exist (even though that has no bearing on the story itself), is ass-kissing. It just sounds like efficient writing to me.

I've had a Square account and reader since they first started up, back when they gave out their readers free. Sadly, I haven't been productive enough to start my web-design business like I'd planned (the reason I got the reader in the first place), so my Square has been occupying a small space in a desk drawer and…

Really? The iPhone 3G no longer receives OS updates?

Clearly, you overestimate the ability of humans to realize that they're being stupid...I don't think talking to an operator or lack thereof will change the amount of stupid reports. When people call up 911 and say, to an operator, "This man didn't give me the chicken nuggets I ordered. Arrest him," the stupidity far…

Mmm....gelled seaweed thickner... actually, I imagine it would be tasteless on its own. But, like you, I've only ever seen pure agar used for bacterial cultures, so I haven't had a chance to eat it alone :P .

I know! It's in everything, from the meat on your grill to the water in your...oh. Nevermind. xD

A jailbreak tweak to counteract the actions of one app? Maybe, but I don't see the motivation for the devs, unless they had personal gains from it...there's your answer. Sext ALL the devs until they make an app condom!

Love this! In fact, my nephew's nickname has always been "squishy" because of this scene (and because he, like all babies, had baby fat that made him squishy). It then bled into my niece, who's known in our family as "squishette". Collectively, they are the "squishes". Not even joking.

It's not the DoD's job to write the comics/movies. It's the writers' job. The government's role in this is merely to explain how things would work to the writers once they've decided where SHIELD fits into everything. They never decided, so the government couldn't consult.

Because the US went 8 years with a leader who constantly made up words and muddled common phrases? Yeah, I lament that as well. But, like Bush Jr., I believe that one day humans and fish will coexist peacefully...

Interactions certainly don't require mass. They only require force carriers—that is, particles that interact with other particles (i.e. change their energy in some way when in proximity). When you push an object forward (for example, a ball), it's not the mass that's pushing the ball. Instead, it's the electromagnetic…

Is that what SHIELD is? Sources?

I think his choice of the word "unreality" is just poor diction. It's more that they didn't know where the governmental lines were drawn around SHIELD (and apparently, neither does Marvel or its fans), so trying to consult about these lines wasn't going to work.

Duuudddee....I don't 'get' this character, you know? I mean....WHY is Loki being a dick? And why do we care? For God's sake, what the hell does the Hulk even have to do with any of it? It doesn't make sense, maaaannnn. I'm leaving...and completely sober, duudde...

Nope, with Stargate, it was always clear that they were a division of the United States Air Force. No muddled lines to worry about.

I think it's more that they nitpicked about whether (1) SHIELD answers to the US Military, (2) the US Military answers to SHIELD, (3) SHIELD is an international organization, or (4) SHIELD is an independent organization outside of all government control.

Yes. It's the quality of being unreal. It's in the OED, and has been in recorded use since at least 1751. [oed.com]

I can't respond to Flaeor's comment because it's too short (damn you, Gizmodo!), so I'm replying to my own comment to reply to his. Awkward.

So..."we don't know if we control SHIELD or if SHIELD controls us or if we and SHIELD are independent, so we can't even let your movie show SHIELD teaming with us"? Hm. A bit insecure, isn't it?