To each his own, but unplugging the cable modem seems a bit like overkill. Turn off the computer if you want, but really, how much discipline does it take to not turn it back on? Not to mention there are a variety of things in most homes that use the cable modem whether or not humans are "online" (alarms, "landline",…

@AndiC: I've always been curious as to how the machine reading works. I would tend to guess that since there's a relatively limited population of stamps ever issued (i.e. in the thousands not the millions) it would be possible for a machine to image the stamps, compare them to the database of known stamps and…

@harei: Well, why don't you think about it for five minutes and then come back to us. :-) There, now you need a timer. ;-)

@tech42er: But seriously, then, what laws WOULD you support? There are afaik zero laws whose very existence physically prevents the action in question — whether by criminals or governments. The subject of this discussion is basically a major exception to the first amendment. I mean, why have limited enumerated powers…

@Brandt: Holy Wow! This is amazing. So sorry that the guy closed his project, cause this really is one of the best pieces of software I've used. Incredibly flexible and powerful. Plus, how great that it's portable!!

@tech42er: Little chance we're going to agree, then, but based on that rationale there's no value in most of the Bill of Rights. Shutting down the internet is arguably a violation of the first amendment in the same way that confiscating all the printing presses would be. If the legislation were to pass I would hope…

@Arbron: Thanks for clarifying, but I still disagree with your reasoning. There are many bad things that many people CAN do. Laws sometimes PREVENT the bad actor from doing it, but if they don't prevent it they at least allow PUNISHMENT in the aftermath so that the bad actors can be locked up and prevented from doing…

@ɹǝʌoɹ ǝƃuɐɹʇs: Awww, shucks. Thanks. :-)

@Arbron: It sounds as though you're saying that because a desperate government, under enough stress, MIGHT do something unlawful that would infuriate the people, that there is therefore no harm in making it completely legal.

@Arbron: Right, that IS the kill switch. As I mentioned above, I don't think anyone anticipates a big red flashing button on the President's desk labeled "kill switch". It's the legal ability to shut down communication for some unspecified emergency that should worry us. I'm fine with the government being able to take…

@KarateMedia: I was not suggesting that Egypt used a kill switch. The "kill switch" is a term for the President's ability to command the ISPs to shut down — I don't think anyone anticipates a big flashing red button in the Oval Office labeled "internet kill switch". What I am saying is that (as I replied above) making…

@ddrussianinja: They're already here:

@TheApocalypse: Please include some content in your comments so as not to come across as a pompous ignoramus. Here's a link from June in the HuffingtonPost (so you don't think it's a right-wing conspiracy theory):

If anyone had any doubts that giving any government an Internet "kill switch" is a horrible idea, I assume those doubts are put to rest now?

@Brandt: Thank you thank you thank you! I feel bad asking for *two* favors, but the link takes me to an empty Google docs page . . . is it possible the URL got muxed through the LH comment? There is an ellipse in the middle of it. If that's what happened would you mind posting a Goo.gl or Tinyurl link?

@Brandt: From reading about the program I'm desperate to try it now. It's exactly what I've been looking for but I can't find a functioning version of it anywhere online. Any chance you'd be willing to share your copy? I'd be ever so grateful!

@Alpine Joe: $60 is indeed a small price to pay to learn a person's character.

@evildoppleganger: I'm thinking if any of these had value to collectors, they probably wouldn't be offered for sale at < face value.

@AndiC: The stamps have a face value (say, 5 cents). You simply use as many of them to add up to the postage value you need. No trickery.

@GetOutOfBox: The point (as described in the article and comments) is that the stores bought them expecting the value to rise. The value did not. So now they're stuck with boxes of stamps they don't need for postage, and recovering 90 cents on the dollar might not be a bad deal for them.