Realistically, can you name an actual entrepreneur who would be crippled by that rate once they're earning the amount that triggers it?

Well, the thing is that in this instance, the laser pointer isn't moving. The view from the side is actually capturing the speed of light through air as the beam's light makes its way across the camera's field of vision.

For the highest taxed (read: richest) taxpayers in the United States:

There are other alternatives...

Electrokinetic mutants have these sorts of problems. It's easily fixed with a standard YB-7 Power Absorption Bracel....crap, this isn't IO9, is it?

If you take a flashlight and aim it at the night sky, then move it across that sky, the "spot" that you're illuminating moves past the stars you're aiming at far faster than the speed of light between those points, but as there's nothing that's actually going at that speed, it's okay.

Or spike the opposing team captain's gatorade. In fact, just dope the whole team.

There was a comment on slashdot positing that the refusal to divulge information on the part of the FBI may be due to an ongoing investigation into Carrier IQ, instead of it relying on Carrier IQ for invasive purposes.

Oh my, I had no idea I had relatives on here! Should we set up a family reunion?

As far as Windows licenses go, I'd personally suggest just registering at Dreamspark and downloading a copy, if you've got an .edu email. It's a Microsoft site, so you're fine from a license standpoint, and there's a ton of other software there as well.

I have Outlook set up on the Windows machine at work to remind me to take my walking/coffee breaks. In fact, it's just about time for one now...

And twenty seven percent believe that Obama is a food product, essentially...

"Stop TSA's Reach Around Policy and Officer Nomenclature" is more accurate, since they don't want TSA folks being called "officers" and gives you a much better acronym.

Same here, but when I asked the lady at the DMV she said it was so image processing computers can read your facial features more accurately.

I think I know where this is going...

"Are you sure you and your friends don’t work for the RIAA? Maybe Sony or Universal? Maybe you’re both just really good at covering your tracks. Either way, congratulations, neither you or your friends and family returned any results from our crawlers. Tonight, you can jump into bed, open up Netflix or iTunes and…

[en.wikipedia.org]

You know, there's still a good chance that there are anti-tamper devices in place that researchers may trigger on investigation.

I think, if I were a pharmacist and there were a under-17-year-old girl in front of me that was terrified that she might have gotten pregnant, I'd be willing to just buy it for her. After all, I'm over 17.

Just in case anyone else likes the Lovecraftian vibes from this critter, it has a swim-by role in the Charles Stross novelette, "A Colder War". [www.infinityplus.co.uk]