I resorted to Geek Squad to install/set up a new Win7 laptop for my elderly father-in-law, who lives three hours away. I had them call me at key points to make sure they weren't screwing things up. So far, my father-in-law's been pretty happy with the new laptop.

Pretty sure the estimated explosive energy from Tunguska was quite a bit more than Fat Man.

Sorry, any utopia that I would consider to be worthy of its name wouldn't require relinquishing personal privacy.

A pop-up book, heavy on silicone.

Some very cool designs.

Looks an awful lot like modern-day drysuits like the JIM suit. The joint articulation especially. Similar to some 1960's & 70's spacesuit concepts, too. Cool.

That would be nice. The original story was great and seeing it followed more closely in a movie would be a fun time.

Radar and radio tracking data, along with laser-reflection experiments, showed we went to the moon. The US wasn't the only country capable of tracking the ships at that time.

Gawd, I love that game! I spent soooooo much time as a teenager finding deposit bottles to turn in for cash to spend on Asteroids in the local arcade. Fun stuff! My goal is to some day own my own arcade cabinet - there's a place near Philadelphia that sells them - TNT Amusements.

I knew if He looked behind the celestial couch cushions, He'd find the keys to the starship.

Hmmm .... assault with a deadly weaPUN :)

Am I the only one who sees "Torino" and thinks of Clint Eastwood shaking his fist at an asteroid, telling it to get the hell off his front lawn?

Wow. Well, I guess you could call that an "Uplifting" experience, huh? (ducking) :) Hope you get a chance to finish "Uplift War" soon - it's very good!

You're welcome! :)

You're welcome! :)

The Uplift books are awesome - especially "Startide Rising." That one's my favorite of them all. Did you read the prequel, "Sundiver?" That one's my next-favorite.

I only stumbled across the book myself once, many, many years ago in a used book store. I think the original cover price was $0.35, which tells you how old the story is. Neat stuff, especially how it became the basis for a word we use nowadays :)

If you can't get beyond the fact that it was Reagan saying the eulogy for the Challenger crew, well ... yes, you're biased.

Just a quick comment. Can ANY of these people spell? It's painful to read those comments, even from the ones who aren't publicly admitting to being hungover or tripping.

There's a classic Robert A. Heinlein book, "Waldo," that deals with the smartest person in the world who suffered from a severe case of "myasthenia gravis." His body was too weak to function in gravity, so he lived in an orbital station and created robotic arms to manipulate whatever invention he was working on.…