Is this really what we've come to? That the most successful novels are "written" by a contemptible plagiarist spewing out an endless stream of trite, banal words that are so predictable and superficial they are all but indigestible? Once, it was possible to justify trashy writing because it might open a door into something better, but Dan Brown offers no such possibilities, just a complete destruction of all literary values.

The writing is bad (though with good parts), and the writer can't take criticism. Case closed.

"while the Brits are far from perfect (the simmering anti-Americanism underlying every "friendly" jest wears thin after a while, and the food remains inedible"

So charming, but the Brits are insufferably smug and deprecating about just about every other nationality - the French, Germans, Australians, Irish, Italians, Russians... oh well, can't possibly list every country in the world. It's true that Americans, Australians and possibly the French top the list, but their insularity also permeates more local attitudes, both geographical (Londoner vs Northerner, even which particular London suburb), and of course the big one: Class.

The food: there's a big divide, yes the old stodginess remains, but there's also some great British food now, at all levels. And you don't have to look too hard to find it.

should be "but the petty crimes of the poor and powerless pursued,"

There are two issues here: The fear of any prosecution being seen as partisan revenge, and the need for crimes to be punished.

The first can, and should, be dealt with by creating an independent commission able to fearlessly and impartially prosecute transgressions on both sides. If a society is unable to act out of fear of being seen as biased, then the only possible long term result is corruption and lawlessness. Justice must be blind.

And if crimes remain unpunished, then they are also unlikely to be properly examined, and will be repeated with impunity. A society in which the grand crimes of the great are ignored, but the petty crimes of the poor and powerless pusued, is not one which can claim liberty and democracy.

Apple is great because it's driven by passion and brilliance above all (thanks Steve), qualities which also drove the Saab of old. GM replaced that with corporate blandness (even though the 9-5 was the only good car built since the GM takeover).

Saab is dead, because it has no place in today's world. Its chances of finding a fiery, passionate leader to bring it back from the dead and create a new niche are probably zero - who would be insane enough to try?

Watching the mainstream economic crisis is unsettling enough, but the secondary and tertiary effects are just as startling.

But this is one I didn't expect... Gonzo Garrison.

Dolphin man was so obviously fake and fantastic, and Cary practically lit that up in neon lights.

But this one... why the rush to try and tag this one (an exceedingly vanilla personal "drama" in comparison) as a sham? Methinks that trying to discredit this one is saying much more about the labelers than the labelled.

Lovely, from start to finish, Cary. The beautiful thing is that however you interpret this - whether the letter was a serious attempt to trip you up, or even a complete Cary-fabrication from start to finish - the joke is so perfect.

And that even goes as far as some of the letter writers who take such offense... they have become part of the play.

How different is LW from Oleander Lady?

Neither can leave the old lady and her son alone; the only difference is that LW wants to interfere "politely", but Oleander Lady has no such graces.

Both of them should stop trying to interfere, and instead pay their neighbors the respect they deserve.

It's Steve Jobs' fault. When he returned to Apple in the late '90s, he put emotion back into Apple's offerings, first the multi-color iMacs, followed by a string of other passionate products. And the fact that they all "just worked" helped, but that was just a detail.

The overreaction of those who become Apple-lovers is no different to those who act from emotion in any other area - whether it's political affiliation, patriotism, your children, the love of your life, your favorite music. Objectivity doesn't factor - any criticism is personal. As the smartest politician or business person knows, that kind of passionate dedication beats objectivity every time.

Low energy lighting is rapidly developing technology, so it pays to be astute in joining the rush. CFLs make a good choice for the interim, particularly for high-use areas. Warm white, or soft white produce a more pleasing light than cool white, but are less efficient.

LEDs are probably the best long term bet - efficiency is improving rapidly, and cost falling. It doesn't make much sense to pay high prices for LEDs now; equivalent globes will cost a fraction in a year or two, and choice of light fittings will be much wider.

Microsoft's old methods just don't work any more.

Not one of their major successes was an original MS idea, but they had the ability to take someone else's good idea and really make it fly (well, commercially at least). That was their brilliance, and you can argue about the ethics, but it was wildly successful.

But now, unfortunately for them, those ideas are not freely available, and you can't pick up a struggling software house for a few thousand dollars. The strategy just doesn't work when you have to pay $44 billion dollars for the idea.

Gates and Ballmer are now dinosaurs, and MS will only escape eventual extinction by jettisoning their dead weight.