Thanks for making that poignant contrast. I can only imagine the magnitude of the war in Iraq, and it's affect on the Americans who fight it, and Iraqis who live with it. I guess I'll have to keep imagining it.

The same media who showed some truth in New Oreleans now spread rumor, gossip, and sensationalism. They don't even seem to have learned anything from this latest debacle in non-journalism.

Whether or not the case should be closed by the sheriff, it should be closed by Salon.

I subscribe to Salon for news and insight. I hate what Cheney has done to this country, but a hunting accident has nothing to do with that. Let's leave harping on irrelevant matters to the Right, so people can tell the difference.

One thing the Internet does better than anything I know of is level the playing field (somewhat) between big business and the little guy. Whether the little guy is an independent news service, garage band, indy filmmaker, or independent software developer like me, we get the chance to compete with the giants.

If, under the new AT&T order, my potential customers have to wait too long to download my software, they'll go elsewhere. The new discussion web site I'm developing won't work if it takes too long to download the next page. Heck, what will happen to Salon Video Dog? Small business and individual creativity bring us many of our jobs and the best of our culture. That's worth preserving. (Look ma, I'm a conservative! :-)

Someone mentioned the problem of congestion when the local college kids get out of class and start file-trading. This is not something AT&T will fix by charging tolls on the national Internet. Rather, that's a local problem--that cable company isn't providing enough bandwidth in that neighborhood.

As mentioned, individual broadband customers are already paying AT&T for "their" pipes - and somehow I doubt that AT&T will pass big savings to the customers if they start charging tolls. We already have higher Internet prices and slower speeds than some other developed nations.

I'm glad my Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has sponsored a net neutrality bill - I hope it helps.

Right on, Mr. Greenwald! Congress must stop cooperating with this administration and start opposing it. If de-funding is what it takes to end the occupation of Iraq, as it seems to be, then do it, ASAP. And while you're at it, Senators, how about not approving everyone Bush appoints until he starts the withdrawal?

Yes, iWork is a replacement for AppleWorks more than for MS Office. But if you're one of the people who use only non-advanced features of Office (e.g., you are content with only one table of contents per document and only 65,535 lines per spreadsheet), it could be a replacement for Office, one that lets you accomplish more while efforting less.

Here are two reasons why iWorks is not "at the end of the line":

1. Integration. All three iWorks apps effortlessly pull in media and data from the other iWork and iLife applications. When you open a letter or envelope template in Pages, it's magically filled in with your name/address/phone/etc. (from your Address Book). Without leaving Pages, flip through your iPhoto library and insert your picture right into the bordered, rotated template image. In Numbers, drag a group from Address Book to create an instant spreadsheet of your contacts. Integration is also why the much-maligned Dot Mac service is actually worth having. Apple applications work together smoothly on your desktop.

2. Apple still leads in user interface design. AJAX is an improvement, but I don't see it catching up with Apple's interface features, which continue to improve. I've already forgotten whether it's command-K or command-shift-K to delete/insert a row. Now I just drag or click on quick little contextual popup menus.

Bonus reason: From all I've seen and heard, Keynote kicks PowerPoint's patootie (Keynote is the presentation app in iWork).

Sure, call me a wimp--I'm using iWorks, getting my work done, and enjoying it.

Nice show - a welcome addition to Video Dog.

Whether our culture recognizes it or not, today's astronauts are just as brave and heroic as ever. Space travel is just as difficult, just as hazardous. Not to mention the many NASA people who work so hard here on Earth, on lots of science and research such as global warming.

I plan to see the film, for sure. Perhaps there will be a glimpse of one of the Gemini-era rockets that my father built igniters for at Aerojet General.

Also, if you get the NASA channel, it often runs old documentaries made back in the day, which are a trip to watch.

• Cost of consultants to keep your PCs working. Macs are just a lot less trouble.

• Cost of your time dealing with malware. Yes, Macs can theoretically get compromised, but it's just not happening in reality. And it's unlikely to happen on the scale seen on Windows due to the Mac's better security design in general.

• Time cost of dealing with clunkiness of Windows/Microsoft software. This is a generalization, but time after time I find complex multi-step interfaces for functions like installing software or just saving a file. When instructions are provided for doing the same task on Windows and Mac, the Mac instructions are usually shorter (at least if the writer knows the Mac).

The main obstacle to switching I run into is the cost of purchasing Office for Mac. But for the vast majority of users, Apple's iWork suite, which now includes a spreadsheet app, is all they need. $79 a seat, even for business users (and a 5-user family pack for $99).

Macs aren't perfect, just very good.

P.S. to Miette: Macs have shipped with a 4-button/scroll wheel mouse (the Mighty Mouse) for about two years (which, to help newbies, physically seems to be a one-button mouse until you set the other buttons).