In an election, who gets to say they are in the "center"? No one - especially just you and your favorite candidate. That's what elections are all about. If Ron Paul wins the election, well, that would define a new "center" now, wouldn't it? Anyone who presumptuously claims the "center" as their own prior to anything actually being decided makes a mockery of democracy itself. I've read Ron Paul's positions. They are, in fact, quite mainstream. Just because Ron doesn't suit your preferences or sit well with the predilections of pompous beltway pundits and the corporately controlled boot licking media doesn't mean that you get to a-priory declare the mood of the entire country. That's what elections are for. You're just spitting horse pucky.

If you're going to write about eco-friendly cars that aren't hybrids, you really should do your homework and at least enumerate them; rather than just joyride in a few and mention some mileage numbers that anyone who cared could find online in an instant. I totally agree with the premise of this article, but it could have benefited from a little more diligence.

It could have also benefited from a little bit more clue about basic science. If you don't have that, then maybe you should look for better backup than a mechanic in Portland. What's with the notion that a plug-in electrics are the ultimate in eco-friendly? Has there been a battery breakthrough I haven't heard about? Does electricity at the pump all come from windmills? Burning coal to create steam to turn a turbine to push electrons over long haul transmission lines to charge a giant toxic battery to power an electric motor to turn the wheels on a car has got to be one of the most inefficient and absolute dumbest ways to protect the environment I ever heard of. Maybe someday we'll have a good clean source of electric energy like fusion, and good clean power cells to store power. So far, that's just a dream.

Boy Andrew, I'm generally a big fan of yours, but that libertarian / geek ethos mashup you came up with is pure drivel.

If you really must make a libertarian / geek analogy, then you should be talking about emergent systems. The libertarian philosophy is about making decisions at the lowest level possible. It's bottom up, rather than top down. And it just so happens to reflect the objectives of the country's founding fathers - you know, the ones who wrote the Constitution Ron Paul keeps talking about. Limited government. Of the people, by the people, for the people.

A vote for Ron Paul is a vote for the Constitution. A vote for anyone else is a vote for cynicism. Are we going to continue our cynical disregard for the rule of law, in the pursuit of "what's best for us" as proscribed by a ruling elite? How long will we abrogate our rights as individuals to benefit a small cabal of industrial capitalists and their financiers?

Ron Paul is the real deal. Everyone else is just whoring for votes.

Yes, Farhad, the Mac/PC debate should be relegated to dustbin of history. It's old news. In Japan, personal computer sales are going down. They will soon go down here also. Phones, TV's, videogames, and PDA's are all also now part of the computing ecology; an ecology which is growing larger all the time.

The fault line has shifted - quite substantially. Today's zeitgeist concerns free/open vs. proprietary; not Steve vs. Bill (a real yawner, kind of like comparing beltway democrats and republicans, who are all basically the same). The fan boys all bought their iPhones and now what? Leopard? Phghght.

Neither Apple nor Microsoft stands a chance of remaining relevant ten years from now. Consumer computing is becoming entirely commoditized. Who's going to bundle a $150 operating system and $500 worth of so-called productivity applications on a computing device (whatever it is) that costs $150; when all the very same functionality, nay, better functionality, is available for absolutely nothing? Companies with a death wish, that's who. Anyone who tries to dominate the center with proprietary software is doomed. The only place proprietary software stands a chance is in specialized markets like videogames; where artistic creativity, not the umpteenth implementation of an office suite or drawing program, will distinguish one vendor from another. Open standards, not Steve's turtleneck, is the new cool. Get with the program, so to speak.

As for the resale value of a computer tipping the value balance. That is really weak, my friend. How many people do you know who take the time to try selling their four year old computers? Right.

Enjoy your iPhone, because Apple's (and Microsoft's) shiny days in the sun are numbered.

The thing I want in this car, or any other so-called "enviro" car, is a diesel engine. We don't see those in the US much, because we have strict emissions standards (which is good). But rather than do the required engineering to meet the emissions standards, most manufacturers simply elect not to sell their diesel variety cars in the US.

It's a real shame, because diesel engines are so much better than the Otto cycle engines we all drive around. They tend to be more efficient because they can sustain higher compression ratios. They also tend to last longer.

The best incentive for companies to do the right thing is to reward them when they get it right. I have heard rumors that VW will be reintroducing diesel cars to the US market. If so, I fully intend to reward the effort they have put into rising to the challenge of our emissions regulations with a purchase.