Shacker said:

- Multi-selecting messages in an inbox. Try to Shift-click to select a range of messages, or Cmd- or Ctrl-click to select a bunch of arbitrary messages for deletion. Every desktop mail client can do this, but the only webmail systems I've seen that can are Apple's Mac.com mail and the obscure Roundcube system found on some web hosts. Maybe Yahoo! can - I haven't tried the new one; but I know GMail can't. Again, this is a total show stopper.

- Hotkey support in general is spotty at best. Again, showstopper.

Gmail and Yahoo can select multiple messages; Gmail's had this feature from its first version. Hold down shift, click the first message, click the last message, then do the operation you want. Gmail is even better at this than desktop clients because it selects conversations, not single messages -- so you can move a whole thread to the archive with only one selection.

Gmail and Yahoo and live Hotmail also have lots of keyboard shortcuts, more even than many desktop clients.

You're right, I should have mentioned Hotmail in there, even though its new service is still in beta. I've just updated it.

Hey Spike,

Diebold's touch-screens weren't in wide use in Ohio in 2004, the state where I've defended Bush's win (and where activists like RFK Jr. say the theft occurred).

Moreover, as Cornell's Walter Mebane proved in his study for the DNC: "Kerry's support across precincts also increased with the support for Eric Fingerhut, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, and decreased with the support for Issue 1 (ballot initiative opposing same-sex marriage) and increased with the proportion of African American votes. Again this is the pattern that would be expected and is not consistent with claims of widespread fraud that misallocated votes from Kerry to Bush."

Where have I said there's "no evidence electronic voting has been any less than perfect"? On the contrary:

Voting into the Void (2002)

http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2002/11/05/voting_machines/index.html

Hacking Democracy (2003)

http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2002/11/05/voting_machines/index.html

Will the Election be Hacked? (2004)

http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2002/11/05/voting_machines/index.html

Third World Democracy (2004)

http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2004/11/18/voting_problems/index.html

Voting Machine Showdown (On Diebold's attempts to shut down critics) (2004)

http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2004/02/10/diebold_copyright/index.html

"Hacking Democracy" (2006)

http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/review/2006/11/02/hacking/

Congress puts off fixing touch-screen voting (2007)

http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/07/21/voting_machines/

Voting Systems in Cal fail hack test (2007)

http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/07/31/voting_failure/

More voting machine problems: Florida, again (2007)

http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/08/02/voting_machines_florida/index.html

I'm pretty sure you're referring to my criticism of those who argue that John Kerry actually won the 2004 race. And of course you're entitled to disagree with me on that. But -- especially in the comments thread of a piece about organizations playing fast and loose with the facts -- it'd be nice if you did so honestly.

What was I wrong about that you were right about that prefigured Pearl Jam censorship?

The $4.6 billion meets Martin's reserve price for the spectrum; I should have clarified -- and will now -- that Google says it'll put in at least that amount.

Your serious programmer friends knew me 10 years ago? (can you e-mail your response? farhad@salon.com)

Maybe you're reading the wrong fanfic, and consequently don't appreciate its potential? Let me direct you to a recent interview with Michael Chabon from Details:

Q: You’re very open about your influences. Some writers try to hide them. Is that something you do consciously?

A: The first thing I ever wrote -- when I worked on something for a sustained period when I was about 10 or 11 years old -- was a Sherlock Holmes story in the voice of Dr. Watson. I came to realize that everything I do is fan fiction. I think everything that we all do, all fiction, is fan fiction in that you are always inspired to write by things that you love. So much of writing for me is about finding a way to convey my own love of other writers’ work. When it comes to "The Yiddish Policemen’s Union," as soon as I allowed myself to step into the room with Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett and Ross Macdonald—who I guess are my favorites in that school of writing—I was honored, thrilled to be there.

http://men.style.com/details/features/landing?id=content_5477

My article contains no DMCA-prohibited circumvention device.

If you read my piece carefully, you'll see I didn't have to use BT to get it. I got a PDF from a Web site that was linked on The Pirate Bay.

Hey, I appreciate you guys not wanting to read any of it. But as you'll notice, I didn't post any of it, nor did I give away anything that happens. I didn't even link to the site where you can get it. So there is nothing to take down -- and if you don't want the book spoiled, you're in luck, because all you have to do is nothing.

Re ethics of hacking: I pretty much feel how jamartinjr puts it -- you drop $600 on a computer, you should be able to do what you want with it. But ethics are not the same as contracts, and according to AT&T, using the iPhone in a non-approved manner breaks the license agreement. More on these things on the blog tonight....

Yup, that's the recommendation -- crank it up to max.