TheMightyEthan

I broke down, gave in to my consumer whore nature, and preordered

I read that Apple was asking for $2.5 billion.

When I was 15 I scraped the post of our carport with the front corner of the bumper, but that's about it.

I've got a 50% off any Saints Row 3 DLC on Steam if anybody wants it.

The text wouldn't have to be gaudy to be a different color. I think I'd like them a lot more if they were exactly the same except the text was black.

It might have something to do with that grey background they're on, but I don't like them, they're too plain. *Edit* - I think I would like them more if the text weren't the same color as they "icon" part. It just makes them look too monotone.

That's what I figured.

lol, yeah, that's a thought: buy the PSP version and then pirate the PC version to actually play.

Oh I know I'm the one who started it, and I am one world-class nitpicker. The reason I was asking about 999 is cause you said if you had a phone with a number and a sim, which implies to me that it's associated with a carrier but maybe just not topped up with minutes (so someone could call you you just couldn't call out) whereas in the US the phone doesn't have to even be associated with a carrier or have a number a number associated with it, if you've got battery and a signal you can call 911. I wasn't sure if that was an actual difference or if it was just cause you were throwing it in there with the free incoming stuff.

I'd say if it's available for a platform you already own, just not the one you would prefer, then you should go ahead and buy it on the platform you own. If you don't own the platform already... that's tough. I don't know.

I know I'm just picking one little thing out from what you said, but: I'd expect the Wii U to launch at $250-300. $300 seems high because it's not really much of a step up from PS360, but $200 seems too low for a new console which is why I say $250. $250 would also make it more attractive to the casual market that Nintendo has done so well with recently.

Okay, this has finally devolved into nit-picking beyond even what I care about. About the 999 thing: in the US you can call 911 on any cell phone that's charged and has a signal, with no service or anything connected to that phone (to the point where it doesn't even have a number that someone could call to reach it) as a legal requirement. Is it the same in the UK?

Right, it's not part of the 3DS's design, but that's stupid.

@TFG: If you're spending £40 on a single meal you must eat at MUCH nicer places than me. So then the "receive texts" service is included in the basic charge that you're charged monthly, just like here. Which was my point. But we are not charged to receive texts. That is my point. There is nothing charged for to be included into the contract cost. So you're saying that if you have a phone and no phone service, you will still be able to receive texts? Because unless that's the case receiving texts is part of the service that you're paying for. You just don't pay a specific amount for that specific aspect of the service. Just like here, where I don't pay a "receiving texts" fee, the ability to receive texts is simply included in my cell plan. *Edit* - And what I'm trying to clarify is that for the most part we aren't charged for receiving texts, baring the very extreme bottom-rung plans.

So then the "receive texts" service is included in the basic charge that you're charged monthly, just like here. Which was my point.

Well yes, it "includes the cost", but then how are your plans set up that that cost is not included?

No they don't, you just pay for the plan as a whole, which includes all the services. Also, I checked and Verizon (my carrier) has exactly 1 plan that does not include unlimited talk & text, it's a pay-as-you-go plan for everything. Every other plan they have has unlimited talk and text.

This is why rather than having juries just give the total answer, courts should use special questions more. Normal procedure is to say to the jury "determine if Samsung infringed and if so how much they owe Apple, and give us your answer" whereas special questions would have a list of specific questions, like: Did the Galaxy Nexus infringe on Apple's patents? Did the Galaxy Tab infringe on Apple's patents? etc etc and then have the judge determine what the legal consequences of those answers are.

US federal minimum wage (nation-wide) is $7.25/hour. Some states have higher than that, but a lot don't. And yes, in jobs where people get tips the employer is allowed to pay less than minimum wage (I believe minimum wage for waitstaff in KS is actually $2.15/hour), but if the wage+tips doesn't add up to at least the regular minimum wage then the employer has to make up the difference. @TFG: If they don't give you good service then don't give them a good tip, or any tip at all. Also at least in the US "standard" tip is 15%, so unless you're spending 7 hours worth of your wages on the meal the tip shouldn't be anywhere close to an hour's wage for you.

What do you mean it's there with the high end plans?

Yeah, since you're not paying for the time you won't feel obligated to play like with P2P games.

Well like I said generally that's only the low-end plans. Unlimited texting tends to be pretty cheap as far as cell packages go.

Yeah, whether or not you tip someone in a given job is generally dependent on how much "service" they actually provide you. And how much you tip is dependent on how good a job they do, so in theory it's a bonus for them for doing a good job, it's just become so widespread that it's expected so you only don't tip if they did a really bad job. But again, it depends on the job at hand. You'd tip your waiter at a restaurant where they actually seat and serve you, but not the cashier at McDonald's.

Lol, I didn't even know it didn't have multiplayer, that's how little I care about it.