we're going to need a better measurement system here...

Here's an extensive list of appropriate units for the discerning (tabloid) press:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/24/vulture_central_standards/

I thought they were games consoles. 2600?

Yes, the 2600 was a game console. They also built arcade game machines.
Though what I'm talking about here is the Atari ST line: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_ST

What's your problem with Atari computers? I started out with a C64 (actually used a CBM before, but that wasn't mine) and then went to own several Atari ST machines. I used those until Atari went out of business.
(Yes, they went out of business. The Atari that exists today has noting in common with the Atari back then, except for the name.)

While wiktionary seems to think that discussion is a synonym for conversation, I happen to disagree.

Two people mentioning how nice the weather is today is a conversation. It's not a discussion in my book.

But I agree that a discussion does not have to be about differing opinions.

How is

"I tried that thing, but I like this other one better because ..." or "that reminds me of something I read here" or "if you're interested in that thing you might also be interested in this other thing"

a discussion?

"Your opinion is wrong" gets boring very fast.

If you keep it at that level, sure. I usually expect actual arguments and reasoning as part of a discussion. "I like this." "Me too!" is not a discussion.

Most times I don't have much to say about a certain topic, because there's no controversy between me and my opinion,
Only when we disagree is a discussion interesting. But when the initial comment is borderline rude, I can't imagine any useful discussion taking place. And I have better methods to waste time than to engage in a shouting match with strangers online.

If everyone refrains from commenting on an article just because there's a bad comment already, then the bad comments will take over.

I agree. But I'm not sure that's my problem.

and let moderators care about the bad apple.

Unfortunately, some inflammatory comments get actually modded up. That says to me: "If you disagree, go somewhere else." Which I do.

but the civility and quality we have here are becoming increasingly rare online.

I happen to disagree. I have refrained from commenting on more than one article because the initial comments were so hostile that I couldn't imagine any useful discussion would come out of it.

That thing seems to rely on a central server. No deal.

Also, most of my accounts on web sites - this one included - is worth almost nothing. I *might* pay a dollar to not lose it; but for two, I'd rather make a new one.
Of course there are some that are important. But using a strong password for only a few sites is not a problem.

For me, the system keychain (OS X/iOS) is good enough.

As for replacing passwords with something else: I haven't seen a convincing replacement yet and I can't think of one myself either.

One problem is, that passwords work for a huge variety of use cases.
Example: A random web page wants me to sign in for no apparent reason. I can just make up a new password and use a temporary email address. I wouldn't want to use any authentication method - like a smart card or something - that was tied to my identity.

Oh, and I want to add, if your desktop machine is prone to failure, easily breaks, is a magnet for viruses and malware and after just a bit of use is susceptible to constant freezes and crashes - you are doing it wrong!

A tablet I mean. Well, at least everyone who wanted one anyway.

My iPad 2 is still fine for everything I want to do with it. I don't need a new one. But I might actually buy one in A4 size when the time comes to replace the old one.

And of course, I need a desktop computer. A tablet can't replace that. (No, not even some surface thingie.)

If you trust the app, you install it, otherwise you don't install it.

And on what do you place your trust? I.e. how do you decide if you can trust an app or not?

The roboticists want the robots to win against the human team.

I'm skeptical though. They might be on the right track but development seems too slow to make it until 2050.

Also, unless we allow the robot team to be remotely controlled by a single machine, a victory might require human like intelligence. And that might require a real break through in AI research.

Then there are the mechanical requirements. For a robot to move like a human player we will have to create a lot of new technology; artificial muscles and such. Then there's the problem with cramming enough energy into a human sized machine for it to run around up to 120 minutes.

And while it's nice to see the progress in the RoboCup games, the main advancements seem to be in gameplay instead of actual robot construction. I'd rather see better robots than better gameplay algorithms.

Anyway - it's progress, it's fun. Keep going! :)

Oh, that's nice, thank you.

Could we also get a setting for the font size of articles and comments? While I can read the current size - and I think is plenty big enough for the interface (menus etc.) - a slightly larger font for the actual content feels a bit more comfortable.

In addition I did shrink the width of the right column a bit, since I felt it takes up too much space in comparison to the articles/comments section. So I guess I'll keep using the extension for now. ;)

Images are fine if they contribute to the story

Exactly.

And I just looked over the images currently on the main page, decided that most did not contribute at all and so removed them from the page. Much better.
(Using the Quickstyle extension for Safari, if you want to know.)

If you are just looking for high resolution wallpapers, try a google search for "high resolution desktop wallpapers" .
The first hit is wallpaperswide.com and I actually like that site.
But since that is so easy to find, maybe you are looking for something special?