Companies (and their products) are percieved differently in different cultures. For example Starbucks is huge both in America and here in the UK, yet was rejected by Australia. Given that too hate fake hype (and Starbucks for that matter) I think Australia might be the country for me.

No more so than a twitter or facebook update

Not really much point extrapolating beyond 2012... (now i would like to put a tounge in cheek or winky smiley but i fear in the /. world it's the mark of a moron... actually fuck it...) :P

I know i'll be modded (at least) offtopic for this but i don't care. I just need to point out that many people in Guantanamo are there for nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mozzam Begg for instance is just a normal british muslim who was in Afghanistan building a secret school for women to get education, despite risking execution by the taliban if discovered. Then after 9/11 the American's found him, put in his report that he was building weapons and sent him to Guantanamo. And with regard to the point in hand, America will see no change with regards to government transparency - The Obama administration is just a corporate rebranding of America, identical to any company's rebranding when it goes down in public oppinion. We have the same political theatre here in Britain but at least by having a monarch there's at least some admition to the fact that meritocracy is most definitely not, and never was, here.

Indeed. For anybody wishing to read more about this prospect it was disucussed recently.