Not 43k USD, 67k AUD which is around 64k USD. The 43k USD figure you've quoted is adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) - it already takes into account the higher prices in Australia. So just looking at income, you're right that Australian incomes aren't double the US, but they are actually quite a lot higher.

In any case you've used different metrics for each country. This table shows equivalent metrics for each country. Australians clearly earn more, but are just a little behind on PPP. Of course, that table shows 2010 data, and Australia's economy is doing quite a lot better than the US - I would be surprised if Australia hadn't already overtaken the US on PPP.

I very much doubt this. Citation please.

I would also point out that most people are assuming that the death rate is related to things like traffic laws, quality of roads, quality of drivers etc. Another big factor in whether you survive a bad accident is the health care that you receive (1) from the paramedics, and (2) in hospital, including the timeframe for primary and definitive care. I would much prefer to have a bad accident in a major Western city than anywhere else.

About Quick-R

R is an elegant and comprehensive statistical and graphical programming language. Unfortunately, it can also have a steep learning curve. I created this website for both current R users, and experienced users of other statistical packages (e.g., SAS, SPSS, Stata) who would like to transition to R. My goal is to help you quickly access this language in your work.

http://www.statmethods.net/index.html

So... the recipient of a prize instituted by a dictator had harsh words for the people bringing about the downfall of that same dictator? This proves what about Obama?

Papers for Mac is a really great way of organising and viewing scientific papers. For me it was the killer app that made me switch from Linux to Mac as my main operating system.

The iPad version looks great and syncs with the Mac, providing a very nice solution - easily the best I've seen. A number of my colleagues read most of their papers on their iPad using Papers (usually when they're in a boring meeting!). There's also a version for the iPhone for those with good eyesight... I don't know how well it works without a Mac but according to the website it looks pretty easy to get documents in there from various sources.

I agree...

'DRM increases not decreases consumer value', such as by enabling people to rent content at a lower price than ownership

This is such bullshit. The price differential between "renting" and "owning" is almost purely profit, and is specifically enabled by DRM. This decreases value, by allowing them to charge us more for something that costs them the same to provide. How stupid do they think we are?