re:last link, Hedy's frequency-hopping comms was one of the most underrated inventions of the 20th century.

Ah, the link doesn't say much about it...

Well, the original invention was for torpedos. Previously they'd required a direct cable connection, which was obviously rather limiting. Hedy Lamarr suggested, basically, using a player piano roll as a shared secret for unjammable/uncorruptable/nigh-undetectable radio comms instead - the torpedos could go further, and faster. The 88 piano keys become 88 radio channels and, so long as both the sender and receiver know the song and remain synchronised, they can talk to each other secretly.

Aside from the military uses (which I can't comment on), pretty much all 3G/WIMAX mobile phones use that technique, as do the 802.11b/g/n WiFi standards. In those cases, the 'music' is from a PRNG with a known seed, and the number of channels is defined by standards, licences, and radio/antenna characteristics, rather than the number of keys on a piano, but it's the same principle as Hedy Lamarr's invention. Basically, every connected mobile device in use today owes her a little debt.

(And, obviously, she was also the inspiration for Dr Kleiner's debeaked pet headcrab...)

:)

I love the HL games... but I'm really looking forward to Portal 2 at Easter.

I've heard that Wisconsin wasn't in deficit until Walker started, any libertarian or independent blogs on that?