People who own PCs and Macs, the category I fall into, got 15 per cent of the vote, which was also a little higher than I expected. Make of this what you will, but the difference between the poll compared to our OS tracking graphic pictured here should indicate why we wanted to focus on your own hardware — not the computer you use at work. At any rate, the race is really still too close to call. You have time to cast your vote and help tip the scales in your favour.

Stevie Safran cleverly notes in Twitter that “Balloon Boy’s parents say he won’t be grounded, fail to recognise ironic choice of words”. But somebody’s gotta be punished for this, right? All kinds of public servants (emergency services, FAA) came out, on the taxpayer’s dime, for something that turned out to be totally unnecessary. So who’s to blame?

[Bacon Genie]

Moreover, the study said that of the 99 per cent of iPhone users that were happy, 82 per cent of them were very satisfied. For the 87 per cent of content Pre owners, just 45 per cent were very satisfied. Users in both polls enjoyed the touchscreen, lauded user friendliness and bemoaned battery life. But there are caveats.

The survey, conducted by RBC Capital and ChangeWave Research, polled 200 iPhone Users compared to just 40 Pre users. This means a dissatisfied Pre user could have a greater effect on the outcome. Secondly, this is still the highest customer satisfaction survey for Palm, so disgruntled Pretards should turn that frown upside down. [Wired]

• Dongle
• Cookie
• WAP
• Phone jack
• (Nokia) Navi Key
• Time shifting
• Digital TV
• Ethernet
• (Nokia/Others) PC Suite
• Desktop

It’s an odd list. Even though the UK loves its Nokias, the inclusion of two proprietary Nokia terms seems innately disproportionate. “Time shifting” was an awkward term to begin with that’s specific but antiquated now that “DVR” has taken over. And as for “phone jack” and “desktop,” yes, it’s disconcerting that laymen don’t understand this “jargon,” but I can’t remember the last time that I used either of these technologies.

So that pretty much leaves “cookie,” “dongle,” “ethernet,” “digital TV” and “WAP” as the terms people need to learn. Please call your grandmothers and inform them as to the proper definitions immediately. [BBC and image]

To take the test, simply read the following 25 questions and keep track of how many times you answer “yes.” At the end, we’ll be able to tell you just how gross you are based on this number. Now pay attention!

The DBAG
1. Do you eat Cheetos at your keyboard without wiping your hands?
2. Do you have over 30 desktop icons that are completely unorganised?
3. Do you have every photo your digital camera has ever taken on your computer, even the ones with your finger on the lens, just because you’re too lazy to delete them?
4. Are half of your MP3s tagged incorrectly or not tagged at all?
5. Do you have tons of people in Facebook purgatory who you don’t want to accept but are too lazy to deny?
6. Do you have over 1,000 unread messages in your Gmail inbox?
7. Do you not have a protective screen on your phone?
8. Do you use your computer on the toilet?
9. Do you still have floppy disks kicking around your workspace for some reason?
10. Do you have bookmarks that you last visited over 5 years ago?
11. Is your address book full of duplicate entries for different people like a 2001 cellphone?
12. Do you have a closet that’s full of empty gadget boxes in a big pile?
13. Do you have a ball of tangled cables that you’re pretty sure you’ll never be able to get untangled?
14. Is there a “Install AOL Now!” icon still on your desktop from when you bought it?
15. Do you have a drawer full of old installer CDs and manuals that’s completely disorganised?
16. Are all of your photos in one big folder that you need to sort through to find what you’re looking for?
17. Do you use the iPhone’s remote app to change the music on your computer when you’re sitting less than 2 metres away?
18. Do you have shows on your DVR that have been automatically recording for months, yet you never watch?
19. Do you have unopened bank statement envelopes on your desk from over a year ago?
20. After a phone call, do you need to wipe a good amount of facegrease off with your shirt?
21. Do you have more than 3 toolbars installed in your browser?
22. Do you have more than a half dozen mystery processes you haven’t bothered to investigate that automatically start up when you boot your computer?
23. Are you subscribed to multiple email lists that you always delete without reading but are too lazy to unsubscribe from?
24. Do you have an entire bagel’s worth of poppy/sesame seeds under the keys of your keyboard?
25. Do you ever go out of the house looking like this guy?

Now tally up how many of these questions you answered yes to and click below for your diagnosis and analysis.

Score:
-0-5 points
-6-10 points
-11-15 points
-16-20 points
-21-25 points

Crave more analysis of your various foibles? Check out our other quizzes:
-GSAT: The Geek Social Aptitude Test
-The 50 Skills Every Geek Should Have

There are six targets in all, and NASA is currently conducting a poll to figure out which one to survey using the venerable (and at times glitch-ridden) space telescope.

Voting concludes March 1, so you have some time to deliberate and research your choice. “Spiral Galaxy: NGC 5172″ currently leads, followed by the plucky “Interacting Galaxies: Arp 274″ in second, and the moxie-filled “Star-Forming Region: NGC 6634″ is in third.

And guys, a quick aside, if you will. These are space-only locations. “Cute Girl’s Window in the Apartment Across the Street” is not one of the options. [Hubble Site via Tom's Astronomy Blog]

This is one of those reasonably meaningless polls that ends up saying what we already knew: people like their Internet access. In this survey of 2,119 adults polled by Harris Interactive, Internet access polled higher than any other source of discretionary spending (things like eating out, shopping, and television subscriptions).

But the real buzz around the survey comes from these numbers: 46% of women and 30% of men would rather give up sex for two weeks than give up Internet access over the same period. Frankly, that’s lower than I’d expect: I’m not sure what kind of Casanovas they polled, but I go without sex for two weeks sometimes totally by accident. On the other hand, every time I’ve gone two weeks without the Internet, it was as some kind of forced vacation and I really felt the pain.

Intel also said that 65% of those polled “cannot live without Internet access,” which is kind of an extreme reaction. Does that mean that they’d kill themselves rather than live without it? Or just wish they’d never been born?

What do you guys think? Two weeks without sex, or two weeks without your precious Internet? [New York Times]