The Core

A] Aesthetics. They look like crap.

B] No one ever mentions that it'll be expensive to move the panels when the shingles need replacing.

C] I don't want another job. Managing/maintaining batteries and inverters is work/pita.

D] ROI. I'm only spending about half what a house this size normally spends on utilities due to passive/efficiency. 

Gamepass: evidently, the NFL requires a delay in the US, probably due to broadcast licensing.

http://www.cuttingcords.com/home/2015/8/1/the-nfl-gamepass-has-launched-in-the-us-heres-why-youll-still-want-the-international-version-and-how-to-get-it

This is a massive breach of the cable companies' walled garden;

NFL Gamepass now available in the US

(b) NFL Game Pass (Domestic) available to users in the United States, Mexico, Bermuda, Antigua, the Bahamas, and any U.S. territories, possessions and commonwealths (including American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (collectively, the "NFL Game Pass Domestic Included Territories"): includes access to live and archived video of NFL preseason games, archived video of regular season games);

http://www.nfl.com/help/subscriptions_terms

<added>
This is a new development and details of what is now included in [US] Gamepass aren't clear. It may be gutted.

Windows 10 is spying on almost everything you do – here’s how to opt out

http://bgr.com/2015/07/31/windows-10-upgrade-spying-how-to-opt-out/

Amazon beats Netflix to sign ex-Top Gear talent for new motoring show

http://arstechnica.com/cars/2015/07/amazon-beats-netflix-to-sign-ex-top-gear-talent-for-new-motoring-show/

>Was Windows 8(.1) like this?

Yeah.  From the UI standpoint, it really didn't take many tweaks (the 8.1 UI fixes, boot to desktop, mainly) to make 8.1 like XP with some (useless, smartphone-ish) eyecandy.

>Bing

Yes, Bing is *really* embedded in this one.  Watch your logs.

Anybody remember seo?

https://devx.lt/en/seo-hidden-text-and-ajax