Yup! I live in the country and commute about 25 miles to a job in the outer 'burbs so there isn't a lot of traffic, and consequently not a lot of cops. Last summer I was driving home in my 350Z accelerating through about 85 or so, with the engine screaming at redline (love that sound!), came over a rise -- and passed a sheriff going the other way. He instantly lit up and turned around to chase me. By that time he made the U-turn I had slowed to about 65 or so (keeping off the brakes).

- Do you know why I pulled you over?
- No, not really, why?
- I clocked you doing 68 back there.
- Really? I just came off the stop sign at the intersection with County 78, didn't think I could pick up speed that fast.
- Well you did! Be careful and keep it below 55, have a nice day.
- K. Thx. Bye, officer.

It doesn't always work, but you're better off being polite and playing dumb than getting pissy with a tired, overworked cop.

All because of the FDA

I also work for a medical device manufacturer but I disagree. It's not "all because of the FDA!" There's that "minor thing" about thinking of the patient first, and ensuring that no harm comes to them.

Sure we have to please the FDA, but that's secondary to the patient's concerns and I try really hard to never forget that!

keep doing that for an hour while she gets warmed up to the idea

That's terrible! Why would you marry someone who needs to be talked into having sex with you? I don't mean to be judgmental, but really!

If my wife says 'no' to sex it's always 'no, I don't feel well' (she has to be really sick to say this), or "no, I really need to sleep" (again, must be very tired) and she's generally apologetic about it and tries to "make it up" as soon as practical. The point is she wants sex with me at least as much as I want it with her and I couldn't imagine for a second marrying her if our sex drives, among other important things, weren't well aligned.
Sex is one of the things that really makes life with someone else fun, why would you want to have to convince your partner to get naked and sweaty with you? Sounds like a chore for both of you!

I agree with you 100%, but...

I live on a few acres in a rural area about 30 miles outside Minneapolis, and let me tell you that neighbors can be royal pains in the ass no matter where you go! Seems that for some people it's human nature to meddle in other people's business while at the same time being completely hypocritical.

Maybe when the kids are out of school I'll move to a few hundred acres out in Wyoming or something...

But did you make that stub yourself?

I'm not saying that CNC doesn't change things. I'm saying that it doesn't change things very much for the average home user. For professionals and/or advanced hobbyists, it's game changing -- just look at things like the CriCut. For the average homeowner... yawn!

The only people making firearms non-commercially in the USA are hobbyists. For everyone else, buying them at WalMart is easy enough.

I have a benchtop milling machine and enjoy using it (would like to get a lathe soon). I understand where you're coming from, but just because the ability is there doesn't mean people will take advantage of it. Cheap manual mills and lathes have been available for a long time and the only ones buying them are retired machinists and hobbyists. The "average Joe" could care less. How many people even do woodwork as a hobby these days? And that stuff is readily available at Home Depot and much cheaper than precision metal tools.

Make your own car parts? Sure if you have a DXF or other CAD file of the part... for free (you don't think the guy making the drawing for you wants to get paid? Dimensioning a part to tenths and then making a drawing takes time and experience)... and the correct alloy... and you can get it ground to the right finish... Not to mention that the stuff you can make at home tends not to be the stuff that breaks -- when was the last time you had to replace an axle stub? A seat bracket?

It's a nice idea, but I'm not holding my breath.

p.s.,

Congratulations!!!

This is why I was so happy that all my wife wanted was a wedding in front of a judge and a meal with the parents at Buca's (passable Italian-American restaurant chain) afterwards.

Talk about floral centerpieces would make her eyes glaze over :-)

I made the same argument, then deleted it, thinking "why bother?"

I live in a rural area and tonight I have to take my kid to a birthday party that lasts about 90 minutes. I don't really feel like hanging around a bunch of screaming 3rd graders and it's not worth the time to drive back and forth 15 minutes each way to home twice (we live outside town) and the local library will be closed. My only options are: find a bar and hang out, or go to McDonald's with my ThinkPad. The nearest Starbucks I know of is about 20 miles away.

I don't need to buy anything (although I'll probably get a coffee or something else to drink), and no one will ask me to leave.

some people really stick with one job for years?

Yup. Been here for over a decade. Many people in this (large F500 corp) have worked here since leaving college decades ago.

Funny how that works. You find a place where you can do interesting, meaningful work, get regular training, paid satisfactorily and suddenly there isn't a whole lot of motivation to look for another job.

Most of the people alive in 1909 would see your life as one of "recreation and leisure". They would not view anything you do as work.

Not just 1909. 2009, right here in the US. I live in a rural area and was recently talking with someone who recalled just graduating from high school and having farmers complain that all these kids are going off to college because they're afraid of work.

Even in the USA in 2009, there are many, many jobs that are sheer hard work. Many people doing those jobs would laugh at the idea that sitting in a climate controlled office all day long in front of a computer is real "work." I often agree with them!

It's a wonderful thing to find someone that is smart, beautiful, and thinks sex is only dirty when it's done right.

Thanks for the reminder :-)
Being married to someone who fits that description, I texted her that snippet to remind her how much I appreciate those qualities.

Have to agree. When that plane landed in the Hudson, I heard about it on MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) and turned on the TV when I got home to watch it. It was the first time in years that I had watched CNN and after five minutes I simply had to change the channel. I got absolutely no more information than I had before, the screen was full of blinking, scrolling messages that were irrelevant and distracting and other than a loop of the airplane ditching into the river, there was essentially zero content.

Maybe I'll watch TV news again in five years. Not too likely though!

What's the big deal? I also work in a regulated industry and recently our CEO sent out a memo suggesting employees write their Congressman about a proposed law that could seriously hurt our business. It doesn't matter where the urging comes from since it's not like the CEO can tell that you've followed his suggestion or not.