Well color me stupid. Thanks for the info. You can tell I've (luckily) not had to think or know anything about WinXP for many years now.

Ah, I didn't realize there was a 64-bit version of Windows XP, but it turns out that there is one. So I guess I'm not confused at the OP's initial comment on why people would ditch WinXP when moving to 64-bit architectures.

I agree that such extremes are not good for the individual or society today, but they would be a boon for histories.

Yes, 99.999% of those to do lists would be of zero interest, but what historian wouldn't want access to all of, say, Abraham Lincoln's to do lists and diary entries?

Perhaps what the OP meant is the limitations imposed by 32-bit systems, thereby prompting decision makers to choose a 64-bit system when upgrading the hardware? Say the new workstations being purchased have 4 or 8 or 16 GB of memory and here we have Windows XP, which can only see and use 2 GB. Time to roll in a 64-bit OS!

I wager he's talking real estate. Probably been snatching up lower end homes to rent out to the previously home owning subprime market. That would be my guess. I really hope he hasn't gone into debt to buy collectibles or fine wines!

Speaking of real estate, here's an interesting aerial photograph from a Florida subdivision that was built during the 1970s land boom. No houses were ever built, just sold lots. Today, trees are growing between cracks in the roads.

And those assets would be...

Care to elaborate? Did you borrow a lot of money at a locked in rate to buy gold, per chance?

121K debt per taxpayer is what the national debt is right now. Your whole formula presupposes that the debt won't rise another penny from now through the next 30-40 years. Is that at all likely? The GAO estimates Social Security and Medicare obligations alone will cost us roughly 12 TRILLION in borrowed dollars (in total) between now and 2040 (not adjusted for inflation). And have you seen the proposal for the upcoming fiscal year? We'll be running a $1.6 TRILLION dollar deficit.

We have reason to be worried about the US deficit and debt. There will certainly be a day of reckoning in our lifetimes.

You could say that.

Maybe, but probably not. It seems like after a second or two he had already forgotten about the events that had just transpired and was back to the narrative of The Gunslinger.

Have you seen the movie Triangle? If you liked the ending you may like that movie.

If you don't mind wasting two spots in your queue, you can the two-disc mini-series from Netflix.

Really? I agree that the adaptation wasn't bad, but I thought the acting and soundtrack left a lot to be desired. And the casting decisions were questionable, especially having Kareem Abdul-Jabar and King himself making cameos. Also, they never were able to really connect the viewer - emotionally or visually - to the wasteland of the world after the plague. I agree it would be hard to do on the small or big screen, as those aren't as impressive as one's imagination, but given that several of King's books have translated excellently to the big screen, I was disappointed by this mini-series. But perhaps that's what one is to expect from a TV production, at least one back in the 90s.

I thought IT was a better small screen adaptation - much better acting.

The main problem with King's novels, in my opinion, is that he spends all this time in character development and setting up the plot, then rushes headfirst into the conclusion. The Stand, for instance, should have been 2,000 pages. Having the whole thing wrap up in the last 100 pages or so was a travesty. (Likewise for IT.)

but the intent of that provision was that you couldn't criminalize something and then try someone for committing the crime prior to it being a law

I'm sure that was one of the intents, but are you certain that another intent wasn't to stop, say, the government passing a tax law and then saying, "Oh yeah, and you owe taxes for the past 10 years on this new law." Not being a Constitutional scholar, I don't know what the Founders intent was, but the wording is very succinct and to the point - "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed." - there are no qualifiers referring to criminal law or certain types of laws.

I knew someone that was in an accident and went to one of those lawyers. They told him to rack up a few thousand dollars in medical expenses and then call them back. Never hire a lawyer who advertises.

Any lawyer who is working on contingency - whether she advertises or not - is going to have this same sentiment, because in a civil suit the judgment cannot exceed your damages. If you have an accident and need no medical attention, you were not damaged.

Now, if this person you knew said, "I will put you on retainer and pay you hourly and start with a $1,000 deposit," I'm sure the lawyer would take the case immediately.

Sure, but sites that sell ads on a CPM usually have unsold inventory, meaning that they have more impressions (e.g., page views) than advertisers willing to spend the money on them. That's why you see in-house ads and such show up. Point being, the increased traffic unlikely impacted the bottom line UNLESS the ads are CPC or CPA (and the increased traffic led to increased click-throughs and sign ups).