I wonder how the world would react to a global internet shutdown.

It would cause immense economic and probably industrial damage. I wouldn't be surprised if it were treated as an act of war by many countries.

Hmm. That post kinda lost its meaning when /. stripped out the HTML start and end tags.

I think I would start with type for a bit and finish up with

That's only because perception of time changes as you age. They think that they have only been there for a few days and bang, retirement hits them.

30 years for me and still having them ones.

Depends on the person. I prefer just to get on with the job, and I know that quite a few other people are like me. Pay me well and let me get on with it with no bullshit.

That others need feeding compliments every five minutes is why I chose not to stray too far into management.

That is the way to stay on the treadmill for life. Which is where they want you.

As an IT contractor/consultant I have earned good money at times, but rather than buying sports cars or a massive house I have spent what I needed to be comfortable and invested the rest. As a result I now only work about 30% of the year and I am still under 50.

Not bragging or gloating, just pointing out that expanding your spending every time you get a raise is not a recipe for a comfortable life in an uncertain world.

New Aussie bank notes certainly do have a smell. And it is not that unpleasant. A mix of plastic and talcum powder. Maybe it is added to ensure the notes can be dispensed smoothly.

True, although the expert will often as not turn out not to be, and they will make decisions that will haunt you for years.

Not that the competition is any better.

Accenture worked on the Australian Taxation Offices "Change Program", which cost billions and was a debacle. From the moment that they got the contract it was all about trying to progressively descope so that they had to deliver less and less. They delivered a fraction of what they said they would and many years late.

But then they have a habit of employing smart young non-techies and then putting them in technical positions, and work practices that border on a cult.

Why anyone would throw money at these clowns is anyone's guess.

Oh, and wrestlers are neither. They fall into the entertainment industry category. At least the WWF do. Those sumo dudes, well they need a category all of their own...

What makes a game a sport though?

My take on it is physical rather than mental exertion. So in my mind dominos, chess, poker and starcraft (1 or 2) are all games. Doesn't make them any less watchable or admirable though.

I thought you wrote "wife".... put a completely different complexion on the post.

And this is true even if you don't have a twitter account or use Twitter. It is just in that case they don't know anything about you.

This is why I redirect facebook in my hostsini. looks like I should do the same with the other icon providers. Although I block ads anyway.

Really? I thought you had to opt OUT, not in. The fact remains that the state levies a tax and collects monies for a religion, and pays for the upkeep of churches and their staff.

"The federal government and parliament have responsibility for recognizing religious groups and paying the wages and pensions of their ministers." and "Broadly speaking, religious groups received approximately 645 million euros from the government in 2009" (source http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/171685.pdf)

So not so much separation of church and state as you would like us to think.