Yes, I think we have had slightly better though not recently. I'm thinking on the lines of 'more humane'. I had a bit of hope for him as being young, with a disabled child etc. that he might understand a bit about other people's problems. But he's an ex-SPAD [that's a 'special advisor', for those in the US] and ex-Carlton marketing person, so I shouldn't have got my hopes up. He's a prick, Milliband is feeble but also priviledged, Farage isn't a man of the people and runs a party of fruitcakes, so that leaves the Greens [of which I am, pretty much] and, of course, the Pirate Party and the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. I used to regularly vote for the Loonies in the local elections.

Agree. Actually he can fuck off anyway, an awful prime-minister surrounded by greedy, idiotic cronies...

Yes, I agree. My formalised version of this is 'apprenticeships' for anyone that wants to be an elected official or senior paid official, is that they have to 'train' for a a year or two in a project [US], estate [UK] of scheme [Scotland] and live on the basic umemployment amount. Most people at this level are doing their best and are often incredibly brave and motivated, two jobs, long shifts etc.

Also this would mean that people prepared to do this, probably did have serious motivation to improve society rather than just enrich themselves and do nothing. However, I'm sure, after a couple of years they'd probably find a way to pay someone to do this for them.

My 'other' plan is a hole in the school floor that opens when any pupil expresses a desire for/interest in politics. It's probably the most humane way, although a little difficult for the parents. Trouble is. that might dispose of the the Mandelas and Ghandis too.

I use DuckDuckGo for the most part now. It's imperfect but, like many UK people, I dislike the tax-avoidance [edging on tax evasion], the hyper-intrusion and the unhealthy dominance of Google [and Amazon]. Before anyone from the US jumps on me, I would do the same for a UK [or French etc. etc.] owned organisation that displayed the same 'symptoms'.

However, when I do use Google, usually via DuckDuckGo with !g, I notice that the results seem to be less relevant each month. I know they play around constantly with the algorithms and personal profiles [hence as an anonymous Googler, I get something less than optimal] but it's just 'not very good' now. As programmer I often go straight to Stack Exchange anyway, short-circuiting the search engine bit entirely.

Yes, I immediately thought of Galactus too. But the research could prove or disprove whether Galactus is a small brother or cousin of the star eater? Perhaps the star eater evolved from Galactus-like life forms because someone [a fool] irradiated it?

We would need to engineer Silver Surfer++ AKA Platinum Surfer or Very Rare Earth Surfer etc. etc.

Obviously, all that would be incredibly useful, it gets MY research money vote.

I presume this is a shill? There's so many things wrong with this, '100% better', 'more secure' than I don't know where to start. Actually, since Amazon has decided that paying taxes is optional in the UK, I don't buy buy from them anyway.

Oh exactly. I don't use Facebook, mind you I'm a geek, an only child, quite old and I can do without a lot of superficial non-communication. I talk to my friends and have dinner with them, once or twice a week in meatspace. There's probably a camera in my curry, isn't there? Just a joke.

Enough said. I nearly made the 'l' an 'r' but I must think of the children, as Dave Camoron the suppository salesman has said.

I'm 64, still running and still coding. I demoted myself from 'consultancy' back to code about 10 years ago. I take care of myself, but it's not obsessive, besides like many runners, I like to run. I don't have a car and walk or cycle nearly everywhere, as in the 1960s when I was young. 40, given current expectations of longevity etc. is a young person nowadays. But I believe that attitude. lifestyle and personal expectation play a large part in ageing where there's no actual dysfunction.

Yes, sorry, over enthusiastic about the whole concept and I should have checked! Thanks!

Autumn for Pluto and Uranus.

Sorry, even at 64 years old, I couldn't resist that.

They've 'managed' [in all the senses] to avoid paying taxes in the UK, so there's no reason to buy their weak, frothy, expensive, faux-hip coffee from them. Go away.

Oh yes, the documents as you say, will be fine. The apps and infrastructure around them and any interactive content will not, for example. There's a certain amount of lock-in with anything that's cloud, except something open-source from top to bottom.

As for 'no lock-in' generally, try moving away from gmail.

I've been to a couple of meetings in UK schools where Chromebooks are being marketed agressively and potentially given away or sold at cost. If that's happening in the US, it's bumping up the numbers.

All the class material and class management are in the 'cloud' [that is at Google central] so 'you don't have to worry about anything' and the total cost of ownership is near-zero.

What's wrong with this picture? Plenty, vendor lock-in, third party and [in the UK] foreign control of a vital resource and not understanding whatever long game Google is playing, just to start with. They're maximising shareholder value or about to, they are not a charity. And as for 'don't be evil' my a***.

Above all, we can make [or repurpose] Linux books, quite easily.