There are easily a half-dozen or so contenders but when I was a lad likely the two most common lies were "The check is in the mail." and "I'll pull out in time."

Magnets work by selective attraction, not to be confused with beer goggles. Look for the "This sign up." side.

"Maybe the IRS needs a better PR department more than it needs anything else."

That's you, and you just did a better job of it.

(I've had only a few dealings directly with IRS; in the two doozies, someone there was able to slice through the crap, provide clear answers, and resolve the situations - in one I paid, in the other the Treasury did, no hard feelings. I do feel fortunate in that I know a few people who've had greater difficulties in getting things made right. (My own experience in dealing with almost every issue with almost any company or agency is that half the solution is to be found in finding the correct person to speak with.))

SciAM October '86? I looked at the table of contents, didn't see anything obvious. So, what happened?

I do recall an article circa '88 by the three engineers at Hanford that re-built an unused research reactor in their spare time to show that with the right design one could shut off the main coolant line and have no meltdown. Guy sat in the control room, watched the temp rise for a while, then cool down over a period of three days. No damage to rods, core, etc.

Their paper was shelved and they all were transferred within six months or so.

Maybe I read a different article, but the fun I found talked about was the challenge of trying new ideas in reactor design - core geometries, fuel composition and cycle, fun stuff like that. Heck, we had a working thorium reactor for a while, but that stuff got nixed because it didn't fit with the weapons program. From Wikipedia:

"The reactor, built at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, operated critical for roughly 15000 hours from 1965 to 1969."

Full article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium-based_nuclear_power. Glenn Seaborg figured we'd be using thorium long ere now; even good ol' Eddie "H-Boom" Teller is in favor of using thorium.

The guys who built that were having fun, too, exploring alternate paths to power generation. Having fun does not equate to carelessness or caprice. Having fun does not imply goofing off or screwing around. Having fun does not mean being dangerous. If having fun meant a bunch of bad stuff happens, then none of us would have survived childhood. (Presuming, of course, that one has a childhood; I wonder about the kids these days - it looks to be mostly all thumbs.)

When one is allowed to apply play with hard work, good stuff happens. I've done it with house-building, renovation, and software, as part of a crew having fun building stuff. It's... fun. I recommend it.

I get some help from friends; a lady brought me a plate of Thanksgiving supper, and another let me do laundry a few weeks back (I've been washing small stuff out in my sink all year, otherwise.) There's an Interfaith Council in town that does stuff - rides and the like, but Jesus doesn't like felons, so that's a no-go.

I wouldn't mind so much, but I'm in worse shape now than when I came home from rehab on 13 December last year - although the pain is not so acute and I can get mostly full walking motion and full weight on the foot much of the time (providing I stretch real well; the Achilles tendon and such have tightened up considerably - I've lost about an inch, have to try to get that back.) Breathing is not so good half the time, the other half it's kinda bad. [grin] I asked the lung guy if he could put in a trap door so's I could use the space freed up by the lobectomy for a stash box, but he wasn't terribly amused.

One of the things I found most hurtful in all this is that from the time I called 911 to report a blood clot to the Fire Department getting me to the ER took an hour - and I'm eight blocks from the hospital, the FD five blocks away. But no way I could have walked it with the cane, let alone add to the risk of the clot busting loose and going to lungs or elsewhere. They weren't busy that night, either - I checked. If I had had the money in my pocket I would have taken a cab. They spent twenty minutes with me in the back of the ambulance in front of my house making me answer all their questions three and more times. Every time I raised my voice in pain they started over - said I wasn't cooperating. Had they gotten me to the hospital in timely fashion the heparin might have dissolved the clot, rather than the leg sealing off. We'll never know. But this is a city of rich folks, and they purely don't like los pobres.

In all honesty I think they were waiting for me to die. Towards the end, I heard one ask the other "Is he still back there?" "Yeah." "I guess we better go, then." DVT/VTE/lung embolism kills ~300,000 per year. (So if your doc says take warfarin, change your diet, and exercise - do it. I didn't have a forewarning, albeit the bypass to the same leg in '03 should maybe have been a clue.)

Thing is, if things work out reasonably well, a lot of this - except for the COPD - is temporary, apart from risk-management via on-going drugs regimen. I know a couple of people with worse stuff that they have to deal with full time. I hate having to compare myself to someone worse off to make me feel better, tho - it's not a practice I find acceptable or likable. On the other hand, as I told my Doc, "It's my body and I want it back." She just smiled, and shook her head a little. So, what the hell. You live long enough, things start crapping out.

The rehab place was also a hospice. Was a guy there, had to have every thing done for him. They'd park him in his wheelchair in the TV alcove by one of the nursing stations for the day. Every so often, he'd just enough control to push the wheels and he'd sort of aim himself down a hallway, saying "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go." until he ran into to something, then he'd start bawling or mewling. They'd fetch him back, soothe him down. Infrequently an aide would have some spare time to wheel him around the halls. He died while I was there.

The thought of ending up like that gave me the chills, ya know? To end up, trapped, with who knows what mind left - no, no way, man. I believe that everyone should have the simple right to decide for themselves about the whole quality of life thing - and be able to check out as and when they please, or have that stipulated in a living will if that control is not directly available to them (with confirmation, if that's possible, of course). My own druthers would be to pick a time, invite my friends, have a party, and say goodbye during the festivities. It'd be one helluva wake.

Thanks for your kind wishes; much appreciated.

One thing I think I've learned, long ago, is that even tho it might not be readily visible, most folks got stuff they got to deal with, one way or the other.

And you're entirely welcome; the pleasure was mine.

"However, to say my writing varies is like saying gravity isn't uniform." Got the first good laugh of the day, thank you. No worries, you manage fine.

There seem to be two possibly diverging paths - one to cyber (mind in constructs), one to nano-stuff in a physical organic body. I can see uses for both, and possibilities for mixed-mode as well. Sci-fi has done both, and I like the story-telling along with the mind-stretch.

Yeah, aina?

At least those are homonyms; one that boggles me is where for were - how the Holy hell do they get that?

I'm 66 and retired; was on SSI for a year and a half, was required therefore to retire at 64. Due to previous long-term health problems, had no recent work history (I did some odd jobs and computer work off the books as I was able to get and to do) so I get the lowest amount allowed by law. State so far pays Medicaid premium.

Rent is 500/mo. for 160sq.ft; as an apartment it kinda sucks but if I regard it as a tourist-class cabin on a liner it's "charming". Best deal based on needs and availability in this city. With a felony conviction, rules out subsidized/senior housing; county says I qualify for nothing they might offer.

So far this year doctor's appointments, blood draws to monitor stuff, a third op on leg (had a DVT with compartmentation and two ops to save the leg, what's left of it), another for lung cancer, consults with ortho, dentist, heart guy, and the two surgeons, X-rays, various CT, PET, and MRI scans, the ops themselves, picking up scripts (opioids can't be phoned in) and picking up meds, I'm out 1000. Add another 500 for getting groceries and whatnot. Plus co-pays, but who's counting. Luckily almost all those locations were in the cheap zone for my discount cab fare, 4 bucks one-way, some were 12, one 16.

This month, for instance, after paying for Internet access and cell, and minus what I've already shelled out, I have 59 left over for buying personal and household supplies and trips to supermarket for those supplies and groceries, (in cheap zone for cab or using a ride service, round trips anywhere I normally go come to 8 bucks), picking up scripts, taking them to pharmacy, picking up meds. So far I've had to cancel one doctor's appointment and put off three tests and three follow-up consults (the leg and lung cutters want to see me, as does the heart guy). Next month if things work out I should be able to schedule all the scans and blood draws for the same day at the hospital. Don't know about the rest yet. Merry Christmas.

But don't misunderstand, please. I'm indoors out of the rain, have heat and electricity and reasonably clean water, and nobody's shooting at me, so I am grateful for what I do have.

(And somewhere along the way I want to try to get a monitor to replace the one that died, so's I can use my '09 home-built tower instead of the old laptop I picked up that year.)

A year ago all the meds issued on the same date so if everything worked I could do the whole shebang in one trip (with a wait time of usually 4-6 hours at pharmacy). Now, with changes to meds, insurance and pharmacy problems with attendant delays, and delays owing to personal indisposition, it takes five trips. Since neither doctor, pharmacy, nor insurance pharmacy clearing office will work to rationalize things, I'm reducing or skipping meds so as to get everything back on the same date. Saving even 30/mo is critical just now.

I'm still on crutches, and although I can walk OK on a good day, cannot stand long enough (swelling->pain->loss of consciousness; it's only been the last few months I could sit with both feet on the floor for brief periods) to wait at a bus stop (I can get a half-fare senior/disabled card and would be able to get to a few places, taking better part a day back and forth).

Forget I brought up the whole assumptions thing, OK? It was meta-level stuff anyway. It's obvious there's a communications breakdown, and I can't think how to fix it, sorry. I never said or even meant to imply that it was about me.

I agree with your assessment. For me, the kicker, and greatest criterion, is the welfare and health of the patient above and before all else. Too much these days (again, from personal experience, in addition to what I've seen with others and have read) is influenced over-much by admin rules, liability risk assessment driving those policies, and Medicare restrictions (as a for instance, if I had the money I would be prescribed situational and likely sleep supplemental oxygen given that most of my SpO2 is below 95 and upon waking is often below 90. Medicare won't touch you until your readings are below 88 or 89 depending on one's case. All the literature (NIH, Mayo, NHS, etc.) all either suggest or outright state that there are systemic effects of debilitation that start below 93-95, as well as bad effects to vision and heart (I'm also high-risk for ischemic events.) In hospital, when they see 93 then you're put on oxygen stat, especially post-op. Welcome to the modern world of health care.)

If various well-researched and proven electrical stimulation works, it'd be a boon, if for no other reason than to be able to avoid the inescapable side effects of medicaments. Even if those side effects are mild they're still there and still put some kind of strain on the system. What we don't yet know, from what I've read, is what if any side effects are observed with the elec-stim.

One thing that might help - find a Windows program to your liking (one most compatible with your needs and usage) and run it in a Windows virtual machine. I suggest using Virtualbox as it's free and easy to set up and use. Playing sound from it or through to your Linux host should both work OK. Requires spare Windows OS and key.

Doing it this way would let you have the greater selection of programs.

Years back I used iTunes on my first XP install (upgrade from 98SE) and it worked, albeit the GUI interface was kinda clunky. Bought some music and a few movies. That was years back and several Windows and Linux installs ago - and I've no idea how to go about getting to my old stuff off of there. Ditto for the music I bought from MSN and Walmart - the keyfiles are long gone and the servers gone as well. I'm out a couple of hundred dollars. Doesn't help I was homeless and without a system during the time they allowed one to get their files. Live and learn: don't get locked in; download your stuff; make backups - lots of backups. Above all, don't buy anything that you're not allowed to own. (I run XP in a vm as a convenience, but I don't forget that one doesn't buy Windows, one leases the privilege of using it.)

As I understand it, fast-tracking changes some of that. It side-steps the formal treaty process by calling it a legislative-executive agreement. Fast-tracking has already been asked for the TPP, and the same approach is planned for the Atlantic version.

I am sorry to learn of your loss. Several friends of mine are in similar straits. I'm too far down the demographic ladder, living two steps up from homeless (first is living at a shelter, second is having "a place to call one's own". Rent is two-thirds my income; half the rest has gone for transportation - and two-thirds of that for medical appointments. At 80% of poverty level, it gets interesting. I worked hard, I tried to do what's right. Shit happened.)

The "we" is everyone involved in the social contract. Sorry it wasn't obvious. Anyway, the discussion will never happen, so it's moot. We were taught that generally one does not build upon sand (although there ways to do so, ditto permafrost and ice.) I was trying to suggest that we (yes, often more our masters) have built ourselves a set of systems upon un-examined assumptions - beyond the operative one of might making right. So, again, a moot point.

Good luck to you.

Hope against hope, I keep hoping people might somehow magically recognize sarcasm. That lack may stem from the simple fact that most people don't read books anymore and have so little perspective or even basic knowledge of the use of language. Good luck.

So now we have TPP and later the same for Atlantic-side. (TPP just finished up another round of secret talks recently, here in the U.S.) You thought ACTA or SOPA and the like were bad? TPP is akin to SOPA on steroids, and initially involves some twelve of the big players trans-Asia.

These days I'm left wondering how one would even go about trying to define "sane government".

If in some parts of the world people start making unlocked computers, what do you think the chances are that you'll be able to get one in the U.S. or any of the other signatories?

I'm no fan of plagiarism whether in code or elsewhere but when patents can be issued and asserted against the kinds of things any programmer will do naturally in the real world or the classroom it becomes just another grab for power and extortion. With no offense to those here or my friends who make a living writing code for their clients, this kind of patent crapola is but one more thing that increases my liking for open-source code.

Raised in the Fifties, edumacated at a megaversity in the Sixties, things sure looked a lot different. There were lots of big problems, but we at least made some progress - civil rights, environment protection, reining in some government abuses. Now? Well, the U.S. is not the country I was born into and likely not the one in which I'd choose to live given a choice. I find myself hurt, angry, saddened. I'd like to live for a long while (given good health) in order to learn, explore, build, but otherwise think it's maybe a good idea to check out sooner than later; the bod's crapping out pretty good anyway. The cost of manufacturing hope against reality is getting expensive.