You're an idiot.

The reason all the dinosaurs are embedded in layers of sediment is because of the great flood (you know, the one that noah saved all the animals from by putting them on the ark) which killed all the dinos and then layered them in dirt and mud kicked up by the flood. This didnt happen slowly over millions of years but in 40 days during the rains and flooding.

And don't give me carbon dating or any other dating method because they vary so much from each other that they prove the world is only 5000 years old.

And don't tell me about single specimins of trees that reproduce by self cloning that are over 5000 years old. I'm not listening LALALALALALA....

Fill the store with servers and sell downloads instead.

With bandwidth restrictions on people's net access, there could be a business for walking in and downloading directly to your device. Still faster than over the net, its an incentive over piracy (speed, reliability). You could even have previous stations where you could quickly flip through movies and preview whatever you wanted (ie, fast-forward through it you like). To save more time you could rent the movie on a memory stick in your preferred format.

Never mind you could get things that arent on DVD or arent popular enough to stock normally. And no running out of DVD's.

It would be a risky business and it would have to be done just right. You'd probably want to rent video games (still probably some life yet in that business) too and also sell iPods and memory sticks and such.

This will pave the way for employers to pay as little as half as much for employing blacks, latinos and even white people, since they are clearly not capable of being expected to do any better. This will be great for business and a sorely needed stimulus for the economy! Imagine how much money businesses will save now, and you know that will be directly passed on to the consumer with lower prices for everybody!

Out of some 10 or so electronic voting machines, 6 were not working.

So much for technology.

Purely anecdotal and totally untested, but my hypothesis is this: with less need to actually remember things, we have more brain left over for purely abstract reasoning and logic.

My personal experience is that my memory sucks. I don't know if this is genetic, or just a result of being undisciplined about memorization when I was young and so now, in my middle age, its just the routine that I can't remember stuff. I always had trouble remembering and memorization was, and still mostly is, the primary tool used in public schools. However my logic and abstract reasoning has always been high, through the roof even. I would score high on such tests, as well as IQ tests. But I would fall flat on tests requiring lots of memorization (history, grammar, etc). I would even do bad on math, because I couldn't remember the formulas (or times tables). But I could logically figure it out. Sometimes over and over I would have to logically deduce how to solve a problem instead of just remembering the formula or method.

Today, with Google and the internet, I have to remember even less. Because I know I can find it. Or I can find somebody who knows. I am great with high concepts and abstracts knowing that I can just find the answer to the details when I need it (mostly).

So, I "blame" our information based modern society. I don't know how bad of a thing this is. It does worry me that people dont know how to do basic things anymore.

Don't worry about it.

Everyone else will just have to accommodate you.

I, for one, welcome our Non-Prescription ADHD Medication User overlords.

But seriously. If I can ingest something that's going to improve my mind in some way without side effects, or with known side that I can manage, I'm sure as hell going to do it.

Almost all of us already do it and have been doing it for a very long time. Coffee. Aspirin (its much easier to think without a headache..). Ginseng. And probably a hundred other naturally occurring things. Even vitamins count. I personally feel I've even gotten benefits from LSD and Marijuana. If some current or future compound can improve my memory, my thinking speed, or reduce the amount of sleep I need, I'm all over it.

Now pardon me while I suck down a still legal monster energy drink and work all night long..

I'm 42 today, and feeling old.

I have a history not unlike yours. Programming assembly on a Sinclair in the 80's. Trying to build an 8 bit SMP system from Z80's (before I knew what SMP was). Programming in C on my Amiga... but never got a job doing these. Then I worked for a bit as an engineering "intern" at Mcdonnel Douglas / Boeing while going to college. Decided I didn't want to do that for a living. I got lucky and along came the WWW and suddenly I could get jobs doing web sites and then programming. Coldfusion, PHP, Javascript, HTML, CSS, etc. I just learned Java to do Android apps. I had no problem getting jobs, and now with just a little Android experience I am literally getting flooded with job offers.

I think any kind of mobile dev is a win, whether its Javascript and jQuery mobile, Java or Objective-C (iPhone).

Don't be afraid to try some side projects either. You cant get success without trying. But not everyone gets to be a rockstar, either. I've got my side projects that I hope might hit the jackpot one day, in addition to my "day job".

I've also got backup plans. I have been leaning towards the idea of being a teacher of some sort. Maybe going back to college to get a better degree. Possibly volunteering to help at my daughter's high school where they are starting a new engineering program (EPIC) that looks super awesome (arduinos and micro arial vehicles and robots and oh my..). I realize there's not a ton of money in teaching, though.

Another option is cooking (I made a lovely beef marsalla stroganoff last night).

I find there are two kinds of "nerds" out there. The single minded machines who focus on one thing, and the well balanced people who know such a broad range of things that they can pick up almost any talent quickly and run with it. If you are one of the later, then you have nothing to worry about, as long as you embrace change and risk. If you are the former, well, I don't think programming is going away any time soon. Just go where the action is.

somebody's going to do it, eventually, if it hasnt already been done (and just not taken off yet). The person who does it probably wont be concerned with monetizing it, at least first, just like many other great creations.

There was (its been apparently abandoned) a low level research project called DSNP that sought to create the core of a distributed social networking system with a protocol that used encryption and public keys to allow secure, distributed social networks. Its a shame it has not gone anywhere (yet)... if I had the time and resources I would implement something on top of it. But alas, my "day job" doesn't care about such things..

Anybody who's played Sim-City (the original) will tell you that building more and more roads doesn't fix your traffic problems...

This is true.

Today, 99% of us (thats millions) are economic slaves (like indentured servants back then) to a small population (1%) of wealthy people who virtually own (lobbying) our political leaders (or ARE are leaders).

Thats progress!

Almost 40, working as a developer for mortgage companies, with a growing family and living in an apartment.

We all know what happened to the mortgage industry and so my attempt at starting a software company evaporated with it.

Now some years later, I've just worked for various companies but haven't furthered my own projects. But, my income has steadily increased. My family has grown. Just in the last few months I was finally able to buy a home (thank you CHDAP).

I keep switching jobs not because I've wanted to but for other reasons (company downsizing or politics, company imploded, etc).

Right now, I'm beating off the job the offers and practically have to turn off my phone to get any work done because I get 15+ calls a day for job offers. And I'm not that great a programmer, either. There's just plenty of work apparently.

Sometimes I wonder how long this will last. Will my skills still be needed in 10 years? Will the robots take over by then? I don't know. I do know that I try to keep up with the latest technologies and keep my skills fresh. Will nobody want to hire a 50 year old? I don't know. Thus far, as far as I can tell, no job I've had even really knew how old I was when hiring me. I suppose I don't look my age.

It may sound silly or simplistic but really, just keep working. Work hard, be an honest worker, but don't kill yourself. Save some money. Spend time with your kids. I've had mostly telecommute jobs for the last 5 years so that helps with the family time. If you can start something on the side, do it. I plan on doing that, but it hasnt happened yet. Get an old car to restore so you have something non-computer to do.

You'll be fine.

Yep, we run a real gestapo here!

Note: I was mostly talking about the 4 and 6 year olds. I don't think it strange at all that I don't let these two wander the neighborhood unsupervised.

No, they don't have anytime unrestricted access to the computer(s). Neither do they have such unrestricted unsupervised access to the kitchen. No, they don't get to eat whatever they want, use any tool they want, etc. Yes, I do make the rules and decide whats best for them. Go figure! Yep, sometimes I get "I hate you!" and "its not fair!" and that tells me I'm doing my job.

Also note that every child is different. The aformentioned 13 year old has many unique issues and has had many more restrictions than the other two have needed.

More generally, I'm talking about getting the basics down first. A 6 year old isn't ready for calculus, or power tools, or has any need for social networking on the computer. Unless of course you have a prodigy that has already learned the other math and is ready for calculus at 6.

I'm talking about balance and priorities here.

And, just "because all the other kids are doing it" is not a reason to let your kid do it. Really? Come on. I'm supposed to give in and let her have a facebook account because the other kids have them? At 10 years old? Yeah and I should give her a cell phone too, right? And a new car at 16? But the other kids have them! And I should let them eat McDonalds everyday and go to Disneyland every weekend and pay for every dance lesson or european vacation she asks for? Just because some other kid got that?

To summarize my point: automated censorship is bad (and somewhat impossible). Spending time with your kids and monitoring what they do is good. Letting them do whatever they want is bad. Teaching them to do the right thing when faced with a bad choice is good. Protecting them from bad stuff is good.

I have kids, 4, 6 and 13.

I am a computer nerd, and work on a computer all day. I love my gadgets.

My kids don't have a computer.

They are allowed to use the family computer, when supervised. Sometimes games for the little ones, or videos (entertainment or educational). The older one, of course, does research for school work, etc.

They are absolutely not allowed on Facebook. Period. This has been a major issue for the older one.

I look at it the same way I look at real life. I wouldn't let them walk the streets (even in my nice neighborhood) alone, why would I let them wander the internet alone? They may play in the yard or at a known and trusted neighbor's yard, supervised by other adults. This is analogous to a website I know and trust.

I don't lock all the doors in the daytime or keep them on leashes or make them wear blinders and earplugs and sometimes they hear bad words (I've got a potty mouth) or subjects they arent ready for. So we explain to them why its not ok for them, and maybe even I should try not to say bad words.

Facebook, for the older child, is a particular bone of contention. I look at Facebook the way I Iook at a bar. I wouldn't let my kid hang out in a bar alone either, or for that matter, even the local coffee shop I frequent.

Its just common sense.

I'm also against much computer use at a really young age. Little kids should be running around, playing with legos, learning how to socialize, etc. Not playing video games.

I really wonder sometimes, if computers had been what they are today when I was kid, if I would have ever learned to program one...