Whoops - I think you're right. I've only read the sales summaries. I thought it was a bit strange at the time - x86 is kind of anathema to the design of IBM i/OS400.

System i is already hosted on x86 - see "Pure Systems". It's a great OS, with granularity of control I've never seen in *nix or Windows.

Back in the day, I used to think that it would be wonderful when PCs became powerful enough to run OS400. I'd still like to see it, even if emulated.

*cough*Technology export rules*cough*

Ah, the ad hominem response. Please, educate me.

Is it impossible or even highly unlikely that cloned animals would be susceptible to a new strain of virus, and die in large numbers?

Is genetic diversity the best or at least one of the better defences against evolving disease strains?

Are monoculture crops susceptible to large-scale die-off when a new or evolved virus appears on the scene? Hint - Irish potato famine.

Is it smart to breed species that need long-term support to remain productive?

Tell me where I'm wrong. I never said cloned pigs (or monoculture crops) are less nutritious or tasty than traditional or conventional supplies, but I have concerns about the long-term viability of clones and monoculture in our food supplies.

BTW, I did say "I wonder" - that means I'm thinking about something. It's not an authoritive statement, my whole post was couched as a question, with some personal opinions thrown in.

Try using your brain to respond to my statements, rather than attempting to insult and threaten me - you'll avoid looking stupid.

Sounds like the two-watch problem from 17th century naval navigation - if you have two watches, which one shows the correct time? So you use three or more watches to reduce inaccuracy.

How about a three or four-way balance? Instead of a simple two-sided balance beam, set up a triangular or square arrangement. If the reference kilograms are identical to the master kilogram, the balance will be level. If the balance is down in one corner, you've immediately spotted the item/s that aren't quite right. Of course, if you're using four items in a square configuration, and an entire side (two items) dips downwards, you're back to the original problem.

On second thoughts, this isn't a very good solution at all. Carry on.

Yep, and they'll be valuable for that purpose. I wonder what will happen to that value when the inevitable virus turns up/evolves that the cloned strain of pigs is susceptible to. If the cloned strain makes it out of the research labs and into food production (because the owner of the cloned strain decide they could make a lot of money selling the pigs for food), and one year they all die off because of a new version of swine flu or whatever, then logically the price of pork products will go up and up as demand increases on traditional sources.

I can't help thinking of the parallels with GM corn, soy, etc, and the folly of monoculture crops. Certain multinationals breed them for desired traits such as yield, resistance to herbicides, and even resistance to known diseases, etc. Sooner or later a virus will evolve that those strains of corn, soy, whatever, have no resistance to. Will cloned pigs that are bred for desired traits (such as fast growth or a certain fat content) require long-term support along the lines of dietary supplements, drugs, etc?

Keeping a couple of conventional bulbs is probably the simpler solution, but if you're the tinkering type, perhaps you could try a suitably-tinted reflector/shade for the LEDs that reduces the unwanted parts of the spectrum. Try a piece of orange cellophane to start with.

Fine, just don't press any buttons.

Just read lots and lots - but here's a few I like:

Known Space series by Larry Niven.
Anything by Anthony Burgess - e.g. A Clockwork Orange, A Dead Man in Deptford, Any Old Iron
The Prince - Macchiavelli
Canterbury Tales
Beowulf
Le Morte D'Artur, any of the Arthurian Romances
Peanuts collections
Calvin & Hobbes collections

OS400 !=Hinduism

Reminds me of "Wings of OS/400" and the other OS iterations from:
http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~zurawski/humor/new_os_air.html

i think stronger ownership laws would help. No-one should own more than 50% of the news sources in a given district, whether newspaper, TV or Radio. Obviously there are complexities in making it happen, but would Murdoch and others be so powerful if their influence hadn't been allowed to grow by swallowing up the competition? Also, if advertisers (admittedly a shrinking market) had the balls to send their $$$ to the competition AND tell the publishers about it ("You're blatantly lieing about x, and you won't see any more of my money until you print a front-page retraction"), it might help. Media publishers don't care what the readers/viewers/listeners think, as long as they continue to consume. They care a lot about advertisers.

Ah, yes. Thanks. I knocked back the "free item" once - I pointed out that the "buy one, get one free" offer on coffee rang up as two separate items, and 10 seconds later after verifying the shelf label and cash register docket, the cashier's supervisor said "Right, that's both of them free, then", I said not to bother, just give me the original 2-for-1 deal, but she insisted.

Actually, the barcode scanning code of conduct (I think that's what it's called) at grocery stores here in Oz states that if there's any discrepancy between sticker price on the shelf, and what the register rings up, you get the item free. That's OK for a bag of potatoes, but a $3K computer would be different.

The advertisement is an offer to trade. If the consumer accepts the offer, and the seller accepts the money and delivers the goods, that's the end of the deal. Tough titty for the seller if they've allowed an error all the way through to the completion of the sale - they have the option to back out any time up until accepting the money.

What's the issue/s with durability? Mine are warranted for 80% of claimed output up to 20 years (BPSolar), the rooftop mounts are cyclone-rated, and the panels themselves are rated for hail up to (can't remember right now) size.

I've had people ask me about this great offer they've had from some local start-up that offers them cheap chinese panels with a five-year warranty, and I tell them to say "no" until they are offered well-known brands with better warranties. At least those people were smart enough to ask around for advice and opinions - I suppose others who don't ask for advice and opinions might get stuck with poor durability.

Add a few HCF instructions here and there. You might be lucky enough for it to cause some consternation at the listener's end.