I like to think of insurance as reverse lottery. People pay small amounts to participate in the game, and then hope they don't win the jackpot. So when insurance companies invest this money around, it kind of balances out.

I see what you did there.

I guess it depends on what you're used to. I practically grew up with laptops, so I always type numbers with the upper row, even if a numeric pad is available. I also think the number pad is a matter of space and reach, even on a desktop, but especially on a laptop where keys are already crammed. I'm sure a lot of proficient typists also appreciate a centred keyboard on a laptop.

My keyboard has two Ctrl keys in a rather symmetric orientation, and I like them that way, much like the two Shift keys. If the left Ctrl were in the place of Caps Lock, then its right counterpart would have to replace Enter.

It's not that I like having a Caps Lock around doing nothing, but it's not exactly a great place for a modifier which generally comes in symmetric pairs.

this one is also based on alloyed tin.

In my understanding, one main reason for this secrecy with FPGAs is a kind of DRM. A lot of gadgets out there use FPGAs, and they contain some proprietary design in the form of the bitstream. If this format were open, anyone could copy and modify the design, much more easily than copying actual hardware design of a chip. Thus the secrecy is in the interest of major FPGA users, not the manufacturers themselves.

IIRC, some FPGAs even provide a kind of encryption for bitstreams, but then there's your usual DRM problem of having the keys available somewhere.

Please tell this to all these investors. I'm sure you know something they don't.

Ah, REAL money. The kind that can be inflated willy-nilly by banks, and generally based on secrecy instead of math, open source and a public ledger.

You should probably contact this site on the origin of names. Let them know that Fred (short for Frederick) is not really an ancient Germanic name, but a modern American invention.

I understand the point with sun hats, I sometimes wear one myself. But besides the extreme weather, I hate wearing hats and hoodies. Most people here seem to favour comfort over businesslike style, and I understand that to mean something relatively loose and light. A baseball cap just doesn't fit into that kind of equation for comfort. Besides, a cap that doesn't cover your ears is useless for some of the basic things a hat should provide, i.e. protection from the sun and staying warm in the winter.

n/t

4. Misuse of "begging the question"
5. Profit!

I don't know about vendor lock-in, but the Areva reactor in Finland has become a subject of national jokes and shame, with cost and construction time at least tripled from the planned numbers. We might as well consider the project STUK forever.

And that's how I met your mother.

My password is 'gullible', so it should be safe.