I have been using the same keyboard layout since 1989, when I first got a Northgate keyboard, and I refuse to switch. The function keys are in two vertical columns to the left of the main keyboard and on the left-hand side of the main keyboard I have, from bottom to top, "Alt", "Shift", "Ctrl" "Tab" and "Esc". (Caps Lock is safely out of reach just to the left of the space bar). There is a full numeric pad on the right as well as a cursor control group just to the left of the numeric pad.
I find this layout much more efficient ergonomically than more modern keyboard layouts, which sacrificed good layout for compactness.

One of my main computers that I use almost every day is a Pentium 3 Win98 machine, with four different parallel port devices (attached through a switch to the single parallel port on the computer) -- an HP LaserJet Series II printer (still making clean prints), an EPROM programmer, a security dongle and a JTAG adapter. I also have (and use regularly) a Houston Instruments plotter connected to this computer via RS-232.

Another advantage of using a drive filled with helium is better thermal conductivity than air (0.142 vs 0.024) . The heat generated by the inner workings of the drive will be conducted to the outer case, keeping the inside cooler.

The answer to this question is, "convenience."
Imagine the scenario where you recharge your commuter car overnight. With a plug system, you will have to remember to 1) plug in the system when you get home and 2) unplug it again when you leave for work the next day. If you forget either of these steps, you end up with either an uncharged car in the morning, or the plug gets ripped out of the side of the car when you drive off.
If you can drive over an inductive loop when you park, your car will charge automatically when you park and there is nothing to disconnect when you leave again.

As I recall, Robert Heinlein's 1952 story, "The Rolling Stones," predicted 3-D printing, or its equivalent, when referring to a method of making repair parts for a rocket engine.

With all the old hard drives that wear out or become obsolete, I wonder if there is any effort being put into recycling the rare earth magnets they contain, or if old drives are just dumped by the ton into landfills.

Same here. I didn't write much code, but I did a lot of editing and got several things to start working. Lines of code written is a terrible way to measure productivity.

Maybe one hour a week on average:1/168 = 0.595%

My HP Laser II cost me $20 when I bought it at surplus several years ago. After fixing a broken sensor and receiving several new toner cartridges through Freecycle, I have a reliable, good quality printer that has printed reams of material for me, not to mention whatever its previous owners printed. Yes, it's slow, but I'm usually not in a big hurry.

I have a 10C sitting on my desk beside me right now. I also have a well-used HP-21 at home. I learned to use RPN back in 1975 and it quickly became second nature to me. Since then, I can't stand having to use a calculator with an "=" button.
I hope my 10C and 21 last for many more years, because I can't buy replacements any more. A few years ago I bought an HP-41, which was nice while it lasted, but as a newer model, it was made with inferior components and stopped working one day.
I really wish HP would reintroduce the HP-1x line, built like in the old days -- to be the BEST calculator you could buy, not the CHEAPEST.

I have a shelf full of development boards and software tools for obsolete 4-bit and 8-bit microprocessors from the 1980s. I have a "Universal Development Laboratory" that requires knowledge of the Forth language for operation with software on 5.25 inch floppy disks and assumes that your computer has two floppy drives and no hard drive. If not completely dead, these tools are in a deep, deep coma.

Obviously, the answer is to force everyone to vomit before boarding a plane.

When I went to high school back in the early 1970s, we had a good selection of shop classes to choose from: Metal shop, woodshop, auto shop, industrial arts (print shop) and electronics. Out of curiosity, I went to the web site for my old school recently and discovered that they have none of these classes available any more. It's a shame that the only tools kids are learning to use now are virtual ones.

I remember reading a story many years ago which was probably published in the late 1950s or 1960s. It was about an architect who murdered a rival by designing and having built a skyscraper with reflective widows controlled by a computer, ostensibly to maintain the interior environment of the building, but in reality as a way to focus the light of the sun on the rival's house, some miles away. The rival and his house were destroyed by a "mysterious" fire.
I wish I could remember the name of the author and the the story title.

Cup holders.

It's too bad that this oasis of unusuality is leaving the airwaves. I listened religiously to the Doctor from around 1973 to about 1980. After that time, it was harder to set aside the time to listen every week and I gradually lost interest.
I did see a live Doctor Demento show sometime around 1977, when he came to my college and played some records from his vast collection that couldn't be played on the radio. I suppose that's one advantage of Internet broadcasting -- fewer restrictions on obscenity.