Any retail store and anybody you work for ALWAYS have quirks. We are going to have to live with that. There are gotcha problems every which way you go (even where you step).

Ask any avid brick & mortar shopper. You want something? You'll have to learn who offers what.

As long as all customers/employees are treated the same when they come through the door you should be happy.

You don't like what they offer? Don't go there. Don't seek employment there. Move to a different place... look there.

Does it have to be all or nothing?

Our software supports the hardware so we don't feel any palpable, fierce competition since we always lag the hardware improvements and those get top billing. Our users are interested in knowing the changes that are meaningful to them.

Since I use our change logs to significantly build our "brochure" touting reasons to upgrade, maybe you all can pare down change logs to the "best of the 1000" to say "20"... a list most can bother to go through.

How many of us don't own one at all?

Please consider that there is not just "no progress" and "Katy bar the door". If someone suggests "Go slow" read "Go slower". How *much* slower? How *much* faster?

Given our lack of foresight for "the long term", whatever that is, I worry about anyone's use of "Proper perspective" and other black and white terms to such a broad topic.

Thank you for that specific link. I had not read it before.

It took me about 10 years to arrive at a multiplication factor of 2.4 for how much time it would take me to accomplish a task I was even willing to estimate. The hard thing was to truly, honestly, trying hard to give *my* estimate, one I really thought I could accomplish.

I am upfront with the person wanting the estimate. I tell them my estimate and remind them of the 2.4 factor they need to apply. (That irks them.)

They really wince when I say 400 hours and they have to write down 960. I also have to remind them EVERYTIME that the absolute maximum calendar time that will be devoted is 80%; MAXIMUM... you never get maximum unless the time*2.4 is less than 16 hours. Jeez. And people keep thinking that computer programmers are too optimistic.

subscribe to /. You by pages from /. wherein the ads are omitted.
Its incredibly cheap.

I'm from Texas. I spent quite a bit of time explaining to a native Japanese engineer the nuances of y'all. I remember specifically talking to him about when to use y'all when there was only you and the person you were talking to around.

Take your time posting. I am reading this post and cannot follow. Maybe "the choir" catches all that you are saying, but I'll bet its nearly all lost on the rest of us.

Got rid of stuff via FreeCycle.
Went to work (though its nominally a holiday, but I like my job).
Did a pharmacy run for our 83 yr old next door neighbor.
Now, I headed for a old school, high tech Austin annual New Years' party. My wife is recuperating from too much fun at *some* for the 3 restaurants we (all) partied at here, Houston, back here ...
However -- no alcohol for me on this very wet & somewhat foggy night. [Won't take my recumbent THIS time!]
I wish us all good luck in 2013 (some 4 hrs 15 minutes from now)

You subposted to my /. vote post. Thanks.

I tried private email to the @bright.net one bounced. So off topic though it may be ...

I looked up your reference to Norilsk and was intrigued by the city "red
steep-riverbank" (about the most from my high school Russian I can
recall). It reminded of a pleasant half hour we spent waiting for LDS to
open for the morning.

http://www.colindaylinks.com/utah/saltlake2.html

See the cabin about half way down the page, or JUST the image at

http://www.colindaylinks.com/utah/images2/SLCTemple5.jpg.

Anyway, you see someone pays attention.

George

Thanks for the best description I can accept without immediate skepticism.

I recall the day in high school that President John Kennedy was assasinated. It also happens to be my birthday. So the day is never ordinary.

I haven't checked, but non-USA citizens probably have no official holiday Thursday. Possibly in their time zones there may be a US football game to watch outside of work time.

How /. members will we need to rate bling, do you think?

"On The Beach", by Nevil Shute

No other comes close for me.