Best Buy has a single line queue as well, they take the opportunity to try and sell you last minute items in the cattle queue.

I also loved rexx and still do. IBM Released Rexx open source and it is now available for almost all platforms. I run it all the time under linux. I do miss some of the direct system calls but all the queue functions are there. http://www.oorexx.org/

OS/2 is still fairly well supported on modern hardware. I have it running on my main email system 2.5G AMD proc with a gforce 5500. Seamonkey/firefox is still actively ported/supported. The main component missing is the latest flash plugin. (There is even a port for open office 3 in the works). And yes, it runs fast (not all the bloat if the new OS's).

I agree with you on the WPS. I wish IBM would port it to Linux.

For a VM I have Warp4 running under Linux-Parallels as a supported client OS. Well worth the $50. I have win98se, Win2k and OS/2-Warp 4 sessions setup.

This was part of the requirement creep. Maybe they needed the rainbows and thought that Unicorn farts were the best source. (Unicorns are known to fart rainbows, I know because I saw it on a T-shirt) http://www.threadless.com/submission/32954/Unicorns_fart_rainbows?=

It seems that projects such as bridges and tunnels have an expectation of completion no matter the cost. Once the project is started it must be finished. Take for example the "Big Dig" in Boston, original estimate 2.2 Billion USD, Current expenditures 14.6 Billion USD. (and still under litigation for poor construction practices and death ) Most any software project that late and that over budget would have long since been shelved. In keeping with the original books references here is the Wiki link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig

Just for reference in VT, USA I pay $243 / month for three cars and three drivers. One driver is under 24. (which jacks up the price big time.) The 2001 VW Bug is the most expensive to insure. In general if you have more cars than drivers the insurance for the extra cars is very reduced.
My truck is 8 years old and free and clear (91,000 miles). I fill up every 10 days (commuting to work and working around the house getting top soil and mulch etc). I spend about $25 to $35 every 10 days ($3 per day)

In this area we have so many high traffic roads with no shoulders that you put your life at risk with every passing truck.
No train or bus service to speak of. We are paying a tax surcharge for the bus (that does not come to the town) and an extra $10 income tax ($6mil/600K people) for every man woman and child to subsidize a train that 12 people a day ride. The train station is 12 miles away and work is 14 so I'll stick with the car. And by the way the train is loosing money every year.
We pay road taxes as part of our fuel and 25% of it goes to other non transportation projects. The cost of running a car would be cheaper if the money went where it was ment to.

With noscript I block Google Analytics and flash. This would put a bit of skew in the data.