Quoting OP: My situation is as follows: all living expenses except food, luxuries and entertainment is covered by the wage of my girlfriend. That would leave me in a situation where we would be financially alright, but not well off, if I were to earn significantly less than I do now." Endquote.

I'm in a position similar to yours, except I work - for a minimum wage at the moment, but I get by. What is Luxury (or well off) is highly subjective, and for me... I have all the luxuries of this world (well, perhaps except a car, but I don't need one...I do own a house though, so I don't pay rent). The good thing about your (and my) situation is that you have the LUXURY OF CHOICE. Many people don't even have that, I bet you're better off than 94% of the planets population - I know I am, despite not being able to afford a lot of expensive new stuff.

The luxury of choice, is to be able to say no to a job if you don't like it. I am in a minimum wage job because I happen to like this particular job, and it's hourly based so I can just walk away if I need or want to do something else, that's high living in my world. I've seen people struggle with collecting garbage 20 hours-a-day for a living, just to feed their family.

...that news like that keeps surfacing every time someone "stumble" over their lost & found bitcoin-collection. Remember the Norwegian guy who forgot that he bought some bitcoins many years ago, and all of a sudden was a millionaire (just to see his bitcoin value drop to HALF the value the next month or so?)

Bitcoin is a perfect example of how easy it is to create something out of virtually nothing. It's essentially bits & bytes with a digitally encrypted keylock, it's nothing physical, most governments won't even recognize it as a currency, at best - it's a shady way of transferring money anonymously.

I sometimes wish I had Stevie Griffins time-machine and to go back in time visiting that local computer store on the corner, just to wave my 32gb "stamp" in their faces. You can keep your amazing 5mb ST-drive. Of course, the point is MOOT since I probably wouldn't get the interface to work with their old computers anyway, not to mention the "large disk" compatibility.

Indeed, that's the sad AND scary part. We're becoming so complacent in our "safe" environment, and so afraid to upset anyone that we'll gladly bite the stick, and go back to our little holes (which will soon enough become smaller and smaller). Whenever I'm hired in as a guest speaker at the schools, I try to schedule in a heart-to-heart talk with the kids and youths about this, and try not to become too wacky for them. Kids are quite intelligent, so most of them pick up the idea once it's fully understood.

And you know...the problem isn't the kids, it's what we teach them, or...don't teach them.

I knew it, I wasn't crazy!

Those pink Elephants have been talking to me for YEARS. All it takes is a few beers, then some more...and there they are, floppy ear pink bastards!

Because ultimately - the government will have the last say.

It's any governing powers wet dream to be able to know everything about its people, that way - they can know what buttons to press, what feelings to arouse, people to use and abuse - because, lets face it - if YOU...the normal guy on the streets should get some of your little secrets exposed, they have you locked in...and you would NEVER revolt, because you STILL count your little secrets and "safe" life not worth sacrificing as your only reward for sticking it to the man...would be being hung out to dry and your life destroyed.

Well, how is that different from war? War have casualties too, but there is no honor in death. If you're still alive to fix things, there is hope - and without hope, we're truly doomed.

What if you have no secrets? I asked a few people if they would have a problem with the gov. storing everything about them, what they say over the phone, what they write, what they purchase - and maybe even their little secrets at home. The answer I got from most of them, was: I don't have anything to hide, I'm so boring, let them watch, let them know.

Say, I'm going to let you in on a little secret of mine, I know a lot about people too (use your imagination here, because you won't get some long explanation on that, call it LIFE experiences if you wish). In fact, I know so much about people...that I understand the lure of power, but I've chosen not to use it at all, but alas...most people would use it in a heartbeat, why? Because I've seen that too, again and again - as I stood by and let them abuse me with the knowledge they had, it could be simple things like buying new hardware for the company to better support the workers (which is BAD if you go against the company policy), but very good for overall efficiency etc. I've seen countless people abuse power - because they want SO badly to RISE in their ranks, make their small insignificant lives a little better for them and their families, at the cost of others...not in their family.

Have you ever seen the movie a Bugs Life? Not far away from how the governing elite controls the small everyday working ant...and like it that way, because lets face it, wouldn't you if you where given that option? To never have to worry about anything...ever again? To have endless purchasing powers? To always be right - even though you're completely wrong?

The moral of the above is, if you GIVE them this kind of power, they will take it - and you will only have yourself to blame.

^ Someone mod this guy UP!

Telomere breakdown, and cell deterioration is one of our biggest issues - solve that, and we're well on our way to a longer healthier life. A think I've thinking about a lot though, is how our food directly affects our aging. More consumption + burning seem to equal faster living and accelerated aging. The slower the heartbeat, the longer some creatures seem to live.

No, I was experimenting. The diet has been constructed by me for my own body, I've googled endless pages about WHAT nutrition's & vitamins & minerals are in which vegetables etc, and looked up what the daily intake recommendations are, plus experimented with the overall progress. It's quite the science exercise. And it's a permanent change, it's been over 4 months now, and I'm not going back to my old habits, because I don't have too. This stuff taste BETTER than what I ate before. Of course, It's a bit more expensive too.

Yes, I agree completely, Moderation IS very important. You MUST follow your body's own instincts.

Thanks, but you (and anyone others reading this) needs to be aware of the side-effects of this insane diet. Yes...I'm a very disciplined person, but I did get other problems after following this insane diet, I did end up with some B12 deficiency, and low blood-flow...so beware, make sure your diet fits YOUR BODY, and always - listen to your body and don't become a fanatic.

Sure, my pleasure: Beans, Any vegetables you can think of, broth, some fish...mostly salmon and mackerel, lots of spices...and I mean ...LOADS OF SPICES, water, a LOT of different teas, some honey, raisins, popcorn, assorted nuts etc. All these things EVERY DAY, will make you drop fat like you won't believe it. But it will make you B12 deficient, so make sure you get some of that too.

Low Carb, High Fat...great...

Low Fat, High Carb...okay...

Low Fat, Low Carb...oooh...hardcore...(thats what I did)...nearly died from that one...

Whatever diet you're on...make sure your body is ready for it, I ...myself...I lived on just about everything most of my life, including crappy processed food like cheetos, chocolates, refined sugars and whatnot...and it made me obese for over 40 years, then I changed. I decided to drop ALL processed foods...and I lost like 40 Pounds over 4 months...to weight levels I've never seen before ever...

Yeah. It does work, but you need to be disciplined. Low protein? Nah...make sure you get enough B12...and You'll be fine.

I've been notoriously addicted to Blender (3D modelling software) over the last 10 years, it would be hard for me to let that go, real hard. In fact...I think it would be easier to live without internet access than Blender. Blender has brought me food on my table and wasted countless hours of my life. Linux is just freedom, I'm a bit of a control freak, I need to feel that I'm in control of my computers, not some remote corporate that steals my life without my consent, and besides...if compiled from scratch, the computer I use - becomes mad blazing fast in comparison to nearly any newer windows computers.

Sorting receipts, is like sorting anything else out there. So...how do I sort my VAST amounts of Electronic components?

I name them, and I have individual shelves for them, not necessarily in alphabetical order, but more like groups...like those I'd need for certain purposes. Like...Coils in one section (a matrix/row of various values) and resistors in a increasing value row...like 1 ohm to 20 Mega Ohm. etc. And Capacitors...etc...you get the point. How do I file those? I don't... I just make sure that I've got enough stickers on them explaining what they are, where they are, and what they do...every single component...within eyes reach, so I can easily spot whatever I need for the next project.

Well...you DID ask, and it didn't have to be OFFICE specific.

Sure is, it clearly demonstrate how easy it is to get someone to invest in virtual money without any real substance. Sure, you could argue that you could convert real money (whatever that is, paper?) to bitcoin and lock it with some encryption and a unique footprint, but it's still pretty much a virtual currency that in theory means nothing, practically...it's what YOU put in it...that makes up the actual value - that is - if you can manage to get your money, once you received your payment from someone.

To me, this is an interesting experiment, one that I watch closely. I read about this guy who invested in Bitcoins in the early stages, he paid very little for them, and some years later...he was allegedly a MILLIONAIRE because of his forgotten Bitcoins, yay... All the wannabees who SO wished they had bought Bitcoins back in the early days, just to find out a few months later - that no one really want to recognize Bitcoin as a real valid currency, yes - I'm having a laugh.