If I'm not entirely mistaken, volcano ash eruptions like that also affects the weather.

We had an ICE-COLD 2010 winter with record breaking low temperatures that year. I'd rather not have another wolf-winter.
Guess it's not my call.

...anyone who seriously store sensitive information on a cloud service like free-email, should be spanked with a trout over and over again.

here goes:

My good old trusty Data I/O 29A with UniPak (it's an Eprom programming station from the 80's) that I just love too much as I can edit Eproms-on-the-fly and enter manual data on it, copy eproms, and it's compatible with the weirdest stuff on the planet.

Commodore SX-64, it's sort of a portable commodore 64 with built in 5.5 inch color screen & floppy disk...all in one practical unit, I have an assembler cartridge for it, and it's actually quite practical for coding 65xx series code on, and quick & dirty electronics projects I just connect to the I/O port (User Port), even in Basic.

My extreme stash of millions and millions of NOS Discrete components from the 50s to the 90s, I can literally built a spaceship with those things, doc Emmet Browns time machine is next. Transistors, Linear Circuits, Cmos, Timers, PCBs, MCUs, Static ram, roms, pal & gals (pain in the *** to program), resistors, solar panels, mics, crystals, coil formers, oscillators, capacitors, reed relays, diode galore, tubes tubes and even more tubes.

All my PCs I've built over some time, gets hard to part with them because 1) I can't get any money form them. 2) I always bought the best stuff. 3) It's not worth the agony of erasing all the pr0n...err...strike that last thing. And they're terribly practical for running old test gear, burners, peripherals etc. that doesn't work with todays computers.

My lovely old test instrument park, oscilloscopes (got at least 5 of them), spectrum analyzer, multimeters galore, function generators, frequency counters, PSUs and whatnots.

I don't even do this stuff enough justice, but you know what a MAN CAVE is? I just love to go into my MAN CAVE and sit there for serenity for hours and hours, even if it's just to write some pointless post here on Slashdot, and surrounded by all this cool stuff make me feel so 1337 H4xx0r and all that (no seriously...) it's like I'm a prop taken out of the old wargames movie (acoustic modems anyone?)

It feels so lovely sitting there with those things, knowing that any second I could build any project I'd ever want. (And I do from time to time), but just because they're THERE...I don't know if anyone of you know this feeling, but it's very energizing. Whenever I feel completely depleted (either me or my batteries) I go there and start at endless wastelands of components. Luuuuuv it!

...FREE!

When I was a kid, I learned the signs of desperation...bad customer service and expiring food...the first sign of any store going south. All the companies that had success, treated their customers with respect and didn't do any pennypicking. The first sign is ALWAYS pennypicking, the second sign is worker efficiency followed by unhappy overworked workers. The third and last sign, is when they're lashing out on their customer base, trying to fault the customers instead of their products - simply because they can't afford to fix it (and basically because we wanted cheap stuff for free to begin with).

We probably do, I usually read the local newspapers online, plus the state wide newspapers...and the "free" tv-channels (also called PLAY channels) online, they all will notify you when you're turning Ad Blocker on. But hey...different worlds, right!?

Very true, and this has already been proven, here in Scandinavia - we are so "LUCKY" that we can Opt-Out of getting ads in the mail (we're talking snail-mail here), this would require a trip to the Post Office, and filling out some forms and finally...put a sticker on the good old mail box that says "No Ads please!".

While most companies respect that (because they're required by LAW to do this and risk hefty fines if they don't), they have (together WITH the actual ...now privatized...Postal Services) figured out a nifty way to circumvent this. The Postal Offices now deliver you something they would like to call a SERVICE. The "Service Folder" contains "useful" information, occasional crosswords, interview with someone etc. But always contains ADS as well, just mixed right in...with logos and special offers. They go to GREAT lengths to convince you that it's not an and...just INFORMATION...that you simply can't live without.

So yep, you're SPOT ON with your theory, it's proven in real life.

Been there, done that. I doesn't work quite so simple. While Lynx doesn't show the graphical content, it many times fail to filter out the code used to display the ads, and it includes the links anyway - so you'll have to fight endless links and navigate trough lots of garbage just to read a little content.

A lot of times AdBlock is completely useless as the various AD companies + their customers are working around the clock to find ways around it. When they don't find a way around it, on many sites you'll be met with messages such as: We've noticed that you have an Ad Blocker, as we're depending on advertisement revenue to provide you with free services - we will kindly ask you to turn your Ad Blocker off and reload the page to see your content.

Not sure how the 3rd world countries would do, but I can imagine it'd be okay with free AD-based internet for them, but for the rest of us who's just FED up with endless load times on our smartphones when it comes to Flash-Ads, or YouTube Ads etc. (yeah yeah, I know about adblocker, but consider that a lot of the sites refuse to work if you have one of those).

Didn't know that, thanks!

...and here I thought they where MINING Bitcoins all the time...

This is actually a very touchy subject. The Engineers have felt it for years, but this applies to SO much more in business.

How many times haven't you been seen as the "useful idiot" every time someone need something technical fixed? This is something I've lived with and experienced since I was a kid (we're talking 30+ years here), and I wasn't even the geeky one. But it seems like every manager, every company executive and even just everyday people think they're somewhat "superior" because they make money on your kindness and professionalism.

I even had friends like that for years, sure...when something breaks, they'll come to me to get it fixed, and expect not to pay for it. But when I needed something, then they where nowhere to be seen. I made millions for one of my bosses back in the Commodore heydays when I literally was the "driving" motor of his entire store chain, I got people together, computer-clubs, repaired the computers etc. One could always argue that I was the IDIOT for not being business savvy enough to charge more, but they are just better at business than fixing things. When I left, his business went to ruins within 2 years, he thought he did it all by himself because he was such a smart businessman. That's the worst part...these company directors wouldn't know good people, and they always get high on "their" own success. And eventually fail.

How many times haven't you seen bosses walk away with HUGE fat bonuses, and all they basically do is talk. You do all the work anyway. Small minds think small, and only see the carrot dangling in front of their face. Intelligent bosses actually think ahead and invest in great minds. The companies that have the biggest successes - are those who appreciate their workers and the incredible minds behind it all. The best company executive in the world, praises his coworkers where credit is due.

I'm a big Quad Copter fan myself, and I can tell you that these are SUPER safe to fly today, WAY safer than ANY helicopter or airplane.

Equipped with stabilizing 6 axis sensor and hefty gyros, combined with GPS technology, these things are a WALK in the park to fly. Check this video out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... . As you can see, these things are stable as they can get. Imagine a REAL LIFE size of the same thing, no sweat at all, the problem is elsewhere.

We can have these life-size quadcopters tomorrow if you like, the problem isn't the technology...it's right amongst us everywhere, but I suspect the military doesn't like the idea of personal quadcopter mobiles, nor does the gov. And the infrastructural problems we would have if these became legal tomorrow? Oh boy, don't even go there. So don't blame technology, we HAVE these things right now! Blame the slow development on transportation laws, airspace, aero planning, military and much more that I don't even know anything about, all these issues prevents us from having the flying car today!

...well, they can already see your Blurred face (or dog, incredibly enough) from any street anywhere. But from outer space, at least I'd have several layers of atmosphere, clouds and whatnot to protect my pretty limbs from prying eyes in the sky.

Have you seen the weather data you can download freely? It's available from a satellite near you (or an internet site, if you don't have a clue like most people...yes they don't have a clue). The resolution, (high res MAP) is terrible. Why? Ever heard of atmosphere? It's so thick you won't be able to make out anything in detail, what you see at google Maps...is in fact as good as it gets, not kidding!

That sounds like a WIRED connection to me, we were discussing WiFi (wireless) connections here.