Is that why I'm in this handbasket??????

I've had mixed experience even from the same spindle under basically similar storage conditions. Some discs read fine 10 - 15 years later (or more) and occasionally one gives issues. Maybe the drives that did the original burn play into the lifespan as well???? I know definitely that not all discs from any given spindle were burned on different machines and/or different drives as I typically had various machines lying around of varying ages, hardware, OS, etc...

You need to be more specific as there are a few governments with that kind of track record.......

I loved Thinkpads back when IBM built them for much the same reasons as they were much easier to work on than many. I recall as IBM was selling the division to Lenovo that there were concerns the Chinese would put backdoors into the systems and yet the sale was approved anyhow. Then it hit the news briefly that the US government was likely going to stop buying them for that reason which made them look rather silly for approving the sale and then wanting to cut off buying them. I guess though it's only natural with all the BS going on right now for the fearmongering about Lenovo to happen yet again. Going by that reasoning though I suppose TVs, washing machines, etc. could be spying on us as well. Actually though I'd expect the NSA to contract with them to gain the "meta-data" so they don't have to do it themselves.........

I must have misread the posting then. I know that if you have a working key most vehicles have a sequence in the manual that let you program a replacement key fairly quickly. Making one by pulling the key code over the OBD plug though would be interesting but not necessarily something your average car thief would be doing but there are definitely some parts "sourcers" that might do something like that as they make enough off a vehicle to be worth the time and trouble......

Is it a diesel? Those things last nearly forever!

To my knowledge that's a known FEATURE of many systems - not just BMW. However many vehicles will only accept a total of like 3 or 4 keys. But it allows a quick way to replace a lost key whether done by the dealership or by the owner. It DOES require a functioning key with the systems I'm familiar with (can't afford a BMW) so in like a valet parking situation there's a risk but valet parking is always a risk. Anytime somebody besides you has access to the car and the key there's a risk. I've also seen "blanks" for a variety of models of vehicles on the internet often at considerable savings over going to the dealer. I think one vehicle the dealer wanted like $250 for a lost key and I got a "blank" for $40 and programmed it in just a few minutes - well worth the difference........

I have no clue why but this thread is making me hungry..........

And that's exactly what they're doing - HOWEVER some of that cheapness is artificial because of the subsidies involved. The subsidies seem to be some sort of sacred cow and everybody is scared to touch them because it's made out like the family farmer will suffer. The reality though is the family farmer is damn near non-existent nowdays and odds are can't qualify for those subsidies thus it's just the huge corporations getting them so things like GMO corn can be sold to cattle "farms" for LESS than actual production cost and yet the corn producers are making a profit because of subsidies. And the most amazing thing is a lot of junk food is so cheap due to the subsidies and yet real, high quality FOOD often doesn't qualify for those subsidies and thus is more expensive. I personally think we need to kill the subsidies and have some decent labelling and let the market sort out what's viable instead of artificially making a market for things like GMO. Let people decide for themselves if they want to consume it. Some of the GMO is probably just fine but not let us CHOOSE?????

And to make it even worse some of the DNA manipulation is geared towards allowing heavy use of various insecticides and fungicides and such or have them 'built-in" to the plant so we're ingesting THAT stuff as well. Topically applied *icides at least can be partially if not completely washed off while those that are genetically implanted can't be yet the pro-GMO lobby seems to think we don't need to know about that either since it's been deemed "safe".

Still would be nice to have some sort of labelling though. If we're going to be in a free country it's nice to have true freedom to select what we want instead of "some big mix of GMO and non-GMO from 20 different countries" which we often get nowdays. Even if there's no GMO in it most commercially grown stuff is so mixed which is why nasty cases of e. coli, salmonella, etc. are so difficult to trace. And that goes for not just fruits and vegetables but meat as well - ESPECIALLY ground meat. Typical food labelling in the US sucks big time right now and even buying "organic" with the requirements supposed to be in place there could get interesting as big food producers keep trying to mess that up. Sad thing is not everybody is in a position to go to a real farmer's market or belong to a co-op or grow their own so they're pretty much at the mercy of the big agro-corps who buy politicians....
Anyhow I'd love to see an example where a random mutation that has occurred naturally has ever produced anything toxic. The current methods of DNA modifications are not truly known to be with no ill effects for long-term either for the plants themselves or for those who consume them. All we really know is that some very big money is going into the process and when big money goes in the end result for the consumer is not necessarily for the best. SO informed choice is even more a concern here but I'm big on making informed decisions anyhow like did this come from a local grower or someplace halfway around the world? I've seen the labelling on some foods from other countries and, especially in Europe, they seem to include more of that sort of info than we get in the US.......

Yes. Viral replication needs name resolution too..... :P

HA!!!! I personally have never been there but have heard similar stories for years. And not just in mainland China either........

Both parties hold major blame for Vietnam though - Johnson wanted to go in big and Kennedy didn't which is one of the conspiracy theories about why Kennedy was killed. SO, in essence the Democrats are as much to blame for ramping things up. Like any war there was plenty of money to be made by the right people thus we ended up in a war. The rest of us just kind of get fucked in the process. And getting KIA isn't necessarily the worst fucking you get either.........

Oh you said Vorlons. And I was about to recite some very horrid poetry.............