I'm pretty hot when it comes to networking, so I was expecting to be able to help here. But I had to google to find out what you were referring to by "b/g/n". I'm afraid I just don't do wireless at all. It's the area of networking where I'm weakest. Wires work well for me, so I've just had no need to investigate the alternatives (apart from bluetooth, of course, but that's not what we're talking about here).

From your previous posts, I think you probably already saw it, but weren't prepared to admit it. Anyway, next time you're in London, give me a shout and we'll neet up for a beer or two.

I know. Ridiculous, isn't it? Someone else (I forget who now) pointed out that users.pl still exists, complete with the "post in journal" link. I don't know how long it'll remain there, but for now, it's a little piece of sanity in the ever more insane world of Slashdot.

Also worth watching on iplayer is Electric dreams: the 1980s. Full of nostalgic tech.

I'm sorry to say that I'm afraid this was only a matter of time. I've been waiting for it to happen for a while now. That said, she's not going to be at her most rational right now, so make allowances for that. I'm fairly sure you will anyway. But although you probably don't want to hear it, I think it's going to be the right outcome in the long run. Whatever you do, look after yourself. I'm having a drink on your behalf now. Here's to you...

"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived" -- Isaac Asimov

I went for Samsung printers for precisely that reason. I have an ML-3051ND at home (and its replacement, an ML-3471ND at work) because they're well built and they use PostScript, and hence aren't tied to any obscure software drivers. They're not colour, but then I remain unconvinced that colour laser printers are worth while yet. Cheap inkjets give significantly better print quality, at the cost of having to keep two printers around, one for colour and one for black and white. But it's a solution that works for me, at least.

Nothing to add that the others haven't already said. You've got my number if you need it.

on an automatic transmission, they don't have control over the shifting anyway

Perhaps so, but in pretty much the entire world outside of North America and Australasia, a modern car is unlikely to have an automatic transmission.

A portable C64 (I think)

Yep. It's a Commodore SX-64. I sooo wanted one back in the day, but they were targetted at business users, and were silly money, so it never happened.

just like "back in the day", there was a sort of BBC Micro/Everyone else divide.

Heh. Nothing's changed then. When I was at school, Beebs were the sole preserve of the kids with rich parents. Everyone else had a Speccy or a C64. And yes, the two communities were very different. But despite being in the "other" camp, I still love the Beeb. It was the best of the 8-bit machines to code for IMHO. The Beeb Advanced User Guide is an outstandingly thorough piece of documentation that I think has probably yet to be bettered.

Developed by Acorn in the mid 1980s, it's gone on to be dominant in the embedded world.

I remember when they announced they were ceasing production of the Archimedes to concentrate on the ARM. I was baffled. Without a computer to use the CPU (and at the time, they were the only ones using ARM), how was a chip company ever going to work? Surely a braindead business move. How little I knew at the time...

As a general aside, how into your retro hardware are you? The reason I'm asking is that I have a loft full of old computers, mostly still boxed, that I really don't have a use for any more. I don't know how much shipping to IOM would be, but if you'd cover it, you're more than welcome to them. From memory, I have an Atari 2600, Atari 400, Atari 600XL, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC 464, a couple of NeXT slabs, a DEC Rainbow 100, some Data General AViiONs and maybe more. I had others at some point, but I think the Dragon 32, Memotech 512 and TRS-80 have already found new homes. Have I even still got an MSX? Hmmm... Can't remember.

I'm still here. I don't post that much, but I check in every so often to see what's going on. Much as I detest Multiply, it's where everyone else is, so I spend more time there now (and also on LJ). I thought I'd see what you've been up to so I just had a quick look at your site, and from there to your Flickr site. Nikki is gorgeous...

See, the amusing thing is that not being subjected to US news other than in the very broadest terms, I have no idea what most of your posts are about any more! Obviously, I have a vague idea that you're talking about Obama's healthcare plans, but I have no idea what they are, and what the pros and cons are :-)

100% agreed. It is without doubt the best power plug/socket in the world for domestic use. And like you say, it comes from a time when we were the best in the world at doing things like that. Sadly, it would be a very different story if we tried designing it again today.

So his talking down the economy to get his and his party's "stimulus" bill shoved thru before anyone could read it means he deserves no blame for causing the effect that he was trying to cause?

No. Whatever effects he was trying to cause, I simply don't believe that his policies will have had time for those effects to be seen. Maybe his actions will make the economy better. Maybe they'll make it worse. But I just don't believe they've had any appreciable effect yet.