raw C??? Talk about having it easy!

Back the good ol' days we programmed these things in hex machine code. Eventually -- after a decade or two of indentured servitude -- we were allowed to use the assembler.

To paraphrase your point 4, your redundant DNS servers should ideally not have anything in common at all. Except (duh) the same zone tables.

Actually we had this sorted 39 years ago:

Basic: 10 print "Hello World"

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_2200 from 1973. It even had a hotkey for typing p-r-i-n-t- in a single keystroke.

La plus ca change, la plus c'est le meme chose. (The more things change, the more they're the same thing).

That article is really an eye-opener -- it makes complete sense though, once when you understand the rationale. I'll switch to putting new ones on the back from now on. Thank you for the safety tip.

I have:
- 4 kids
- 4 cats
- 0.5 dogs
- 3 houses
- been continuously professionally employed for 37 years, and
- not a single pair of dress shoes.
It took me 40 years to be able to toss the last ones, but I am very proud of finally managing to do so.

I may have to give in and get some if any of the kids decide to marry someone from a conventional family -- a possibility I am already apprehensive about, largely because of the need to obtain things like dress shoes.

I'm guessing you have rear-wheel drive if you'd put the new ones on the back.

Except for vintage sports cars like Mustangs and Miatas, I didn't think anyone had those anymore.

Yes, but the parent I was replying to claimed that "I don't think corporations should be able to hold copyright or patents". That's what my response was to.

So does that mean that I, as an employer, am unable to hire / employ someone to invent a something new for me? If not, how would I do so?

Damn -- I meant "... unstable in microseconds if the computer managing the control surfaces...". Apologies.

In these days of fly-by-wire and planes that become unstable in microseconds if their the computer managing the control surfaces shut down, don't you think the Indians are worried the Americans will simply shut down all the flight systems of any opposing force?

We haven't yet seen any war in which modern western fighters go up against other modern western fighters, but it will amaze me if there aren't systems for the designers to simply shut down the opposing fighters. Wouldn't be surprised if similar things aren't in the French planes too, actually.

Because many of us North Americans have "Moneyback" or "AirMiles" deals on our credit cards. After I've spent the first $1,000 each year on Visa, I get 1% back from them on everything thereafter. On the other hand, my Mastercard gives me 1 Airmile (real air miles, i.e. one hundred airmiles means you get a one hundred mile round trip ticket) for every $15 spent on the card. I've taken the whole family to Cuba twice on this deal in the last few years.

Plus, if I buy something on the 25th of December, I get the bill January 22nd and it's not due until February 14th.

Do I have to fit the houses I own into the space too?

They don't keep you from running, they keep you from winning, often at the primary stage or earlier. If rich and poor in the US had an equal chance of winning elections then Congress wouldn't consist almost exclusively of multimillionaires.

Admittedly this presumes some connection between corporations and multimillionaires, but I'm willing to make that leap.

Almost completely automatic -- I offered my 11-year old fifty cents per clock and only had to pay six bucks total. This includes him getting out ladders to get up to several clocks mounted above my reach, so he had fun and I didn't have to schlep ladders all over the house. He didn't break anything either!

Well it's true that if you want a MakerBot assembled instead of a kit the price doubles ($2499 vs. $1299). And the kit is not for beginners, nor do they guarantee anything at all if you choose the kit option. Nevertheless, it's a pretty impressive device.

But I do admit that if I didn't use for 3D prototypes in my job, it would probably just be infrequently used for toys / game bits and the occasional novelty item.