Fair points, and well argued, indeed.

Ritalin being speed - your post, followed by Wikipedia, just trumped all the people I ever met who were on Ritalin and told me it was chemically equivalent to amphetamine. I stand corrected.

Scientific basis - again, you are correct to ask, and again, only personal experience of both illegal speed users and their families, and people and their families of those taking Ritalin.

Thank you. Accepting that one has been misinformed or that one's statement does not constitute proof of something is the very basis of scientific discipline and rigour, and I can see now how I tripped up and pushed my opinion and those particular experiences a little too hard! Thanks.

Karma Bonus forfeited for obvious reasons, this post deserves nothing.

You missed the mark a few times.

Amphetamine is in the same Class ("A") as Cocaine because it's highly addictive.itself, therefore using it get off heroin is a mistake.

Second, I didn't take Ritalin as a kid - I'd rather be the person I am now, having been through what I did and grown strong and proud as a result. Ritalin (speed) literally numbs your emotions - which is why it's used as a "solution" for situations like the one above. Except, it's not. Solving systemic problems like bullying in schools and actually encouraging traits like intelligence a solution. Numbing that kid's pain in the short term, isn't. Thanks for listening, though.

because we all know the benefits of being addicted to amphetamines, don't we? Oh, we don't? I take it this means that no-one but me knows why "hyper-active" children are prescribed this stimulant.

Put it this way, the other kids took great pleasure in making me bleed (discreetly, quietly - a pencil in the hand, perhaps?) and laughing as I kick off and demand justice, only to be thrown out of class (again).

It may be simple, but it works, and I can take my SQL (pardon the pun) anywhere from there.

Don't underestimate simple, reliable data formats and methods. Look where all this commercially-driven proprietary crap, and the attitudes that have come with it which now prevail in other industries, I.e. software patents, waste, the environment is taking us...

I know what an XT is, after all my first PC was a giant compaq "laptop" AT clone - yes, I used it on my knee!

But what is a "walk-up XT" please?

Backup and restore are new features in this latest version of the Oracle Database??

How on earth did they manage before?! Seriously? Is it just me or am I the only person who writes programs from scratch with data security, portability and safety in mind? Gosh, My data has been separate from the program since I was loading out to 90-minute Type II's!

I mean, seriously, from this article can we assume that mysqldump offered a more sensible backup than every version of the mega-expensive Oracle, until this version?

Agreed. I'm happy with 9700M GTS.

I can't imagine anybody NEEDS this latest iteration, unless they want to play "John Madden 2017" or whatever.

Hang on a minute, I just noticed - it wasn't posted AC! And I posted the comment without reading properly...

This (and many other things like it) are why anonymous coward should never be removed from these forums. Bravo!

(no Karma bonus, not Overrated!)

Originated, get that, like all of the tech YOU have is English originated, like, they don't need you anymore, just like you didn't need us!

You just validated my point, plus, you ain't the Lord of anything, either. ;-)

No, it's made in the US. Soon, you will be a second-world nation, and China will be a services-orientated economy...

| "it can only be considered a troll poll."

How about the possibility that it's simply a poorly-written question, with the intention of getting lots of geeks other than electronics and programming experts to tell us about their favourite, obscure-yet-recognizable-as-science measuring and test equipment from disciplines we don't hear about so much on here?

Just my two pence.

That's great, better than no TARDIS. Couldn't you link up and trade some destinations from another TARDIS' memory? You're welcome to my, er, dusty, devastated, flight path. I'd try to arrive before I did, though, after all, you know what they say - some of it may be true!

Thank you, unfortunately my TARDIS is having trouble manipulating the article / thread in further amusing ways because it's risky crossing my own timeline, so now I'm stuck going forward with the rest of you for a while!

And, as an aside, even WITH a TARDIS I still can't think of a way to abuse my 15 mod points without causing a paradox and undoing my first post (and all of yours!)

How much would he have cost me? ;)