You should really try Linux on the desktop again.
I've used XFCE happily for years but recently Linux desktop has gone to 11.

https://ubuntubudgie.org/ What gnome3 should have been.
https://anbox.io/ android running in a container with integration with the desktop, beta but pretty frickin sweet

Also
https://www.linux-kvm.org/ (forget bootcamp)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

And it runs really well on my Lenova x230, which I've had for years unlike the Mac mini that was perpetually stuck at 10.6 until i put Debian on it and gave it to my 7 year old. He's having a much easier time with Budgie then he did with OSX

It does not compute.

We use every labor saving device possible so we can either balloon up or spend all the time hungry or at gym.

I'll continue spitting, stacking and feeding my wood stove, shoveling my driveway and getting up to to adjust the lights.
Really don't mind feeding and walking my 90lb security system, or sweeping the floors.

I'm no Luddite but it's nuts to save so much labor only to pay for the gym. Maybe a manual push mower is a better idea

I actually own a 92 civic (no an accord, but a defiantly a 92 honda). I average 36mpg.
Also, i tried a prius. in the two weeks i had it(returned to dealer) averaged 42 mpg, not exactly worlds better. If i switch of the motor when coasting in the civic i can match it. both my 82 VW diesel, and 95 saturn(if i coast w/o idling) can beat it.

The hybrid only makes sense if you do a lot of city driving. In which case you should probably take the bus. If you live rural and avoid lights, a mid 90's 4cyc 5 speed can match them. Add a Hydraulic Launch Assist system to a simple >2L 5 speed, and it would soundly beat a prius, w/o ANY nasty battery chemicals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_Launch_Assist

Seriously I admit, I'm obsessed with MPG. You want the best combo of efficiency/cost get a mid 90's >2L five speed.
Not only will they best all but the most expensive new car, you can get them for a steal. Below is my current crop.

97 Saturn sw1(wagon) 1.9L 34mpg combined, fits the kids and dogs paid $700 (140k) still running great (210k)
92 Honda Civic 1.5L 36mpg combined. paid $1200 (120k) Starting to show it's age (275k)
82 VW Rabbit Diesel 1.6L, paid $300 (325k!) 48mpg combined I rebuild the motor, running great on wvo bio-diesel. Can haul my 5th wheel with custom hitch i welded on. (i now, not mid 90's Fing better then anything the make now though)

Not only is the efficiency great, the cost great but your helping the environment by not having something new produced.

A 50K hybrid is just a status symbol. In the game of consumption your little better then the Escalade driver

A 5 speed 95 saturn wagon can carry 5 adult and luggage, and get 32mpg combined (i own one)
SUV's are just status symbols. Proof that poorly endowed asswipes care more about their self-image, then what is good for us all.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/688493/new_study_shows_small_men_prefer_big.html?cat=47

for a lot less money, get a sony erricson C905. once debranded (takes 10 min, google a2uploader) comes with wifi & native SIP
also has a 8 megapixel camera and is quadband

Addiction in general is hugely overblown. Somethings are very addictive, most are mild or short lived. If you have a Fing backbone don't worry about it.

m-f i start my day with a quad shot of espresso, and around 10 cups or so of dark roast through the day. when on holiday or the weekend i have maybe one cup a day (if i remember). i have never experienced withdrawal.

When younger, i did a lot of coke, it's not nearly as addictive as they say. you can go on a month long bender, and just stop. It is not physically addictive. Look it up if you don't believe me. psychological dependence could be argued, although you could argue psychological addiction too anything.

Of the three most addictive things i can think of; tobacco, alcohol and smack, 2 out of 3 are legal. Funny eh

I am puzzled by alcohol addiction. You only have to meet a alcoholic to know its real, but if the substance itself were addictive, wouldn't every heavy drinker get hooked? Don't we all know someone that will drink daily for years, and just stop? why do only some get addicted? I have a missing year of my own, but now I'm a "family man" i can enjoy a beer after work with out spiraling out of control. I'm in a better place, i don't NEED to drink.

I guess with my history, and the amount of grass i go through, i have a long running dislike of sobriety. very little of what i've tried, much of which to excess, is more that mildly physically addictive.

I can't speak for where you live, but around me (western mass) all but the dives bars serve local beer. to name just a few within 30mi or so, we have amherst brewing company, northhampton brewing company, berkshire brewing company, opa opa and paper city brewery. Not to mention all the delicious local cider that can be found. i found a fairly similar situation when i lived in upstate NY. good beer is like good food, you either have taste, or you eat a mcburger.

Yes, we still want to work in manufacturing. Your wrong that it's only unskilled jobs, speaking as a master fabricator. For every guy packing boxes, there are cnc programmers, machinist, welders, engineers, salesman. And frankly, an "unskilled" production worker is far far better off then working at a McJob, never mind they can actually work there way up the chain if there worth their salts. Hell, more then half of our sales go to china. Sure they can make cheap plastic crap, but show me a "outsourced" outfit that can TIG a 300in seam air tight, and machine the unit flat within .0002 and I'll eat my hat. There is a huge market for quality american goods. Maybe if we supported skilled manufacturing, we wouldn't be in the state we are.