Creating, Robert Fisk. No Country for Old Men, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Shikasta, Managing Humans, Code Complete. Go figure (that last isn't a book)

Now there's a book to read if you want to understand the dark side of human nature. Oh and if Atlas Shrugged guides your life, you'll love it, although you wont appreciate the irony ...

I fondly remember the days when products lived and died on their fitness for purpose, not in the courts. So much for free market economics. What shall we call this? SHAckled Market Economics

Oh my. I played WOW for a couple of years and barely got out of MC with my sanity intact. I now face the prospect of waking up in the future as my dwarf. Much as I love her, she's damned ugly and she has a big pet gorilla who smells! She's not even all-epic yet!

People play MMOs to tackle non-real-world problems where X hours of hard work according to precise set of rules R gives you precisely defined outcome O, with loot from [L1, L2, L3, ...]. They play precisely to escape from the fact the same effort in the real world gets you one from [nada, less than nada, peanuts, laughed at]. There is space for the use of MMOs to train people and it's not new, but most of the time it's set up by people who think that gamers need to be patronised. "Got Game" is an interesting read around this subject too.

Oops! Misspost. Nothing to see here. Move along please. Slap me as you pass.

Take it from me, MBCS/CITP at whatever level does not count for one dented penny in the job market. Nothing. Nada. Correction. It gives interviewers a laugh when you mention it, so maybe it works as an icebreaker.

How does it work if it has no electricity? Does it have a solar panel? A wind-up handle? Perhaps a compressed air line powered by foot or other pedal devices? Can I obtain similar results by removing my bicycle seat and cycling over rough ground? Is it designed for solo use or by a qualified practitioner? What is the training and certification regime? How was it tested and by whom. On whom. Was it under laboratory conditions or ... no never mind. If it has theraputic claims was it tested by the FDA or other qualified body. If so how, etc. For what purpose does one massage one's prostate if not for the alleged pleasure? This is a serious question. Lastly, but perhaps most apposite of all, how and why did anyone think of it? Having thought of it why the long face? Thinking about it, if that was the best idea I ever had, well....

You remind me of my ancient great aunt who had to have every disease worse than anyone else. Someone in the family developed prostate issues and she said 'for sure, I've had that and what's more, I've had to have them both out and I couldn't swallow for a month'.

And lo it came to pass that on the appointed hour of Armageddon, the Brits did come in their legions and attempt to correct the grammar and spelling of Satan's hordes...

Hmm. The problem here is you are asking Brits to fix a leaking pipe. Queue lots of sucking of teeth, scratching of heads and HUGE estimates. There is probably a guy there right now, using the undersea robot to tap the pipe and go, "well your problem, mate, is its all your own fault see, no offence, I've got a bit of twig I broke off a tree in my van. I'll stick that in the hole and wiggle it around while I think of something more plausible but it will cost you..." Call in the Poles. They have great plumbers: quick, efficient, well qualified. They'll have it fixed in a jiffy and clean up the mess afterwards.

75 years? Must be time for them to retire!