He didn't invent the first practical one either ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Swan He was rather good at PR though, that I will give him!

What a coincidence! I'm a Barrister too! But how did you also get to a be an expert on coffee...?

Interestingly tolerances are exactly the main problem : in Babbage's time every gear was handcut, so highly variable. Worse, since there were literally no industrial standards, even a simple nut and bolt, unless cut on the exactly the same lathe, would not work together! The parts were all individual, the idea of interchangeable identical parts is a remarkably powerful one, but not one Babbage could rely on at the time. Its amazing what has changed on that front...

Please don't do that! "Couldn't care less about" is the phrase you were looking for. "Could care less" implies that you actually do care - probably the inverse of what you meant...

Had too. Or it would have broken the interweb.

I think this has already happened actually, with Apple charge connectors. I think was really just proof of concept, but interesting none-the-less. I would find the link, but my Googlefu is weak today.

I think you wanted "was pissed off". pissed == was under influence of alcohol wheras: pissed off == angry Ah, you colonials...

Y'know I hate to do this, but... whoosh!

MAC != Mac Capisce?

Are you sure its changed? According to Direct.gov.uk's version of highway code: "138 On a three-lane dual carriageway, you may use the middle lane or the right-hand lane to overtake but return to the middle and then the left-hand lane when it is safe." (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070308) Not trying to provoke an argument -- I am genuinely interested as I haven't heard of the change.

"History" does not rhyme with "Mystery" - unless you consider it to be a "mis-toory"... At least to those of us speaking the Queen's English. Ah, the delights of RP. Incidentally, my point was that "the two World Wars" are scarcely one subject, therefore there were precisely 4 items in the list of "precisely" 3 items.

Egregious. Geek card revoked. End of message.

Ah, but since the Yanks didn't make it to the party until December 1941, perhaps they count May 1941 as being part of the preceding world war? (Just to keep things even for accounting purposes...)

Mmmmm, so mathematics is out then ?

Out of memory exception.