On 12/15/24 5:33 AM, D wrote:
>
>
> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 14 Dec 2024 23:21:30 +0100, D wrote:
>>
>>> In the few protestant services I remember from my childhood (my mother
>>> was religious, my father not) there was plenty of singing. Afterwars,
>>> there would sometimes be coffee and cake.
>>
>> I don't recall ever going to church with my mother. The whole thing was
>> sprung on me at a late date. During Boy Scout Week they made a big deal
>> about going to church with your family and I asked the fatal question
>> 'What's church?'
>
> We each have our crosses to carry! ;) I remember that my mother thought
> it was very important that I should become confirmed at around age 15 or
> so. I was against it, but after a lot of poking and prodding and begging
> in order to please my grand parents who were religious as well, I
> finally agreed to attend. So basically it was like a discussion club
> with philosophical themes with a bit of jesus snuck in here and there.

Heh ... my mother was a Lutheran. They 'babtised' me
without my permission before age one.

Somewhere around age 8 I was sitting in a church pew,
listening to the preacher, and had one of those 'epiphany'
things .... "Fairy-Tales For Grown-Ups" - all the swirling
bits parted for a moment and all was clear. Still remember
exactly where I was sitting .....

No, don't hate religious people ... it's a common enough
delusion. I'm not one of THOSE unbelievers. I think it's
just best to lead by example - not by the sword.

Oh, the Boy Scouts wouldn't let me in because I was
an unbeliever ... but I kinda understood that. They
had their agenda.

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:

> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 23:12:03 +0100, D wrote:
>
>> This is incorrect. "They" can talk with older people, look at old
>> movies,
>> tv-clips, etc. Plenty of basis for comparison. It is anecdotal, but I
>> did so myself, when a teenager and came to the conclusion that there was
>> waaaay more fun to be had 10-20 years earlier than when I was young.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Paul_Smith
>
> I read 'Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing.' and 'How to Do
> Nothing With Nobody All Alone By Yourself' as a kid. He compared the '50s
> with the '20s bit I didn't feel underprivileged.
>
> https://tinhouse.com/how-to-do-nothing-with-nobody-all-alone-by-yourself-
> an-excerpt/
>
> That's a short excerpt. I did build both the spool tank and the button
> buzz saw. There were also things to do with horse chestnuts. There were
> also other projects that Smith left out.
>
> https://www.instructables.com/Mini-Matchstick-Gun-The-Clothespin-Pocket-
> Pistol/

But you must remember, that I am younger than you. Maybe there is a point
at around 70:ish, where the previous youth was more boring? For me, my
father had way more freedom and opportunities than I did, and I have way
more freedom than todays youth.

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:

> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 23:04:03 +0100, D wrote:
>
>> My mother grew up in a town of less than 1000 and it was not so fun
>> being a teenager. She moved to Stockholm when she was 18 and was very
>> happy with her choice.
>
> It could be claustrophobic I guess but I enjoyed having plenty of open
> space to ramble. The town had an elementary school but was too small for a
> high school so we had to go to the either the public or Catholic high
> school in the city. That was, er, educational.
>

She was never much into nature, and also, one of the things she did not
like was that you had 24/7 surveillance. What ever your did, everyone knew
about it. This was not so interested for a young woman at the time.

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:

> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 23:09:13 +0100, D wrote:
>
>> Ahh... the land of the free! Try 31% in sweden or around 20% where I am
>> now. Oh, and the 31% has a cap, so you only get part of that to fund
>> your own retirement. The rest goes to happy arabians!
>
> There is a yearly maximum for the SS tax, which gets raised frequently. It
> was nice to max out and have a few weeks without the deduction at the end
> of the year. The current cap is $168,600 so I would guess the majority of
> the workers don't see those bonus weeks anymore.

Jesus! I thought it was only in sweden. Well, as you say it's 168k, so I
imagine that the majority of people in the US never hit the cap.

> Of course your benefits are taxed. Some states don't tax SS benefits but
> this one does so both the Feds and the state have their hands out. Then if
> you have an IRA or other retirement account there is a required minimum
> distribution yearly which is taxed when you hit 73.

Of course it is taxed! ;) And your private retirement savings are taxed as
well, so a nice double tax. First the salary, and then you save it, and it
is of course taxed again at withdrawal.

> Between the assorted taxes it isn't as bad as Sweden but they're working
> on it. Somebody has to buy tanks for the Ukraine.

It's a jungle. 10 years ago, the then CEO of telia (big telco in sweden)
discovered that if he moved to portugal he could get his retirement tax
free. He did! There was much gnashing of teeth, and the loop hole was
closed.

If you're content to wait until you are at least 55 to withdraw money, you
can start a retirement foundation. The gross assets are taxed with a flat
tax of 0.3% or so every year, regardless of if the assets shrink or grow.
And in return you can withdraw your retirement savings for free. This is
not very well known, and I have never heard of a company that offers this.

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:

> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 23:06:44 +0100, D wrote:
>
>
>> This is sad. I've heard that cheap chinese radios (Baofeng?) are
>> popular. I also feel as if this field is perhaps regulated to death? I
>> think in some countries there are free bands, but I'm not sure.
>
> I've heard they're a good value for the price.
>>
>> Personally, if it was unregulated, I'd at least be curious! But now,
>> with tests, and loads of stuff to study, I'd never do it only to scratch
>> a mild itch.
>>
>> Same for me with guns. If they would be unregulated, I'd definitely buy
>> a gun! Now with all the licenses, testing, competition requirements,
>> safe storage laws etc. I can't really be bothered. =(
>>
>> Only way is to 3d print or build something myself. I've got an Icom dash
> mount and a Yaesu handheld that I bought years ago. Sometimes I'll see if
> anything is happening but generally there isn't much on 2M. I renewed my
> license this year so I'm good for another 10 years. That's for the amateur
> bands. The citizens band is still unregulated but I think the thrill of
> that wore off a couple of decades ago. There us an unlicensed Family Radio
> Service but the radios have an effective range of a mile or two and can't
> use repeaters.
>
> In this state you fill out a 4473, the form Hunter Biden lied on, they
> phone the transaction into NICS, and you are good to go in about 10
> minutes. No other paperwork is required.
>
> I was surprised a couple of weeks ago to find that instead of a paper form
> they hand you a tablet to enter the data. There are 20 questions. The
> answer to the first, are you an American citizen, is yes, all the rest are
> no. The one that tripped up Biden is a trap in this state. I don't use it
> but marijuana is legal in this state but illegal on a Federal basis. I
> assume a little bit of lying goes on.
>
> There is a permit for concealed carry but a couple of years ago it was
> made legal without any permit. Even then it was 'shall issue' meaning
> unless there was some disqualification you paid your $50 and got a permit.
> In states like California unless you're Nancy Pelosi you're not going to
> get a permit.

Ahhh... the land of the free! We'll see if the long term plans work out.
If so, when I retire, I'm coming! Sadly a lot can happen between now and
then, but that's part of the charm. ;)

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:

> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 23:01:26 +0100, D wrote:
>
>> This is the truth! Sweden most definitely collaborated under the flag of
>> neutrality. Not a very honorable way, but I am convinced it saved a lot
>> of swedes, at the cost of a lot of other people. This is a fun topic to
>> start if you ever meet any swedes!
>
> I think it was a novel by Larrson, Åsa, not that other one, that worked in
> some not-quite-rehabilitated people.
>

Hm, doesn't ring a bell. A quick search only got me finnish books for some
reason.

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:

> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 23:01:58 +0100, D wrote:
>
>> Oh, and the swedish socialist party was very much into eugenics. Also
>> something that they are working hard to bury in some distant, dusty
>> corridor of history.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_v._Bell
>
> "Three generations of imbeciles are enough"
>
> https://womanisrational.uchicago.edu/2022/09/21/margaret-sanger-the-
> duality-of-a-ambitious-feminist-and-racist-eugenicist/
>
> There are facets of Margaret Sanger, the patron saint of Planned
> parenthood, that the left would rather forget.
>
> https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/feb/06/race.usa
>
> It's a Guardian review of Black's book but I've read the same in other
> sources. Besides the eugenics programs of the '20s and '30s US immigration
> law heavily favored northern Europeans. They threw that out in '65 so here
> we are now.

Ahh, the left is so cute. They can do no wrong, and when inconvenient
facts are pointed out, you are cancelled, or the facts are "fake news". ;)

Had no idea! Sad that you swerved from the northern europe policy. I thin
the US would have a lot less problems today if you would have remained a
bit more selective with the immigration.

On the other hand, the master of chaotic and detrimental immigration is
of course sweden!

This is a classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOGe02pjE-g .

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, 186282@ud0s4.net wrote:

> On 12/15/24 5:10 PM, D wrote:
>>
>>
>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:
>>
>>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 14:08:24 -0000 (UTC), Lars Poulsen wrote:
>>>
>>>> My boss and I looked out and saw that there were no engineer jobs
>>>> available in town; LM Ericsson had just closed their US Internet group
>>>> and put 300 Internet engineers on the street. So he asked if I would be
>>>> willing to join him in a startup.
>>>
>>> A friend got caught in the Marconi to Ericcson transition. It was fun
>>> while it lasted.
>>>
>>
>> Ahh Ericsson... the only company on the planet that makes the government
>> look and feel like a startup with hipsters!
>
> Hey - Nordic - a different way of thinking.
> Don't be a bigot now :-)
>
>> A complete mystery to me that they are still around.
>
> Because they still have something to offer.
>
> Erlang is still around and used - readily had for
> Linux. An unusual paradigm, but you CAN do stuff.

Didn't they get rid of Erlang? I thought Armstrong purchased or acquired
it from Ericsson and became a very wealthy man. He actually gave a guest
lecture at my university. I still remember him.

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, 186282@ud0s4.net wrote:

> On 12/15/24 5:06 PM, D wrote:
>>
>>
>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:
>>
>>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 11:40:04 +0100, D wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Sat, 14 Dec 2024 23:16:57 +0100, D wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Fascinating! Thank you for sharing!
>>>>>
>>>>> I never saw one but there were also ELF transmitters.
>>>>>
>>>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremely_low_frequency
>>>>>
>>>>> I think some of the frequencies are still in use but nobody is talking.
>>>>> Imagine what it would be like if humans could directly perceive the sea
>>>>> of electromagnetic radiation we live in.
>>>>>
>>>>> One project I turned down was a botanist with a theory that trees
>>>>> communicated via electromagnetic waves. The idea hasn't gone away.
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-whispering-
>>>>> trees-180968084/
>>>>>
>>>>> There is evidence that EMFs do affect trees though.
>>>>>
>>>>> https://ehtrust.org/electromagnetic-fields-impact-tree-plant-growth/
>>>>>
>>>>> Sometimes for the better?
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14519600-500-forest-grows-tall-
>>> on-
>>>>> radio-waves/
>>>>>
>>>>> It reminds me of when RF heat sealers were introduced. The folklore
>>>>> suggested that women working around them either became sterile or
>>>>> amazingly fecund. Humans love their stories.
>>>>
>>>> Shouldn't it be quite easy to prove? I mean EMF:s can be measured and
>>>> plants can be measured and analyzed?
>>>
>>> Prove? Urban legends are not susceptible to proof.
>>
>> True! Why let proof get in the way of a nice conspiracy! ;)
>>
>>>> Latency would be huge, but that never stopped me with my 9600 modem, and
>>>> for talking like this, is not a problem. Downloading massive amounts of
>>>> data would be painful though.
>>>
>>> Years ago I played around with amateur packet radio. 9600 was possible
>>> with more sophisticated hardware but the local club never made it past
>>> 1200. It was usable. Part of my introduction to Linux was it supported AX.
>>> 25.
>>>
>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AX.25
>>>
>>> I still have the TNC but interest in it dropped off rapidly. For that
>>> matter many people who used 2 meter handitalkies left when cheap
>>> cellphones came along.  There still is some interest in HF digital modes
>>> but the ham population is aging out.  There still is a lot of ham support
>>> for Linux.
>>>
>>> https://sourceforge.net/projects/kb1oiq-andysham/
>>
>> This is sad. I've heard that cheap chinese radios (Baofeng?) are popular. I
>> also feel as if this field is perhaps regulated to death? I think in some
>> countries there are free bands, but I'm not sure.
>>
>> Personally, if it was unregulated, I'd at least be curious! But now, with
>> tests, and loads of stuff to study, I'd never do it only to scratch a mild
>> itch.
>>
>> Same for me with guns. If they would be unregulated, I'd definitely buy a
>> gun! Now with all the licenses, testing, competition requirements, safe
>> storage laws etc. I can't really be bothered. =(
>>
>> Only way is to 3d print or build something myself.
>
>
> Move to the USA :-)

You can bet your sweet little ass that this is my long term plan. I do
have family commitments which keep me in europe though. My father I think
would not be interested in moving to the US at his age. But once he
passes, I and the wife are finally free to move.

> We have guns out the ass - most people have
> several. You can have an arsenal out of a
> 'Terminator' movie. Yep, there IS some abuse,
> but - pop corrected - doesn't seem THAT much
> worse than the UK. Almost all abuse is from
> GANGS, not Joe Citizens. Any downsides are
> compensated by personal rights/autonomy/defense
> issues.

Nothing that bothers me. If you delve down into the statistics, and look
at who shoots who, and where they enjoy shooting each other, you quickly
realize that there's about as big a chance in the US of experiencing gun
violence as in europe, unless you insist on going straight to the ghetto
and provoking the first drug dealer you find, in which case it's your own
fault.

> But then the UK/EU isn't INTERESTED in individual
> and citizen rights/power/safety any more, is it ?
> Power to THE STATE - and NOBODY else .......

This is correct. The EU is hellbent on becoming a new socialist
federation. Once the EU gets full taxation powers, it's game over. The EU
politicians have set themselves up as a new nobility. They get lifetime
pensions after 1 or 2 terms in office, they get a huge part of their
salaries tax free, they get free business travel, taxi, free apartments,
and of course, legal immunity. I cannot for the life of me imagine how
come the public hasn't rebelled at the revolting life styles and benefits
they have awarded themselves. And they then have the stomach to complain
and call entrepreneurs "greedy".

> "But it was all right, everything was all right, the
> struggle was finished. He had won the victory over
> himself. He loved Big Brother.”

I'm a long term optimist, so I guess the saying goes "over my dead
body". ;)

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, 186282@ud0s4.net wrote:

>> This is a very good point! I read today that a 21 day ban on smartphones in
>> UK schools resulted in better psychological health/well being, and better
>> sleep, and a 3% memory improvement.
>
> Today's kiddies are plagued by 'social' and political
> BS which constantly tries to twist their brains into
> knots. For SM it means PROFIT ... for political interests
> it's produced a gen of near-psychotics which can be
> twisted around the proverbial finger.

This is the truth. I see it in the class room every single day. If the exam is
hard, they would never dream of working harder or study more. Instead they
complain to the school that the teacher is evil, and refuse to take the exam
until it is made easier.

This makes me sick!

I think back to my own university days where some exams were legendary. 90%
failed, and if people complained, the school _and_ the teacher would shrug their
shoulders and say, you're not forced to be here, you can leave any time you
want.

> No "good will" here at all.
>
> Hey ... if you can find it ... try a movie entitled
> "I Saw The TV Glow" (US title). Fair take on the
> new hyper-unstable gen - largely un-rooted in ANY
> sort of 'reality'.

Will have a look! Another favorite dystopian extrapolation from the present to the future,
I like, is Idiocracy.

> Long long back I kinda coined the term "Dali-Ocracy".
> That means a faux 'democracy' where it has become
> impossible to know what's real ... and thus the
> info needed to WORK a democracy is absent. All
> is surreal. Conclusions without solid axioms.
> Squishy-soft 'reality'.
>
> We're HERE .....

True. I'm fighting it by upping my efforts to teach my students critical
thinking, and trying to teach them grit and to bite down and work harder.

It is a tough job when you have the entire system, including the school itself,
against you! The only mitigating factor is that I'm private, so at least for me
and my business partners, there's good money in it. The drawback is that of
course, eventually a point will be reached when the schools find it easier to
hire teachers that don't give a sh*t about the students and just pass them
regardless of what they know, so that the schools will get their profit.

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, 186282@ud0s4.net wrote:

>>
>> We each have our crosses to carry! ;) I remember that my mother thought it
>> was very important that I should become confirmed at around age 15 or so. I
>> was against it, but after a lot of poking and prodding and begging in order
>> to please my grand parents who were religious as well, I finally agreed to
>> attend. So basically it was like a discussion club with philosophical
>> themes with a bit of jesus snuck in here and there.
>
>
> Heh ... my mother was a Lutheran. They 'babtised' me
> without my permission before age one.

Same here. Never thought about it really until I got my first job and discovered
that my church membership cost me an additional 0.2% tax, and immediately left
church.

> Somewhere around age 8 I was sitting in a church pew,
> listening to the preacher, and had one of those 'epiphany'
> things .... "Fairy-Tales For Grown-Ups" - all the swirling
> bits parted for a moment and all was clear. Still remember
> exactly where I was sitting .....
>
> No, don't hate religious people ... it's a common enough
> delusion. I'm not one of THOSE unbelievers. I think it's
> just best to lead by example - not by the sword.

I like religious people as long as they don't try to push their fantasies on me,
or stop me from living the way I like. I also do not like moslems, because I do
not consider it a religion, just a barbaric mind control tool that has no place
on this planet and should be eradicated. Perhaps the sufis can stay... maybe.

> Oh, the Boy Scouts wouldn't let me in because I was
> an unbeliever ... but I kinda understood that. They
> had their agenda.

What!? Aren't they about nature and stuff? Or are they a religious organization
in the US?

On 15/12/2024 19:08, rbowman wrote:
> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:51:23 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
>> In general it is cheaper to simply scrap that one, or if it escapes into
>> the wild, give the customer a replacement.
>
> As I have mentioned my engineering statistics course devoted a lot of time
> to determining that point. QA is expensive.

Yup. I bought a US Robotics modem for domestic use. Lifetime guarantee.
My telephone line got a *direct strike*.

USR replaced it.

At some level it is not worth arguing over.

I bought 6 highball glasses off Amazon. They sent lager glasses. I
complained, they sent 6 highball glasses and said 'keep the lager glasses'.

The admin work involved in processing returns is often greater than the
cost of a replacement products and the cost of QA is ultimately
exorbitant. In the end a statistical approach is used.

I know. I used to design Mil Spec hardware where we had a giant chest
freezer to take all the kit down to -25°C to ensure it still worked.

--
Canada is all right really, though not for the whole weekend.

"Saki"

On 15/12/2024 19:43, rbowman wrote:
> I carried a high deductible ($5000) medical disaster insurance
> which was relatively inexpensive back then. Today a company insurance plan
> may be a major attraction, particularly for people with families.

Sheesh. I must have cost the taxcpayers upwards of £100,000 in free NHS
hospital shit.

But I gave the taxman £400,000 one year when I sold my company. So they
are still in credit

--
"An intellectual is a person knowledgeable in one field who speaks out
only in others...”

Tom Wolfe

On 16/12/2024 03:31, rbowman wrote:
> Somebody has to buy tanks for the Ukraine.

They have been found to be almost completely useless on the drone
infested battlefield.
In fact the money is going to build new useless tanks for America while
the obsolete ones are being sent to Ukraine to be scrapped by the
Russians at a profit to the USA which will one day get paid for them
instead of having to pay someone to cut them up for scrap.

90% of so called 'military aid' consist in paying American companies to
make more weapons for US use whilst older scrap shit gets shipped to
Ukraine to see how well it works, Or not. As long as it is not used to
attack Russia of course.

--
Microsoft : the best reason to go to Linux that ever existed.

On 16/12/2024 05:54, 186282@ud0s4.net wrote:
> Long long back I kinda coined the term "Dali-Ocracy".
>   That means a faux 'democracy' where it has become
>   impossible to know what's real ... and thus the
>   info needed to WORK a democracy is absent. All
>   is surreal. Conclusions without solid axioms.
>   Squishy-soft 'reality'.
>
>   We're HERE .....

Yes.

And worst of all, our Glorious Leaders are no better, They too have lost
touch with Reality.

So a 3 day 'special military operation' turned onto a 3 year war of
attrition that has effectively destroyed Russia and much of Ukraine too.
Although people will help rebuild Ukraine.

In Europe the EU is completely clueless and even the UK which had re
temerity to leave it is now being led back into it my a man who thinks
men can have a vagina.

--
How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

Adolf Hitler

On 15/12/2024 22:01, D wrote:
>
>
> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 11:42:21 +0100, D wrote:
>>
>>> It still happens from time to time. Didn't one member of the british
>>> royal house dress as a nazi at a masquerade? I also know that a few
>>> politicians here and there from the sweden democrats have been kicked
>>> out for having nazi tattoos that at one time or other were caught on
>>> camera.
>>
>> There is a lot of history that some would like to forget. The Norwegians
>> executed Quisling as their sacrificial lamb and to hear them tell
>> everyone
>> was in the resistance. France, Sweden, Finland and most other European
>> countries developed amnesia without the need to shoot anyone although
>> some
>> rehabilitation might have been necessary. The US wasn't occupied so it
>> was
>> difficult to 'colloborate'.
>>
>
> This is the truth! Sweden most definitely collaborated under the flag of
> neutrality. Not a very honorable way, but I am convinced it saved a lot
> of swedes, at the cost of a lot of other people. This is a fun topic to
> start if you ever meet any swedes! ;)

Somewhere there is an interesting account by John le Carré of
experiences in British intelligence post WWII. They simply left the
Nazis in place in government to get their pensions eventually.

The Pigeon Tunnel. Good read.

What else could they do? Kill 30% of the nation for having cheered
Hitler on? For believing in German racial supremacy and the subhuman
nature of Romanians Jews Poles and other Bolsheviks?

--
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on
its shoes.

On 16/12/2024 04:34, 186282@ud0s4.net wrote:
> PRE-1800s they also over-built ... but relied too much
>   on gravity to hold structures together. Most of those
>   old castles are now piles of rubble. ROMAN stuff - those
>   tended to be rather good engineering and materials and
>   a surprising amount - not destroyed intentionally -
>   still survives.

People nicked building materials from those old castles once they fell
out of use.
The monasteries were deliberately destroyed.

Many old building survive more or less intact where they have been left
alone

--
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's
too dark to read.

Groucho Marx

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> On 15/12/2024 19:08, rbowman wrote:
>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:51:23 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>
>>> In general it is cheaper to simply scrap that one, or if it escapes into
>>> the wild, give the customer a replacement.
>>
>> As I have mentioned my engineering statistics course devoted a lot of time
>> to determining that point. QA is expensive.
>
> Yup. I bought a US Robotics modem for domestic use. Lifetime guarantee. My
> telephone line got a *direct strike*.
>
> USR replaced it.
>
> At some level it is not worth arguing over.
>
> I bought 6 highball glasses off Amazon. They sent lager glasses. I
> complained, they sent 6 highball glasses and said 'keep the lager glasses'.
>
>
> The admin work involved in processing returns is often greater than the cost
> of a replacement products and the cost of QA is ultimately exorbitant. In the
> end a statistical approach is used.
>
> I know. I used to design Mil Spec hardware where we had a giant chest freezer
> to take all the kit down to -25°C to ensure it still worked.

This doesn't happen often, but I thought a package from a used bookstore
got lost in the mail. I wrote them, and they said, we're sorry, here, have
another one!

Sadly, I then discovered that it was the post office that forgot to notify
me of the package, so it had been sitting there unclaimed for 4 weeks and
I got it 2 days before it was going back.

I wrote the book store and apologized and asked if I should return the
books or pay for them (I could always use them as gifts) and they said,
don't worry, it's on us!

Needless to say, I _will_ buy books from them in the future! =)

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> On 15/12/2024 19:43, rbowman wrote:
>> I carried a high deductible ($5000) medical disaster insurance
>> which was relatively inexpensive back then. Today a company insurance plan
>> may be a major attraction, particularly for people with families.
>
> Sheesh. I must have cost the taxcpayers upwards of £100,000 in free NHS
> hospital shit.
>
> But I gave the taxman £400,000 one year when I sold my company. So they are
> still in credit

How did you initiate the sale? I have currently no intention of selling
mine, but I am curious about how much it would be valued at in the market.

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> On 16/12/2024 03:31, rbowman wrote:
>> Somebody has to buy tanks for the Ukraine.
>
> They have been found to be almost completely useless on the drone infested
> battlefield.
> In fact the money is going to build new useless tanks for America while the
> obsolete ones are being sent to Ukraine to be scrapped by the Russians at a
> profit to the USA which will one day get paid for them instead of having to
> pay someone to cut them up for scrap.
>
> 90% of so called 'military aid' consist in paying American companies to make
> more weapons for US use whilst older scrap shit gets shipped to Ukraine to
> see how well it works, Or not. As long as it is not used to attack Russia of
> course.

I read a story in the swedish mainstream press that ukrainian soldiers
were very happy with the tanks and armoured vehicles donated by sweden.
Apparently they can take an indirect hit and survive. They said in the
article that they started to attach some artificial "net" or fabric
structures to the tanks and vehicles with the purpose of making the drones
exploned a tiny bit further away from the tank, than right on top. Have no
idea if it makes sense, but that's what they said in the article.

They also said that the quality was much better than old russian crap they
have before getting the new vehicles, but that spare parts were a problem.

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> On 16/12/2024 05:54, 186282@ud0s4.net wrote:
>> Long long back I kinda coined the term "Dali-Ocracy".
>>   That means a faux 'democracy' where it has become
>>   impossible to know what's real ... and thus the
>>   info needed to WORK a democracy is absent. All
>>   is surreal. Conclusions without solid axioms.
>>   Squishy-soft 'reality'.
>>
>>   We're HERE .....
>
> Yes.
>
> And worst of all, our Glorious Leaders are no better, They too have lost
> touch with Reality.
>
> So a 3 day 'special military operation' turned onto a 3 year war of attrition
> that has effectively destroyed Russia and much of Ukraine too. Although
> people will help rebuild Ukraine.
>
> In Europe the EU is completely clueless and even the UK which had re temerity
> to leave it is now being led back into it my a man who thinks men can have a
> vagina.

Ahh... so Starmer is part of that religion? Doesn't look good for the UK,
but hopefully the new tory woman and Nigel can "crush it" in 3.5 years or
so.

On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> On 15/12/2024 22:01, D wrote:
>>
>>
>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:
>>
>>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 11:42:21 +0100, D wrote:
>>>
>>>> It still happens from time to time. Didn't one member of the british
>>>> royal house dress as a nazi at a masquerade? I also know that a few
>>>> politicians here and there from the sweden democrats have been kicked
>>>> out for having nazi tattoos that at one time or other were caught on
>>>> camera.
>>>
>>> There is a lot of history that some would like to forget. The Norwegians
>>> executed Quisling as their sacrificial lamb and to hear them tell everyone
>>> was in the resistance. France, Sweden, Finland and most other European
>>> countries developed amnesia without the need to shoot anyone although some
>>> rehabilitation might have been necessary. The US wasn't occupied so it was
>>> difficult to 'colloborate'.
>>>
>>
>> This is the truth! Sweden most definitely collaborated under the flag of
>> neutrality. Not a very honorable way, but I am convinced it saved a lot of
>> swedes, at the cost of a lot of other people. This is a fun topic to start
>> if you ever meet any swedes! ;)
>
> Somewhere there is an interesting account by John le Carré of experiences in
> British intelligence post WWII. They simply left the Nazis in place in
> government to get their pensions eventually.
>
> The Pigeon Tunnel. Good read.

I really like le Carré, especially his earlier books, but haven't heard
about this one. Must have a look!

I think they also managed to convert the Nightmanager and the little
drummer girls to quite good TV-shows as well!

> What else could they do? Kill 30% of the nation for having cheered Hitler on?
> For believing in German racial supremacy and the subhuman nature of Romanians
> Jews Poles and other Bolsheviks?
>
>
>
>

On 16/12/2024 13:25, D wrote:
>
>
> On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
>> On 15/12/2024 19:43, rbowman wrote:
>>>   I carried a high deductible ($5000) medical disaster insurance
>>> which was relatively inexpensive back then. Today a company insurance
>>> plan
>>> may be a major attraction, particularly for people with families.
>>
>> Sheesh. I must have cost the taxcpayers upwards of £100,000 in free
>> NHS hospital  shit.
>>
>> But I gave the taxman £400,000 one year when I sold my company. So
>> they are still in credit
>
> How did you initiate the sale? I have currently no intention of selling
> mine, but I am curious about how much it would be valued at in the market.

We were chased by a listed company wanting to make a story for the stock
market.
As my business partner's wife seemed determined to wreck the company, we
decided a sale would be the optimal strategy.

You can enlist agents to do this shit

--
You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a
kind word alone.

Al Capone

On 16/12/2024 13:29, D wrote:
>
>
> On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
>> On 16/12/2024 05:54, 186282@ud0s4.net wrote:
>>> Long long back I kinda coined the term "Dali-Ocracy".
>>>    That means a faux 'democracy' where it has become
>>>    impossible to know what's real ... and thus the
>>>    info needed to WORK a democracy is absent. All
>>>    is surreal. Conclusions without solid axioms.
>>>    Squishy-soft 'reality'.
>>>
>>>    We're HERE .....
>>
>> Yes.
>>
>> And worst of all, our Glorious Leaders are no better, They too have
>> lost touch with Reality.
>>
>> So a 3 day 'special military operation' turned onto a 3 year war of
>> attrition that has effectively destroyed Russia and much of Ukraine
>> too. Although people will help rebuild Ukraine.
>>
>> In Europe the EU is completely clueless and even the UK which had re
>> temerity to leave it is now being led back into it my a man who thinks
>> men can have a vagina.
>
> Ahh... so Starmer is part of that religion? Doesn't look good for the
> UK, but hopefully the new tory woman and Nigel can "crush it" in 3.5
> years or so.

Early days. Neither can competently run a country, but they may attract
those that can. Reform are gathering momentum, and with chummy Trump in
the white house, and Elon on the donation list, may do better.

A lot of people with big dosh are sensing that Reform may be a bet at
least worth a hedge if not full support.

Always corrupt your politicians *before* they get into power. ...
--
The New Left are the people they warned you about.

On 16/12/2024 13:31, D wrote:
>
>
> On Mon, 16 Dec 2024, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
>> On 15/12/2024 22:01, D wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 11:42:21 +0100, D wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> It still happens from time to time. Didn't one member of the british
>>>>> royal house dress as a nazi at a masquerade? I also know that a few
>>>>> politicians here and there from the sweden democrats have been kicked
>>>>> out for having nazi tattoos that at one time or other were caught on
>>>>> camera.
>>>>
>>>> There is a lot of history that some would like to forget. The
>>>> Norwegians
>>>> executed Quisling as their sacrificial lamb and to hear them tell
>>>> everyone
>>>> was in the resistance. France, Sweden, Finland and most other European
>>>> countries developed amnesia without the need to shoot anyone
>>>> although some
>>>> rehabilitation might have been necessary. The US wasn't occupied so
>>>> it was
>>>> difficult to 'colloborate'.
>>>>
>>>
>>> This is the truth! Sweden most definitely collaborated under the flag
>>> of neutrality. Not a very honorable way, but I am convinced it saved
>>> a lot of swedes, at the cost of a lot of other people. This is a fun
>>> topic to start if you ever meet any swedes! ;)
>>
>> Somewhere there is an interesting account by John le Carré of
>> experiences in British intelligence post WWII. They simply left the
>> Nazis in place in government to get their pensions eventually.
>>
>> The Pigeon Tunnel. Good read.
>
> I really like le Carré, especially his earlier books, but haven't heard
> about this one. Must have a look!
>
> I think they also managed to convert the Nightmanager and the little
> drummer girls to quite good TV-shows as well!
>
Little drummer girls was appalling. Gave up after first episode.

I've got em downloaded if you want.

Best TV was tinker tailor and smileys people - epic shows.

--
“The fundamental cause of the trouble in the modern world today is that
the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt."

- Bertrand Russell