I was once asked to give a list of criteria that I thought was important, for out University computer store to make decisions on what to keep in stock, etc. (not that I was special, all of us in academic computing were asked)
Anyway, I seemed to have two considerations that no one else listed:
Aesthetics: Does the thing look like total shit?
Size: Does it fit on/under my desk (very important in dorms)
There's a much longer list of things we all look for, but I'm surprised that so many people forget those two.
The iMac packs plenty of power for its size/cost, and so will the iBook. The colors aren't for everyone, but most of Apple's target audience falls pretty much into three categories--
Graphics professionals (who'd probably think the colors were cool)
Beginning users (who need something to catch their eye, so they can differentiate between machines)
Students (where cost, space & ease of use are major concerns, and having something that looks cool doesn't hurt either)
Not sure about a patent, but I found a mention that 'bookcover' is definately a registered trademark for Apple. (which well, if they went that far, they probably went to the trouble of patenting it, too.)
Although no one yet has pictures to show what the model actually looks like, as I understood it, it's much like the Apple PowerBook 1400, where it's not an entirely different colored case, but it's one removable part, which can add color to the case.
I'm not sure why no one makes transparent computer cases right now, but I can make a few guesses --
Going through airport security would be a bitch the first few months 'till they got a clue
All plastics had different points of brittle failure, and they may not have a transparent/transluscent plastic that's strong enough for 'reasonable' portable abuse
Assuming the above's not true, it may be be too expensive for them to mass produce them in the age of dirt-cheap computing
And, as for the bit about painting your computer, the problem with painting over plastic is that you then have problems with the paint rubbing against things, and flaking off.
With clear covers, you'd be able to paint the inside (which well, takes some practice, as you have to paint everything as a mirror image, and it has to be done detail-first, so it's at what will then the top-most layer)
Some things, that don't take as much wear, can be painted without too much difficulty (I have a number of friends who have painted leather jackets, etc.), but I know I stack stuff on my portable, it gets bounced about, etc.
The only real reason that I can see for not introducing clear covers is that if you can't specifically design your cover, you'd be forced to buy designs from other people, helping to pad someone else's wallet.
Why not clear snap on covers, so we can either find some of our artsy friends to paint them, or so we can just print out stuff to put in under them (like um...some Apple PowerBook model from 2-3 years ago, which could conveniently hold 2 CDs in its snap-on cover)
Well, the nice thing about building something yourself is that it'll be just the size you want it. (I should know, I've done it myself).
However, I'd like to mention one of my bad experiences with formica:
In the past, you were able to get 4'x8'x3/4" formica sheets from Hechinger's (or atleast, the one I went to). With a little finessing, we cut the board down to form a table to mount some computers into a van I was converting for the 1995 GM SunRayce. (ah...nothing like 8 spare deep cycle batteries, and 2000W of power inverters, a few misc radios, a laser printer, and 3 machines with 21" monitors)
The problem that we had, however, was with the edge of the table...Formica is very hard, and when cut, leaves nice sharp corners, which dig into your wrists making lots of use annoying if you're like me, and have a tendency to rest your wrists on the table edge.
My solution was to take 2" wide teflon tape, and cover the edge with it, however, I'm guessing that's most likely not a product that people have sitting about. These days, I use a wrist wrest, and if you do, too, you most likely won't have any problems, but it's something to be aware of.
Does anyone know of a free-standing monitor/keyboard swivel-arm mount that actually LOOKS GOOD?
Well, I've used some really nice desk-mount keyboard arms from SteelCase at former jobs.
Monitor arms is where you're just asking for problems--
First, you need to accept that a 17" monitor isn't light by any means. We'll just assume they're 50lb, as mine specs out at 49lb. You're then looking at most arms can be extended by 2' or so...so we're talking about 100ft-lb of torque on the arm. Most arms attach into a little tiny bracket, maybe 6" across or so, and 4" deep.
As we're looking at the weight of the monitor to support, plus the torque it creates, we increase the shear on one side, and decrease it on the other. So, well, assuming that we're only dealing with a line, we've got (50/6) lb/in for the weight, and if memory serves (it's been a few years since I've had to do this), ~200 lb/in at the extremes. So, somewhere about 210lb/in, along a 4" edge, on somewhere near 50psi.
And you want that free standing?
And so you think 'but what if I don't extend it all the way?' Well, unfortunately, I've actually tried putting a 17" monitor on a stand. (well, it was for a friend at work). We cut a hole into the sheet metal, so the bracket could attach, had his desk put back together...only to find that the arm's hydraulics/springs/whatever it had (and it was a SteelCase, also), couldn't keep the monitor lifted...it kept falling back down from the weight.
So, now that I've been completely long winded, here are my recomendations -- if you're going to be shelling out for a swing arm, shell out for an LCD panel first...it'll make it actually functional.
(After that article of the recliner with built in fridge, massage, etc, I was thinking someone needs to upgrade it for a swing arm w/ LCD & keybd, so you could keep a watch on your systems while watching TV.)
I'd definately agree with this one, and there are quite a splits that actually might make sense (as opposed to.web,.biz, etc.)
Take for instance, media sources-- there isn't much conflict in that one, as those that are broadcast media have 4 letter designations in the US. There aren't too many magazines willing to get mixed up with each other, and neither are the movies. (sure, there may be crossover between them, but those are the breaks).
As is stands presently, however, the TLDs are completely useless, except for.edu, which you actually had to prove. (and yet, a nursing school couldn't register as one, for some damned reason)..net is filling with non-isps..org is filling with for-profit organizations. And.com is saturated with every stupid thing out there.
Unfortunately, unveiling new TLDs, without having some major limitations will result in people flooding the registrars to get them, and more TLDs will be more difficult on the people who have enough problems remembering two letters, much less three. There's some solution out there, I just don't know quite what it is, though.
I'd definately have to agree. Z-Term is the only way to go.
(In college, I had a Centris650 in my dorm, connected via ISN (a 9600/19200 bps ATT network). The machine was up through the full semester, 'till they made us clear out for christmas break.)
Which brings me to a little known fact:
When first connecting, in the corner, ZTerm displays min:sec, then, after you get to hours, it displays hrs:min....after 60hrs, it displays: (hrs/60):(remainder)
I think I had that first number up to 30 or so....(ie, 2.5 months)
I take 'book sized' as meaning something similar to the monorail machines...
esentially, it's a 1.5-2" box with a portable screen, that mounts on a stand...
Once they strip the CD-ROM, floppy, downsize the HD, though, they could conceivably be not much more than an LCD monitor, with a keyboard/mouse port on 'em.
And I'd guess from your statement 'it's been at least three years since the populace were... ignorant masses' that you don't work in technical support. (Or, people in Ireland aren't as brain dead as the rest of the world).
And you don't need a computer to connect to 'the internet'. Hell, in a few months, PCS phones will do it. There are home-sized e-mail phones already. And many of us grew up on wyse terms and the like.
Take a public library's card catalog system.... They don't need to shell out $600 up front for each machine to access their server.
And when you're looking at the time value of money, $10/month over 5 years is not the same as $600. Hell, if it was, I'd gladly borrow $600 now to only have to repay $600 in 5 years. Also, with non-profits, such as libraries, I don't think they can get the tax benefit of depreciating equipment, although I've been known to have been wrong before.
Just because this model doesn't fit your needs, doesn't mean that it doesn't fit anyone's needs. This fits almost anything 'kiosk' like.
Actually, although 'Landscaper' need only be bonded/insured, 'Landscape Architects' need to be licensed. Also needing licenses are Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, etc.
With the advent of the licensing, many then need to have so many hours of 'Personal Development Hours' every year, and need to have a couple hours of classes on ethics every few years.
Presently, I have a BS in Civil Engineering. I could go out there and do the calculations for laying a slab of concrete, but I don't even have my EIT (Engineer in Training) license, much less my PE. For all we know, however, my calculations may be just fine. Just as easily, I may overlook something, and the foundation may sink, break gas lines, cause a big explosion, and toast the neighborhood. I could, however, make some invention in my home, and sell it on late night TV and/or the internet.
Software programmers aren't presently seen as doing life-threatening things-- yet a simple bug in a traffic light may cause both sides to go green at the same time, and cause a fatal collision.
Being a programmer with an engineering background makes things even more difficult. Most out there are willing to do a contract to the letter, and release it. If there's something the client missed, they can re-negotiate the contract later, and come back to finish it. With the mindset that I've been blessed/cursed with, the program must work _before_ I release it to the client. (In the days before the internet, this was how most programs worked...there'd me months, not days of alpha/beta testing...you couldn't just download a quick patch off of a BBS or the internet).
The rambling above may make you think I'm for, or against ethics and licensure in the computer industry. I'm actually for, but yet, I still realise that there are some concequences of it. Both sides to the argument can make valid points to sway opinions, so there is no one 'right' answer on the subject. However, as more and more people release crappy programs, so long as the intustry's lobbyists don't ruin the bills, chances are some form of licensure/bonding requirement will happen in the future.
the compressession schemes that the two use are completely different. What is a small, crisp picture in a GIF is crap as a JPEG, and visa-versa.
Try this little experiment: Make a plain, boring, unaliased white text on a black background...and then save it as a JPEG. Because JPEG defines deviation from an average in a image, you're going to get annoying grey specs all over the place.
GIF, on the other hand, defines horizontal lines of the same color...therefore, 2 colors, not many changes, great compression.
And yet, the opposite's true, too, as there's times when GIF sucks, and JPEG is the way to go.. anything with photorealistic shading, for example.
Know your file formats. Even if you have to read the JPEG and GIF sections of The Encyclopedia of Graphical File Formats while at a bookstore, people should learn when to use what formats, for maximum compression, and help preserve the bandwidth that we have.
I can see a justification for interstate taxes, as there's a good chance that things being shipped are making use of federal roads, and other infrastructure.
However, I don't see the point in taxing "the internet", per se. I mean, if you're going to do it, be fair about it...tax every out of state package, be it mail order, fax order, internet order, phoned in, whatever. But if that were the case, I wouldn't want to mail order something from out of state, who had a local store, and so, pay both state and federal tax on it.
Right now, I'd rather get my prices online, and actually call in my order. It gives me a better appreciation for the company I'm actually dealing with. That's mail order, so assuming that they really do keep it a strict "internet" tax, I'll never be paying it.
Depending on how it's worded, what's to keep you from putting everything into your 'shopping cart' or whatever metaphor you want to use, and then give a call to complete the transaction, giving them some unique indentifier from the web page, and the appropriate billing information? Would that be taxed, too?
I believe #3 has been done. I don't have the reference materials here, but I know there's a crapload of patents regarding Eastman Kodak's PhotoCD format. (or whatever the technical name is for it).
The Encyclopedia of Graphical File Formats had a small section on it, basically saying that they can't say anything about it, as Kodak will sue anyone who attempts to reverse engineering and/or disclose information on it.
(it's been 3+ years since I read the encyclopedia, so I'm bound to be leaving out some small, critical detail, but that's what I remember of it)
Re:This is the place where all old computers end u
on
High Tech Junk
·
· Score: 1
I must be getting behind or something.
All I have is a sun3/90, Mac IIci, MacSE/30, Quadra650 that are still operational. Of course, I also have an old Wang and an IBM 7171. They're not functional, but once you gut 'em they make good bookshelves. (The wang's about 3'x2'x2' [HxWxD], the IBM's about 3.5'x2.5'x2.5')
No, the A-team was being chased by the law. (I think his name was Decker, or something like that).
Rambo, on the other hand, was brought in by the government to do stuff that they didn't want to get their hands dirty with....sort of like SOF on TV these days, or like a more violent version of Mission Impossible.
the questions they want to answer aren't the interesting questions. Getting someone to answer a question that they don't want to can actually give you insight.
(Although, when they lie about the answer, or completely try to dodge it, that's another story)
I know how lucky I am. Unlike most Americans, I didn't live my entire life in the same sheltered American town. I'm a third generation US citizen, and was born a military brat. I've lived in foreign countries (okay, well, the Netherlands are still first world), and I've visited plenty of places that aren't anything like the typical concept of America (both in America, and abroad)
And personally, yes, I've actually thought of killing myself quite a few times. And 'first world nation' only applies to some of the people living here. Go to any slum area of your largest nearby city, and ask people living there how well they enjoy it.
And as to Gates, I could care less about him. If you noticed, most of my complaints are against the Catholic groups out there that started doing this long before Gates wanted to join in.
I'm a strong supporter of euthenasia (if they don't want to live, don't make 'em), and have had a living will since I was 16, which lists the loss of any two limbs as reason enough to not prolong my life. I believe in the death penalty, and I believe that we should do more to clear out the Lifers that are presently in prison.
Slashdot Mirror
Anyway, I seemed to have two considerations that no one else listed:
There's a much longer list of things we all look for, but I'm surprised that so many people forget those two.
The iMac packs plenty of power for its size/cost, and so will the iBook. The colors aren't for everyone, but most of Apple's target audience falls pretty much into three categories--
Yeah, the solar panel was the coolest of the inserts--
http://til.info.apple.com/tech info.nsf/artnum/n20948
(I still did like the clear one, though.)
Not sure about a patent, but I found a mention that 'bookcover' is definately a registered trademark for Apple. (which well, if they went that far, they probably went to the trouble of patenting it, too.)
I'm not sure why no one makes transparent computer cases right now, but I can make a few guesses --
And, as for the bit about painting your computer,
the problem with painting over plastic is that you then have problems with the paint rubbing against things, and flaking off.
With clear covers, you'd be able to paint the inside (which well, takes some practice, as you have to paint everything as a mirror image, and it has to be done detail-first, so it's at what will then the top-most layer)
Some things, that don't take as much wear, can be painted without too much difficulty (I have a number of friends who have painted leather jackets, etc.), but I know I stack stuff on my portable, it gets bounced about, etc.
The only real reason that I can see for not introducing clear covers is that if you can't specifically design your cover, you'd be forced to buy designs from other people, helping to pad someone else's wallet.
Found the model--
The Powerbook 1400 had something that Apple refered to as the 'BookCover'. See the Apple TIL for more detail:
PowerBook 1400 Series: Description
Why not clear snap on covers, so we can either find some of our artsy friends to paint them, or so we can just print out stuff to put in under them (like um...some Apple PowerBook model from 2-3 years ago, which could conveniently hold 2 CDs in its snap-on cover)
Well, the nice thing about building something yourself is that it'll be just the size you want it. (I should know, I've done it myself).
However, I'd like to mention one of my bad experiences with formica:
In the past, you were able to get 4'x8'x3/4" formica sheets from Hechinger's (or atleast, the one I went to). With a little finessing, we cut the board down to form a table to mount some computers into a van I was converting for the 1995 GM SunRayce. (ah...nothing like 8 spare deep cycle batteries, and 2000W of power inverters, a few misc radios, a laser printer, and 3 machines with 21" monitors)
The problem that we had, however, was with the edge of the table...Formica is very hard, and when cut, leaves nice sharp corners, which dig into your wrists making lots of use annoying if you're like me, and have a tendency to rest your wrists on the table edge.
My solution was to take 2" wide teflon tape, and cover the edge with it, however, I'm guessing that's most likely not a product that people have sitting about. These days, I use a wrist wrest, and if you do, too, you most likely won't have any problems, but it's something to be aware of.
Does anyone know of a free-standing monitor/keyboard swivel-arm mount that actually LOOKS GOOD?
Well, I've used some really nice desk-mount keyboard arms from SteelCase at former jobs.
Monitor arms is where you're just asking for problems--
First, you need to accept that a 17" monitor isn't light by any means. We'll just assume they're 50lb, as mine specs out at 49lb. You're then looking at most arms can be extended by 2' or so...so we're talking about 100ft-lb of torque on the arm. Most arms attach into a little tiny bracket, maybe 6" across or so, and 4" deep.
As we're looking at the weight of the monitor to support, plus the torque it creates, we increase the shear on one side, and decrease it on the other. So, well, assuming that we're only dealing with a line, we've got (50/6) lb/in for the weight, and if memory serves (it's been a few years since I've had to do this), ~200 lb/in at the extremes. So, somewhere about 210lb/in, along a 4" edge, on somewhere near 50psi.
And you want that free standing?
And so you think 'but what if I don't extend it all the way?' Well, unfortunately, I've actually tried putting a 17" monitor on a stand. (well, it was for a friend at work). We cut a hole into the sheet metal, so the bracket could attach, had his desk put back together...only to find that the arm's hydraulics/springs/whatever it had (and it was a SteelCase, also), couldn't keep the monitor lifted...it kept falling back down from the weight.
So, now that I've been completely long winded, here are my recomendations -- if you're going to be shelling out for a swing arm, shell out for an LCD panel first...it'll make it actually functional.
(After that article of the recliner with built in fridge, massage, etc, I was thinking someone needs to upgrade it for a swing arm w/ LCD & keybd, so you could keep a watch on your systems while watching TV.)
I'd definately agree with this one, and there are quite a splits that actually might make sense (as opposed to .web, .biz, etc.)
.edu, which you actually had to prove. (and yet, a nursing school couldn't register as one, for some damned reason). .net is filling with non-isps. .org is filling with for-profit organizations. And .com is saturated with every stupid thing out there.
Take for instance, media sources-- there isn't much conflict in that one, as those that are broadcast media have 4 letter designations in the US. There aren't too many magazines willing to get mixed up with each other, and neither are the movies. (sure, there may be crossover between them, but those are the breaks).
As is stands presently, however, the TLDs are completely useless, except for
Unfortunately, unveiling new TLDs, without having some major limitations will result in people flooding the registrars to get them, and more TLDs will be more difficult on the people who have enough problems remembering two letters, much less three. There's some solution out there, I just don't know quite what it is, though.
I'd definately have to agree.
Z-Term is the only way to go.
(In college, I had a Centris650 in my dorm, connected via ISN (a 9600/19200 bps ATT network). The machine was up through the full semester, 'till they made us clear out for christmas break.)
Which brings me to a little known fact:
When first connecting, in the corner, ZTerm displays min:sec, then, after you get to hours, it displays hrs:min....after 60hrs, it displays:
(hrs/60):(remainder)
I think I had that first number up to 30 or so....(ie, 2.5 months)
There's a BSD distribution that runs off a floppy:
picoBSD.
it definately has network support, as I'm using it for a router. (on a borrowed 486, with a 9" b&w monitor I picked up for $10 at a computer show)
I take 'book sized' as meaning something similar to the monorail machines...
... ignorant masses' that you don't work in technical support. (Or, people in Ireland aren't as brain dead as the rest of the world).
esentially, it's a 1.5-2" box with a portable screen, that mounts on a stand...
Once they strip the CD-ROM, floppy, downsize the HD, though, they could conceivably be not much more than an LCD monitor, with a keyboard/mouse port on 'em.
And I'd guess from your statement 'it's been at least three years since the populace were
And you don't need a computer to connect to 'the internet'. Hell, in a few months, PCS phones will do it. There are home-sized e-mail phones already. And many of us grew up on wyse terms and the like.
Take a public library's card catalog system....
They don't need to shell out $600 up front for each machine to access their server.
And when you're looking at the time value of money, $10/month over 5 years is not the same as $600. Hell, if it was, I'd gladly borrow $600 now to only have to repay $600 in 5 years.
Also, with non-profits, such as libraries, I don't think they can get the tax benefit of depreciating equipment, although I've been known to have been wrong before.
Just because this model doesn't fit your needs, doesn't mean that it doesn't fit anyone's needs.
This fits almost anything 'kiosk' like.
Um....how about MkLinux?
or MachTen?
I don't know if AUX runs on PPCs.
There may be a *BSD for PPC, also.
I personally prefer MachTen, as it allows me to run Unix-like servers, while I still get the mac GUI.
Actually, I saw a beta of Rhapsody for Intel.
(Well more than a year ago), so it definately exists.... to be released is another thing, though.
Of course, the person who had the Apple developer access has since moved away, so I don't know how many revisions have happened since then.
IIc was an apple, not a mac.
Mac had IIci, and IIcx.
If you were going Apple, though, you should feel shamed for missing IIgs and ][+ references.
Assimilator rocks!
it puts those IIci's and SE/30s sitting about to good use, too.
Actually, although 'Landscaper' need only be bonded/insured, 'Landscape Architects' need to be licensed. Also needing licenses are Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, etc.
With the advent of the licensing, many then need to have so many hours of 'Personal Development Hours' every year, and need to have a couple hours of classes on ethics every few years.
Presently, I have a BS in Civil Engineering. I could go out there and do the calculations for laying a slab of concrete, but I don't even have my EIT (Engineer in Training) license, much less my PE. For all we know, however, my calculations may be just fine. Just as easily, I may overlook something, and the foundation may sink, break gas lines, cause a big explosion, and toast the neighborhood. I could, however, make some invention in my home, and sell it on late night TV and/or the internet.
Software programmers aren't presently seen as doing life-threatening things-- yet a simple bug in a traffic light may cause both sides to go green at the same time, and cause a fatal collision.
Being a programmer with an engineering background makes things even more difficult. Most out there are willing to do a contract to the letter, and release it. If there's something the client missed, they can re-negotiate the contract later, and come back to finish it. With the mindset that I've been blessed/cursed with, the program must work _before_ I release it to the client. (In the days before the internet, this was how most programs worked...there'd me months, not days of alpha/beta testing...you couldn't just download a quick patch off of a BBS or the internet).
The rambling above may make you think I'm for, or against ethics and licensure in the computer industry. I'm actually for, but yet, I still realise that there are some concequences of it.
Both sides to the argument can make valid points to sway opinions, so there is no one 'right' answer on the subject. However, as more and more people release crappy programs, so long as the intustry's lobbyists don't ruin the bills, chances are some form of licensure/bonding requirement will happen in the future.
the compressession schemes that the two use are completely different. What is a small, crisp picture in a GIF is crap as a JPEG, and visa-versa.
Try this little experiment: Make a plain, boring, unaliased white text on a black background...and then save it as a JPEG. Because JPEG defines deviation from an average in a image, you're going to get annoying grey specs all over the place.
GIF, on the other hand, defines horizontal lines of the same color...therefore, 2 colors, not many changes, great compression.
And yet, the opposite's true, too, as there's times when GIF sucks, and JPEG is the way to go..
anything with photorealistic shading, for example.
Know your file formats. Even if you have to read the JPEG and GIF sections of The Encyclopedia of Graphical File Formats while at a bookstore, people should learn when to use what formats, for maximum compression, and help preserve the bandwidth that we have.
The Bandwidth Conservation Society also has good info.
I can see a justification for interstate taxes, as there's a good chance that things being shipped are making use of federal roads, and other infrastructure.
However, I don't see the point in taxing "the internet", per se. I mean, if you're going to do it, be fair about it...tax every out of state package, be it mail order, fax order, internet order, phoned in, whatever. But if that were the case, I wouldn't want to mail order something from out of state, who had a local store, and so, pay both state and federal tax on it.
Right now, I'd rather get my prices online, and actually call in my order. It gives me a better appreciation for the company I'm actually dealing with. That's mail order, so assuming that they really do keep it a strict "internet" tax, I'll never be paying it.
Depending on how it's worded, what's to keep you from putting everything into your 'shopping cart' or whatever metaphor you want to use, and then give a call to complete the transaction, giving them some unique indentifier from the web page, and the appropriate billing information? Would that be taxed, too?
I believe #3 has been done. I don't have the reference materials here, but I know there's a crapload of patents regarding Eastman Kodak's PhotoCD format. (or whatever the technical name is for it).
The Encyclopedia of Graphical File Formats had a small section on it, basically saying that they can't say anything about it, as Kodak will sue anyone who attempts to reverse engineering and/or disclose information on it.
(it's been 3+ years since I read the encyclopedia, so I'm bound to be leaving out some small, critical detail, but that's what I remember of it)
I must be getting behind or something.
All I have is a sun3/90, Mac IIci, MacSE/30, Quadra650 that are still operational. Of course, I also have an old Wang and an IBM 7171. They're not functional, but once you gut 'em they make good bookshelves. (The wang's about 3'x2'x2' [HxWxD], the IBM's about 3.5'x2.5'x2.5')
No, the A-team was being chased by the law. (I think his name was Decker, or something like that).
Rambo, on the other hand, was brought in by the government to do stuff that they didn't want to get their hands dirty with....sort of like SOF on TV these days, or like a more violent version of Mission Impossible.
the questions they want to answer aren't the interesting questions. Getting someone to answer a question that they don't want to can actually give you insight.
(Although, when they lie about the answer, or completely try to dodge it, that's another story)
I know how lucky I am. Unlike most Americans, I didn't live my entire life in the same sheltered American town. I'm a third generation US citizen, and was born a military brat. I've lived in foreign countries (okay, well, the Netherlands are still first world), and I've visited plenty of places that aren't anything like the typical concept of America (both in America, and abroad)
And personally, yes, I've actually thought of killing myself quite a few times. And 'first world nation' only applies to some of the people living here. Go to any slum area of your largest nearby city, and ask people living there how well they enjoy it.
And as to Gates, I could care less about him. If you noticed, most of my complaints are against the Catholic groups out there that started doing this long before Gates wanted to join in.
I'm a strong supporter of euthenasia (if they don't want to live, don't make 'em), and have had a living will since I was 16, which lists the loss of any two limbs as reason enough to not prolong my life. I believe in the death penalty, and I believe that we should do more to clear out the Lifers that are presently in prison.