Re:Per-desktop activities assignments
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KDE 4.3 Released
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I am wondering the same thing. I use KDE 3.5 and have my own favorite wallpaper for each virtual desktop. That was one of my favorite features of KDE. Then I upgraded to the latest version of Kubuntu which was using KDE 4.something, and that was no longer possible. They expected me to use the same wallpaper or slide show, for each of the virtual desktops. So I went back to using the old version of Kubuntu and KDE 3.5.
Support and updates for that version of Kubuntu was ending soon, so earlier this year, I switched to Debian 5.0 instead. When Debian 5.0 came out earlier this year, I was pleased to see that it was still using KDE 3.5. With Debian 5.0, I can now keep on using my favorite wallpaper for each virtual desktop, for a few more years.
I keep hoping that some version of KDE will eventually add that feature back, so that I can happily go back to using the latest versions of KDE. So does this version allow that or not?
My preference is not merely a matter of aesthetics, just like you, the wallpaper tells me which virtual desktop I am looking at. I know which wallpaper goes with which virtual desktop. I am also in the habit of opening each of my favorite applications, in a particular virtual desktop. The the wallpaper effortlessly and instantly tells me which virtual desktop I am in.
I have several 2-year degrees from Junior Colleges, but was never able to use those degrees to get a job. Back in the 1980s, I received both an AAS degree in Solar Building Technology and an AAS degree in Manufacturing Technology. In the 1990s, I also received an AAS degree in Computing Information Technology. In more recent years, I also received a 1-year Computer Networking Technology Basic Certificate, from a Junior College. I have a 3.5 GPA.
I realize those were just 2-year degrees at a Junior College, but I did not realize that they would be totally useless to me. I was expecting to have to start with a low paying, not too impressive job. But, I could not even get an entry level job like that.
At least I did not go into debt, getting those 3 degrees. The classes at the Junior College did not cost much, and I was working and going to school at the same time. So I did not need to go into debt.
Despite those degrees, I have never worked at a technology related job in my life. I eventually ended up as part of a small family business, which actually worked out pretty well.
My interest in computers and solar energy has remained as a minor hobby. But, I was not able to turn either of those interests into a career.
Part of my problem in getting a job, may have been that I did not have any relevant work experience. At least with the Manufacturing Degree, the students with relevant work experience, went on to do well. Those with only the degree and good grades, typically did not do so well. Back in the 1980s, about a year after graduation, I saw one graduate drying off my truck at the car wash. I ran across another graduate as our waitress at a restaurant.
I feel like I was somewhat misled, about the value of an education. But, at least I never had student loans to pay off.
I remember back in the 1970s and 1980s when Radio Shack was very electronics oriented and had employees who actually knew about real electronics. Now, most Radio Shack employees seem to be young people who know about using gadgets like cell phones a MP3 players, but nothing about soldering irons and electronics.
Several years ago, I went into a Radio Shack store and asked what wattage soldering iron and which type of solder should I use for attaching connectors onto the end of two heavy gage wires that connect my 200-Watt ham radio, to the 12-Volt power supply. They actually managed to find a soldering iron in the store. But, they then handed me a tiny little low wattage soldering iron, that was way too small to adequately heat up wires and connectors of that size. I soon realized, that they did not know anything about soldering irons or soldering.
I also had a similar experience, at another radio shack store when I wanted a soldering iron, for soldering a connector onto the end of a large coax cable. Once again, they suggested a tiny little soldering iron, that was better suited for small electronic components. That little soldering iron, failed to heat up my large coax cable and connector enough for the solder to melt.
I have discovered, that Radio Shack is not about real electronics anymore. In past decades, they usually had at least one person in the store who actually knew some about electronics and using things like soldering irons. Their selection of basic electronic parts and connectors is also now very limited. Now days, if I want to find someone who actually knows something about radio or electronics, I would try the nearest Ham Radio Outlet store or the local ham radio club or go to eham.net instead. Either that or just turn on my radio and ask another more experienced ham radio operator.
Why did they even need transparent aluminum for the aquarium they were building? Did they actually need clear walls for such a short flight. It seems to me that ordinary aluminum would have been good enough.
To see how the whales were doing, they could have just put one very small clear acrylic window or clear polycarbonate window in the top of the tank. Another alternative would have been to mount a small inexpensive security camera, inside a waterproof enclosure, inside the tank and eliminate the window altogether.
I live near Prescott, Arizona and also get all of my signals from a rural repeater. I am still getting 7 analog channels and only 1 digital channel.
The FOX network has been available as both an analog channel and a digital channel, for many months now. That is still my only digital channel, despite having had my converter box rescan again to today for new channels.
Some nearby hills block the digital signal from the Prescott station's transmitter on Mingus Mountain.
My Magnavox converter box also has analog pass-through, but like yours, mine weakens the analog signals to the point where they are unusable. So, I only connect the converter box when I want to watch that one digital channel. The rest of the time I connect the amplified rabbit ears antenna, either directly to the TV or directly to the DVD player.
For me, the DTV transition did not happen (except for that one channel).
I am still getting 7 analog channels and only one digital channel. I live near Prescott, Arizona and my television signals come from a rural translator station on Mt. Francis, between here and Phoenix. My understanding, is that low-power stations and rural relay stations known as "translators" are not required to make the change.
One of my two very old TVs has a converter box. With the converter box on, the only channel that I get is the FOX network KSAZ DT 10.1 digital channel. When I connect the rabbit ears antenna directly to the TV, without the converter box, I get the other 5 to 7 analog channels instead. Two of the channels are very weak and are only usable on some days.
I had my converter box rescan for new digital channels again today, but it did not find any new ones.
Some nearby hills, block my reception of the other digital station on Mingus Mountain.
My other TV is an early 1990s model, which is also still working just fine, connected directly to the rabbit ears antenna, with no DVD player or VCR. Both of my TVs are way too old, to have a built in ATSC digital TV tuner.The digital transition has not yet happend here.
Oops, I now realize that I miss-read what you said. I did not notice the "nightlight" spelling error that you were trying to point out.
I was mistakenly thinking, that I might have found someone else, who was still watching analog TV, but not yet receiving much DTV, in the early morning of June 12th.
Sorry about miss-interpreting your comment. But, I was half watching TV, as I was reading your post, and only half paying attention.
No change to digital yet here, either. It is 3:05 a.m. on June 12 and I am still watching analog television. I have an old mid-1990's, analog only TV, I am still getting five of the seven stations which I had always been getting.
I also have a AM/FM/Weather band/TV band radio which has analog audio reception of the VHF television band. It's TV band is still working just fine.
Late last year, I used my coupon to get a free converter box. I soon had it hooked it up. But, it found only one digital channel on the air, where I live. That one channel was amazingly sharp and clear. But, the digital converter box lowered the reception quality of the other six analog channels, to where they were almost unusable. So, I disconnected my converter box, and went back to watching analog TV.
This morning, at 2:30 a.m. on June 12, I hooked up the converter box again. The electronically amplified rabbit ears, which I have been using for analog TV, is supposed to be DTV capable. I had my converter box rescan for new channels, but it did not find any new channels. I still only get that one digital channel. My only DTV channel is the FOX network on KSAZ DT 10.1.
I am in a small city, in Northern Arizona, and get all of my television through a privately owned translator (or repeater). The article says that "high-power broadcasters are required to switch to digital, a few low-power analog stations and rural relay stations known as "translators" will still be available in some areas."
I have also occasionally operated a small, very old backhoe, on our private property, now and then, over the last 25 years. Any time I saw an unexpected change in material, or unexpectedly easy digging, I would suspect that I was getting close to something. Fortunately, I knew that most of the water, sewer, telephone lines, and underground electric lines on our property, had been shaded with tree sand. That had been done to protect them from the sharp edges of rocks. Whenever I saw sand, I would start digging carefully by hand.
I did not use the old backhoe very often, and it was mostly on our private property, which I was very familiar with. Fortunately, I was nearly aways far away from natural gas lines, or any publicly owned utilities. But, here in Arizona, when I was closer to a public road, I always called to have the area Blue Staked first. Blue Stake is a free utility locating service, which we have in Arizona. They probably have something similar in most other states. There is also a private service which, we have occasionally used, which would locate our privately owned underground electric lines for us (Blue Stake would not do that).
Slashdot probably is not the kind of website, where very many people hang out, who do much digging, either by hand or with a backhoe. Yes, like you, I could sometimes, tactilely feel that something was different. I always watch very carefully, for soil changes, when I am digging with our backhoe (or by hand). I also watch for debris, which looks like it had been thrown back into a ditch.
Here in Arizona, backhoe drivers are supposed to call Blue Stake at at least 2 days before digging. It is a free service. The Blue Stake guy comes out, with his electronic detection equipment, and sprays color coded paint spots on the ground. Different colors of paint (or sometimes colored brushes on a nail) are used to identify where the underground gas lines, telephone lines, and sewer lines are.
I am not sure if they also locate water lines too or not. Recently, in my neighborhood, a very small water company, saw that Blue Staking had been done along the edge of the highway. They looked closer and noticed that there were not any marks for their 2 inch water pipe. They immediately called the contractor and personally showed him where their water pipe was.
You would think that the government would do much the same thing. It seems like the government employees should have heard about the area being Blue Staked. If not, then perhaps they might have at least seen the paint marks or the backhoe. They could have said something like, "please carefully dig the next few feet by hand."
Years ago, I saw a licensed contractor using a backhoe driver rip through an underground 300 pair telephone line, while installing a sewer line on our property. Fortunately, he was digging far enough away from the Blue Staker's paint marks, to not be held responsible for paying for the repair. Blue Stake had been off by several feet, on where the telephone line was. Do they have anything like Blue Stake in the Washington area?
About a year ago, a plumber, need to replace a manhole on our property, and called to have area Blue Staked. As the Blue Stake guy finished, I told him that I knew he had missed a couple of 120 volt underground power lines and also 3 underground, several pair, telephone lines. He told me those were privately owned, and do not matter. He refused to even try to look for them. When the backhoe driver arrived, I warned him about that and he called some other guy to quickly come out and locate those. We soon had some more paint marks on the ground.
By the way, the www.azbluestake.com website, does not display properly under Firefox. A significant portion of the text and graphics are missing. Perhaps the utility companies, feel that users of standards compliant browsers, only need to know half as much about how Blue Staking works.
Fortunately, the small 1% desktop market share of Linux, does seem to be enough for it to remain as a viable, continually improving, product. As a Linux user, I have personally seen how it has been steadily getting better and better, since I first started using it back in 2000. In recent years, Linux has become much easier to install. The free software programs now seem much more full-featured and mature. Apparently, there are enough programmers working on Linux and many of the free open-source programs, to keep it going strong.
I first installed Linux back in about 2000 and it was months later before I had the printer and the scroll knob on the mouse working. By comparison, I recently installed Debian 5.0 (the KDE version) and it quickly recognized all my hardware correctly. This was on a desktop computer, so I have not yet tried installing it on laptop.
In recent years, I have used Linux at home and Windows at work, so I get to see how they compare as desktop operating systems. Using either one is very similar, but personally, I find myself swearing more at annoying little things on the Windows computer than on the Linux Computer.
Of course, there are Windows only programs such as Photoshop, AutoCAD and some Windows only games which will not run under Linux. But, I am not interested in using those programs, so that is not a problem for me. Instead, I get to enjoy the other Linux advantages, such as not needing to use anti-virus software and having easy access to thousands of free software programs.
The Linux desktop user base is small but very loyal. Linux on the desktop seems to be doing OK with just 1% market share. But as a loyal Linux user, I do try to help support Linux use, by occasionally making a few small donations to a few of my favorite software projects. I have even purchased a few commercial versions of Linux products, such as Autopano Pro and CrossOver Linux.
I have been using Linux, on the desktop, at home for about 9 years now and am quite happy with it. It meets my needs quite well, for the types of things I do. I have two computers at home, my main computer runs Debian 5.0 Linux (the KDE desktop version). I also have a perfectly good Windows XP computer which I have never gotten around to using very much.
They are both very good stable computers, with lots of great software. They both meet my needs quite well. Both operating systems seem very smooth, reliable and well polished. For me, Debian 5.0 was very easy to install and supports all of my hardware.
I have not noticed any difference in how either computer performs. He claims that Linux has a very slow GUI and that many GUI operations are not accelerated. If so, then I have not personally noticed the difference, in my day to day usage. The Linux computer is a several year old AMD 64 X2 and it still runs and feels like a very fast new computer.
He also criticizes the lack of a uniform installer across all distros. Well, I only use Debian Linux at home, so I only need to know how to use just that one installer. I can quickly and easily download and install whatever free software I want, from the thousands of free programs available from the huge Debian repositories. I installed Synaptic, which is actually an easy to use GUI front end for apt-get. It is a very easy way to install, upgrade or uninstall programs, with all dependencies taken care of automatically.
I also frequently find myself using a nearby elderly relatives several year old Windows XP laptop. It takes about 5 minutes before it really becomes usable, after booting up. Then, just as I start working on something, it starts performing very sluggishly. I then soon realize that the McAfee anti-virus program, has either decided to start downloading an upgrade or has started scanning for viruses.
I usually get very annoyed when using her computer and keep thinking that none of those things would be happening on my Linux computer. But fortunately, my newer, Intel Core 2 Duo, Windows XP computer which uses the ESET Smart Security 4 anti-virus and firewall, also boots-up quickly and performs, quite well. So I realize, that not all Windows computers are like that.
I am not a game player, so I do not care about not being able to run Windows games on my Linux computer. I do not do very much sound related stuff, so I do not even know (or care) how they compare in that area. I am not a professional, who needs some kind of specialized heavy-duty Windows only software, such as AutoCAD or Adobe Photoshop. Those criticisms of Linux, do not apply to my personal needs at home. But, I can see where Linux might not be the best choice for everyone. I am totally happy with using Linux on the desktop at home and am quite happy with the progress that Linux has made over the last 9 years, which I have been using it.
Looking at what I just said, I see that I left out one major detail. If they are expecting inflation, then when they borrow the money, they would need to put that money into some solid asset which would not be inflated away. Perhaps Microsoft could use the borrowed money purchase some solid non-inflatable assets such as various businesses, commodities, gold or something.
Either that, or perhaps they could move the money to some other currency, in some country which has a more stable currency.
I do not know very much about bonds or about economics, but I agree, that perhaps Microsoft is expecting major inflation problems, in the next few years. If so, then getting the money at such such a low interest rate, might be a real bargain. If inflation goes way up, I would think that the interest rates would also need to way go up, or else the bond holders would be watching the value of their bonds being inflated away. Microsoft would be getting the best end of the deal.
The U.S. government has been spending trillions of dollars, which we do not have, to bail out the banks and everyone else. There could soon be consequences, for spending massive amounts of money which we don't have. Our government might no longer be able to continue borrowing the money from China, Japan and the middle East, by selling those governments T-bills. They are starting to have more and more doubts about us ever being able to pay them back. Our government would probably then have to turn to printing money instead, to pay the bills. That would then lead to major inflation problems, perhaps even hyperinflation.
So perhaps Microsoft's financial experts may be expecting major inflation problems, and feel that borrowing the money on such good terms will be a bargain, even if they do not have any immediate need for the money. I might go further to speculate, that perhaps Microsoft might be so well connected politically, that they might even know about behind the scenes developments which is not yet general public knowledge. Perhaps, the elites and well connected know about likely future economic problems, which the average person or average investor, does not know about.
Personally, the only bond funds which I currently own are all either relatively short term bonds, or they are in the government's somewhat inflation protected TIPs (Treasury Inflation Protected Securities). Of course, I have a couple of other types of funds and various CDs too. So, I have some concerns about inflation, but have never really gone so far as to purchase gold or silver or anything like that. So, I am not an expert on how to protect myself from inflation or other economic problems. But, I do not get a good feeling about this story.
There is also the classic 1954 movie, "Them" about giant ants, accidentally created by nuclear testing. It is really a good movie. I am usually bored by most monster movies, but that one is really good. I can not think of a later monster movie of that type, that is nearly as good.
Here in the mountains of Northern Arizona, I have occasionally seen a few large centipedes of about that same length in my bedroom, and elsewhere. They are about that same length or more of about 16cm (6.3in) long, but only slightly under about 2.54 com (1 in) wide. Their bodies are wider than a nickel (leg tip to leg tip), but up to 6 or 7 inches long. The have many legs and large pairs of feeler like things on each end of their bodies. I am not sure if they are poisonous or not. I had one under my bed once, and on another occasion there was one behind my computer desk. I only see a really large one about once every few years (although they did travel in pairs on two of those occasions).
They are hard to squish, because their length is so much more than the width of my foot. When I squish one portion of their body with my shoe, they continue on their way very quickly using their unsquished legs, towards safety, under my bed or into a crack at the base of the wall.
In the early 1990s, I once took a girlfriend on her first backpacking trip, along Wet Beaver Creek and she encountered two of them. It was while she was having her first outdoor experience of how to relieve herself (the #2 way), when she was out in the middle of nowhere with no toilet around. Apparently, she must have been going right on top of where they were hiding, and as she sat there in that awkward position, at that awkward moment, with her pants down, out they both came, and she screamed. She especially disliked their somewhat bright uneven coloring.
The tarantulas here in Arizona, are not as big as the ones they described in Australia. But at least with our tarantulas, they do not come indoors. After a summer thunderstorm, they sometimes get flooded out of their underground dens and can be seen walking around. On rare occasions, I have seen one climbing around on an outside wall, but they have never come inside so they are no big deal.
Not only are they outdoor only spiders, but they do not even hang from webs. They just patiently sit in their underground dens waiting for a bug wander by the entrance to their hole, so they can quickly grab it. I would never even think of killing such interesting outdoor wildlife. Large indoor bugs or insects... yuck... large outdoor, underground bugs or insects, no problem!
I was surprised to read that the ones in Australia, are such a threat, that after the local residents sprayed it, and killed it, a pest controller still had to be called in. Perhaps that was to get his expert opinion of whether it was really sufficiently dead or not?
Many of us probably saw a movie much like that when we were taking the driver's ed class back in high school. For me, that would be about 1969 or 1970, when I was in driver's ed class, in Southern California. They showed us a movie that consisted almost entirely of color video of the most horrific accidents they could. Showing that to us, was an attempt to discourage us from driving recklessly. Do they still show that movie or something similar in driver's ed class? If I remember correctly, I think they said something about having permission from the accident victims relatives, to use the footage.
Just before showing the movie, the teacher warned us that several students had nearly passed out while watching the movie in his other classes. He said that anyone who could not handle the sight of blood should leave. I did not expect to have any problems, but was surprised when I did almost pass out when walking to my next class. Many years later, I also discovered that I was someone who would passed out while attempting to donate blood.
I am not sure if seeing the movie actually discouraged anyone from driving recklessly or not. During the next year or two afterwards, several students were killed or injured. Several of them were either driving drunk, speeding or not wearing their seat belts. One was ridding a motorcyle at the time. One student was killed by being run over twice by a car.
At home, I only keep one of my two computers connected to the Internet. I use the Linux computer for all my email and web browsing. But, I also have a Windows computer, which I use for running a few Windows only programs, such as the TOPO Arizona map program (for planning my hiking and backpacking trips). I have a KVM switch which allows me to use one keyboard, monitor and mouse to control two or more computers. One of the computers runs Linux and the other computer runs Windows. If I happen to have them both running at the some time, I can switch back and forth between computers, in about 2 seconds.
So the Linux computer is the only one used for email or browsing and is exposed to the Internet. I only connect the Windows computer briefly to the Internet a couple of times per month, just long enough to download security updates and the latest anti-virus signatures. The rest of the time I keep the Windows computer disconnected from the Internet. On the Cat-5 Ethernet cables leading to each of the two computers, I have a mechanical RJ-45 switch box that I use to manually disconnect either computer when I am not using the Internet.
The Windows computer is a small 6 inch x 6 inch x 2 inch box with a Core 2 Duo processor which only uses about 23 Watts most of the time. Because of its low power consumption, I do not feel guilty about sometimes leaving it on at the same time as my other computer. My other computer is in a tower case and has an AMD 64 X2 4200+ and uses about 75 Watts when idle (not counting the monitor). When both computers are running at the same time, I am still using less power than most other peoples desktop computers.
I also have a third computer, which I rarely use, hooked to the KVM switch. It runs Linux and has not been hooked up to the Internet in several years. The fact that it has not been hooked up to the Internet or any other network, would make it much harder to hack into. Well I suppose there would still be the possibility of someone nearby picking up the electromagnetic emissions of my keyboard or monitor.
I do not actually use any of my computers for anything more important than online shopping and posting on Slashdot, so I suppose I do not really have too much to worry about. At least I feel good knowing that I probably am not, one of those millions of clueless computer users, who is unknowingly part of a botnet sending out massive amounts of spam.
I am not a computer professional and do not have any experience with hacking or computer security (other than having once had several computer networking classes a few years ago). In my non-expert opinion, perhaps, an even more ideal solution would be to have openBSD on the computer used for email and web browsing and MAC OSX on the computer that is rarely if ever connected to the Internet. A diversity of operating systems on either end of the KVM switch might also be helpful.
When I was a teenager, I loved simple collection of, easy to find, large knobs and levers on my dad's 1971 Volvo 142E. I knew where every control was by memory and never, ever, had to take my eyes off the road to adjust anything. Without looking, or hardly even thinking, I could easily adjust the heater, defroster, A/C, windshield wipers, or the radio. The knobs and levers were large enough to easily be operated by a driver wearing winter gloves. The clicks, range of motion and other sounds, gave clear auditory and tactile feedback, confirming that I had properly adjusted the knob or lever.
Over the last 20 years, I have been disappointed at how it has become necessary to take my eyes of the road, for several seconds, to adjust much of anything. It is no longer possible, on modern cars and trucks, to find or operate the controls by feel, without looking. I would prefer to be able to keep my eyes on the road at all times. The complicated digital controls on modern cars and trucks are a step backwards from the standpoint of safety.
At least, I can still find the steering wheel, gas pedal, brake and clutch pedals by touch, without looking. Those have not yet gone digital, thank goodness.
They recently replaced a stoplight on the highway near where I live, with a traffic circle. The traffic circle has clearly been able to handle much more traffic, much more efficiently, than the stoplight. At the old stoplight, I typically had to wait several minutes to get through the intersection. With the traffic circle, I rarely need to wait more than a few seconds to safely enter the traffic circle.
Traffic circles do not have traffic lights, so there is no problem of impatient drivers running red lights. The only problem is that, the drivers here in Arizona, do not know the rules of who has the right of way in a traffic circle, so horns are sometimes honked. According to the pamphlet sent out to the local residents, the person inside the circle has the right of way. The person entering the circle, does not have the right of way and sees a yield sign. I just keep an eye on the other drivers, just in case they don't know the rules.
The larger the traffic circle, the better they work, our traffic circle is just large enough to work very nicely.
When they were building the traffic circle, there were numerous articles and letters to the editor in the local newspaper, saying what a stupid idea it was, to replace a perfectly good stop light with the traffic circle. At the time I was concerned too, but now, I wish they would replace all the traffic lights with traffic circles all the way between here and town, so that I would never need to waste my time sitting at stoplights again. A few local residents still dislike it, but the traffic circle is clearly handling the traffic much more efficiently.
I have occasionally entered an intersection, later into a yellow light than I should have, and then had it turn red just as I entered. Hopping that no policeman was watching, I look into my mirror and typically see one or two cars behind me that must have entered the intersection well after the light turned red. I have had that happen many times over the years.
When I am the front car at an intersection, as the light turns green, I now look both ways as I take off, because of all the red light runners. Occasionally, as I start to move out on the green light, I have noticed, off to my side, a red light runner still racing for the intersection at 40 MPH. I have then had to stop part way into the intersection, and wait for that idiot to enter the the intersection and get out of my way. I have learned that just because I have a green light, I can't automatically assume that it is actually safe to go.
The red light running situation has become so out of control here in Arizona, that I am now totally in favor of using traffic light cameras. It seems like I read about a fatal accident at an intersection every week. Of course they should not be allowed to tamper with the timing to make more money.
I know of a local woman, here in Northern Arizona, who shot her home computer a few years ago, because she was so frustrated with it. The couple who was her landlord also lived on the property and kicked her out shortly afterwards.
I am someone who drives an older vehicle because I drive very little. It takes me about 20 years to get enough miles on a vehicle to wear one out. I live next door to where I work and the grocery store is only about 3 miles away, so I do not need to drive much. My early 1990's GMC Sierra truck has 145,000 miles on it, but still runs reliably, still looks respectable and has never been in an accident. The truck does not have any rust, because I live in Arizona.
It has a V-6 and 5-speed and gets about 19 MPG on the highway, but it does not actually matter to me what kind of mileage it gets, since I do not drive it far enough, per week, to matter. About once a month, I refill it with gas.
For an early 1990s vehicle, the proposed bill would offer to give me $2,000 towards the purchase of a newer more fuel efficient vehicle, if my old vehicle's gas mileage is less than 18 MPG. My 19 MPG truck would not qualify. I recently had my truck repainted for $2,500 and it is worth more to me than the $2,000 they are offering. Whenever the engine wears out, I plan to either have the engine overhauled or buy a brand new engine from GM (if they are still in business at that time). I then plan to keep driving the truck for another decade or two.
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I am wondering the same thing. I use KDE 3.5 and have my own favorite wallpaper for each virtual desktop. That was one of my favorite features of KDE. Then I upgraded to the latest version of Kubuntu which was using KDE 4.something, and that was no longer possible. They expected me to use the same wallpaper or slide show, for each of the virtual desktops. So I went back to using the old version of Kubuntu and KDE 3.5.
Support and updates for that version of Kubuntu was ending soon, so earlier this year, I switched to Debian 5.0 instead. When Debian 5.0 came out earlier this year, I was pleased to see that it was still using KDE 3.5. With Debian 5.0, I can now keep on using my favorite wallpaper for each virtual desktop, for a few more years.
I keep hoping that some version of KDE will eventually add that feature back, so that I can happily go back to using the latest versions of KDE. So does this version allow that or not?
My preference is not merely a matter of aesthetics, just like you, the wallpaper tells me which virtual desktop I am looking at. I know which wallpaper goes with which virtual desktop. I am also in the habit of opening each of my favorite applications, in a particular virtual desktop. The the wallpaper effortlessly and instantly tells me which virtual desktop I am in.
I have several 2-year degrees from Junior Colleges, but was never able to use those degrees to get a job. Back in the 1980s, I received both an AAS degree in Solar Building Technology and an AAS degree in Manufacturing Technology. In the 1990s, I also received an AAS degree in Computing Information Technology. In more recent years, I also received a 1-year Computer Networking Technology Basic Certificate, from a Junior College. I have a 3.5 GPA.
I realize those were just 2-year degrees at a Junior College, but I did not realize that they would be totally useless to me. I was expecting to have to start with a low paying, not too impressive job. But, I could not even get an entry level job like that.
At least I did not go into debt, getting those 3 degrees. The classes at the Junior College did not cost much, and I was working and going to school at the same time. So I did not need to go into debt.
Despite those degrees, I have never worked at a technology related job in my life. I eventually ended up as part of a small family business, which actually worked out pretty well.
My interest in computers and solar energy has remained as a minor hobby. But, I was not able to turn either of those interests into a career.
Part of my problem in getting a job, may have been that I did not have any relevant work experience. At least with the Manufacturing Degree, the students with relevant work experience, went on to do well. Those with only the degree and good grades, typically did not do so well. Back in the 1980s, about a year after graduation, I saw one graduate drying off my truck at the car wash. I ran across another graduate as our waitress at a restaurant.
I feel like I was somewhat misled, about the value of an education. But, at least I never had student loans to pay off.
Here in the mountains of Northern Arizona, I have never actually seen anyone using a segway, so I had never heard of "segway hate" either.
I remember back in the 1970s and 1980s when Radio Shack was very electronics oriented and had employees who actually knew about real electronics. Now, most Radio Shack employees seem to be young people who know about using gadgets like cell phones a MP3 players, but nothing about soldering irons and electronics.
Several years ago, I went into a Radio Shack store and asked what wattage soldering iron and which type of solder should I use for attaching connectors onto the end of two heavy gage wires that connect my 200-Watt ham radio, to the 12-Volt power supply. They actually managed to find a soldering iron in the store. But, they then handed me a tiny little low wattage soldering iron, that was way too small to adequately heat up wires and connectors of that size. I soon realized, that they did not know anything about soldering irons or soldering.
I also had a similar experience, at another radio shack store when I wanted a soldering iron, for soldering a connector onto the end of a large coax cable. Once again, they suggested a tiny little soldering iron, that was better suited for small electronic components. That little soldering iron, failed to heat up my large coax cable and connector enough for the solder to melt.
I have discovered, that Radio Shack is not about real electronics anymore. In past decades, they usually had at least one person in the store who actually knew some about electronics and using things like soldering irons. Their selection of basic electronic parts and connectors is also now very limited. Now days, if I want to find someone who actually knows something about radio or electronics, I would try the nearest Ham Radio Outlet store or the local ham radio club or go to eham.net instead. Either that or just turn on my radio and ask another more experienced ham radio operator.
Why did they even need transparent aluminum for the aquarium they were building? Did they actually need clear walls for such a short flight. It seems to me that ordinary aluminum would have been good enough.
To see how the whales were doing, they could have just put one very small clear acrylic window or clear polycarbonate window in the top of the tank. Another alternative would have been to mount a small inexpensive security camera, inside a waterproof enclosure, inside the tank and eliminate the window altogether.
I live near Prescott, Arizona and also get all of my signals from a rural repeater. I am still getting 7 analog channels and only 1 digital channel.
The FOX network has been available as both an analog channel and a digital channel, for many months now. That is still my only digital channel, despite having had my converter box rescan again to today for new channels.
Some nearby hills block the digital signal from the Prescott station's transmitter on Mingus Mountain.
My Magnavox converter box also has analog pass-through, but like yours, mine weakens the analog signals to the point where they are unusable. So, I only connect the converter box when I want to watch that one digital channel. The rest of the time I connect the amplified rabbit ears antenna, either directly to the TV or directly to the DVD player.
For me, the DTV transition did not happen (except for that one channel).
I am still getting 7 analog channels and only one digital channel. I live near Prescott, Arizona and my television signals come from a rural translator station on Mt. Francis, between here and Phoenix. My understanding, is that low-power stations and rural relay stations known as "translators" are not required to make the change.
One of my two very old TVs has a converter box. With the converter box on, the only channel that I get is the FOX network KSAZ DT 10.1 digital channel. When I connect the rabbit ears antenna directly to the TV, without the converter box, I get the other 5 to 7 analog channels instead. Two of the channels are very weak and are only usable on some days.
I had my converter box rescan for new digital channels again today, but it did not find any new ones.
Some nearby hills, block my reception of the other digital station on Mingus Mountain.
My other TV is an early 1990s model, which is also still working just fine, connected directly to the rabbit ears antenna, with no DVD player or VCR. Both of my TVs are way too old, to have a built in ATSC digital TV tuner.The digital transition has not yet happend here.
Oops, I now realize that I miss-read what you said. I did not notice the "nightlight" spelling error that you were trying to point out.
I was mistakenly thinking, that I might have found someone else, who was still watching analog TV, but not yet receiving much DTV, in the early morning of June 12th.
Sorry about miss-interpreting your comment. But, I was half watching TV, as I was reading your post, and only half paying attention.
No change to digital yet here, either. It is 3:05 a.m. on June 12 and I am still watching analog television. I have an old mid-1990's, analog only TV, I am still getting five of the seven stations which I had always been getting.
I also have a AM/FM/Weather band/TV band radio which has analog audio reception of the VHF television band. It's TV band is still working just fine.
Late last year, I used my coupon to get a free converter box. I soon had it hooked it up. But, it found only one digital channel on the air, where I live. That one channel was amazingly sharp and clear. But, the digital converter box lowered the reception quality of the other six analog channels, to where they were almost unusable. So, I disconnected my converter box, and went back to watching analog TV.
This morning, at 2:30 a.m. on June 12, I hooked up the converter box again. The electronically amplified rabbit ears, which I have been using for analog TV, is supposed to be DTV capable. I had my converter box rescan for new channels, but it did not find any new channels. I still only get that one digital channel. My only DTV channel is the FOX network on KSAZ DT 10.1.
I am in a small city, in Northern Arizona, and get all of my television through a privately owned translator (or repeater). The article says that "high-power broadcasters are required to switch to digital, a few low-power analog stations and rural relay stations known as "translators" will still be available in some areas."
KAET is our nearest PBS station. Going to their web page, I find a map which which says "Eight digital broadcasting currently serves the red area on the map below." I can see that I am not in the red area of their map.
Since nothing has changed yet, I have disconnected my converter box, again, and have gone back to watching analog TV.
I have also occasionally operated a small, very old backhoe, on our private property, now and then, over the last 25 years. Any time I saw an unexpected change in material, or unexpectedly easy digging, I would suspect that I was getting close to something. Fortunately, I knew that most of the water, sewer, telephone lines, and underground electric lines on our property, had been shaded with tree sand. That had been done to protect them from the sharp edges of rocks. Whenever I saw sand, I would start digging carefully by hand.
I did not use the old backhoe very often, and it was mostly on our private property, which I was very familiar with. Fortunately, I was nearly aways far away from natural gas lines, or any publicly owned utilities. But, here in Arizona, when I was closer to a public road, I always called to have the area Blue Staked first. Blue Stake is a free utility locating service, which we have in Arizona. They probably have something similar in most other states. There is also a private service which, we have occasionally used, which would locate our privately owned underground electric lines for us (Blue Stake would not do that).
Slashdot probably is not the kind of website, where very many people hang out, who do much digging, either by hand or with a backhoe. Yes, like you, I could sometimes, tactilely feel that something was different. I always watch very carefully, for soil changes, when I am digging with our backhoe (or by hand). I also watch for debris, which looks like it had been thrown back into a ditch.
Here in Arizona, backhoe drivers are supposed to call Blue Stake at at least 2 days before digging. It is a free service. The Blue Stake guy comes out, with his electronic detection equipment, and sprays color coded paint spots on the ground. Different colors of paint (or sometimes colored brushes on a nail) are used to identify where the underground gas lines, telephone lines, and sewer lines are.
I am not sure if they also locate water lines too or not. Recently, in my neighborhood, a very small water company, saw that Blue Staking had been done along the edge of the highway. They looked closer and noticed that there were not any marks for their 2 inch water pipe. They immediately called the contractor and personally showed him where their water pipe was.
You would think that the government would do much the same thing. It seems like the government employees should have heard about the area being Blue Staked. If not, then perhaps they might have at least seen the paint marks or the backhoe. They could have said something like, "please carefully dig the next few feet by hand."
Years ago, I saw a licensed contractor using a backhoe driver rip through an underground 300 pair telephone line, while installing a sewer line on our property. Fortunately, he was digging far enough away from the Blue Staker's paint marks, to not be held responsible for paying for the repair. Blue Stake had been off by several feet, on where the telephone line was. Do they have anything like Blue Stake in the Washington area?
About a year ago, a plumber, need to replace a manhole on our property, and called to have area Blue Staked. As the Blue Stake guy finished, I told him that I knew he had missed a couple of 120 volt underground power lines and also 3 underground, several pair, telephone lines. He told me those were privately owned, and do not matter. He refused to even try to look for them. When the backhoe driver arrived, I warned him about that and he called some other guy to quickly come out and locate those. We soon had some more paint marks on the ground.
By the way, the www.azbluestake.com website, does not display properly under Firefox. A significant portion of the text and graphics are missing. Perhaps the utility companies, feel that users of standards compliant browsers, only need to know half as much about how Blue Staking works.
Fortunately, the small 1% desktop market share of Linux, does seem to be enough for it to remain as a viable, continually improving, product. As a Linux user, I have personally seen how it has been steadily getting better and better, since I first started using it back in 2000. In recent years, Linux has become much easier to install. The free software programs now seem much more full-featured and mature. Apparently, there are enough programmers working on Linux and many of the free open-source programs, to keep it going strong.
I first installed Linux back in about 2000 and it was months later before I had the printer and the scroll knob on the mouse working. By comparison, I recently installed Debian 5.0 (the KDE version) and it quickly recognized all my hardware correctly. This was on a desktop computer, so I have not yet tried installing it on laptop.
In recent years, I have used Linux at home and Windows at work, so I get to see how they compare as desktop operating systems. Using either one is very similar, but personally, I find myself swearing more at annoying little things on the Windows computer than on the Linux Computer.
Of course, there are Windows only programs such as Photoshop, AutoCAD and some Windows only games which will not run under Linux. But, I am not interested in using those programs, so that is not a problem for me. Instead, I get to enjoy the other Linux advantages, such as not needing to use anti-virus software and having easy access to thousands of free software programs.
The Linux desktop user base is small but very loyal. Linux on the desktop seems to be doing OK with just 1% market share. But as a loyal Linux user, I do try to help support Linux use, by occasionally making a few small donations to a few of my favorite software projects. I have even purchased a few commercial versions of Linux products, such as Autopano Pro and CrossOver Linux.
I have been using Linux, on the desktop, at home for about 9 years now and am quite happy with it. It meets my needs quite well, for the types of things I do. I have two computers at home, my main computer runs Debian 5.0 Linux (the KDE desktop version). I also have a perfectly good Windows XP computer which I have never gotten around to using very much.
They are both very good stable computers, with lots of great software. They both meet my needs quite well. Both operating systems seem very smooth, reliable and well polished. For me, Debian 5.0 was very easy to install and supports all of my hardware.
I have not noticed any difference in how either computer performs. He claims that Linux has a very slow GUI and that many GUI operations are not accelerated. If so, then I have not personally noticed the difference, in my day to day usage. The Linux computer is a several year old AMD 64 X2 and it still runs and feels like a very fast new computer.
He also criticizes the lack of a uniform installer across all distros. Well, I only use Debian Linux at home, so I only need to know how to use just that one installer. I can quickly and easily download and install whatever free software I want, from the thousands of free programs available from the huge Debian repositories. I installed Synaptic, which is actually an easy to use GUI front end for apt-get. It is a very easy way to install, upgrade or uninstall programs, with all dependencies taken care of automatically.
I also frequently find myself using a nearby elderly relatives several year old Windows XP laptop. It takes about 5 minutes before it really becomes usable, after booting up. Then, just as I start working on something, it starts performing very sluggishly. I then soon realize that the McAfee anti-virus program, has either decided to start downloading an upgrade or has started scanning for viruses.
I usually get very annoyed when using her computer and keep thinking that none of those things would be happening on my Linux computer. But fortunately, my newer, Intel Core 2 Duo, Windows XP computer which uses the ESET Smart Security 4 anti-virus and firewall, also boots-up quickly and performs, quite well. So I realize, that not all Windows computers are like that.
I am not a game player, so I do not care about not being able to run Windows games on my Linux computer. I do not do very much sound related stuff, so I do not even know (or care) how they compare in that area. I am not a professional, who needs some kind of specialized heavy-duty Windows only software, such as AutoCAD or Adobe Photoshop. Those criticisms of Linux, do not apply to my personal needs at home. But, I can see where Linux might not be the best choice for everyone. I am totally happy with using Linux on the desktop at home and am quite happy with the progress that Linux has made over the last 9 years, which I have been using it.
Looking at what I just said, I see that I left out one major detail. If they are expecting inflation, then when they borrow the money, they would need to put that money into some solid asset which would not be inflated away. Perhaps Microsoft could use the borrowed money purchase some solid non-inflatable assets such as various businesses, commodities, gold or something.
Either that, or perhaps they could move the money to some other currency, in some country which has a more stable currency.
I do not know very much about bonds or about economics, but I agree, that perhaps Microsoft is expecting major inflation problems, in the next few years. If so, then getting the money at such such a low interest rate, might be a real bargain. If inflation goes way up, I would think that the interest rates would also need to way go up, or else the bond holders would be watching the value of their bonds being inflated away. Microsoft would be getting the best end of the deal.
The U.S. government has been spending trillions of dollars, which we do not have, to bail out the banks and everyone else. There could soon be consequences, for spending massive amounts of money which we don't have. Our government might no longer be able to continue borrowing the money from China, Japan and the middle East, by selling those governments T-bills. They are starting to have more and more doubts about us ever being able to pay them back. Our government would probably then have to turn to printing money instead, to pay the bills. That would then lead to major inflation problems, perhaps even hyperinflation.
So perhaps Microsoft's financial experts may be expecting major inflation problems, and feel that borrowing the money on such good terms will be a bargain, even if they do not have any immediate need for the money. I might go further to speculate, that perhaps Microsoft might be so well connected politically, that they might even know about behind the scenes developments which is not yet general public knowledge. Perhaps, the elites and well connected know about likely future economic problems, which the average person or average investor, does not know about.
Personally, the only bond funds which I currently own are all either relatively short term bonds, or they are in the government's somewhat inflation protected TIPs (Treasury Inflation Protected Securities). Of course, I have a couple of other types of funds and various CDs too. So, I have some concerns about inflation, but have never really gone so far as to purchase gold or silver or anything like that. So, I am not an expert on how to protect myself from inflation or other economic problems. But, I do not get a good feeling about this story.
There is also the classic 1954 movie, "Them" about giant ants, accidentally created by nuclear testing. It is really a good movie. I am usually bored by most monster movies, but that one is really good. I can not think of a later monster movie of that type, that is nearly as good.
Them
Here in the mountains of Northern Arizona, I have occasionally seen a few large centipedes of about that same length in my bedroom, and elsewhere. They are about that same length or more of about 16cm (6.3in) long, but only slightly under about 2.54 com (1 in) wide. Their bodies are wider than a nickel (leg tip to leg tip), but up to 6 or 7 inches long. The have many legs and large pairs of feeler like things on each end of their bodies. I am not sure if they are poisonous or not. I had one under my bed once, and on another occasion there was one behind my computer desk. I only see a really large one about once every few years (although they did travel in pairs on two of those occasions).
They are hard to squish, because their length is so much more than the width of my foot. When I squish one portion of their body with my shoe, they continue on their way very quickly using their unsquished legs, towards safety, under my bed or into a crack at the base of the wall.
In the early 1990s, I once took a girlfriend on her first backpacking trip, along Wet Beaver Creek and she encountered two of them. It was while she was having her first outdoor experience of how to relieve herself (the #2 way), when she was out in the middle of nowhere with no toilet around. Apparently, she must have been going right on top of where they were hiding, and as she sat there in that awkward position, at that awkward moment, with her pants down, out they both came, and she screamed. She especially disliked their somewhat bright uneven coloring.
The tarantulas here in Arizona, are not as big as the ones they described in Australia. But at least with our tarantulas, they do not come indoors. After a summer thunderstorm, they sometimes get flooded out of their underground dens and can be seen walking around. On rare occasions, I have seen one climbing around on an outside wall, but they have never come inside so they are no big deal.
Not only are they outdoor only spiders, but they do not even hang from webs. They just patiently sit in their underground dens waiting for a bug wander by the entrance to their hole, so they can quickly grab it. I would never even think of killing such interesting outdoor wildlife. Large indoor bugs or insects ... yuck ... large outdoor, underground bugs or insects, no problem!
I was surprised to read that the ones in Australia, are such a threat, that after the local residents sprayed it, and killed it, a pest controller still had to be called in. Perhaps that was to get his expert opinion of whether it was really sufficiently dead or not?
Many of us probably saw a movie much like that when we were taking the driver's ed class back in high school. For me, that would be about 1969 or 1970, when I was in driver's ed class, in Southern California. They showed us a movie that consisted almost entirely of color video of the most horrific accidents they could. Showing that to us, was an attempt to discourage us from driving recklessly. Do they still show that movie or something similar in driver's ed class? If I remember correctly, I think they said something about having permission from the accident victims relatives, to use the footage.
Just before showing the movie, the teacher warned us that several students had nearly passed out while watching the movie in his other classes. He said that anyone who could not handle the sight of blood should leave. I did not expect to have any problems, but was surprised when I did almost pass out when walking to my next class. Many years later, I also discovered that I was someone who would passed out while attempting to donate blood.
I am not sure if seeing the movie actually discouraged anyone from driving recklessly or not. During the next year or two afterwards, several students were killed or injured. Several of them were either driving drunk, speeding or not wearing their seat belts. One was ridding a motorcyle at the time. One student was killed by being run over twice by a car.
At home, I only keep one of my two computers connected to the Internet. I use the Linux computer for all my email and web browsing. But, I also have a Windows computer, which I use for running a few Windows only programs, such as the TOPO Arizona map program (for planning my hiking and backpacking trips). I have a KVM switch which allows me to use one keyboard, monitor and mouse to control two or more computers. One of the computers runs Linux and the other computer runs Windows. If I happen to have them both running at the some time, I can switch back and forth between computers, in about 2 seconds.
So the Linux computer is the only one used for email or browsing and is exposed to the Internet. I only connect the Windows computer briefly to the Internet a couple of times per month, just long enough to download security updates and the latest anti-virus signatures. The rest of the time I keep the Windows computer disconnected from the Internet. On the Cat-5 Ethernet cables leading to each of the two computers, I have a mechanical RJ-45 switch box that I use to manually disconnect either computer when I am not using the Internet.
The Windows computer is a small 6 inch x 6 inch x 2 inch box with a Core 2 Duo processor which only uses about 23 Watts most of the time. Because of its low power consumption, I do not feel guilty about sometimes leaving it on at the same time as my other computer. My other computer is in a tower case and has an AMD 64 X2 4200+ and uses about 75 Watts when idle (not counting the monitor). When both computers are running at the same time, I am still using less power than most other peoples desktop computers.
I also have a third computer, which I rarely use, hooked to the KVM switch. It runs Linux and has not been hooked up to the Internet in several years. The fact that it has not been hooked up to the Internet or any other network, would make it much harder to hack into. Well I suppose there would still be the possibility of someone nearby picking up the electromagnetic emissions of my keyboard or monitor.
I do not actually use any of my computers for anything more important than online shopping and posting on Slashdot, so I suppose I do not really have too much to worry about. At least I feel good knowing that I probably am not, one of those millions of clueless computer users, who is unknowingly part of a botnet sending out massive amounts of spam.
I am not a computer professional and do not have any experience with hacking or computer security (other than having once had several computer networking classes a few years ago). In my non-expert opinion, perhaps, an even more ideal solution would be to have openBSD on the computer used for email and web browsing and MAC OSX on the computer that is rarely if ever connected to the Internet. A diversity of operating systems on either end of the KVM switch might also be helpful.
When I was a teenager, I loved simple collection of, easy to find, large knobs and levers on my dad's 1971 Volvo 142E. I knew where every control was by memory and never, ever, had to take my eyes off the road to adjust anything. Without looking, or hardly even thinking, I could easily adjust the heater, defroster, A/C, windshield wipers, or the radio. The knobs and levers were large enough to easily be operated by a driver wearing winter gloves. The clicks, range of motion and other sounds, gave clear auditory and tactile feedback, confirming that I had properly adjusted the knob or lever.
Over the last 20 years, I have been disappointed at how it has become necessary to take my eyes of the road, for several seconds, to adjust much of anything. It is no longer possible, on modern cars and trucks, to find or operate the controls by feel, without looking. I would prefer to be able to keep my eyes on the road at all times. The complicated digital controls on modern cars and trucks are a step backwards from the standpoint of safety.
At least, I can still find the steering wheel, gas pedal, brake and clutch pedals by touch, without looking. Those have not yet gone digital, thank goodness.
They recently replaced a stoplight on the highway near where I live, with a traffic circle. The traffic circle has clearly been able to handle much more traffic, much more efficiently, than the stoplight. At the old stoplight, I typically had to wait several minutes to get through the intersection. With the traffic circle, I rarely need to wait more than a few seconds to safely enter the traffic circle.
Traffic circles do not have traffic lights, so there is no problem of impatient drivers running red lights. The only problem is that, the drivers here in Arizona, do not know the rules of who has the right of way in a traffic circle, so horns are sometimes honked. According to the pamphlet sent out to the local residents, the person inside the circle has the right of way. The person entering the circle, does not have the right of way and sees a yield sign. I just keep an eye on the other drivers, just in case they don't know the rules.
The larger the traffic circle, the better they work, our traffic circle is just large enough to work very nicely.
When they were building the traffic circle, there were numerous articles and letters to the editor in the local newspaper, saying what a stupid idea it was, to replace a perfectly good stop light with the traffic circle. At the time I was concerned too, but now, I wish they would replace all the traffic lights with traffic circles all the way between here and town, so that I would never need to waste my time sitting at stoplights again. A few local residents still dislike it, but the traffic circle is clearly handling the traffic much more efficiently.
I have occasionally entered an intersection, later into a yellow light than I should have, and then had it turn red just as I entered. Hopping that no policeman was watching, I look into my mirror and typically see one or two cars behind me that must have entered the intersection well after the light turned red. I have had that happen many times over the years.
When I am the front car at an intersection, as the light turns green, I now look both ways as I take off, because of all the red light runners. Occasionally, as I start to move out on the green light, I have noticed, off to my side, a red light runner still racing for the intersection at 40 MPH. I have then had to stop part way into the intersection, and wait for that idiot to enter the the intersection and get out of my way. I have learned that just because I have a green light, I can't automatically assume that it is actually safe to go.
The red light running situation has become so out of control here in Arizona, that I am now totally in favor of using traffic light cameras. It seems like I read about a fatal accident at an intersection every week. Of course they should not be allowed to tamper with the timing to make more money.
I get the same error message too, when I try to access the article.
I know of a local woman, here in Northern Arizona, who shot her home computer a few years ago, because she was so frustrated with it. The couple who was her landlord also lived on the property and kicked her out shortly afterwards.
I am someone who drives an older vehicle because I drive very little. It takes me about 20 years to get enough miles on a vehicle to wear one out. I live next door to where I work and the grocery store is only about 3 miles away, so I do not need to drive much. My early 1990's GMC Sierra truck has 145,000 miles on it, but still runs reliably, still looks respectable and has never been in an accident. The truck does not have any rust, because I live in Arizona.
It has a V-6 and 5-speed and gets about 19 MPG on the highway, but it does not actually matter to me what kind of mileage it gets, since I do not drive it far enough, per week, to matter. About once a month, I refill it with gas.
For an early 1990s vehicle, the proposed bill would offer to give me $2,000 towards the purchase of a newer more fuel efficient vehicle, if my old vehicle's gas mileage is less than 18 MPG. My 19 MPG truck would not qualify. I recently had my truck repainted for $2,500 and it is worth more to me than the $2,000 they are offering. Whenever the engine wears out, I plan to either have the engine overhauled or buy a brand new engine from GM (if they are still in business at that time). I then plan to keep driving the truck for another decade or two.