Wow, did this thread ever go off topic!! 

...the plutocracy will grow even more, then.... in our lifetime is the continual erosion of the middle class.... There aren't going to be many opportunities for the non-wealthy to go to good colleges, or even medium-grade colleges.  Education as a whole (elementary, high school) will become poorer in quality and will feel like spinning wheels.  The true, good education will not be available if you don't have a lot of money.  It will really be a plutocracy.  A gradual disappearance of the middle class.

I think we've been there for quite some time. I asked the most respected businessperson in our town (a self-made multi-millionaire and overall good person) what commencement address she'd give to Seniors graduating into this world, this economy. She replied:

-- Don't be afraid to start at the very bottom and work your way up (unless Dad owns the company).
-- Take any job to get started.
-- All work is honorable.
-- It's going to take decades to move up, not years anymore.
-- And by the time you finally make it, be ready to lose your job and start a new career all over because a middle manager who's never met you will want to fire you because you make too much money.
-- Don't be afraid to start at the very bottom....
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How f*cking depressing. In other words, get used to substandard everything.

You people are making it really hard to curtail my cynicism.

Guns are a good example, it is the gun? or the bullet? or what happens when you point it at your head and pull the trigger?

a canon?

Quote from: Target on June 15, 2011, 11:59 PM

Quote from: elvisbrown on June 13, 2011, 11:56 AM

Guns are a good example, it is the gun? or the bullet? or what happens when you point it at your head and pull the trigger?

a canon?

Gives me the shutters!

SNAP!

A friend of mine got a shiny new sales job and was able to bring home both a new Motorola Xoom and iPad2. Couldn't believe how much each of them weighed, and was very surprised how responsive and quick the Xoom was. The iPad was impressive in a Apple way, but its basic apps were pretty basic (calendar, notes, etc.). On the iPad2, I had to touch the screen several times to get an app to close or to get one to open. And sometimes when I scrolled a page in Safari, the iPad would grab the entire browser and move it. I'm sure it was my fat fingers, though the Xoom didn't do the same thing.

If I were to further pare back my computer use, I could really -- REALLY -- go for a tablet. Both wanted at least $20/month for a minimal wireless contract. But since they only take Wi-fi and not a wired cable connection, I'm not buying a gadget that only allows one type of connection access. Oh well, I don't have the money anyway.