h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK, it is a nice thought. But many of these kids live in households one paycheck away from homelessness. I'm not saying they don't need or deserve it--I'm saying that the whole family deserves it. Parents working at least two jobs each, at low wages, with no (or bad) benefits deserve health coverage, too. I believe the day is coming (but not before things get worse) when universal healthcare is adopted in the US, and when that time comes there will be a lot of energy spent trying to make the new entity function outside of Medicare and Medicaid, when probably it makes sense to expand -care and -caid to cover everyone else, too. Another system for children would compound the difficulties of setting up a three programs to cover everyone, when indeed we should just make one system for everybody (even the rich).

I don't feel negatively about Presidential hopeful Clinton, I just don't really understand what she intends to DO, so she certainly hasn't won my VOTE yet. This half-solution seems too timid, as though she's more interested in winning approval than accomplishing what needs to be accomplished.

In other news, Bill Gates failed to have the release of Vista declared a Federal Holiday. I live in a University town with one of the top 25 Engineering schools in America, so it was no surprize that there was no line at the stores Tuesday morning. I've worked in the College of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, so I understand how deeply people oppose Microsoft. Sure, Microsoft SAYS Vista will be more secure, but this is Microsoft we're talking about--not exactly a standout authority in the security field now, are they? If not for my need to interface quickly and easily in the business world (a Windows World, after all), I'd be using Linux exclusively. At least Linux WORKS when you install it; no waiting months for patches to fix the non-working product you paid for...

My employer failed to properly train the staff for the Vista roll-out, so I was asked to cram and pass the company tests to perform hardware upgrades and install the new OS and Office. Did that. But I'm not being paid any more, not being scheduled additional hours (they just ask me to stay late as I'm putting on my coat to leave), and no title. Woopee. The KID, one of three on-staff who has also passed the company tests to become an ordained Vista technician, has been selected for the title. But, get this; he asks ME how-to, and doesn't understand the difference between ATA, SATA, PCI, PCI Express, and AGP; or DIMM and SODIMM, either. So, I'm quietly preparing to apply for another nice union job; one of these days, anyway. So, the unwary masses entrust their computer to an ordained guy who may molest it, or they may luck out and get one of the two "slightly older" ordained women (God forbid), and spare their computer needless trauma and victimization. I was programming computers to do payroll before this kid's parents met (probably). I remember when floppy discs were really floppy. I remember when a transistor was a component you soldered onto a printed circuit board, not a microscopic imaginary dot on a chip that you plugged in to a socket; CPU meant what we call a chassis. CRT was your only option for a screen, and they didn't come in color, either. I probably still have my notes here somewhere... on stone tablets, no doubt.