gramie

It makes sense. The big heavy cars are the ones with thicker steel, so they don't rust out as fast.

Did you know that you can edit the title of your post? You should think about it!

I don't have a copy of Word handy, but I don't think it is nearly as detailed. Wordperfect would show you all the formatting, but also marks for tables of contents and indexes, columns, images and other inserts, etc.

WordPerfect's "Reveal Codes" mode was the best feature a word processor ever had. You could see exactly what was causing your formatting problems, and surgically fix them. It's like viewing the HTML of a web page.

My wife pointed out to me a couple of years ago that I was simultaneously the oldest person on our Dev team, and the youngest person in our church.

On the other hand, the inflation rate in Japan has averaged close to 0% for the past 30 years. Japan used to be considered an expensive country, but now I think it's safe to say that it's cheaper than much of North America and Europe

There was certainly a plug-in or something that made Reddit look like an Excel spreadsheet, so reading Reddit made you look like you were doing important calculations!

A nation of people so advanced that they decide their dictatorial ruler through a trial by combat.

In a sense, yes. If you are trying to get an international volunteer visa, most developing countries have no interest in more unskilled labor coming into their country. You need some kind of qualification, whether it's a degree or a carpenter's certification.

In the same way, to teach English in Japan you need a "Specialist in Humanities" visa. It's easy to get one, as long as you have a university degree.

A lot of the education and engineering seems to be about the area you are studying, like chemistry or electronics or buildings. But in fact, the most valuable part of it is learning problem-solving skills in the middle of all of those courses. In that sense, I still use my engineering education all the time. But not the degree itself.

When I went into university to do chemical engineering, in 1981, I had never even touched a computer. I didn't know until I got there that you could even do computers as a career.

I graduated, and then volunteered as a teacher in Africa for 3 years. I came back to Canada, and then taught English in Japan for 3 years.

But after my first year of university, my family got a computer (a Commodore Vic 20, with 3.5 kB of memory) and I was obsessed from that woman onward.

Leaving Japan, I went back to school and did a diploma in computer science. Unlike chemical engineering, where I dutifully learned things that I was told I needed to learn, I was delighted to have the chance to learn about software, operating systems, databases, graphics, etc. The difference was astonishing, and I found it easy to maintain a GPA just under 4.0.

I have been working as a programmer for more than 25 years, and although it has been stressful at times, the joy is still there. I'm not an artist by any means, but I do feel like a craftsman, and I enjoy the opportunity to continue learning everyday.

Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrels

That is a thing of beauty!

I have never, ever, in my life enjoyed running. I never got up to long distances, but used to be able to do about 5k without too much trouble. An hour of swimming? No problem. 30 minutes of high intensity rowing? Happy to do that. Cycling 50k? I'm all over that. But running just makes me feel bad.