From: nospam@example.net   
      
   On Mon, 15 Apr 2024, oldernow wrote:   
      
   > On 2024-04-15, D  wrote:   
   >   
   >>> I remember using Rexx a bit. I want to say there was even   
   >>> a port to IBM mainframes.   
   >>   
   >> Rexx and mainframe.. smells like 70+ to me. ;) But I   
   >> admit I seem older than I am so that might not necessarily   
   >> be true.   
   >   
   > 63.   
      
   Wow... younger than I thought! I'm only 2 decades behind you. ;)   
      
   > Which is funny to me in that 36 had special meaning to   
   > myself and those in my high school posse. Long story   
   > short, one of the guy's mom's worked a cash register in a   
   > "department store", and the most popular girl in our class   
   > bought a bra from her one day, and that mom let us in on   
   > the fact that the girl wore a 36" bra.   
      
   36?!?! And here I've made a fuss about 23 and 42 all my life! ;)   
      
   > See also: things impossible to un-know   
   >   
   > So we always referred to her as "36". We often rated all   
   > kinds of things on a 1 to 36 scale, 36 obviously being   
   > perfection.   
   >   
   > A couple of us actually preferred another girl in our   
   > class, though, whom we sacrilegiously dubbed "37". But it   
   > was a contentious topic, let me tell ya....   
      
   37??? That's death defying and close to impossible, isn't it? ;)   
      
   >>>> I wonder if it could be applied more broadly? Can you   
   >>>> imagine Biden and Trump doing the dishes live on TV,   
   >>>> and that then being used to judge who is most fit to   
   >>>> be president?   
   >>>   
   >>> That implies the existence of Americans I could respect.   
   >>   
   >> There are none?   
   >   
   > There are. Hyperbole.   
   >   
   > It's a small percentage, though. Grant it, I've only the   
   > sample size afforded me by my own experience, which is   
   > utterly inadequate to be drawing conclusions from. And   
   > yet draw them anyway, I do.   
   >   
   > IT'S JUST SO WAY UNFAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   
   >   
   > Were I to venture a guess, I'd go with... hmmm, maybe I   
   > need to give the more thought. Because I'm kind of roping   
   > simpletons in, and that truly isn't fair, because I can   
   > respect simpletons with good hearts.   
      
   True. The meek shall inherit the earth! Isn't that what the book says?   
      
   > Shit... maybe it's just too difficult a matter to come to   
   > a numeric conclusion about?   
      
   I think you are right about that.   
      
   >> What about south-americans? Canadians? ;)   
   >   
   > You know, I rarely think about western hemisphere peoples   
   > south of the US. Canadians, well, way too many brilliant   
   > comedians from there to ignore.   
      
   My feeling about canada is that it is basically a big sweden, or that   
   sweden is a small canada. I always had a good time when ever I met   
   canadians through work and if possible, we'd go to a bar together and   
   watch ice hockey.   
      
   That reminds me... once I met a canadian named Thomas, and he was a   
   really nice guy and his goal in life was to be able to make a living   
   talking. I often wonder if he realized his dream by becoming a sales man   
   or a teacher.   
      
   _That_ reminds me of the last time I travelled to Riga, latvia... in the   
   morning I shared the elevator with a nice guy in his 60s or 70s and he   
   started talking in a very cheerful way... of course he was... canadian!   
   )   
      
   >>> A society of decent, fun people is the only kind I've ever   
   >>> been interested in.   
   >>   
   >> Ouch, tough nut to crack!   
   >   
   > And so back to simpletons. Even when decent, I've trouble   
   > considering them fun, because My Kind Of Fun tends to be in   
   > stretching/reapplying words in alternative - if not new -   
   > ways. And season that with rhyme, if/when possible - which,   
   > of course, can easily lead us back to that square peg we   
   > were tossing around.   
      
   Hexagonal.... always hexagonal pegs! ;)   
      
   >>> I might be able to do such for you part time come this   
   >>> fall. :-) Maybe by then my wife will actually follow   
   >>> through on some part time teacher subbing, making my   
   >>> justifying it a snap.   
   >>   
   >> That could definitely be interesting depending on the   
   >> price. However, you would be the 4:th person working on   
   >> the code base in python...   
   >>   
   >> Does that scare you? ;)   
   >   
   > It doesn't. In fact, I think I'd enjoy revisiting python,   
   > just so long as I don't have to install it or figure out   
   > why a new version of a library is breaking *everything*. :-)   
      
   Yes... the bane of python. I mean in the beginning it was quite nice,   
   and now it has descended into some dependency hell, especially in big   
   projects, needing containers or virtual environments and so on only to   
   get things to work with the right versions and so on. Maybe I should   
   have a look at that LUA-language? Maybe they resisted the siren call   
   throughout the years to become bigger and bigger and more complex?   
      
   Another personal project I have, which I will probably never do anything   
   about, is to study some functional programming. On paper it is so   
   elegant, and every time I try to get into it, my brain starts to boil.   
   )   
      
   > And the smiley in that case means I'm kidding, because   
   > I can't imagine that aspect being anything less than 36%   
   > of the job/task. :-)   
      
   Sounds good! =)   
      
   >> On a more sour note, the biggest challenge is to pay   
   >> you. I had a programmer from the US who threw in a few   
   >> hours and when it was time to pay him it turned out that   
   >> sendnig money through the regular banking network from   
   >> europe to his bank account on a neo-bank was basically   
   >> impossible. The bank stole 80 EUR and the money never   
   >> came there.   
   >   
   > Yikes!   
      
   Yes, if you can avoid having anything to do with banks, do it!   
      
   >> After a lot of searching I managed to get ethereum on the   
   >> black market, and then I could pay him instantly without   
   >> trouble. The trouble was that getting those ethereum was   
   >> a one time thing and not something I would be able to do   
   >> again without killing my accountant.   
   >   
   > You've got me wondering about a possible sub-dimensional   
   > parallel between ethereum and "love".... :-)   
      
   Could very well be true!   
      
   >> So if you think you have a regular bank account that   
   >> does accept money from europe, and if the price is right,   
   >> you might have yourself a deal!   
   >   
   > Well, we'll see. Heck, maybe I can channel that guy you   
   > lost track of, and it'll feel like free money! ;-)   
      
   Haha, true. ;)   
      
   >>>> Thank you, but in terms of my company I'm still believing   
   >>>> it is mostly luck and perhaps a little bit of skill. I   
   >>>> feel so incredibly lucky to be able to work the way I do,   
   >>>> with the people I work with. I hope to be able to do it   
   >>>> for as long as I find it interesting and stimulating,   
   >>>> but I definitely do not take it for granted. So by not   
   >>>> taking it for granted, I consider every single day the   
   >>>> business does run, as a gift.  =)   
   >>>   
   >>> That's quite the mighty fine attitude!   
   >>   
   >> Thank you! But don't tell anyone, most people think I'm   
   >> a cold hearted capitalist, so it would not be good for my   
   >> image if the truth came out.  ;)   
   >   
   > Your secret is safe with me! And USENET! :-)   
      
   Thank you! ;)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)