• Screaming Into The Vo

    From MIKE POWELL@21:4/134 to NITER3 on Sunday, January 04, 2026 09:15:00
    I started taking long vacations and traveling in my mid-40s. 10 years later, I am semi-retired. I think I do enjoy them more than I might whe I am older but, OTOH, I actually worry that I might have started too late at 40s. ;)

    Man, would love to be able to do this right now... Just cannot finacially afford to travel.

    I know what you mean. I was hoping to go somewhere in 2025 but needing to have a tree taken down and multiple repairs to the HVAC ate all of my
    vacation fund for the year. ;)

    ---
    þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
    * Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)
  • From MIKE POWELL@21:4/134 to UTOPIAN GALT on Sunday, January 04, 2026 09:17:00
    First major trip was at age 43 to London. Visit London is my equivalent of Disney world.

    My equivalent to Disney World was visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    to watch a week of practice and qualifying. I did that for a few years in
    the early 2000s before they screwed up the qualifying format.

    The museum was the pinacle of the visit, though. They have remodeled so I need to plan a visit in the near future.

    Since then I did find a couple of other Disney Worlds, and they are also
    in Indiana -- The Auburn Museum and the Studebaker Museum. ;)
    ---
    þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
    * Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)
  • From MIKE POWELL@21:4/134 to POINDEXTER FORTRAN on Sunday, January 04, 2026 09:20:00
    I started taking long vacations and traveling in my mid-40s. 10 years later, I am semi-retired. I think I do enjoy them more than I might when I am older but, OTOH, I actually worry that I might have started too late at 40s. ;)

    I was never much of a vacationer, am looking forward to travel when I
    retire - and trying to make sure I can make the most of it.

    I never really was, either, until I decided to take my first real road
    trip in 2015. I was leaving one job and starting another, so I decided to give myself some time in between. Enjoyed it and have been taking trips,
    large and small, since. The most recent long one was in 2023 when I
    followed US 66 all the way to Los Angeles. Then I followed US 60 back.
    Saw a whole lot of things I had not before.

    ---
    þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
    * Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)
  • From MIKE POWELL@21:4/134 to POINDEXTER FORTRAN on Sunday, January 04, 2026 09:42:00
    I thought BeOS came out on dedicated hardware first -- they definitely
    had some cool ideas, and in re-reading about it, sounds like the file
    system was heads and shoulders above what MS and Apple did at the time.

    IIRC you are correct. There was a machine called the BeBox. Later,
    probably about the time that Be went bye-bye, there was a version released publicly that you could install on many (at least Intel) machines. I
    played around with it some. It was interesting but, since it was already moving towards unsupported by then it was difficult to find much you could
    do with it.

    ---
    þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
    * Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)
  • From MIKE POWELL@21:4/134 to POINDEXTER FORTRAN on Sunday, January 04, 2026 09:50:00
    That's another question I've had - If there's a move to 4-day work week
    would that also mean benefits would change? Maybe they'd change it so
    that 32 hours per week is considered enough to get benefits.

    I thought the idea was 4 10-hour days, making it the same weekly hourly amoun

    I thought it was also but after re-reading the OP, I think that they were implying a < 40 hr work week.
    ---
    þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
    * Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)
  • From Gamgee@21:2/138 to MIKE POWELL on Saturday, January 03, 2026 20:08:11
    MIKE POWELL wrote to GAMGEE <=-

    Some companies already give employees the option to work 4 10-hour days or 5 8-hour days. If it's going to be 4 10-hour days, I'd rather things just be left as it is and give people the option. But if it's 4 8-hour days, I wouldn't mind that for more work-life balance.

    Would you mind the 20% pay cut? Also likely don't get
    benefits/insurance with only 32 hours per week...

    My guess would be that if a company went to a 32-hr work week, that'd
    be considered full time for them... although I can also see some underhanded companies considering all employees part-time in that scenario.

    Absolutely there are companies that do that. People take those jobs
    because their insurance is handled by a spouse's job/insurance, and
    similar arrangements. It's a great deal for companies, but generally a scumbag move.

    I agree, though, that most are not going to keep paying their employees
    a 40-hour wage/salary for only working 32 hours. TNSTAAFL.

    You got that right!



    ... Gone crazy, be back later, please leave message.
    === MultiMail/Linux v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
    * Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)
  • From poindexter FORTRAN@21:4/122 to MIKE POWELL on Sunday, January 04, 2026 18:07:11
    Re: Re: Screaming Into The Vo
    By: MIKE POWELL to UTOPIAN GALT on Sun Jan 04 2026 09:17 am

    Since then I did find a couple of other Disney Worlds, and they are also in Indiana -- The Auburn Museum and the Studebaker Museum. ;)

    There's a great car museum in Blackhawk, CA. They have a collection of 1930s cars, I remember a Mercedes 540k, a Hispano with beech planking and brass rivets, a Duesenberg, then moving up in time, 1950s Porsche racing cars, a dozen Aston Martin racing cars, a 1960s JaG, a Porsche 917, and more... WHen I realized that all of the Aston Martins were donated from a personal collection.
    --- SBBSecho 3.33-Win32
    * Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)
  • From poindexter FORTRAN@21:4/122 to MIKE POWELL on Sunday, January 04, 2026 19:06:19
    Re: Re: Screaming Into The Vo
    By: MIKE POWELL to POINDEXTER FORTRAN on Sun Jan 04 2026 09:50 am

    I thought it was also but after re-reading the OP, I think that they were implying a < 40 hr work week.

    Too Much Coffee Man had a comic where he figured out the solution to the problems facing us.

    Half of the people are overworked, overstressed and suffering. Half are underemployes or unemployed.

    Have everyone work half-time, problem solved!
    --- SBBSecho 3.33-Win32
    * Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)
  • From nblade@21:1/164 to Nightfox on Monday, January 05, 2026 13:31:00
    Nightfox wrote to nblade <=-

    I never saw the Be boxes in stores; I remember happening upon an
    article in my high school library that mentioned BeOS and the BeBox (I don't remember how I found that in the library now), and I later
    learned they ported BeOS to Intel-compatible PCs, and I decided to buy
    a copy to try on one of my PCs.

    At least I seem to remember it that way, I could be mistaken. Of course that
    is around the same time, I would buy Red Hat Linux for the phyical media
    so I wouldn't have to DL it and burn it to CD (or was it DVD by then??)



    ... Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com (21:1/164)
  • From Nightfox@21:1/137 to nblade on Monday, January 05, 2026 14:20:46
    Re: Re: Screaming Into The Vo
    By: nblade to Nightfox on Mon Jan 05 2026 01:31 pm

    At least I seem to remember it that way, I could be mistaken. Of course that is around the same time, I would buy Red Hat Linux for the phyical media so I wouldn't have to DL it and burn it to CD (or was it DVD by then??)

    I did that too. In the mid-late 90s, there was a company based in California called Walnut Creek that would burn Linux ISOs to optical disc (CD-R and DVD-R) and mail it to you for only the cost of the media, so you wouldn't have to download it yourself.

    Nightfox
    --- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)
  • From MIKE POWELL@21:4/134 to POINDEXTER FORTRAN on Monday, January 05, 2026 08:36:00
    There's a great car museum in Blackhawk, CA. They have a collection of 1930s cars, I remember a Mercedes 540k, a Hispano with beech planking and brass rivets, a Duesenberg, then moving up in time, 1950s Porsche racing cars, a dozen Aston Martin racing cars, a 1960s JaG, a Porsche 917, and more... WHen

    Nice, I will have to keep that one in mind for future trips!

    dozen Aston Martin racing cars, a 1960s JaG, a Porsche 917, and more... WHen realized that all of the Aston Martins were donated from a personal collectio

    When you realized that, what? Looks like maybe you didn't complete a
    thought there? ;)

    Mike
    ---
    þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
    * Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)
  • From MIKE POWELL@21:4/134 to POINDEXTER FORTRAN on Monday, January 05, 2026 09:05:00
    I liked the UI of the Windows phone, CE felt too much like they wanted the Windows desktop OS on everything, but WP felt optimized for phones. I was surprised Microsoft didn't make WP work better in Microsoft corporate environments (or more accurately, break performance with every other platform to make WP the choice for corporate clients.

    I had a coworker who had a Windows phone. He liked it. I was actually
    not aware of when they discontinued them but from this conversation I
    guess they have.

    ---
    þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
    * Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)
  • From Mortar M.@21:2/101 to Nightfox on Monday, January 05, 2026 21:53:08
    Re: Re: Screaming Into The Vo
    By: Nightfox to nblade on Mon Jan 05 2026 14:20:46

    In the mid-late 90s, there was a company based in California called Walnut Creek that would burn Linux ISOs to optical disc

    I had one of those. It came with Slackware Linux. First distro I ever used. This around '93, I believe. There was no GUI, no real documentation so after fumbling about for...oh, a day, I scraped it. I guess I just wasn't ready for it yet.
    --- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
    * Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)
  • From nblade@21:1/164 to Nightfox on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 07:08:00
    Nightfox wrote to nblade <=-


    I did that too. In the mid-late 90s, there was a company based in California called Walnut Creek that would burn Linux ISOs to optical
    disc (CD-R and DVD-R) and mail it to you for only the cost of the
    media, so you wouldn't have to download it yourself.

    Wow, I remember those guys. Never got media from them but I do remember
    the Ads for them.

    ... The number you have dailed...Nine-one-one...has been changed.
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com (21:1/164)
  • From nblade@21:1/164 to Mortar M. on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 07:26:00
    Mortar M. wrote to Nightfox <=-


    I had one of those. It came with Slackware Linux. First distro I ever used. This around '93, I believe. There was no GUI, no real documentation so after fumbling about for...oh, a day, I scraped it. I guess I just wasn't ready for it yet. --- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux


    Slackware Linux, that was the first one I ever tried as well. Of course I had download the floppy images. Yes floppy drive images. I had something like 30 or so floppies, that I used to install it. At that point, yes it was more like something you experiment with. Not something you use. I don't think I really started using Linux until one of the Red Hat distro.



    ... The number you have dailed...Nine-one-one...has been changed.
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com (21:1/164)
  • From s2r@21:3/100.2 to Nightfox on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 12:38:10

    Hello Nightfox!

    05 Jan 26 14:20, you wrote to nblade:

    I did that too. In the mid-late 90s, there was a company based in California called Walnut Creek that would burn Linux ISOs to optical
    disc (CD-R and DVD-R) and mail it to you for only the cost of the
    media, so you wouldn't have to download it yourself.

    There was also one name Infomagic that came with 6 CDs and had many distros. I remeber I subscribed to them and every couple of months I would receive a letter/box with those CDs. I still have them at my parent's house.


    Nightfox
    --- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

    s2r


    --- GoldED+/BSD 1.1.5-b20170303-b20170303 + HPT 1.9.0 + Binkd 1.1a-115
    * Origin: FIDONODO DE JAS | ¯\_(O,O)_/¯ (21:3/100.2)
  • From Bob Worm@21:1/205 to Nightfox on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 16:27:34
    Re: Re: Screaming Into The Vo
    By: Nightfox to nblade on Mon Jan 05 2026 14:20:46

    Hi, Nightfox.

    I did that too. In the mid-late 90s, there was a company based in California called Walnut Creek that would burn Linux ISOs to optical disc (CD-R and DVD-R) and mail it to you for only the cost of the media, so you wouldn't have to download it yourself.

    Walnut Creek? Arent't they the guys who hosted cdrom.com?

    Cheers for the nostalgia hit :)

    BobW
    --- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
    * Origin: >>> Magnum BBS <<< - magnumbbs.net (21:1/205)
  • From Nightfox@21:1/137 to Bob Worm on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 10:46:49
    Re: Re: Screaming Into The Vo
    By: Bob Worm to Nightfox on Tue Jan 06 2026 04:27 pm

    Walnut Creek? Arent't they the guys who hosted cdrom.com?

    Yes, I believe so. Now that I think about it, I believe that was the site I used when looking at their stuff.

    Nightfox
    --- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)
  • From MIKE POWELL@21:4/134 to NBLADE on Wednesday, January 07, 2026 09:31:00
    I did that too. In the mid-late 90s, there was a company based in California called Walnut Creek that would burn Linux ISOs to optical disc (CD-R and DVD-R) and mail it to you for only the cost of the
    media, so you wouldn't have to download it yourself.

    Wow, I remember those guys. Never got media from them but I do remember
    the Ads for them.

    I got on their subscription list a little late in the game. I still have
    three or four of their Simtel CDs around here somewhere.

    Mike
    ---
    þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
    * Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)
  • From poindexter FORTRAN@21:4/122 to MIKE POWELL on Thursday, January 08, 2026 07:51:22
    MIKE POWELL wrote to POINDEXTER FORTRAN <=-


    dozen Aston Martin racing cars, a 1960s JaG, a Porsche 917, and more... WHen realized that all of the Aston Martins were donated from a personal
    ollectio

    When you realized that, what? Looks like maybe you didn't complete a thought there? ;)

    All of the Aston Martins belonged to a private collector. Had to be
    millions of dollars worth of cars.



    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)
  • From poindexter FORTRAN@21:4/122 to MIKE POWELL on Thursday, January 08, 2026 07:51:22
    MIKE POWELL wrote to POINDEXTER FORTRAN <=-

    I had a coworker who had a Windows phone. He liked it. I was actually not aware of when they discontinued them but from this conversation I guess they have.

    Yeah, the story of Steven Elop. He has quite a career that I can't
    fully document here. He was brought into Macromedia when his buddy was
    made CEO, promoted to CEO right before they were bought by Adobe,
    worked as a CEO at at least one company for a year and one day to vest
    his stocks, then bailed, was promoted at Microsoft, then appointed CEO
    of Nokia, where he killed off SymbianOS in favor of Windows Phone and
    killed the company, to then be acquired *by* Microsoft. Some call him a
    trojan horse.

    He landed OK, after killing the company and selling to Microsoft, he
    received a 18.8 million euro bonus - and was hied by Microsoft!



    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)
  • From poindexter FORTRAN@21:4/122 to nblade on Thursday, January 08, 2026 07:51:22
    nblade wrote to Nightfox <=-

    Wow, I remember those guys. Never got media from them but I do remember the Ads for them.

    Way Back When, on a 768k/128k DSL line, it was easier buying Linux isos
    from Walnut Creek than downloading them.



    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)
  • From MIKE POWELL@21:4/134 to ARELOR on Friday, January 09, 2026 09:01:00
    I suspect a lot of the layoffs we are seeing are due to corporations adjustin to the fact their budgets are very badly balanced and are using the AI excuse for PR purposes for the most part.

    Bingo!

    ---
    þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
    * Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)