no, no they didn't remove it. I belive MC idstance was shortened and if you die under mc you dont lose durability, but priest are still free to mc enemies off cliff and through portals.

"The (unfortunately, largely forgotten and still extremely under-appreciated) Serbian inventor, genius, and true scientist Dr. Nikola Tesla invented the fluorescent light bulb (as well as Neon lighting and several other lighting inventions). At the time, his invention was largely ignored. In fact his fluorescent light bulbs were vastly superior than the ones we have now: they were far more energy efficient due to the lack of ballast transformers and capacitors, they needed no starter capacitor, and lasted literally forever as there was no filament necessary and nothing was consumed. Tesla is however better known for his monumental invention of AC current generators, motors and energy transmission systems - which to this day still power the entire civilized world in exactly the same way. As with almost all Tesla's inventions, his fluorescent bulb was brilliant in its simplicity, durability and efficiency, as well as easy to produce. Tesla also invented numerous improvements on the common (and extremely inefficient) incandescent light bulb for which Edison commonly is credited, although even that is disputed - Edison clearly could not stand in the shadow of the likes of Tesla and Edison is known to have shrewdly taken credit for many inventions he in fact did not produce himself."

Kinda makes you think doesnt it?

Actually, gold is at an all-time high, and analysts say it's hit its peak (sorry!).

I'll repeat the good advice I saw on CNN when they first were talking about these things.

In order of priority, they recommend you use your check to:

1. Pay any late/outstanding bills
2. Pay down high-interest debt (like from credit cards)
3. Perform maintenance on your car you might be behind on
4. Buy durable goods (i.e. energy-saving household appliances, or other home improvements)
5. Put it in your 401(k) or other investment plan
6. Or, if you think you need to be patriotic and stimulate the economy, use it to take a vacation within the U.S.

Just keep in mind that this money is not a gift, it's an advance on whatever refund you would have gotten in 2009 when you file your 2008 taxes. In other words, if you normally get $300 back when you file, and you got a $600 "rebate", expect to owe $300 to Uncle Sam on Apr 15, 2009.

edit: This money is a gift, sorta. It's a one-time tax cut, and the rebate is an estimated savings based on your 2007 income that you get now, instead as part of your refund next year. The math should work out such that you still get the same rebate you would normally expect, though the math will be a little wackier than normal. In cases where they overestimated your tax cut benefit, you will not have to pay back the difference, while still getting reimbursed if your benefit was underestimated. Good for us in the short term, but this means it's just another cost being heaped on the national debt.

This thing revolutionized portable "calculators," in terms of size, weight, accuracy, and durability. Before, calculators came in these horrid briefcase-type things that were ridiculously cumbersome and heavy, especially when on-site at a major engineering project (a skyscraper, for example).

So I ordered a big set of Pyrex from Amazon for $50. It's as easy to clean as teflon, but more durable and better looking.

Choggie, try making an omlette without oil in anything but teflon. Good luck. Cast iron is easily corroded and you'd have to grease it up to prevent it from rusting, which is too much work.

>> ^Xax:
dgandhi, why did you buy a 40-year-old blender for $30 on eBay?

I had an hand me down blender that had an accident. I went out and bought a consumer grade piece of junk, and was terribly unimpressed relative to what I had before. I worked my way up the new blender hierarchy until I had a blend-tech, which also sucked.

I came to the conclusion that "good blender" was no longer a product being manufactured, and so I ordered a near cousin of my old osterizer blender, that was in near new conditon on ebay for $30. Since I am clearly willing to pay $400 for a good blender I saved $370, and ended up with a better product.

This lead to my new rule of durable goods acquisition: If it doesn't have microchips in it, buy at pre 1980 version on ebay.

I'm boycotting planned obsolescence.

Yes, and by lowering the costs of products and standards of production and distribution even more, we'll all be able to enjoy the "Made in China" standard of excellence-Hell, let's make it easy, combine three massive countries with unique cultural heritages, and render these aspects as standardized as the construction blueprints for a Wal-Mart superstore, then we can all join hands in economic freedom........Fuck that, can the grid, and see how monkeys do without grocery trucks and electricity for a while....

and aaronfor, you are correct, the implementation of NAFTA and the dumbing-down of the population for a couple generations, is glaringly obvious, and I believe by design..... It takes a good, solid, plan and a number of years to take over and govern a world...

jwray, Wal-mart's business model is part of WHY you can't get quality anything anymore, and why someone's parents can't run a hardware store inna small town and make a living.....
It was not so long ago that one could buy quality, durable and made well, in everywhere USA-that shit has changed, to the disgust of this American.....

But we need lumber. There isn't a real alternative that I'm aware of. And people don't usually buy lumber to burn it or use it in a manner where it is going to decompose anytime soon. Isn't it usually used to make durable goods?

We just need to responsible in cutting it.

And while we're discussing "alternative fuel", there needs to be more public inquiry about Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles. Because, in all honesty, they will not help our energy crisis, in the end they will hinder it. Why? Mostly because it takes far more energy to produce, store, and transport Hydrogen, than you will ever get out of using that Hydrogen. Just as an example a Hydrogen Tank stacked up against a Honda Accord:

A Hydrogen tank with 55kg @ 3000psi will weigh approximately 400kg and offer approximately 165 miles of driving range while costing $2000.

A gasoline tank, at 17 gallons, weighing 73kg, will offer 493 miles at a cost of $100.

The reasons for the increased tank weight with Hydrogen is due to the high pressure the Hydrogen must be stored at. The tank must be built heavy, and incredibly strong and durable in order to contain that pressure.

A more viable solution which we can easily invest in and promote would be purely electric cars, running on battery power. I recommend everyone who hasn't seen Who Killed The Electric Car? to run out and rent it as soon as possible.

I usually wear a fully armored suit when I ride- armor in spine, shoulders, elbows, knees and hips. Made of very durable heavy textile. Was involved in a shunt a couple months ago- probably saved my hide- literally. What isn't so okay is my neck, and this system probably would have helped.

Absolutely. I only know of one KB off the top of my head - the infamous Das blank keyboard. It is incredibly durable, blank to ensure the fastest typing speed possible, and most of all, has the much loved and even more missed tactile feedback, along with our favorite little "click" with each keystroke.

The downside? It's a hundred fucking dollars.

But I REALLY like bananas!

In reply to this comment by MINK:
I just disagree. there IS such thing as "good" music, and there is such thing as "crap" music. but there's some different issues getting mixed up here, so let me explain...

The comparison to filet mignon and bananas is pathetic. Man did not create bananas. Nobody had the choice of creating a totally new plant and decided on the banana. The banana is not art. You could even say the banana is a higher form of food than filet mignon, because god/evolution made it over a period of billions of years. That has nothing to do with 2unlimited making a pop song.

anyway. i could write a book about this but... consider this question:

is it possible to study music?

if you answer yes, then please stop with your postpostpostmodern "it's just my opinion" bullshit. There is a theory of music. It works. Pop sells because it uses the theory very well. Bad songs don't use the theory well. The theory is scientific. If you study it you will write "better" songs. Some people have better intuition, but you can study it.

Some writers, for example Elton John, churn out the same stuff over and over, and i personally can't stand it. But it is good music. I would prefer if he innovated more, and i vomit at the thought of having to endure one of his concerts, but i have to accept that he is a master songwriter. Not just because of his popularity and durability, although that's a pretty good indicator.

You are getting confused by genres. There is good pop and bad pop, good techno and bad techno, good classical music and bad classical music (but we kinda lost all the bad classical over time, because it was bad, so now it looks like all classical music was perfect)

You might not like these modern repetitive drum sounds, but your african ancestors did.

You might prefer Kylie to Celine Dion, but they both make good quality music. People use the words "bad" and "good" to encompass all things, but i would argue that there are fundamentals at work, and then your preference is a thin layer on top.

Peronally, I call Celine Dion "bad" but i am expressing an opinion on the way she does not innovate, she goes for the easy win, and i think innovation is essential because it's how we got to the great music we have today. But hey, not everyone wants to contribute, some people just want to cash in.

Bjork is right that if music makes you happy, you should listen to it and enjoy it and not worry about snobs.

BUT

She, and the commenters above, are wrong to dismiss the idea that you could actually educate yourself and improve your taste

Taste isn't a lucky dip of equally valid choices, it is a scale from bad taste to good taste.

A person with good taste usually likes many genres, but chooses the particular songs and artists carefully. He/she usually plays an instrument or sings or has studied music or has had parents who constantly played good music in the house. Coincidence? Or education?

I am not just being technical here, music has many facets which take more than 15 seconds and an IQ of 56 to appreciate, and the music industry and media distort the supply of music, and governments don't seem interested in teaching music, so look at the crap we get.

In summary, i just can't stand it when people say it's all a matter of taste. It is not that simple.

it should be noted that bjork has never made a shitty song in her life ... so is she just saying that's it's an accident that she was born with the same tastes as millions of people? Or is there something fundamentally powerful in her music that makes people change their tastes... to move their tastes closer to hers, because they learnt something without even noticing. Does she just write whatever frequencies she feels like? Or does she use a piano with strings tightened to frequencies which are mysteriously "good" and accepted by billions of people?

Does anyone "prefer" the 6.34572/42 time signature?? No.

Would you accept that the reason you don't understand some music is because you are ignorant? You say you "don't like it" as if you've taken the time to study it and come to a knowledgeable conclusion. I guess you haven't.

You just say it's all about taste because you can't be bothered to learn anything.

I just disagree. there IS such thing as "good" music, and there is such thing as "crap" music. but there's some different issues getting mixed up here, so let me explain...

The comparison to filet mignon and bananas is pathetic. Man did not create bananas. Nobody had the choice of creating a totally new plant and decided on the banana. The banana is not art. You could even say the banana is a higher form of food than filet mignon, because god/evolution made it over a period of billions of years. That has nothing to do with 2unlimited making a pop song.

anyway. i could write a book about this but... consider this question:

is it possible to study music?

if you answer yes, then please stop with your postpostpostmodern "it's just my opinion" bullshit. There is a theory of music. It works. Pop sells because it uses the theory very well. Bad songs don't use the theory well. The theory is scientific. If you study it you will write "better" songs. Some people have better intuition, but you can study it.

Some writers, for example Elton John, churn out the same stuff over and over, and i personally can't stand it. But it is good music. I would prefer if he innovated more, and i vomit at the thought of having to endure one of his concerts, but i have to accept that he is a master songwriter. Not just because of his popularity and durability, although that's a pretty good indicator.

You are getting confused by genres. There is good pop and bad pop, good techno and bad techno, good classical music and bad classical music (but we kinda lost all the bad classical over time, because it was bad, so now it looks like all classical music was perfect)

You might not like these modern repetitive drum sounds, but your african ancestors did.

You might prefer Kylie to Celine Dion, but they both make good quality music. People use the words "bad" and "good" to encompass all things, but i would argue that there are fundamentals at work, and then your preference is a thin layer on top.

Peronally, I call Celine Dion "bad" but i am expressing an opinion on the way she does not innovate, she goes for the easy win, and i think innovation is essential because it's how we got to the great music we have today. But hey, not everyone wants to contribute, some people just want to cash in.

Bjork is right that if music makes you happy, you should listen to it and enjoy it and not worry about snobs.

BUT

She, and the commenters above, are wrong to dismiss the idea that you could actually educate yourself and improve your taste

Taste isn't a lucky dip of equally valid choices, it is a scale from bad taste to good taste.

A person with good taste usually likes many genres, but chooses the particular songs and artists carefully. He/she usually plays an instrument or sings or has studied music or has had parents who constantly played good music in the house. Coincidence? Or education?

I am not just being technical here, music has many facets which take more than 15 seconds and an IQ of 56 to appreciate, and the music industry and media distort the supply of music, and governments don't seem interested in teaching music, so look at the crap we get.

In summary, i just can't stand it when people say it's all a matter of taste. It is not that simple.

it should be noted that bjork has never made a shitty song in her life ... so is she just saying that's it's an accident that she was born with the same tastes as millions of people? Or is there something fundamentally powerful in her music that makes people change their tastes... to move their tastes closer to hers, because they learnt something without even noticing. Does she just write whatever frequencies she feels like? Or does she use a piano with strings tightened to frequencies which are mysteriously "good" and accepted by billions of people?

Does anyone "prefer" the 6.34572/42 time signature?? No.

Would you accept that the reason you don't understand some music is because you are ignorant? You say you "don't like it" as if you've taken the time to study it and come to a knowledgeable conclusion. I guess you haven't.

You just say it's all about taste because you can't be bothered to learn anything.

I', just going to go ahead skip reading most comments. MGR, the M16 is a giant pile of shit. I had perhaps one of the cleanest weapons on the unit. I take DAMN good care of my shit. It goes back to the OOH RAH jar head speech about who's useless and what not.

SofaKing- I qualify expert twice a year, so I'm pretty sure I know what the hell I'm doing. I'm not trying to bash you guys or what you have to say, but face it. The M16 is a piece of shit. Last year the Army (for God knows what reason) canceled the XM-8 project, weapon out fired the m16 as far as durability, built in sights, (the M8 had a red dot sight- front sight pots are notorious for causing glare and messing your shot up) barrel life, as well as weight and rate of fire. There are MUCH better weapons out there. Yeah, it might have lasted since Vietnam, but then again most of the 5 tons I've had have been around since then as well. Doesn't mean they are in good shape, just means the budget is to fucked up to get better shit.

oh, come on - 200 yards and he missed the whole target? it's not the gun, buddy - you suck! In my experience AK-47 can be as accurate as any other gun, whether it's 7.62mm caliber or standard NATO 5.56mm.
I usualy got great groupings on targets up to 300m range (say in a 20cm circle) and my rifle was pretty much fucked up (old Yugoslavian army stock that they left lying around after the war). If you know your gun well, you can't possibly miss the whole target even at twice that range - that's single shot action of course, not automatic (AK's accuracy goes waaay down in automatic mode, like in the standard bullshit you see in any guerilla war footage on TV, a guy loosely stretching out his gun, some assholes even one handed, and bursting the whole clip...). Short controlled bursts of 3-4 shots is still useful in most combat situations (that usualy happen inside 300 yards range) if you know what you're doing (not like the guy in the video).
And as for durability and reliability - you can't compare it to any other gun in the world. The things i've done with my AK... M16 would probably rust in a week. Not to mention what a bitch it is to put it back together once you open it up - I haven't fired any guns since the army, but if you give me an AK now, I can disassemble it and put it back together in under 30 seconds (blindfolded if you like) That shit can save your life in combat. I never held M16 but i tested the Singapore replica of M16 called SAR-80. It almost identical. I didn't like it much. Plus we got just a couple of those SAR-80s just after the war (while still under arms embargo) and SAR-80 has aluminum clips casings meant for one-time use only. But since our army didn't have enough equipment at the time, we used same clips daily. Of course they got bent with use so when we were out in the field our clips would start falling out imagine something like that happening to you in a war zone