Vapymid

@Jeb - yeah, yeah, and you couldn't have shared it without the internet, so part of the credit goes to... Oh, wait... The internet and worldtimezone.com will do just fine as they are... On this site, though, it was your idea to make that map, so ALL credit goes to Jeb_CC. From me, anyway Regards

Hehe, I'm also pretty hot-blooded about government spending - only in the opposite direction Regards

Geez, Binky... So it's you who I have to thank for the overturned trash bins and the crap spread all over the street near my office, then But, seriously, you've been to our neck of woods and not popped up for tea or a pint? Well, maybe next time... Regards

I suppose, after 3.5 years a double post can be forgiven. At least I hope so As a bunch of nice photos of the Antares disaster, just released by NASA, goes to show - some reasons for the apparent lack of space travel... is just it's still bloody difficult at times: The whole article is here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/07/nasa_images_of_antares_rocket_exploding/ Regards

In every kitten... Regards

@Ross - that's a nice and really helpful map Jeb's made. Maybe it would be a good idea to put it in your original post. And also make similar maps for whenever you schedule any live events! Regards

Talking about twisting definitions. They were not killed - they were forced to die? Well, I don't think this "debate" will be productive... Better not try playing "sea lawyer"... Regards

Exactly what Alyxx says. To call anything that a pair of 5 yo kids would do "suggestive" requires a highly perverted mind. Regards

Nothing debatable here at all... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide Lots of people got killed in an organised way and based on ethnic identity - and that isn't even denied any anyone. Even if you call it a "Sunday School Picnic" it won't change the essence of what's happened. So, nothing to see here, move along... Regards

Well, if they were dropping out they obviously weren't good enough, which kind of defeats your argument, don't you think? I'd say the distinction there is that between practicality and indifference... There is no danger of Jeb suffering from the latter - that's for sure! Regards

Couldn't agree more... But they always are, unfortunately. "Us v Them" - as old a political trick as the world itself... Regards

Slap you? *swings his hand... Pats lightly on your shoulder* Sorry, can't do that But, hey, you have the normal jitters of a talented person... Always find imperfections in your own work and think you can improve... But only gods do perfect things. For humans - better is a mortal enemy of good enough. Just like jumping into a pool - you just have to hold your breath and step forward... Have faith in your talent and judgement - if only because some other people already do Regards

Oh, man, you just the right find for Jeb, then! Wow. @Jeb - ah, seeing how I was late to the party you can drop mine! Maybe next time Regards

Yeah, well, not only ISIS still exist - they are on the offensive and are well on the way of slicing Syria in two. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-takes-control-of-strategically-important-syrian-town-near-homs-a6716741.html I suppose they are trying to take a leaf out of the German Army's book and repeat Guderian's "Race to the sea" maneuver. Regards

I firmly believe that something as large as a planet cannot be run by a single government. I mean a government in it's proper sense - with legislative and executive powers. If anyone tries to do that they won't be able to enforce its power for long, before the stratification of the close-to-power elite and the rest of the world will generate enough resentment that it will be overthrown. Now, there is still a possibility of some sort of a coordinating body - basically the UN with some teeth in it - that would manage to impose some kind of common fiscal, civil and economic standards and be able to enforce them, to some extent, on individual governments. This might just about work, but to unite sufficiently for that to appear we must have something to be united against. So, until we have a viable colony on Mars having declared independence - this isn't going to happen IMHO. In fact, I think humans have a built-in safeguards against such thing as the World government. We are too unruly to be herded like that. And that is a good thing. So, while the Starcraft scenario may be theoretically plausible, it will also be short-lived, to be replaced by something more like the Star Wars Republic. In the meantime, I kind of agree with K4 - a number of large "empires" competing with each other, would be the optimal set up. Though "empire" would be too strongly centralised for being workable. I think more of large political-economic blocs, loosely united around leading nation-states. Where I disagree completely with K4 is on the whole Hitler and National Socialism thing. All nationalist ideas are based on imaginary solutions for non-existent or falsely-identified problems. The central premise is that there is a group of people whose elimination will lead to resolution of socio-economic issues for the remaining "privileged" population. It is a fallacy which history proved wrong time and time again. Though, it is often popularly attractive purely because it appears so simple and the apparent solution always looks like a "low-hanging fruit". Regards

Ah, I see! Regards

@Riley Hawk... I don't know yet if you are being serious... You are new here and posted a lot all at once, but mostly one liners, which makes it difficult to read you and your intentions here... I'll give you the benefit of the doubt though... No, it's not like that. Many countries have exceptions to the age of consent, which depend on the age difference between partners. So, it's quite easy to stipulate that any person having sex with a 13 yo is committing an offence if they are over, say, 3 years older than the 13 y.o. And the responsibility can be placed automatically on the older partner. So, you are describing a made up problem here. Well, that's just nonsense in my view. The brain is developed more then enough for sex and reproduction way earlier than 18 or even 16 (which is the age of consent in the UK). The reason why the developed world societies have the age of consent and consider teenage pregnancies detrimental has nothing to do with the biological brain development. Simply, the society is now so complex that the young people have much better chance of building a prospering life if they avoid the distractions of raising children while going through the crucial formation stages of their lives - education, start of the career ladder. And the only way how to protect young people from that is by education and not through mindless and unenforceable restrictions. And, of course - sex by itself doesn't have dire consequences. So, disagree with you there, as well... Using clones is the worst possible way of keeping up human population. Firstly, it puts the control over reproduction into the hands of select few powerful organisations - state or corporate, which by itself is unacceptable. Secondly, that drastically damages the resilience of the species. Clones are vulnerable to epidemics. A disease can easily wipe the whole population out. There will also not be sufficient mental diversity to generate ideas and creative solutions, which will lend the clones liable to behave in a herd-like fashion. And, of course, cloning a human does not eliminate the instinct for reproduction - they will still want to have sex, unless you modify their genetics and you won't be able to do that (not without damaging whole lot of other things). Yes, but we know it's a specious argument. Because even taking an antibiotic pill to avoid being killed by an infection should also be considered as playing God by that logic. Yet, it isn't. Eventually, the Catholic Church will drop that silly thing about condoms - mark my word! That is not to say that I'd call on devout Catholics to disobey the Church in the meantime - it's a matter of individual faith and conscience, of course. This basically what the Chinese one-child policy was - and it's proven to be a total failure. Me too - on both counts. Regardless of the law - some 13 y.o. will be having sex and most 25 y.o. will have had it by then. So, the only solutions for reducing STDs and teenage pregnancies are education and protection. Regards

Well, so would I... but only once a year, maybe. Humans are social animals and we only exist as a species, let alone the dominant species on the planet (apart from microbes and viruses) because of the way we developed our social interactions. Sure, there are outliers (figuratively and literally), exceptions. Riley's nihilism simply does not work on the scale of any community above one individual. Even Jedi could not completely avoid having relationships Regards

Because it's inefficient and it wastes agricultural land which should better be used for growing food, thereby increasing the food prices... Regards

@K4, Rarity: Oh. That's so retarded in my opinion. A recipe for creating alcoholics. The UK system is much saner - people can be served wine and beer with a meal from 16, if accompanied by an over-18 adult. No restrictions from 18 yo and at home - it is a parental decision. If the parents think it's OK they can give alcohol to their child at home from age 5 onward... Regards

I think the real question is why the hell is the license made to expire in the first place? Regards

You just seem to not have the best coping mechanisms. Ouch! But, Riley, what would you really suggest Jeb do when her house is on fire? What is the better coping mechanism, if you don't like hers? Regards

Oh, I hope I won't be the only audience! Ah... that brings me to a request... Can I be the Executive Audience? But, yes, thank you for the video - a nice idea to post it. Your hands are so well set on the keyboard - it's always nice to watch you play. As so well too. @AP and BTG - well in my opinion poor vocals is what ruins a lot of modern, otherwise, interesting music. Very very rarely I now find bands with singers I really like... Male singers (the ones I mostly listen to) just normally can't match the emotional colour of the music or are trying to put theatrics a la Peter Gabriel or Peter Hammill but fail abjectly and female singers are all trying to sound like Whitney Houston (I blame X-Factor for that). Jeb would make an excellent rock band singer if she wanted to, by the way. I've listened to those videos she posted here - she has a very nice voice and range... Jeb, I mean that! Regards

What, like that? Regards

Ah, man, hope it's not going to be like your last one Regards