>>>>>>>>>>>I have just been advised for about the 7th time to leave and UT and am finally going to heed it. It's not a UT problem, it's a Mike problem. Whiling away the hours in chatter is not a good use of my time. Most of you are fine and it's been a pleasant pastime. For me it is just not healthy. I have drinking and depression problems that have not gone away and need to focus on that. So for once in my life I am going to listen to reason.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>Michel, please shut me down for my own good. I will be glad to talk to anyone, and I will not do so drunk.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>Mike
>>>>>>>>>>>mbeane@inbox.com
>>>>>>>>>>>847-707-6123
>>>>>>>>>>>847-270-0301
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Good luck. Become a C# guru and crank up your Strataframe !
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Thanks for the good wishes.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>I have changed my mind. Michel, please consider my request to be blocked dropped. (Can someone please forward this message to him? I can't seem to find a Contact Us link). I can control myself. I definitely plan to keep a very low profile in the chatter threads, at least the political ones. It's kind of a waste anyway, isn't it? Our positions are all so well known all you have to see is the thread title and the name of the poster and you know about what they're going to say. I do, however, want to keep access to the .NET and SQL Server sections.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Ummmmhhhhh
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Its a film.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Its three words.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I know. Its The Long Goodbye
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Hey Mike
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I just fitted one of those little trip computers on my daughters bike. I'm going to get one for myself. Speed and distance etc. I may be really sad and keep a log. :-)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Not as sad as me. I've got a Garmin 705. Not just the simple stuff like average speed. I get
>>>>>>>Cadence, Gradient, Total Ascent, Total Descent, Calories burnt, ETA at destination, Elevation, Heart monitor and goodness knows what else. Usual SatNav stuff and it will later show the route on Google Earth.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Only used the heart monitor once to see if it worked......
>>>>>>
>>>>>>My god I just looked at the price of that gadgets. I think thats 4 times what I paid for my bike
>>>>>
>>>>>:-} I guess mine cost more than the bike is worth. No regrets though. If we're cycling back roads in Europe then just avoiding having to stop at almost every junction to consult the map makes it worthwhile. I particularly like the large scale Italian maps. It took me a while to work out that the little squares indicating houses on the map were there in a sort of 'monopoly board' context. ie. meaning "There are some houses around this area somewhere" rather than "There is a house here" :-{
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Yes I can see the satnav benefit. I look up routes on google somtimes and you just end with thousands of turns
>>>
>>>Or outright wrong directions. The biggest driving route outfit here (I think) is MapQuest. It must be getting better by now but stories are legion of following the directions to a T and winding up in the wrong place.
>>
>>I'm a bit 'back of beyond' (by UK standards). There are six other properties that share the same post(zip)code as me. We're scattered over a few square miles and if you punch the code into most GPS systems they simply locate it in the approximate centre of the area concerned. I've had several cases of someone trying to deliver to my place who religiously follow the SatNav down an ever deteriorating track and ending up in a field. The silly thing is that some of them just don't get it. Even when it's obvious they are in the middle of a field they press on regardless - one gate after another.
>>
>>>Still a lot better than the old way, I suppose. "How far do you go down the road past that white church that's just past the gas station?" "Well, not too far, 5 or 10 miles."
>>
>>The standard response here is 'You can't get there from here..."
>
>Admittedly you have it harder. As do those in some of our original cities in the northeast like Boston. Boston is absolutely insane to drive in. The roads were laid out along cow paths. The cows evidently did not care much about systematic road patterns.
>
>Chicago is laid out on a strict grid pattern. The addresses go in logical order and all but a few streets go straight north and south or east and west. Anyone who can't find a place in Chicago given the address is an idiot.

I lived in Manhattan for a while and must confess I don't recall getting lost (must have visited Chicago at least a dozen times as well)
But I much prefer more higgeldy-pigedly places like Boston - it may be an illusion but they always feel more friendly.