A thought provoking article here,

'A new model of climate change for the anthropocene epoch'
http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/new-model-climate-change-anthropocene-epoch.html

Here is something that struck a cord,

"To see how broader integration is essential, take this example: if we educate women birth rates fall and population growth slows. Education would not be selected as a priority influence in current climate models which do not "couple" social factors with climate outcomes, but could be analyzed more fully in Earth System Models. Perhaps money currently spent subsidizing electric cars would be better spent in educational outreach?"

I think that there is something fishy about the carbon tax we have here in the EU. Big Government have for years been trying to figure out a way of taxing fresh air and this carbon tax is a start. What concerns me is where does this tax go and what way is it spent.

@pbacot said:

Does anyone know of a good file search program for use on the Mac. (built-in search is useless).

You might try EasyFind https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/11076/easyfind Its also free

@blind lemon said:

Howdy, just reg'ed and thought I'd stick my head in and say Hi.

This is all so new to me, I have absolutely no experience with any type of design software. I am a woodworker and electronics technician, mostly vacuum tube gear. Most of all the circuits/layouts and woodworking project I design are hand drawn. What actually got me to sketchup was I am wanting to build a new shop and I saw House builder and thought it was very cool. Really piqued my interest. I have no idea if sketchup is what will work for me, but it does look interesting.

If you have a suggestion as to where to start, let me know.

Blind Lemon

I have a lot of reading to do

Welcome, Bob. I'd suggest you outline what you need to design in a new post and take it from there.

Jeeeez, Stinkie, that Border Wall IKEA flatpack looks to be a 'one man job' as it comes with just one screw turn

@mike amos said:

To those who think things should go back to the pre Trump ways, a weak US is a bad thing for all concerned as a insular US will not only remove a defence backbone from NATO, it will leave Europe vulnerable too, seeing that we are leaving the EU and the rest do not pay their way in defence terms.

I don't think Trump intended to make the USA insular. Did he not say that he wanted to make it more of a trading nation rather than a military force or words along these lines?

Maybe I am naive, but since the break up of the USSR was there a need for NATO? From my reading the USSR was broken trying to keep up a military budget that matched the USA. They couldn't and this is why things went pear shaped for them. This now appears to be happening to the USA with its $20T budget black hole only backed by the Petro Dollar which they will defend until the last and have been doing over the past 20 years.

The USA needs to get out of the downward spiral that they were placed in by Tricky Dickie and Henry K and get back to basics, which they are very good at!

The so called reasoning for NATO, from what I can see, is that it was put in place to counter the communist threat but Stalin got rid of the communist branch that wanted total global communism and seemed to be content with the USSR's size as it was.

Again, the EU was mainly set up to keep peace between Germany and France also England to some extent. This objective is now obsolete! The Common Market trading arrangement (EEC) worked well but the idea of a United States of Europe is a non-runner and we are now seeing this to be the case.

@mike amos said:

If you look at the subsidies given to the defence companies in the rest of europe, why is it that the UK alone abides by the EU which states these companies should NOT be subsidised? Why is it that the french government shored up the french car companies against an EU ruling, and got away with it? The UK would not be given that opportunity. Rover is NOT the only UK car company to go down the swannee river.

The UK should never have agreed to more than EEC membership. That would have been enough for them to continue as a productive country. However when these self preservationist politicians get involved, they do what they do best, create more power for themselves and their masters, not their constituents.

The quicker the Sheeple wake up and embrace Direct Democracy the better things will be for all. Oh!, not all, the Globalist Masters wouldn't be happy .... too bad about that! They will have to make a living of their own sweat like the rest of us!

I read that Trump should have told Flynn to apologise and Pence to shut up! He did neither! Its only a matter of time now before the Deep State have him up for impeachment.

As one prominent US commentator said, the only way for the US people to take back control of government is via revolution! I feel he might well be correct in his assessment as the military / security industrial complex is not likely to forfeit their $T budget any time soon.

Maybe its with innovations like this that we might have a hope of leaving the planet as we found it when we transition.

This high-quality ink is made from air pollution harvested from vehicle tailpipes

http://www.treehugger.com/culture/project-turns-air-pollution-ink.html

@kaas said:

@Mike - Seen this review? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws7S5lXw7zk

Thanks, kaas, a good review. I wasn't too sure about that flashy trackpad. Its location puts me off. I prefer a central trackpad, ideally to the left of the lower keyboard.

Still looking forward to seeing what Apple come up with later in the year. In the meantime, I'd buy an external graphics card set up if it worked seamlessly on the Mac.

@mike amos said:

Not sure I can name a single news source that is neutral The beeb seem to want to carp on Trump any chance they get, which is often. No idea myself which way he will go and he certainly like to muddy the water but he might just be the breath of (fresh) air that politics needs. We really DO need to get rid of the priveledged few syndrome that permeates society. There are certain truths that need to come out and a lot of them involve the way NATO and the EU are governed/financed but these are hidden or shouted out by pro EU folk. As a matter of interest, the EU member states are supposed to spend 2% of GDP on defence and defence procurement/updating. Just WHO in the EU does this? The UK alone. The only members of NATO that pay their full wack is the UK and the US. My neighbour spent over twenty years living in France and talks about the state of France as being bankrupt. The EU nations want the UK for the ability to balance their wastefulness with UK money. Time to cut the apron strings and see how far they get without us. I myself believe the EU is on the brink of sinking. It will be interesting to see how long it takes. I just hope it does not mean war.

I agree with a lot of what you say, "he might just be the breath of (fresh) air that politics needs", "We really DO need to get rid of the privileged few syndrome that permeates society".

On the later, reinstating Glass-Steagall would be a good start. Here is a well-researched article on the matter by Pam Martens.

Only Glass-Steagall Can Save the U.S. from Another Epic Crash
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/01/30/glass-steagall-can-save-u-s-another-epic-crash-pam-martens/

I think the 2% spend requirement on defense is a bit of a con for two reasons. The USSR is long gone and the largest weapons manufacturers in the World is the USA. This will cast some light on the matter.

The Global Weapons Trade
http://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-global-weapons-trade/

I also think the undemocratic EU is on the downward slope. Hopefully, it will go back to what it started out as, the ECC, a sensible trading block.

@kaas said:

I fail to see anything remotely positive in DJT presidency: his cabinet of zillionaires, the interest he his family has in business (oil pipeline), bullying Mexico & Muslims, alternative facts, etc. 1 week down, 207 to go until the next election...

Would not the mid-terms in 2 years time effect DJT's power base? Trump will be watched very carefully when it comes to conflict of interest and rightly so.

@solo said:

Mike, you want to protect the freedoms of the internet right?

What do you make of this story, there are multiple sources, I posted a mainstream source (however Trump calls them fake news)

404 Page Not Found - CNNMoney

(money.cnn.com)

Watched that Pete. Not really worried as I think he was just blowing off. After that particular episode, Trump must have realised how effective (and cheap!)Twitter could be so I imagine he will not introduce laws that would hinder the Net.

@Andy, Most folks listen to the 'news' that is presented on the TV and don't dig deeper to see if its true or look at the 'news' on the Net from an alternative perspective.

However, I think ordinary folks are now starting to take what is presented on mainstream TV news with a grain of salt and beginning to question things that their gut tells them smells a bit fishy.

My main fear is that the dark side will curtail the Net. This is why we have to be vigilant and protect it at all costs

@pbacot said:

It's already working in the White House that lies so much the press has decided not to report what they say, and now they are trying to tell the Press and the Public to shut up. Give me a break. The whole anti peace Brexit and hate thing is not going to be the future.

In all fairness the press / media had and still have their knives out for Trump. The Reason? All one has to do is look to who owns the media in the USA, five or six people! It would not surprise me if Trump breaks up this one-sided monopoly.

The alternative media (news) is now being hounded.
Media Presstitutes Publish 'Fake News' List To Discredit Alt-Media ...
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/truth-about-fake-news-corporate-media

Merkel Caught On Hot Mic Requesting “Refugee” Censorship On Facebook.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/09/29/merkel-caught-on-hot-mic-requesting-refugee-censorship-on-facebook/

@pbacot said:

Ireland, Mike will not do well to go it alone after the rest of the world has been helping you out. An ethnocentric tantrum will not serve any of the people of the Isles well. No longer protected by a powerful GB, you all will be picked off one by one economically and perhaps politically by all the countries you tick off. Just mho.

When Ireland got into trouble in 2008 it was screwed by Brussels in order to prop up the German and French banks. If Ireland does decide to 'go it alone' all that needs to be done is to take back its territorial waters (10 times the size of the country) and get into the fishing business. A sustainably developed fishing industry could generate 200,000 jobs directly and indirectly. Also unlike the multi-nationals we currently rely on, our fisheries would remain attached to the country.

@stinkie said:

@mike lucey said:

Trump is also a political 'outsider' and most definitely not over enamored with Wall Street, Big Banks, MNs and Mega Corps.

Er, Mike? Take a look at his administration. Tillerson? Cohn? Mnuchin? Ross?

Edit: Let's not forget, by the way, Trump has enormous debts. The man is owned by 'big banks'. Don't know about anyone else, but I find that a reason for concern. The fact that the Trump administration is now refusing to release Trump's tax returns (despite earlier promises to do so), doesn't exactly ease said concern.

Edit 2:
@mike lucey said:

My hopes are that he will re-open meaningful talks with Russia and China. The last thing we need is WWIII.

Right. He'll have to reign Tillerson in first, then. Tillerson, with regards to China's island-building and South China Sea sovereignty claims: "We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed."

The stupidity of that remark is simply breathtaking. If that idiot were my Secretary of State, I'd have him flogged.

I have looked at his administration and must admit its a mixed bag. As regards China, the USA does not want to see an alternative to the Petro Dollar and China / Russia and the Brics is a threat. The EU was, but that has been sorted out and put back in its box.

As I said, Trump is practical when it comes to trying to doing a 'deal' and I have faith that he will not get trigger happy. The quicker the World moves to a multi-polar system, all the better.

@stinkie said:

I wonder how long it'll take before we see a giant rift forming in the GOP. Surely there must be quite a few Republican politicians already thinking: f*ck, this isn't going to end well, and we'll be held accountable.

Fair comment. Trump ran on the Republican ticket but I think he's really an independent and they (GOP) know it.

Over the past 20 years, we, here in Europe, have seen the rise of multiple political parties and coalition governments. I imagine we might also be seeing this happening in the USA. Maybe not such a bad thing as it could be argued that multiple parties in a country's parliament is a more democratic system.

@solo said:

Mike Lucey wrote

@unknownuser said:

Oh, hold on! We might be seeing this happening in the USA with The Donald. It will be interesting to see how he handles things. I am not a great fan of the man but he's sorta growing on me.

How is he growing on you now, after just one week?

Agree with his positions and actions so far?

No elected (four year period) 'leader' can be fully trusted to do what he/she listed in their campaign unless there is a 'recall' system in place via Direct Democracy.

I've been watching Trump since his announcement to run. Initially, I was amused and then I cringed a little when I heard some of the things he said.

When it came down to Trump v Clinton I wanted to see Trump get there. My hopes are that he will re-open meaningful talks with Russia and China. The last thing we need is WWIII.

Trump is far from polished and definitely not, so called, 'politically correct' but I think he will mix things up sufficiently to satisfy the voters that put him in charge. BTW, Trump outperformed Clinton among white women, winning 53 percent of voters in that demographic.

Trump is also a political 'outsider' and most definitely not over enamored with Wall Street, Big Banks, MNs and Mega Corps. It appears that he may also be immune to cash-in-hand lobbyists which has to be a great start.

I am waiting to see if he fully backs Israel or insists on a compromise or 'deal' as he calls it. It seems to me that Bibi thinks he has a clear run based on his latest incursions into Palestinian territories.

@liam887 said:

@mike lucey said:

Only problem is that I wouldn't have OSX

You will get used to W10 in no time, I switch between both OS's daily and the only thing that always gets me is cmd/ctrl + copy/paste. I continually open up the toolbar in windows by mistake.... very annoying.

Also I do concede that the search facility in W10 is pathetic!

As I started out with Windows back in 1985 and only changed to MAC in 2005, I imagine my muscle memory would come back into play with the Win keyboard.

I've been reading more on the Razer Blade Pro and really think it deserves the 'Pro laptop' tag. Hopefully, I will be pleasantly surprised with the forthcoming MBP in late 2017 but I have my doubts.

Here is a good article on the Blade Pro,

Razer Blade Pro: When Your New MacBook Pro Is Not Enoughhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2017/01/21/razer-blade-pro-windows-10-gaming-laptop-review/#763bf1d550dc

As I said, I'll be sticking with my current MBP but I am also on the lookout for a replacement in the no too distant future.

One laptop that impresses me is the New Razer Blade Pro.

It has everything I want.

Here is the spec,

It's a little cheaper than a top spec 'new' MacBook Pro but has a hell of lot of punch and it looks far more businesslike than the new MPR which looks a little sissy to me.

Only problem is that I wouldn't have OSX

Rumour has it that Apple will be offering a NEW(er) 15" MacBook Pro come the Autumn / Fall that will have a Kaby Lake chip and 32GB of ram. At least things will be going in the right direction for Pro users!

The question for me is, will it have an nVidia Ge-Force GTX 10-Series or will they stick to the Radeon Pro 460 which is in the current (New) 15" BMP that I understand runs at 25% the speed of the nVidia chip.

@mike amos said:

@arcteo said:

@Mike Amos: What make and model is Bess?

VW Type 3 Variant. 1600cc boxer engine, twin carbs.

She is a beauty Mike

@slbaumgartner said:

I'm using a mid-2012 MBP Retina. The only thing about it I would change is that I wish I had maxed out the memory when I bought it. 8GB seemed like a lot at the time, but is today sometimes marginal.

I have the same year as you. I purchased a refurbished MBPR with 16GB memory and 750 Flash storage. I even now find the 16GB is a bit on the tight side.