The Replacement for The Replacement Is In Place

I casually mentioned on Monday that I had a broken computer to fix and I've been bit scarce here.  We developed a plan to replace it with the desktop I've been using for the last three years, and replace that one with a new desktop (we "hand me down" computers until they fail - every room in the house has one, and the cats are surfing the 'net all day).  Thankfully, I'm able to do this without excessive financial hardship, and the new computer is pretty much set up - Ubuntu 10.10 and Windoze dual boot.  With monitor, it cost about what my first PC cost, a Turbo XT (I'm dating myself, but no one else would) - and that XT was a kit without a monitor.  

My regular blend of ... whatever it is ... will be returning soon.  In the meantime, a good read is at Kevin's place.  

In the James Cameron [*spit*] movie "Titanic," there is this great scene that illustrates a point about our current economic situation.  The iceberg is struck.  Because of the glancing blow, the more primitive metallurgy that resulted in brittle steel of the hull, a long gash was ripped across three of the main watertight compartment sections of the front of the ship. With the first three main sections rapidly filling with water, the engineer/ship designer, played by Victor Garber, lays out the side view plans of the ship to show the captain that there is no doubt that the ship is going down and there is absolutely no way to stop it.  It may take an hour or so for the ship to disappear below the waves, but no amount of bilge pumping or anything else is going to stop the inevitable.

That's what is happening with our economy.

Go read Our Economic Titanic.