[GDS|Entropy] wrote:
> The only way I'm getting that one though is if funding for this biofuels 
> startup comes through.

I'm involved with prizecapital.net if you are interested in that. Sort of 
like X-Prize for biofuel start-ups.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   My fortune cookie said, "You will soon be
   unable to read this, even at arm's length."

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Mike Raiford wrote:
> Oh, please .. I'm old enough to remember when credit cards had no 
> magnetic stripe, and credit transactions required carbon paper. :-P

And I'm old enough to have actually collected money that way. :-)

Along with the big book they sent you once a month with all the stolen card 
numbers.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   My fortune cookie said, "You will soon be
   unable to read this, even at arm's length."

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Invisible wrote:
> 19-inch 4:3 aspect LCD monitor: £159.
> 19-inch 16:9 aspect LCD monitor: £113.
> 
> WTF-O-Meter: 4.6

Isn't a 19-inch 16:9 smaller than a 19" 4:3?  They're measured on the 
diagonal, yes? So the smallest 19" monitor would be a 19:1 monitor?

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   My fortune cookie said, "You will soon be
   unable to read this, even at arm's length."

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>> 19-inch 4:3 aspect LCD monitor: £159.
>> 19-inch 16:9 aspect LCD monitor: £113.
>>
>> WTF-O-Meter: 4.6
> 
> Isn't a 19-inch 16:9 smaller than a 19" 4:3?  They're measured on the 
> diagonal, yes? So the smallest 19" monitor would be a 19:1 monitor?

Well let's see now...

4:3 would be 15.2 x 11.4 inches = 173.28 in^2.
16:9 would be 16.55 x 9.31 inches = 154.08 in^2.

Given the miniscule difference, I don't think that has much to do with 
it. (I am, however, baffled as to why there's an area difference at all...)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Darren New wrote:
> Mike Raiford wrote:
>> Oh, please .. I'm old enough to remember when credit cards had no 
>> magnetic stripe, and credit transactions required carbon paper. :-P
> 
> And I'm old enough to have actually collected money that way. :-)
> 
> Along with the big book they sent you once a month with all the stolen 
> card numbers.
> 

Touché

Wow, So.... how likely was it that someone would be caught with a stolen 
card then? Oh, and no electronic means to check credit limits...

-- 
~Mike

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>>> Oh, please .. I'm old enough to remember when credit cards had no 
>>> magnetic stripe, and credit transactions required carbon paper. :-P
>>
>> And I'm old enough to have actually collected money that way. :-)
>>
>> Along with the big book they sent you once a month with all the stolen 
>> card numbers.
>>
> 
> Touché
> 
> Wow, So.... how likely was it that someone would be caught with a stolen 
> card then? Oh, and no electronic means to check credit limits...

Interesting.

I had always assumed that credit cards exist *because* of electronic 
banking. :-P

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Orchid XP v8 wrote:

> I had always assumed that credit cards exist *because* of electronic 
> banking. :-P

I remember getting utility bills on tractor feed paper, presumably 
printed by some huge line printer...

-- 
~Mike

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Mike Raiford wrote:
> Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> 
>> I had always assumed that credit cards exist *because* of electronic 
>> banking. :-P
> 
> I remember getting utility bills on tractor feed paper, presumably 
> printed by some huge line printer...

I remember being in the office where they *printed* that stuff.

In 1996.

What can I say? County councils aren't the most technologically forward 
organisations.

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> I had always assumed that credit cards exist *because* of electronic 
> banking. :-P

Bank cards exist because of electronic banking.

Before electronic authorization, it was mostly things like cards for 
particular gas stations or particular stores. You didn't have "mastercard" 
or "visa" or (the original) "diner's club." You had "Exxon" cards or 
"Texaco" cards.

It was hard to go over your credit limit when gas was $0.30/gallon and 
that's all you could buy on the card. :-)

I never caught a bad card, and I think it only happened once or twice the 
whole time my Dad owned the gas station. Or, to put it another way, we got 
robbed more often than we saw bad credit cards.  I think you just either 
took the card away or refused to accept it, I don't know which. Most of the 
customers using cards were regulars anyway.

There were a bunch of other security features too. Like you couldn't swipe 
the same card twice, because the blanks were numbered and the gas company 
would turn it down, figuring you put two blanks into the machine and had the 
guy sign it. So when someone showed up with a fleet of trucks to get filled 
up, we had to change the date on the machine up and down so we didn't get 
turned down.

The best was when I handed the paper to the guy to sign, and he writes VOID 
across it. I'm like "Excuse me?"  He says "Look at the card."  Issued to 
Henry Void.  "Oh, very good Mr Void. Have a nice day."  I imagine he has a 
worse time than "Mr New" does with that sort of stuff.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   My fortune cookie said, "You will soon be
   unable to read this, even at arm's length."

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On Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:48:40 -0500, Mike Raiford <"m[raiford]!at"@gmail.com>
wrote:

>Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>
>> I had always assumed that credit cards exist *because* of electronic 
>> banking. :-P
>
>I remember getting utility bills on tractor feed paper, presumably 
>printed by some huge line printer...

When I opened my first cheque book account I had to sign an agreement that had a
physical stamp on it. Signifying that stamp duty had been paid and the document
was legal. I should have had my own "Boston Tea Party". :)
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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