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anonymous2013

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I just need to put in a word for Kicad http://www.kicad-pcb.org . Unlike the software mentioned here, it's a FOSS project so it has no artificial limitations in its low-cost/free version, and it's being continuously improved on all platforms it runs on (Windows/Linux/Mac). The output (Gerber files) from Kicad is often directly accepted by inexpensive PCB fabrication shops.

My favorite insight on Thoreau's undisturbed nature living is that he had his mother do his laundry. I am not trying to be mean or cynical about his philosophy---just saying that one has to be clear-eyed about the tradeoffs. Personally, I think that an intelligent person should look at both the conventional modern lifestyle and the happy nature lifestyle, and try to understand and extract the best features of both. You know, thesis and anti-thesis leading to synthesis.

Look at it from the cost effectiveness point of view. For instance, currently we have a problem with several thousands of children illegally crossing border into the US. To solve this, 4B$ has been requested. This amounts to a million per child, roughly. I could think of alternative proposals: e.g a voucher for 10k$ to the child's family, payable in a year if they demonstrate up-keeping the child: sending it to school, etc.

The 'guaranteed income' is much trickier than that, of course, but the question is still valid: can it compete on cost-effectiveness with the current system of Medicare/medicaid/SS/WIC/.....