selectstar

I wonder if the builders will glue all fixtures and fittings in place to encourage a full building upgrade in a few years when the chairs start looking shabby or the washrooms needs upgraded. :)

What do you do for fun? Are you active in the dating pool? How often do you socialise in situations that require spend? (Be that a trip to the cinema, or a coffeshop, or a bar or taking beer/wine to a BBQ.)

As an aside, why I know this type of lifestyle is not for me and why I find it so alien...

"-$200/year for clothes/toiletries"

...is blown in one quarterly trip to Aesop.

Every American will think it's California...

Start typing Uber A... into google and what do you get?

This is ire inducing, as is all the comments agreeing anecdoatly. As someone who has came through the other side I would <emphasis>strongly</emphasis> argue that the level of empathy I feel towards friends in a similar predicatment is limitless.

"A man falls down a hole..."

It speaks to the character of the person if they then think of themselves superior to a friend who is fighting a fight they have been through previously.

They were not faliures of business per se.

Friendster failed because users migrated, ditto Myspace, Bebo and whatever else. Even Diggs downfall could be partially attributed to the ready made life boat of Reddit.

If possible, please substantiate that?

A mid range Apple laptop costs as much as a mid range Burberry leather jacket whilst the laptop takes way more effort to constuct.

I think someone is doing it smarter than the other here...

Gentrification is a massive problem in Berlin... Mitte -> Prenzlauer Berg -> Kreuzberg -> Neukölln -> Where Next?

It's absolutely not as extreme as London because most people in Berlin rent rather than own, and other costs of living are comparitively far cheaper across the board. The problem is though many people have had your idea, one that I share, and we are "spoiling" it for the locals. (Or the people who were ahead of the curve) Go for a visit, the areas I mentioned, especially the last two, are packed with British, Australian and American twenty somethings looking for that cheaper/creative/hedonistic lifestyle.

Whatever the location, you can imagine the CCTV that will be around them when they appear in the wild.

Strange, my partners Three contract had a £5.00 per day charge in mainland Europe but with no data cap after that.

Extrapolote that thought; it's only now that those kids (who grew up with BBM) are in charge of their own financial destinty. They might be used to having BBM in their lives and if they can get it on a new "cool" phone then that will make it popular. (To an extent.)

They way they chose to compose that open letter meant I could not take it seriously at all. (And my partner is in employment law so I have an above casual interest in these kind of things in all industries.)

SAGE GOES IN EVERY FIELD

Ahhh, memories.

Some students.

Those provided for by family will see their parents/grandparents get screwed, and some of those parents may well be part of the software community...

The idea being subjected to random people in times when we are 'alone' but in close proximity to others, i.e. on transport, is horrifying. I think it's contextual based on what part of the world you are from, but my take is that if I am on this flight for 9 hours, I want to read my book or watch a movie in peace and not have to make fast friends with you just because the seat lottery has paired us up. I know some people love being friendly with others in such situations, but it's not for me.

In a different scenario, a bar or a coffee shop etc, I think it's more acceptable as you are out in public anyway and then idle chatter is always going to be part and parcel of spending time in such places and I am generally ok with it.

Such as?

I feel this article is only going to resonate with those past this point in life... Things I've learnt in my thirties....

1. Learn now, making time for it later will be very difficult and require sacrifice.

2. Maintain informal human connections via facebook, twitter etc. It’s easy to be smug and say I only value friends who I talk with in real life, but the reality for the youth today is that you will be lonely and miss out on events by being a snob. (Also, no one will email you photographs, ever.)

3. Don't take (older) family for granted. Get your grandparents a cheap cell and teach them how to text, they will love you for it. Get your Grandpa playing an older version of Civ on an old laptop etc. Don’t bother with extended family events, cousins, siblings that you don’t enjoy, spend your time with friends instead.

4. Find a job that you enjoy (and work won’t seem like work, some of the time.) Also, be good at it, don’t half-ass it early on.

5. Be more supportive to those around you, colleagues and friends alike. Have them realise you are crutch that can be there when they need it, don’t be a doormat.

6. Realise how lucky you are never to have endured real hardship. (This goes for most suburban raised/affluent human beings on earth, not the small percentage that truly started from nothing.)

7. Choose saving over spending outwith means. Do everything you can thrifty, trip to Europe in your 20’s? Stay in a hostel with other fun people, business class and that cool boutique hotel can wait. You can leverage the money into better things later if you already have a solid amount of cash on hand. Be that buying a home when you get the opportunity, amazing holidays with a partner when you really need the luxury r&r, providing for your children without any negligible detriment to your quality of life etc etc.

8. Don’t forget things that are important. Use photographs, a diary, self email or a text file on your desktop... Whatever works for you.

9. Enjoy food and drink in your 20’s as later on it will be a case of “Everything in moderation.” (I’d tag on find a sport/hobby you love and it won’t feel like exercise in the future when your body needs it... Swimming, walking, martial arts, anything!)

10. People = Sh#t. This is just me as I’m quite the (cartoon) nihilist, but please respect peoples boundaries because some people like to be left alone, don’t encroach on others personal space.

11. Don't Forget to Tell Your Spouse How Much You Love Them. I kind of agree, but instead I’d say remember it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have one and if you do, remember to work at it... Try not to be a d#ck.

I think the enduring popularity of Monopoly etc is the nostaglia factor and the ease of inter-generational play... it's quite ubiquitous and perhaps only behind Trival Pursuit in terms of "family" games.

Always the simplest way to solve these things, this is what I always use on my phones for hand grip as well as when laying on a surface.

If you don't like to have a sticker some appropriate colour duck/duct tape works perfectly.

I agree, in a similar vein I still call my debit card my "switch" out of habit.

Debit cards are quite prevalent here, rather than Credit i'd say.

Grinders are so important with hand crafted, I've not dropped the $350+ on a Mahlkonig, and I go through a bag a week, so I'm happy to have the store grind. I do have a porlex hand grinder for times when I order a bean based pack from somewhere online, but it's time consuming.

One simple 'hack' for using a french press, as I prefer, is that when pouring the water over only pour enough to cover the grounds. Then stir/shake this around and let it sit for 30 seconds. Then pour over the rest of the water and leave for 4 mins without stiring.

I don't know the science behind it I'm afraid as I read this tip a long time ago, but that inital absorption rather than drowning - leads to a smoother cup. (in my opinion.)

Oh, and support your local roasters! I'm lucky that in my small city there is half a dozen independent companies knocking out great quality beans. For all the staff in their shops may look like the kind of people you don't want to ask a question of, do it, they probably really love coffee and will be able to help your home brew immensely.

--Edit : Beans from Peru are my fav at the momement, give them a shot. :)

Perhaps he needs someone around for the validation and it was not a mistake at all? /snark.

Surprising person to have written this...

"In his role as Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Lord Falconer sought to make it easier for government bodies to refuse to release documents under the Freedom of Information Act (2000), "

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Falconer,_Baron_Falcone...

Land of the free, home of the brave.

Let's hope that Snowden never gets caught/detained.