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Geographic location of members

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I think it would be a nice gesture on the part of TR to acknowledge that not all members live in the USA or Canada.

My location is given as “Killara, NS” This would be meaningless to anyone who did not actually live in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia — Killara being a suburb of Sydney.

Topic

OOOOHHHHHh

In reply to Geographic location of members

I thought you meant Nova Scotia! I wondered why we never met when I lived back east (NS is a prety small province).

Just kidding of course,Jules; don’t worry, most of us know where you are.

I am sure there are some here who don’t know where Canada is, not even California, forget about finding Australia, .

I think you could say you were from The Zaulukani Crater in Southern Mars, it wouldn’t make any difference.

Well of course YOU know where I live

In reply to OOOOHHHHHh

because I have been posting to discussions for more than three years.

But if a new member had a location of Beverly Hills, would you assume that he/she lived in California, or would you KNOW that Beverly Hills is a suburb of Sydney?

well

In reply to Well of course YOU know where I live

I know that a suburb of Sidney is called Beverly Hills. But you can’t say from which country! unless he/she is using the local slang.

Rob

Sydney, NS

In reply to Well of course YOU know where I live

Is not in Australia but in Nova Scotia….

The big joke of course in North America is full of Springfields and of course on the TV show The Simpsons they try to keep you guessing. On a recent episode they hinted that you would know it if you’d been paying attention.

James

maybe check back

In reply to Sydney, NS

to the episode where they cross off all the states they’ve been banned from?

You missed it

In reply to Well of course YOU know where I live

Yes, of course I know where yu are. The joke about you being in Nova Scotia was in agreement with your comment though. Obviously ‘NS’ is not definitive enough to make such a system worthwhile at all.

I think there is a WA in the US

In reply to Well of course YOU know where I live

correct me if I am wrong and there is also a Perth in the UK.

My main problem when talking about geographical locations (at this point I will point out I work for a GIS company (Geographic Information Systems)) is dealing with distances. Spending alot of my youth “up north” means that I dont consider 500km to be a long distance. I understand that 500km gets you from one side of england to the other. But this really has to do with my perceptions.

500km isn’t far at all

In reply to I think there is a WA in the US

That’s not much more than a tank of gas in an SUV.

I’ve put more than 300 on just dirt biking through the mountains. You’re right, is is all a matter of what you are used to. I know people who don’t drive ythat much, they would see 500k as a never ending journey. To me, having driven much of Canada and the US, 500km doesn’t even get you started on your way.

It’s

In reply to 500km isn’t far at all

Amsterdam – Paris, will take about 6.5 to 7 hours in normal traffic/not speeding.

And y’re right, were on vacation in Alaska, Fairbanks, meet a lady that wanted us to taste a very nice smoked salmon, but had to go home and would be back for us. Took her 5 hours and drove 400 miles, just to let us taste that salmon.
It’s all in perspective, ain’t it. 😀 😉

Rob

Europe and the UK has less space than

In reply to It’s

USA, Canada or Australia – get a world atlas, preferably one printed outside the USA and includes the area West of Hawaii, East of the Grand Banks and South of Cuba. Los Angeles to New York, Vancouver to Montreal, Perth to Sydney are all approximately the same distance apart – to cover the same distance in Europe you would start at the coast near the French/Belgium border and end up in the Ural mountains, having traversed the width of Europe. You could easily drop most of Europe into either USA, Canada or Australia as we all have a lot more space per country while they have a much higher population density.

My sister’s brother-in-law married a girl from Ireland and lives in Brisbane. When her parents came for a visit they were shocked to find that their daughter and son-in-law routinely drove 800 kilometres on a Friday night to spend the weekend with family. Then they got a shock when their youngest daughter explained that she did not visit her sister in Perth that often as it took the best part of a day to travel by plane just to get there.

NO kidding

In reply to Europe and the UK has less space than

Being from England and now in Canada I find it amusing just ow far apart things are. When I go home, people always ask if I am American or Canadian, when I say I’m Canadian, they often ask “hey I know a friend’s sister who lives in Toronto, do you know ‘so and so’?”.

I used to laugh and explain that Toronto is a week’s drive from Vancouver, nowdays I just say “Yes, of course I know her, I’ll say HI for you next time I see her!”

When I get back from Kentucky next weekend, I will drive down to Oregon to see a horse race, about 600kms. A long way to go to lose money but oh well, DRINKING PARTYING AND ROOOOOAD TRIIIIIP!!! (With freinds nt for work of course).

Then it’s Seattle in April for Emerald Downs opening night, thats not far either at only about 2.5 hrs.

I have friends who have only lived in the city

In reply to It’s

and they laugh when i tell them its only a short trip to margret river or that bunbury or geralton arent that far.

as for perspective. my last 2 years of high school I had to take a bus 83 KM to and from school. In 40 degree C summers and 30 degee C winters (it also rains more in the summer in inland OZ as it is cyclone season). Anyone’s grandad wants to complain about walking 15 miles in the snow?

Dual Tanks in a 4WD

In reply to 500km isn’t far at all

That is enough petrol to get you to the most remote place outside of Antarctica and then run out of fuel.

At least the Yanks, Poms and Canadians stay near the resorts. We are always rescuing tourist from out the back of nowhere because they didn?t tell anyone where they were going (mostly of Asian descent but a few Europeans as well (do the French have a sense of direction).

Resorts?

In reply to Dual Tanks in a 4WD

Can’t stand resorts. If there is anyone but myself and my friends withing a few hundred kilometers of me, I am not far enough away.
Dual tanks in my last truck would get me to the next gas station (it wasn’t a street legal trucj though so it didn’t really matter), this one gets me about 13mpg and thats on a good day. Dual tanks, just something to get you a little farther away, we usually drive with big block V8’s in North American trucks, not too good on gas.

I need to disappear when I go away, won’t find me sitting on beach in Hawaii or Sydney or anywhere else, wel perhaps wheelers ba on the IOW buit thats abot it.

In australia we use mostly Japanese 4WD’s not US style trucks

In reply to Resorts?

Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, so they are (relatively speaking) quiet fuel efficient. You can get V6 or V8 models. Holden produce one as well but FORD (F**ked On Race Day, Found On Rubbish Dump) haven?t really made a competing model. You can get yank style Chevy?s (mostly imported direct from the US so they still have the left hand side drivers seat) but they aren?t really common because they aren?t really built for the terrain.

j@p qualifies as a swear word

Most definately

In reply to I think there is a WA in the US

WA in the US is the State of Washington, not to be confused with Washington D.C. (District of Columbia) which is on the US east coast.

Washington State

In reply to Most definately

And there is Western Washington and Eastern Washington. This post is from Eastern WA.

Oh the USA govt people would get up set

In reply to OOOOHHHHHh

look at all the trouble and effort they go through to return unwanted aliens from Mexico and that is next door. It would be worse for people from half a world away, and how will they feel about the aliens without a visa who arrive via the Interstellar Transport Network, say from Wolf 359, Betelguise, or Capella.

BTW WA, USA is Washington state is it not, and I seem to remember that there is a Perth in the USA somewhere as well. The USA is almost as bad as Australia for names from other places – Rome, Paris (Texas I think), etc.

Rome and Paris OHIO also

In reply to Oh the USA govt people would get up set

Ohio has it’s share of “famous” places.

I guess

In reply to Geographic location of members

to those who really take an interest. I knew
the location, but wanted to know more. GOOGLE
It never fails me. I have been to Sydney and to
NZ even. Just like here in a major metropolitan
area of 15 million are seeing previous open
lands, shoreline and hills being replaced daily with huge apartment complexes and the neccesary
retail that goes to keep them nearby to spend.

It would be even nicer….

In reply to Geographic location of members

if TR would let [i]some of us [/i] put in a location at all in the first place!

The darn thing just WILL NOT accept anything I put in it, yet on Friday I saw someone had actually managed to get a South Yorks address in – how? Is it just picking on me – AGAIN??

Purely for clarification, Jules, I’m in the North East of England, working in Durham, but living in Gateshead – nearest large city is Newcastle, but you’ve probably gathered all that from previous posts/blog. We’re considered the “poor” part of the country – anything north of Watford Gap doesn’t exist according to both the South and Government…….

But, hey, what the hell – we’re the party city!!

Thanks, Jules, yet again, for another opportunity for a sound off……you’re getting good at this!!

😀

GG

Edited due to arthritic fingers hitting wrong keys again……left the dyslexic keyboard at home…..

fingers

In reply to It would be even nicer….

getting straight forward again GG.

Y’re humor is still fine, that is for one a good thing. 🙂

Ones had a German keyboard, things that then type wrong you can’t imagen. (as if it makes a difference to my typing now. lol 😉 )

Rob

my keyboards

In reply to fingers

both at home and work are ergonomic, but with the laptop, I just use the ordinary integrated keyboard….I find the ergonomic ones far easier on wrists and fingers for a trained speed typist.

you have no idea how much gobbeldygook I can type by going straight from an ergonomic one to a flat one!

The other problem it causes is that any techies who work on my machine insist on bringing up another keyboard – because they say all the keys on mine have been shuffled…..

Only one guy in this place has done any work for me on this machine without screaming “bloody keyboard” at least once!

😀

GG

Your not alone

In reply to It would be even nicer….

As another UK member,I tried to put in Solihull,UK,but nothing happens.I guess UK keyboards are funny beasts.
Just for info,I travel daily to Sheffield,my “adopted” second home.Your right about north of Watford though.Does the Midlands exist?
Been to Newcastle.I liked it,even though it was snowing at the time.

How did you do that?

In reply to Your not alone

I was just reading your post, looked out and it was snowing again!

That was wierd!

If you ever get to the north east again, give me a shout…..I’m a great translator and tour guide!

GG

Just remember GG

In reply to How did you do that?

= ) X

( do I need to say anything else? :p )

[i]
oh, I do crack myself up so…… 😀

jd………

In reply to Just remember GG

The second word is off.

Feel free to choose the first word yourself.

I will get you for this.

I will.

I will.

]:)

GG

gg?

In reply to jd………

I have no idea what your going on about….. 😀

[i]
(where is that blasted angel emoicon when I need it most?)

private jokes are always the best! COME and get me baby! ]:)

Revenge…

In reply to gg?

Just for that, jd…..

I [b]won’t[/b] come and get you……

And I [b]won’t [/b] bring the Tia Maria and Lambs Navy Rum squirty cream

Or the chocolate body paint

Or the basque, suspenders, matching nix and black cuban heeled seamed stockings.

Or the lace garter

Or the stillettoes

So there.

Now, where can I find the soundbite of a raspberry……

:p

]:)

GG

Edited because I forgot my new black lace garter……

Was it

In reply to Your not alone

Sheffield she meant. 😉

I was wondering where the heck Sheffeld was. Could have been another suburb of Sidney tho. 🙂

Rob

edited because of the #$%#^#$^% emoticons

Grief, Rob

In reply to Was it

your geography sounds on a par with mine – you have my deepest sympathies!

😀

GG

that did give me a giggle, though!

As i said

In reply to Grief, Rob

before, I like your giggle.

Funny how that can sound an other way then (or is it than) I mean. :0 😀

Rob

that gave me an itch … of a giggle :0 :^0 😉

Watford and Watford Gap

In reply to It would be even nicer….

are not the same. Speaking as an adopted Londoner, north of Watford is north, Solihull is north and Sheffield and Newcastle are “nearly Scotland”. Speaking as a Midlander born just north of Watford Gap – which is in Northamptonshire – Newcastle and Sheffield are north any way you cut it but Watford Gap is “here” and Watford is south. Solihull is “over there” and “a bit posh”.

To either of my personalities, the fact that I can’t enter one of the World’s great cities in my location is extrememly annoying!

X-( X-(

Neil

In reply to Watford and Watford Gap

I’ll “nearly Scotland” you one right around the chops if you’re not careful……

[b] I’m a Geordie, not a Scot [/b]

(but with Scottish Ancestry, I will admit….. bloomin’ awful colour tartan, though!)

GG

Add me to the list

In reply to It would be even nicer….

Its being horrible to me too … Wouldnt accept my location at all ….

]:)

for sure

In reply to It would be even nicer….

My location is in my profile but doesn’t show! 🙁

Pitty it doesn’t show it would declare a lot. 😀

Rob

Amsterdam??

In reply to for sure

What in the world would that declare?? Or have you something special set up??

]:)

nope

In reply to Amsterdam??

But then some slang is tipical for a location. ([i]don’t have an example at hand[/i]) and means something else in an other slang ([i] don’t have an example for hand[/i])

On the onther hand it can be quit comic can’t it. 🙂

Rob

Rob, sweetheart…

In reply to nope

whatever it is that you’re on at the moment, can I have some too, please?

:p

😀

GG

alway’s

In reply to Rob, sweetheart…

sharing the fun

Doubles the fun they say!

Rob

ps must do a tripple share :0 , what fun that would give, mmmm, does sound odd, to me a bit funny 😀

ps2 And tnx GG for the compl. ([i]stupid me not thanking for a nice compliment[/i]) 🙂

edited for ps2

Been asking for this for a while now

In reply to Geographic location of members

How flippen hard is it to add in one more field for the country and a second for the TIME ZONE THE PEOPLE ARE IN!

Of course, most are just jelous they don’t live in my home town even if they continually feel that way!

If I

In reply to Been asking for this for a while now

lived in your home town, could you take the pace?

Hmm??

]:)

GG

sure gg

In reply to If I

you might walk funny, but I think it would work out IN the END? :0

Re: colloquialisms (for Rob)

In reply to sure gg

Here’s an example for you:

If GG were to invite JD to knock her up, she’d be expecting a visit, but he’d be expecting something quite different, wouldn’t you say?

I would say GG

In reply to Re: colloquialisms (for Rob)

would be getting the “bonus plan”! ]:)

whipped cream anyone? 😀

oooh! oooh!

In reply to I would say GG

forgot to tell you that I found some squirty cream in the supermarket…..one with Tia Maria (yumyumyum)and one with Lambs Navy Rum (yumyum)

Now, what could I do with those, I wonder ???

Hmm….

]:)

GG

yes it would be nice

In reply to Geographic location of members

Seeing as how a large portion of the regulars are not in US or Canada.

It’s interesting noting the different personalities coming from different parts of the world.

Can you imagine the conversation if you put all the regulars in a chat room together? 🙂

No!!!

In reply to yes it would be nice

“Can you imagine the conversation if you put all the regulars in a chat room together?”

That is a scary, scary thought.

hey!!!

In reply to No!!!

only an issue if it’s not an “Adult’s only” chatroom. ]:)

it wouldn’t be any worse that the regulars being at a conference together…actually the chat room would be better.

Jaqui, as we say at work

In reply to hey!!!

how many IT consultants to change a lightbulb?
Three.One to hold the bulb,and the other two to hold the conference.

I’ve met some of the AFU regulars

In reply to No!!!

At alt.folklore.urban, one of the old traditions was that when one of the regulars would travel they would announce their destination and try to get those AFU types at the destination together for an event.

I hosted one such event – it was only 4 of us in a bar for a few hours but it was highly entertaining to get to know these people in another setting.

Next time you are in Toronto….

James

NO TEXT

In reply to I’ve met some of the AFU regulars

SORRY NT

Only scar y

In reply to No!!!

for the weak and closed minded. For everyone else it would be an absolute blast!

NS = New South Wales?

In reply to Geographic location of members

I’ve always wondered what NS stood for. I kept thinking it means Nova Scotia but you always claimed you’re from Australia. But now the truth comes out! You’re in Wales. You’re in the UK, not Australia! 😮

[i]Addendum to original post:[/i] When in the hell is somebody gonna fix these emoticons? The big laughing emoticon is supposed to be : and O (big O), not : and o (baby o).

[i][b]Addendum to my addendum:[/b][/i] How the hell do I make a laughing emoticon??? X-(

You missed it.

In reply to NS = New South Wales?

It isn’t O anymore it’s 0(as in zero) now. If you layed off the sheep for a while you might be able to keep up. Don’t ask why it was changed; it’s a TR thing but you would think this would have been revised:

http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-22-5269527.html

Nope it’s still showing the old style but you weren’t the only one confused; I started a thread on it. It only affected the emoticons where an O was asked for.

[b]Dawg[/b] ]:)

Space don’t forget

In reply to You missed it.

the blank space after the 0 (zero) neither the space before!!!

:^0 :0

Rob

TR has to have a data base

In reply to Geographic location of members

With all the registered members. And there has got to be a member who can create a program that updates as new members join. A program that has a GUI like Google’s Google earth but it could be Google a tech!

Whoa! There are places OUTSIDE the US and Canada??

In reply to Geographic location of members

I fully agree and let me take this train of thought one step further to say that not everyone living in a certain area is a native of that country. I’m an American living in Japan for the past 15 years. There have been a few times on the board here at TR and elsewhere when I mention my name and locale. People then reply along the lines of “John isn’t a Japanese name! You can’t be in Japan.” News Flash, y’all – people move and sometimes they move to different countries. TR should acknowledge that as well.
Ahhh – globalization is a pain, isn’t it? Remember back when we just had to contend with 50 states and Puerto Rico? Ah, the good old days… 😉

Cheers,
ExpatJohn
Yokohama, Japan (<-- Seriously...)

Geography – WOW what a concept.

In reply to Geographic location of members

Sad to say it but the majority of US citizens are geographically illiterate. The idea that there are different parts of the USofA comes as a surprize to most folks, when every 4 years the news, um make that the entertainment, industry actually shows maps. Usually the “average” American is so used to being spoon fed pre-digested information they are unable to even name the continents let alone different countries. I would bet a majority couldn’t find Afganistan on globe.

There MUST be countries other than the USA

In reply to Geography – WOW what a concept.

Otherwise where would all the left-wing, commie America-bashers live? :^0

geography in USA

In reply to There MUST be countries other than the USA

“War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography” – quoting somebody. More US people know where Afghanistan and Iraq are this year than before 2001 – not that that’s saying a great deal.

As for re-used names, right here in Montana, USA, there’s a Manhattan, and a Kremlin, and Belgrade, Andes, Alhambra, Devon, Amsterdam, Rimini – and of course, everyone’s goal: Paradise. All in a state 600MI long by 400MI wide with a population less than 1 million.

Then there’s the very famous Versailles … Illinois, or maybe Iowa.

In a day

In reply to geography in USA

I can travel to London(on the Thames no less), Paris, Moscow, Baltimore and Warsaw – all in Southern Ontario. I can also visit Cornwall and go for a swim – in Lake Ontario.

We had a Berlin before WWI, when it was renamed to Kitchener (after a British general). Of course visiting Amsterdam and Rotterdam were more fun – two brew pubs in Toronto (once called York).

James

It is about a six hour ride

In reply to In a day

to go from Hell to Paradise if your living in Michgan. :p

http://tinyurl.com/jfrzl

Funny thats about the same as…

In reply to It is about a six hour ride

say, Detroit to Toronto…..

James

It may be a lot of things

In reply to Funny thats about the same as…

but Toronto is NO Paradise! :p

I won’t argue the other end of the trip though except to say it is only about four hours if you don’t count the border crossing!

If you lived in Detroit….

In reply to Funny thats about the same as…

…Toronto might seem like paradise.

There is much I like about it, though the traffic is nuts.

James

I like Toronto

In reply to Funny thats about the same as…

The big cities just offer so much, and Toronto does it well.

sure, it has it’s bad spots, but where doesn’t?

Detroit does offer more than people imagine though. Sure, I wouldn’t recommend doing a lot of walking, but always a great rock-n-roll show to be found! Wouldn’t mind having a small appartment to stay in on weekends down there! don’t see that happening though.

NS = North Scarolina. . . . . .

In reply to Geographic location of members

…to the students in Jay Bennish’s geography class.

Now how did you do that??? Not only is the avatar gone but……….

In reply to NS = North Scarolina. . . . . .

the anchor for the image is, as well. Very elegant Max.

[b]Dawg[/b] ]:)

Does your location really matter?

In reply to Geographic location of members

As long as you are located in an area where you can readily obtain a position in IT, does it really matter where you’re located? On the other hand, if you are in a area such as the “rust belt” in the US, then you DO have a problem! If you don’t have at least 5 yrs experience, a BS in CS/MIS, and 30 or more acronyms after your name, you shouldn’t even bother to apply for an IT job. When you see employers preferring a Master’s and a CCIE for a temporary Help Desk assignment, you really start to wonder……..

more of a personal thing

In reply to Does your location really matter?

knowing where people are from helps to relate to them better.

As for the rust belt, that CCIE would qualify you to say “would you like fries with that?” 😀

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