What's the latest in people's lives?

[Tsukiyumi]

I'll be signing off shortly; I'm heading down to my house.

If all goes well, I'll be back in an hour or so on my grandfather's ancient computer down there.

[Grundig]

That makes me wonder - you know how we have Grandfather Clocks? Well, when computers get to be a couple centuries old, will there be grandfather computers?

[colmquinn]

A baby born on St Patricks day will have no excuses for not going out then when he/she gets old enough to drink alcohol, free booze given to you on the one day of the year it seems socially acceptable to get drunk now that's a proper birthday

(legally, I meant before some smart arse makes a joke about em starting drinking when they're like 6 or something early!)

[Tsukiyumi]

...when computers get to be a couple centuries old, will there be grandfather computers?

Good luck finding compatible replacement parts...

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

That makes me wonder - you know how we have Grandfather Clocks? Well, when computers get to be a couple centuries old, will there be grandfather computers?

How many would be left, though?

[Captain Seafort]

legally, I meant before some smart arse makes a joke about em starting drinking when they're like 6 or something early!

Well, drinking at 6 is legal. Over here anyway.

[Captain Seafort]

That makes me wonder - you know how we have Grandfather Clocks? Well, when computers get to be a couple centuries old, will there be grandfather computers?

How many would be left, though?

We've still got a Colossus. A replica, true, but still a Colossus.

[Lt. Staplic]

legally, I meant before some smart arse makes a joke about em starting drinking when they're like 6 or something early!

Well, drinking at 6 is legal. Over here anyway.

I thought it was 16

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

That makes me wonder - you know how we have Grandfather Clocks? Well, when computers get to be a couple centuries old, will there be grandfather computers?

How many would be left, though?

We've still got a Colossus. A replica, true, but still a Colossus.

A... Collosus? Not familiar with that one. Still... cool?

[Captain Seafort]

It's complicated.

5 is the legal drinking age at home.
13 is the legal drinking age outside the home, but only with a meal.
16 is the legal drinking age in a pub, so long as someone else buys.
18 is the legal age to buy alcohol.

The last is particularly contentious, as it's the same as the voting age, but the minimum age for joining the armed forces is 16, so someone could, theoretically, spend six months in Afghanistan getting shot at, but when they came home would be unable to vote for the lot who sent him out there, or buy a pint in his local pub.

[Captain Seafort]

A... Collosus? Not familiar with that one. Still... cool?

The world's first electronic programmable computer, built at Bletchley Park during the war to crack the Lorenz cypher. The Germans thought it was unbreakable. Bletchley, on occasion, was decoding it faster than they were.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Well, Bletchley sounds like five kinds of awesome there. Thanks for the info, Seafort. *Tips metaphorical hat*

[Lt. Staplic]

okay.

over here you can join the military at 17, but you can't be deployed until your 18 AFAIK
you can vote at 18 (Changed that during Vietnam I think, might have been WW2, because people were protesting about the 18 year olds going off to fight with out being able to vote for a president that might find a diplomatic solution, or to vote for the same guy that ships them out to war)

To buy/drink alcohol here you have to be 21. Though I believe at 16 you can drink at home with you parents permission, but only in YOUR home with YOUR parents. If you step outside intoxicated you can be arrested for under age drinking too. It's pretty retarded IMO.

[Nickswitz]

Here if you sign up for the ARMY you can drink once you get your military ID.

[Aaron]

Here if you sign up for the ARMY you can drink once you get your military ID.

It used to be in the CF that you could drink in the Mess regardless of your age but they got really anal in the 90's after a bunch of DUI's and assorted scandals. Now the guys just buy booze for you if your under 19.