opinion

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Computer -- On or Off?

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In the evening, should you turn your computer off or leave it on? That question has been posed many times in the past, and here is yet another article on the subject. The author is Tom Nelson, and I have a lot of respect for his opinion on questions relating to computers.

When my computers had spinning hard drives, I turned them off in the evening when I was done computing for the day. My reasoning was that I didn't think it was good for a hard drive to sit there spinning 24/7.  Give it a rest, was my thought so as not to wear the bearings out. Now that all my computers have an SSD, I don't think it matters much, and it's the same conclusion Tom draws in his article.

Jim Hamm

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Apple Grilled Over Tax Practices

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        Passing along the latest news, Jim Hamm writes,  "Here is an article that comments on the recent grilling Apple went through regarding their tax practices. As the article points out, Apple and many other companies are following tax laws that Congress passed, and Congress is now complaining because companies use these laws to increase shareholder value. It's interesting to note that GE, for example, made significant earnings and not only paid no taxes, but got a refund!" 

        Jim goes on to give his opinion, "Before I retired I was heavily involved in preparing the tax return for our company. I can tell you our tax laws, as the article states, are really 'Byzantine and bizzare.'  Will Congress do anything about this? You've seen Congress in inaction, er, action, these past years. What do you think?"