Bilbo_Fraggins

Hole up. I was born in the 70s too, so feel like I have to point out in 2000 he was 25, and 2010 he was in his 30s. ;-)

And "they spend more time outside than in front of a screen" is not the same as not using screens.. Really doesn't take much exposure to master. I do kind of hate the whole lumping all time in front of a screen together instead of separating it by task, but that's another rant...

My status has been: "Identity verification pending" "Verification under review" for weeks now. I submitted the documentation requested, how long should that take?

I'd happily do the phone verification, but the number they list asks for a pin which doesn't seem to be given by the site, and if you don't have one they hang up on you.

What do?

Not an answer, but a pointer to someone else wrestling with these questions:

Why Empathy Matters: The Science and Psychology of Better Judgment by J.D. Trout is one of my favorite books, and worth reading.

Good advice. Also, join your local astronomy club if there is one: Not only can you get to look through other's scopes at events, ours has a number of loaner scopes (mostly dobs, a few refractors) that are great for giving people a taste before they choose what to dole out their money on.