and measure the difference in your mileage. I've got a '01 Explorer V8 AWD, which I usually drive like a bat out of hell getting 18.5 mpg commuting with about 70% Hwy miles. As a test, for an entire tank of gas, I drove like a wuss, like there was a quail egg between my foot and the accelerator, never more than 2K rpm. This meant very gentle starts, keeping top speed down to 65, and leaving lots of room in front so you have to brake less, driving in the right hand lane, and allowing lots of folks to speed past. Results: 21 mpg, a 13% increase, saving about $4 a tank @ $2/gal. Psychologically, it was pretty peaceful driving that way and it didn't take that much longer to get there, so now I routinely drive in a kind of half-wuss mode and I'm getting 20 mpg, mainly because its less stressful. I think this car is EPA rated for 19 Hwy.
Hybrids are interesting, but the economics are not there yet. I calculate that if a Hybrid Civic (epa 51 mpg) costs $4900 more (after rebates & incentives) than a standard Civic (epa 38 mpg) and gas is $2.10/gal, you'd have to drive it over 300K miles to break even. Anybody who is buying these cars deserves an attaboy for being a brave pioneer and donor to developing technology.
I'm a small business owner: an Apple reseller with a storefront. We sell stuff the same price as the mailorder/internet stores, but we just get killed by unfair sales tax policies. Our local rate is 8.3%, which is an enormous competitive disadvantage.
Picture this: somebody comes into the store holding a catalogue, askes a bunch of questions about various products, and compares prices. I just tell'em that they're holding my catalogue.
"Really??" they say, somewhat amazed.
"Look" I explain, those guys aren't giving stuff away, they just act like it! Same price here and we know the products, we'll support you on it far better than they can, and we have it in stock right here"
INVARIABLY, the next comment is about sales tax:
"But you charge me sales taxes"
My reply: "No, the state, the county, the city, the goddam jail district, the community college, and the public schools all charge you sales taxes AND force me to collect them, and explain all this to you for ZERO compensation. If you purchase these goods from out of state and you do not pay the use taxes you owe on the purchase (and a miniscule fraction do pay it), you are cheating your local community and your neighbors. Those taxes pay for the streets you drive on, for fire and police protection, for the zoning department, for the library, for the schools, and more. If you evade the tax, you are sending your money out of state, out of your local community, to the profit of mega corporate interests. If you don't support your local reseller, we won't be here to answer questions, fix your broken stuff, and provide warranty support. Further, by evading the tax, you force local government to raise tax rates further."
This little lecture does surprise most people. I can and do make all these points nicely, not intending to offend, only to educate. Most folks have no idea.
I don't like taxes either. However, basic fairness between business competitors demands a level playing field. If the damn taxes were zero everywhere, that would be good and fair. Short of that impossible dream, the taxes should be equitable. I'll compete on the basis of product knowledge, availablilty, price, and service, and I'll do very well thanks. And so will my customers.
The selfish, shortsighted attitude expressed by most of the posters on this topic is an embarrassment.
The September issue of Nutrition Action, newsletter of Center for Science in the Public Interest, has a cover story "Eat Less Live Longer" (see http://www.cspinet.org/nah/index.htm). Unfortunately, you apparently cannot read this thoughtful and careful analysis on the web. If these topics interest you, consider a subscription.
Brief summary: 46 yr male, 1900 cal/day for the last 14 yrs, 6'2", 175 lb, eats lots of fruits and vegetables, reports that he is "full of energy....mind and my memory are sharper than they've ever been". His diet seems far duller than necessary. Others in that group do acknowledge that they are frequently hungry.
Further, the article summarizes studies reporting that calorie restriction: a) restricts tumor growth in mice and dogs, b) lowers human insulin requirements, c) decreases susceptibility to Parkinsons and Alzheimer's disease in rodents, and in monkeys halves rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. That's a good start, but clearly more studies are needed.
Also, check out the web site of the Calorie Restriction Society: http://calorierestriction.org/
YES! This post has the issue nailed. Consumers are getting exactly what they asked for: lowest first cost *BLOWOUT* *SALE* **FREE**. HP, Lexmark, Epson - all of them - must deliver products that customers want to stay in business. Since nearly all consumers buy for cheap, why should manufacturers build in quality? I own an Apple/HP/Epson dealership, and I service all these products. Or, I used to, because now it's just "diagnose and discard". In the early '90's, HP and Apple lasers used Canon print engines: the LX (LJ IIp/IIIp series), the LS (LJ II, LW II series), the EX (LJ 4, LW Pro) were very sturdy products that still work well. Early Deskjets were also bulletproof. Apple was smart enough to get out of the printing business, but HP and Epson, locked in a market share battle until they kill each other, have cheapened their brand by selling cheap crap in consumer discount stores, meeting the clear express needs of consumers. I can't tell you how many times I've gone on site to an (eg) insurance company and found 6 workstations all printing to a LJ 1200 (or a LJ 5L!), just beating the crap out of the poor little thing and complaining about it! What a total misuse of the product by short sighted buyers only thinking of first cost. Although HP still makes good sturdy printers, these are more expensive and aren't sold in consumer discount stores. If you want cheap, that's what you get, so don't bitch about it. I have no hope that consumers will ever "prioritize things like quality and customer service...". This is the way the world works now, and that sucks. If anyone can offer me hope, I'm all ears.
Slashdot Mirror
Here is the Alaska/Pacific tsunami detection data from NOAA: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/dart.shtml
Interesting stuff.
and measure the difference in your mileage. I've got a '01 Explorer V8 AWD, which I usually drive like a bat out of hell getting 18.5 mpg commuting with about 70% Hwy miles. As a test, for an entire tank of gas, I drove like a wuss, like there was a quail egg between my foot and the accelerator, never more than 2K rpm. This meant very gentle starts, keeping top speed down to 65, and leaving lots of room in front so you have to brake less, driving in the right hand lane, and allowing lots of folks to speed past. Results: 21 mpg, a 13% increase, saving about $4 a tank @ $2/gal. Psychologically, it was pretty peaceful driving that way and it didn't take that much longer to get there, so now I routinely drive in a kind of half-wuss mode and I'm getting 20 mpg, mainly because its less stressful. I think this car is EPA rated for 19 Hwy.
Hybrids are interesting, but the economics are not there yet. I calculate that if a Hybrid Civic (epa 51 mpg) costs $4900 more (after rebates & incentives) than a standard Civic (epa 38 mpg) and gas is $2.10/gal, you'd have to drive it over 300K miles to break even. Anybody who is buying these cars deserves an attaboy for being a brave pioneer and donor to developing technology.
I'm a small business owner: an Apple reseller with a storefront. We sell stuff the same price as the mailorder/internet stores, but we just get killed by unfair sales tax policies. Our local rate is 8.3%, which is an enormous competitive disadvantage.
Picture this: somebody comes into the store holding a catalogue, askes a bunch of questions about various products, and compares prices. I just tell'em that they're holding my catalogue.
"Really??" they say, somewhat amazed.
"Look" I explain, those guys aren't giving stuff away, they just act like it! Same price here and we know the products, we'll support you on it far better than they can, and we have it in stock right here"
INVARIABLY, the next comment is about sales tax:
"But you charge me sales taxes"
My reply:
"No, the state, the county, the city, the goddam jail district, the community college, and the public schools all charge you sales taxes AND force me to collect them, and explain all this to you for ZERO compensation. If you purchase these goods from out of state and you do not pay the use taxes you owe on the purchase (and a miniscule fraction do pay it), you are cheating your local community and your neighbors. Those taxes pay for the streets you drive on, for fire and police protection, for the zoning department, for the library, for the schools, and more. If you evade the tax, you are sending your money out of state, out of your local community, to the profit of mega corporate interests. If you don't support your local reseller, we won't be here to answer questions, fix your broken stuff, and provide warranty support. Further, by evading the tax, you force local government to raise tax rates further."
This little lecture does surprise most people. I can and do make all these points nicely, not intending to offend, only to educate. Most folks have no idea.
I don't like taxes either. However, basic fairness between business competitors demands a level playing field. If the damn taxes were zero everywhere, that would be good and fair. Short of that impossible dream, the taxes should be equitable. I'll compete on the basis of product knowledge, availablilty, price, and service, and I'll do very well thanks. And so will my customers.
The selfish, shortsighted attitude expressed by most of the posters on this topic is an embarrassment.
The September issue of Nutrition Action, newsletter of Center for Science in the Public Interest, has a cover story "Eat Less Live Longer" (see http://www.cspinet.org/nah/index.htm). Unfortunately, you apparently cannot read this thoughtful and careful analysis on the web. If these topics interest you, consider a subscription.
Brief summary: 46 yr male, 1900 cal/day for the last 14 yrs, 6'2", 175 lb, eats lots of fruits and vegetables, reports that he is "full of energy....mind and my memory are sharper than they've ever been". His diet seems far duller than necessary. Others in that group do acknowledge that they are frequently hungry.
Further, the article summarizes studies reporting that calorie restriction: a) restricts tumor growth in mice and dogs, b) lowers human insulin requirements, c) decreases susceptibility to Parkinsons and Alzheimer's disease in rodents, and in monkeys halves rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. That's a good start, but clearly more studies are needed.
Also, check out the web site of the Calorie Restriction Society: http://calorierestriction.org/
YES! This post has the issue nailed.
Consumers are getting exactly what they asked for: lowest first cost *BLOWOUT* *SALE* **FREE**. HP, Lexmark, Epson - all of them - must deliver products that customers want to stay in business. Since nearly all consumers buy for cheap, why should manufacturers build in quality?
I own an Apple/HP/Epson dealership, and I service all these products. Or, I used to, because now it's just "diagnose and discard".
In the early '90's, HP and Apple lasers used Canon print engines: the LX (LJ IIp/IIIp series), the LS (LJ II, LW II series), the EX (LJ 4, LW Pro) were very sturdy products that still work well. Early Deskjets were also bulletproof.
Apple was smart enough to get out of the printing business, but HP and Epson, locked in a market share battle until they kill each other, have cheapened their brand by selling cheap crap in consumer discount stores, meeting the clear express needs of consumers.
I can't tell you how many times I've gone on site to an (eg) insurance company and found 6 workstations all printing to a LJ 1200 (or a LJ 5L!), just beating the crap out of the poor little thing and complaining about it! What a total misuse of the product by short sighted buyers only thinking of first cost.
Although HP still makes good sturdy printers, these are more expensive and aren't sold in consumer discount stores.
If you want cheap, that's what you get, so don't bitch about it. I have no hope that consumers will ever "prioritize things like quality and customer service...". This is the way the world works now, and that sucks.
If anyone can offer me hope, I'm all ears.