Re: [MBZ] Filling tires with nitrogen (was Re: Year End Specials)
So does Costco, as well as my favorite independent tire chain - neither charges anything extra for it, and both are happy to check pressure and add more anytime it's needed. But only Costco seems to use the neat green caps! Rob -Original Message- From: Sunil Hari If there's a Tire Discounters where you are, they exclusively use nitrogen to fill all the tires they sell.
[MBZ] OT: Unionized work environments (Was: Why are the "newer" (96-99) benzes prone to rust?)
Tim, With all due respect, your comment kinda grated on me: Maybe you could help us understand how Chrysler's training/motivation programs equate to a need for unionized labor? In fact, I'd argue to the contrary: While it's important for employers like Chrysler to recognize the value of motivated employees, many non-unionized firms can train and motivate even better because they have a lot more flexibility in how they manage their employees. For example, most of the grocery chains in the D.C. area are unionized. But one chain (Wegmans) is not -- and the visible difference in employee attitude and service is astounding. A friend that left a union chain to work at Wegmans confirms that they treat their employees well, and Wegmans appears to have no trouble attracting better help in direct competition with the unionized firms. Rob - Original Message - From: "TimothyPilgrim" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Finally! Someone who understands that there IS a place for unionized work environments in the 21st century! On 10/31/05, Tom Hargrave <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: The company has an excellent training / motivation program and they expect nothing less from their work force. They also involve their hourly work force in ongoing Quality improvement programs. [SNIP] Chrysler discovered during their rebuilding period that a motivated work force turns out a Quality product. This is one reason that Chrysler is doing well and Ford & GM are loosing market share.
Re: [MBZ] name calling...
An "aye" from me -- I've lived through the whole saga. I got involved back in 1995 with the "original" Realtime list; then the startup of the MBCA list under Kathy; the insane MBCA politics that led to its demise (and also to my dropping my MBCA membership); the start of the Ritter/Easley list; and the transition of all the former MBCA listers to mbz.org when it was shut down. But Kaleb's right - these lists are really the people, not the list, and many of us have followed all of them for many years. Thanks to Kaleb for keeping it going through the latest changes! Rob Vonderhaar 1995 SL500 - Original Message - From: "Kaleb C. Striplin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Mercedes mailing list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 7:21 PM Subject: Re: [MBZ] name calling... Lets see, anybody who was on those old lists say AYE
Re: [MBZ] OT camcorder auctions
Luther, I'd suggest looking at www.camcorderinfo.com - they have reviews, product comparisons, and a very active discussion forum including a sections for each major brand (Panasonic is at http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/f25). I found it helpful when I was buying a new camcorder last summer. FWIW, I ended up with a Canon Optura 40. Although things have likely changed in 12 months, the Optura offered "true" 16:9 recording (not HD, just widescreen) which is all I use. There is also lots of discussion about the value of 3 CCD cameras vs. single-chip units. Personally, I wouldn't let that issue be the major deciding factor as many single-chip units have stronger reviews than some of the three-chips. There are a lot of other equally important factors. I do like my Optura a lot, and it's been very reliable. The only things that don't impress me are performance in very low light (which I think is a problem with many camcorders), and the use of electronic vs. optical stabilization. My old analog Sony Hi8 had better stabilization, and it used an optical system. Apparently, Canon agreed and there are new Optura units that now offer optical stabilization. Good luck -- Rob Vonderhaar - Original Message - From: "Luther Gulseth" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT camcorder auctions I am looking at several new ones, I'm more looking for comments on the quality of Panisonic camreas.
Re: [MBZ] Cimarron
You guys are a really tough crowd! I'd be the first to agree that Cadillac lost its way in the last 20 years, with the absolute low point being the Cimarron. Total POS, without doubt. A big part of the problem was the beancounter mentality of the Roger Smith era that led to so much inter-divisional standardization. Brand identity blurred to the point you couldn't tell one GM from another. And like Jeff Zedic, I drove only imports and swore that I'd never buy an American car. That was then, however. In fairness to Cadillac, I think they've done an amazing job at re-establishing their differentiation from other GM nameplates while making inroads with much younger buyers. In 2004, I looked very long and hard at midsize luxury SUVs. I considered the Lexus RX, Infiniti FX, VW Touareg, BMW X5, Acura MDX, MB ML, etc. but ended up buying a Cadillac SRX V8. I tried very hard NOT to like the Caddy, trust me! But I've never regretted the decision: It's very fast (0-60 in about 6.1), smooth (the Northstar V8 is awesome), and roomy (3 rows of seats), yet handles like a sports sedan. Some of the others were better in one category or another, but none were nearly as good overall. And I still like the styling - at least you don't see one on every street corner like the RX330. Just FYI, the SRX didn't have a single flaw at delivery and has been rock-solid dependable for 20k miles. Fit and finish are far better than GM cars of the past, although maybe not *quite* up to top-line European standards yet. We took another couple out to dinner the other night - he's the retired CEO of GE Appliance working directly for Jack Welch, and his primary ride is a BMW 740iL. He was absolutely shocked to learn that he was riding in a Cadillac... in fact, he wouldn't believe me until I showed him the logo on the steering wheel! And it's not just the SRX - take a look at the CTS (especially the V-series!), STS, or the XLR and you'll see these "ain't your father's Cadillacs". As Mike says, the Escalade is the exception - it's clearly a rebadged Suburban. But even the Escalade successfully opened up new upscale markets that the Suburban wasn't touching (ever see a basketball player driving a Suburban with chrome spinner wheels?), and started the change in Cadillac's "old fart" image. So I think Cadillac, at least, HAS learned. If anything, Caddy's reputation is now dragged down by the rest of GM's empire. They're building very good cars that can compete with the best, but it takes a long time to rebuild a tarnished brand image. Rob - Original Message - From: "Mike Canfield" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> They still do the same thing now and get away with it..Remember when a GMC was a TRUCK and a Caddy was, well, a Caddy not a "Pimped out Suburban". When will they ever learn???
Re: [MBZ] Gmail -
- Original Message - From: Gabriel S. 2. Which are these places where you can't get a high speed connection (perhaps a lonely planet like Uranus)? There are lots of them! For example, the last two homes I've owned had no broadband available, and neither was on Uranus (the former was just outside of Boulder, CO; my current home is only 4 miles north of Leesburg, VA. This is a heavily-populated suburb of Washington, DC and is the fastest-growing county in the U.S. Although there's cable all around me, Adelphia never bothered to pull cable to this subdivision when it was created so all of us use satellite for TV. And because we're 4 miles from the telco switch, there's no DSL available either. I suffered with dialup until a local firm started offering wireless DSL via a small antenna on the back of my house, and I signed up in a heartbeat. 3. Gmail is the best web based email client right now...'nuff said. That may be true. I've used Gmail a lot on the road - when I don't have my own computer with me, I forward my regular POP mail to Gmail. But like David, I still prefer POP-based email with local storage of every message. I also prefer email-based lists like this one to online web-based discussion forums. Even slight response-time delays (and often much longer ones) using web-based stuff drives me nuts. To each their own, I guess. Rob Vonderhaar
Re: [MBZ] transferring from video to your computer
Depends on your camcorder. Newer digital models often have a 1394 (aka Firewire) output, which connects directly to a Firewire input on the PC. That's how my new Canon works. At least with the Canon, there's no way to feed video via USB. Analog camcorders are a different story. You'll need some kind of a card that will accept either S-video (much preferred) and/or composite video (lower resolution) and convert it to digital. For my older Sony Hi-8 camcorder, I bought Pinnacle's Studio AV/DV -- it includes the card you install in a slot of your PC, and a blue dongle box that plugs into the card. The dongle has both kinds of analog inputs, as well as a 1394 Firewire input so you're ready to go with any type of camcorder. Also included in the box is a copy of Pinnacle Studio 9, which is one of several good editing packages. Basically, you start Studio and enter 'capture' mode. Click start, and then hit Play on your camcorder. When you're done digitizing, you can do a ton of editing very easily - fades, dissolves, add DVD menus and chapters, add soundtracks, etc. Studio will then burn the results directly to a DVD (assuming you have a burner). Rob - Original Message - From: "Kaleb C. Striplin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I have stuff recorded with a cam corder and am wanting to burn this either to DVD or probably just VCD on my computer. Is there software that will do this, how do you hook the camera to the computer? Is there a way to do this via usb cable?
Re: [MBZ] OT, Why don't I get attachments?
Harry, I believe the paper clip indicates either a real attachment, or a message sent in rich text format (the formatting info is the 'attachment'). In the latter case, OE simply displays the message with the formatting so there's no attachment to open. Rob - Original Message - From: "Harry Watkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I get messages with a paper clip showing next to the message in the upper part of Outlook Express, but no paper clip to click on in the message section.
