Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

locke2c

she should get a new job if she's that unhappy.

doesn't have much to do with Lance's team getting new primary sponsorship!

~c

bat1161

Believe me when I say that I agree. I've told her to just quit, but she wants to wait for a package. They are supposed to ahve another round of layoffs in June, or July. Although even with that, the rumor mill has it this is the last time packages will be given. After this, it's go quietly into the night. The reason is they are relocating major parts of the company to Charlotte, NC. So it's either move it or lose it.

And this started because we were talking about the TIAA team that drives Suabru's.
Mark

damish003

Thinking good thoughts, Steve. All the best.

-Dan-

fibber2

We really appreciate it. That is why I kept changing my date for the NY Autoshow, then had to cancel out all together. We spent a lot of time in specialist's offices, then thoroughly depressed, Beth needed a 'family fix', hence the quick trip to Virginia.

It was strange. She caught what was believed to be Mono (or a form of..). Totally wiped her out for a month. I kept asking her who she was kissing behind my back! Tough when you have kids to deal with. But there are other things that lurk in the shadow of Mono, including lymphoma. So when problems didn't resolve on schedule, they began looking further. We should know in a week or so what is up.

Steve

hypov

Profit margin slim? Nah... unless they're in bankrupcy, which most aren't, they have enough funds to compensate their employees. The problem most companies are facing is is that there's just no new profit and growth is stagnant. The layoffs are quick fixes, to artificially simulate company's growth in profit, to tickle the shareholder's fancy. Same can be achieved via pay cut/freeze and other employees empowered cost saving measures, but the CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and what have yous are too selfish to take a cut [it'll hurt their luxo lifestyles].

my $0.02

-Dave

nygreg

Please give Beth my regards. I am praying for her, you and the kids.

Greg

hondafriek

Bingo, you just hit the nail on the head Dave, you have to look no further than auto companies, even when they are losing Millions of dollars the CEOs and the rest on the top of the pile are still drawing obscene salaries and bonus's.

 Take here in Canada Air Canada they are in deep trouble and Robert Milton the CEO is pulling down a salary in the millions. As far as I am concerned if a company is not performing the CEO should be the first going down the road with a pink slip and talking to his lunch pail.

  Cheers Pat.

p0926

"Oh but we HAVE to pay our CEO a ridiculous sum of money in order to recruit and retain the BEST". And who votes on these obscene compensation packages? Why the Board of Directors. And which group makes up the largest percentage of directors at any given company? Why CEOs of other companies of course. Connecting the dots yet?

I wish you hadn't gotten me started on the subject ;-(

-Frank P

goneskiian

All I did was mention TIAA-CREF and a small under 23 development cycling team they support and look what I've started!

Sorry folks!

<ducks and runs for cover>

C'mon, Frank! Let's talk cycling. It's way more fun and much less stressful! LOL!

FWIW, I do remember the Tour du Trump and Tour Dupont. I wasn't following cycling nearly as much as I am now but I recall Chris Horner (3rd overall this year in Georgia) had a real break out at the last Dupont when he won a road stage with a long break away. Very cool.

Hope everyone's got nice weather like we do here in Seattle today!

Cheers!
-Ian (trying desperately to change the subject)

ldbricker

on Tuesday. I was kind of looking forward to it and also wondering how I'd procrastinate getting back into cycling when I had such a cool new bike to do so.

nygreg

has become popular. There are a number of people in my office who bike during lunch. I try to join them when I can, but am usually too busy. Maybe tomorrow. 77F

Greg

hondafriek

Frank, take a deep breath and say after me I will not get all stressed out;-)

  Cheers Pat.

locke2c

there are some bikers at work but they do it afterwards. we do have some lunchtime joggers-- I cannot fathom that as we have no showers at the complex. if I ever walk into a men's room and someone is giving themselves a sponge bath, I'm going to be pretty weirded out.

of course, if I'm in an afternoon meeting and someone reeks of sweat or way-overdone cologne I'll know why.

~c
(does his fitness early in the morning and after work)

ateixeira

Sorry I missed the chat. Took the day off to paint and only wrapped up at around 11pm! Time flies.

I paint some more tomorrow then head out on a road trip to the beach, to a friend's house. We don't settle until the end of May, but we will once again preview our new place. :-)

-juice

rangerron7

Have any of you seen the new crop of folding bikes (Dahon, Bike Friday, etc.)? I can remember 10 to 15 years ago, folders were junk. These things today are really impressive - very light and well constructed.
Ron

ldbricker

Montague. Their corrected website, www.montagueco.com shows the line. Excellent looking bikes... especially once the url is correct.

p0926

Actually it's www.montagueco.com

bat1161

My firend is biking into work, but then again he lives just over the Brooklyn Bridge. It would be too much for me. Instead I've been contenting myself with racing home via bus and car to go for a ride. When I can do it I'm up to 18 miles at at time. Between that, and a local bike club that does 20+miles every weekend, and this weekends BikeNY run I'm finally getting some exercise. And, it's fun and relaxing. And, to keep it on topic, I transport my bike via my Subaru:-) As a matter of fact, one of the group leaders drives a 2003 OB Wagon - same color as mine.

Mark

nygreg

I thought the crew would appreciate this article.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/04/30/obsessive.art.a- p/index.html

Greg

bluesubie

"Davey said an exhibit like "OCD" might help someone to question his or her own behavior and seek help if necessary."

lucien2

Who the hell talked me into Java Black Pearl!? Gaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!! :-)

Washed both cars today. Outback is starting to age for real now. Lots of microscopic black flecks showing up now, too many to polish out. Next free weekend she'll get a polish from stem to stern and a coat or two of Klasse. Winter wax pretty much toast, so I have to get it done before the summer sun arrives. Tons of bumper dings, and her WRX rims are showing some minor curbage here and there.

Forester looking good, but tough to make it look how I like it when there is no shade to be had. Dries to damn fast. Oh well. It is going to rain tomorrow anyway, I just wanted to get all that pollen and bird poop off there. Found my first rock chip too. :-(

Both cars got Stoner glass cleaning inside and out all panels, a thorough shop-vaccing, Griot's rubber and vinyl treatment, rocker panel wipedown, yadda yadda. Pooped.

subearu

AIO goes on extremely easy since you use so little applying it. 2 thin applications will be fine. Coats makes it sound like you're applying thick layers of wax, which it's not :P

-Brian

ldbricker

and found one at WalMart that's about $65. I don't remember the details on it as far as SCFM etc. but it did say for nail guns etc. My usage would be for the car tires without having to go to the station every time. Anyone have suggestions on compressors for $100 or less?

jfl

If you are only topping off the tires, I've used foot pumps and the small portable units that plug into the lighter socket - about $20-$30. They take longer but are easier to store.

In a pinch, I've used a (floor standing) bicycle pump but that's a lot of exercise!

Jim

c_hunter

For the price, Sears has some of the best units around and they have a wide selection. You can choose varius tank configurations to choose your needs. I would not buy a compressor from Wal-Mart unless it's a name brand you can trust.

Craig

nygreg

10 pumps per pound. Great for the heart. Use it all the time.

Greg

ldbricker

for the 12v units and although I should do the hand pump for the exercise won't do that. I can't remember the brand name at WalMart but seem to remember it was a name brand. I'll also check out Sears.

dcm61

IIRC, the compressors at Wal-mart are Campbell Hausfield which is a name brand compressor.

I have the Sears Craftsman 2 gallon 1.5 HP 125 PSI compressor that lists for $119.99 and is usually on sale for $99.99. I actually got it for $79.99 + tax. Comes will coiled nylon airhose, quick disconnects, air chuck, blow gun, etc. It's ok but 2 gallons doesn't last very long so you need to pretty much continuously run the compressor when you use it.

DaveM

hondafriek

Walmart Canada have Campbell Hausfield and Coleman compressors which are both brand name.

 I have to laugh every time I see somebody push Craftsman stuff, Sears are not a manufacturer, all of their stuff is made by somebody else and branded Craftsman, When you buy Craftsman you could be buying Ryobi, Campbell Hausfield, Devillbis, Porter Cable, to name a few.

  Granted these are all brand names, but the point here is you can usually get a better price on the actual brand name product than you can get on the same unit branded Craftsman, unless of course you manage to pick it up on sale at Sears.

  Cheers Pat.

c_hunter

You certainly won't find me pushing their stuff unless it's a good product and on sale. Some of their sales are hard to beat. But you do have to be careful what you buy. I was not impressed by Sears tractors. I spent a few hundred more $$ and got a John Deere that was significantly better than anything Sears had. On the other hand, their hand tools (wrenches, etc...) are as good as any Snap-On or Mac tools I have used.

A few years back, my father was involved in parts design for Ryobi and Makita power tools. Both these companies make some of Sears Craftsman tools (cordless drills, etc). Interestingly, Sears had higher standards and specs for their tool parts than the other two companies! When they were formulating the design, Sears requirements drove almost all the specs beyond what Ryobi and Makita were working to.

I did the 30K maintenance on our Forester today, and having a compressor, air ratchet, and impact wrench was great! I had to dismantle a bunch of stuff to get to the spark plugs, and that air ratchet was a real help.

By the way, at least on the new Foresters, you don't have to drain and pull the tubes from the washer reservoir anymore. They have included enough slack that you can just move the tank out of the way (I used some wire to hold it out of the way).

Craig

hypov

If just for tire use, look for Bon-Aire.
Here's a link, Bon Aire ATP50 Compressor $33.95, but I won't buy from this "BuyTheWorld" guy [poor business ethics and service].

-Dave

fibber2

My first air compressor (bought around 1989) was a Campbell Hausfield. Twin cylinder cast iron oil type with belt drive. When it died multiple deaths (pressure switch, tank rot) and parts were no longer available, I bought a Coleman Black Max oiless. Yes, it was cheap, has a huge capacity tank & higher pressure, but the noise factor of the oiless design can make you crazy in short order. Moral = you get what you pay for.

Steve

ateixeira

Folding bikes are cool, a co-worker bought one and it's amazing. I could use one to leave in the closet at the beach house. The place is small and there's no place to put a regular bike.

Long live OCD!

My pressure washer is Campbell Hausfield, and I can't complain. It works fine after 3 years or so of use.

-juice

kate5000

generating a lot of positive thoughts in your direction...

subearu

the F-XT is now on 'hot-ship' meaning it's on immediate direct ship to the dealer.

-Brian

jfl

Haven't seen Patti posting for quite a while. Hope she's not in the dungeon.

Patti, we're thinking of you (good things).

Jim

fibber2

Beth has an appt scheduled for Thursday, and have heard nothing from the Dr's office. We are taking that as good news - figured if they found something bad, we would have gotten called in early??? Fingers tightly crossed.....

Steve

ateixeira

Maybe Patti's at the beach. If so, good for her. ;-)

-juice

lark6

Steve: hoping for the best for Beth and you.

Ed

bat1161

Steve,

The waiting is the hardest part. Good luck, and know we are pulling for you and Beth.

Mark

bat1161

FYI:

SOA reports April sales of 13605 units. The breakdown is as follows:

"The Legacy model line posted 6,224 units. Subaru Forester posted 4,476 units for
April, up 5 percent over last year. The Impreza line recorded 2,291 unit sales,
while Subaru Baja recorded sales of 614 units for the month."

Mark

rsholland

SOA would break down the "Legacy" numbers into both "Legacy" & "Outback." By grouping them together it gives a very misleading picture of what's really going on in terms of sales.

Bob

fibber2

The day the United States Patent Office awarded our work team a number in the area of ion beam technology (our second in the last 6 months)!!!

Steve

ldbricker

and what does that mean in English?

hypov

Steve-
can you build for me an ion cannon that I could mount in my WRX, front and rear? ;-)

-Dave

kens

I was just catching up. I'm hoping for good news.

Hang in there. I know the waiting is hard.

Ken

nygreg

That's great news. I didn't know you were a Saturn fan. I signed a patent yesterday that I hope will soon be filed. Thinking of Beth.

Greg

fibber2

In the past 3 years we have filed 12 disclosures with the US Patent Office, of which 2 have now been granted. It takes them years to do their "search and destroy" process, apply challenges, and eventually say yes or no. So far, no rejections - everything else is still in the mill. Best of luck with yours, Greg!

Interesting question, Dave! A little history. Focused Ion Beam technology was originally funded, in part, by the govt as part of the 'star wars' project to be an interstellar rocket engine. You have probably heard of 'ion drive' in sci-fi movies. Instead of chemical engines that give big thrust for a few minutes, then a lifetime of coasting, imagine a small stream output that ran forever. Once in space away from gravity and in a high vacuum environment, this small continuous thrust would yield unending acceleration. There was only one problem that could not be overcome with today's technology: the electrical energy required to achieve field emission and focusing of the beam is greater than the net output!

But in high tech we found that this high energy particle beam could do nanoscale etching. Add in some chemistry applied to surfaces where the beam is hitting, and you can do selective etching and even material deposition.

So an ion beam cannon for your car, Dave? No problem - you will just need a rather large feed from ConEd to power it!!!

Steve

bat1161

Steve,

Congrats on the patent. Ddin't someone (I forget who) launch an ion drive satellite a couple of years ago? I remember reading about how Star Trek was more step closer to reality with it.

Greg- good luck with your patent. So many creative people here:-)

Mark

ateixeira

What I want to know is can we apply this technology to make my Forester quicker? ;-)

-juice