Re: conservation of Euros

dealextreme.com is popular with the techno-gadget crowd. Amazing how inexpensive things are there -- if they sold army jeeps, they might actually be $44 like the ads in magazines decades back used to advertise. :-)

That being said, if I were buying something like a GPS navigation system, I'd stick to Garmin, Magellan, etc. if I were just going to buy one or were buying it for someone else -- but "enthusiasts" though, getting one of their ~$100 ones would likely be attractive.

Ooh, this is nice: Knock-off Wii controllers:

-- $20 shipped vs. $50 retail for the real Nintendo ones.

---Joel

Still old-fashioned here, we drive around with maps in the seat pockets :-)

I was never into video games. As a kid I built a pong game, mostly out of TTL chips scavenged from old mainframe computer cards. The minute I was done and it worked I lost interest. Gave it away.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

I have a bicycle mount for my Garmin. ;-) When the weather is nice,

15 or 20km (say 10 or 12 miles) isn't too bad a trip.

That works, although when you don't have a passenger or even if you do but you're trying to navigate to a specific street address in a big city, having "turn by turn" navigation from an electronic box is nice.

Most phones can do this as well these days -- so long as they can get a cell signal! (Which -- as I've probably mentioned before -- seems a little ironic to me in that the time you're most likely to *really* need a map is when you're out in the boonies and not likely to have a cell signal...)

---Joel

How can you possibly get lost on a 12 mile trip? In my whole life I've never managed to do that.

Ok, once a Garmin could have prevented a nearly disastrous mishap on a bicycle. Map said road goes from village A to village B, and it was a 60 mile bicycle trip. So me and a friend were happily zipping down that road at high speed on our 10-speed bicycles fully loaded with baggage, then ... *SCREEEEEECH*. A mining company had relocated the whole B village, bought everyone out and opened a gigantic coal mining pit, a mile or so in diameter, we were looking down several hundred feet of cliff and wiping the sweat off our foreheads. In FAA speak, a contribution factor was a longer stop at a beer garden prior to this stretch of road where they had excellent Hefeweizen on tap.

My bicycle lost several spokes during this event and the last 25 miles were "limp mode" at very low speed. Still shaking in my boots.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

Some of the subdivisions around here are relatively modern (post

1950-60s) and they often don't have a straightforward grid arrangement to discourage motorists cutting through them (often official fenced and paved bike lanes cut between houses so you can take shortcuts) . I prefer not to ride on the busy roads, so the first (and often the second or third time) to a new place can be challenging.

Ewww. Of course the map on the Garmin might not have been updated, so it might not be any different an outcome. I see people get lost all the time nearby where they recently changed from a cramped half cloverleaf interchange to a more spacious half cloverleaf. Their GPSs are telling them to make a right, and it's a left now.

[...]

About 10 years ago a UPS shipment didn't arrive. Got the tracking number, entered it ... "3 failed delivery attempts" ... Hurumph! Nobody had bothered to call me.

When I called they said my address is invalid. I informed them that this street was on maps since the late 60's and whether they could reprogram their time machine to the year 2000 or whatever it was. Or stop at the local gas station and buy a non-electronic map, a real map. The package was delivered prontissimo and this time, tada, they found our street.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

get

wrong.

government

who spent

it

already

paid.

banks.

equivalent

Because JQP is likely to skip on his taxes.

get

wrong.

tomorrow,

government

who spent

it

already

paid.

banks.

equivalent

How can they make him pay death taxes if he ain't dead? Got a link?

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

consider

pulls

->

Please help me to understand. =20 The tax code is badly broken (Y/N). =20 We have to use it as is (A), fix it (B), replace it (C), other _______________(D); (A/B/C/D) Please point out ways that the "Fair Tax" can blow up worse than current tax code _____________________________________________________________.

They better get in gear and campaign for the best available candidates in the _primaries_ _coming in June in CA_. If your choice is between the economic damage of Medfly Brown versus Meg Whitman you have foolishly allowed your choices to be too limited. Besides there is a lot of interesting propositions that need voted on.

flawed.

salary,

=20

Not all of that cost disappears, there is still materials costs paid at the lumber yard etc.,. Also the labor content of buildings has been reduced significantly by removing labor taxes.

>

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com

people

savings (that

indignities of the

left

embedded

Fair Tax)

power.

to pay

I

delay

price=20

is=20

=20

percent=20

iota=20

labor=20

miniscule.

and

=20

You are confusing unit of issue, intentional recruiting at minimum wage, and business designed for those conditions with price per unit and delta price per unit versus volume.

US=20

I have

that

now

post-taxes

tax land-

More like

rent=20

about=20

case.

not agree

(homes and

=20

That is all of them.

Yes [X] No [ ]

Ok, I do it for the umpteenth time but this is the last time cause I've got to get some work done here:

People who have diligently saved wish not to have their nest egg taxed a second time. So, they will try to dodge that bullet. Some will retire outside the country and take their nest egg along. Others and I am afraid that would be the majority will rush their money out of the banks and into real estate so they convert it to "pre-fictitious-rent" property. A plain old financial stampede, except that this one will be more devastating to the financial markets than anything we have ever seen, including the housing bubble.

Next, look at countries that have VAT which is fairly similar to what some people call "fair tax" except that they also have an income tax. What has that triggered? Right, a rampant underground economy. I lived there, so I know. The governments don't even have the foggiest idea how bad that really is. People have no qualms hollering clear across a pub "Hey, anyone know a tile setter who'll make me a good offer if I don't need an invoice?". That is because those countries generally also slap VAT on services. So ...

I have never played that game but, example: Bathroom needed remodeling. Quotes $20k and up. Yikes! So I pushed out one project that wasn't too urgent and where the client was ok with that, bought the materials for a few thousand bucks, rolled up the sleeves and had at it. Three weeks later we had a beautiful new bathroom with stuff in there that was higher class that the contractor grade stuff from the quotes. "Oh, you want those Turkish tiles with the artwork in there? Yes, dear, no problem". Everything perfectly legit and we saved way more than $15k. An engineer could not possibly have made that much in three weeks. I don't think I need to explain what that does to unemployment.

Believe me, everybody in this neighborhood _is_ already in gear. There's a reason why the tea parties grow at an amazing clip.

Well, this was in response to James' notion that, quote "You never need assessors, since taxes are based on actual sales price--that's the assessment."

So let's see, since we can't have an assessor then John Q.Public must self-file into some computer system. "Hmm, so what do we enter here for the materials? One box of nails, a pack of drywall screws, the hot dog I had outside Home Depot. Don't remember the rest ..."

Anyhow, tax systems get reworked or changed for one reason: To milk body public for even more money. People don't want that.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

(that

the

What's confusing about this? Whether it's Walmart or Amazon or whatever, competition forces such places to live on rather slim margins. The same is true in the auto business. Yeah, the dealer/middleman might make $1k-$2k but the other $15k go to Japan or Korea.

agree

See, now you know another reason why I am against this change :-)

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

am=20

consider

law

pulls

->

instead=20

In=20

can=20

Jeorg, please answer the immediately above question.

current

_____________________________________________________________.

=20

=20

=20

=20

And just how much of that 15K difference was labor taxes (including meta-taxes like union dues)?

and

by=20

be

makes=20

and

to

up

the=20

in

=20

flawed.

salary,

=20

house?=20

flat?=20

savings=20

at

=20

That is all recorded in the tax receipts.

=20

Productive people don't want that, the parasites do. Thus, conflict.

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com

people

savings (that

indignities of the

it).

have left

embedded

=46air Tax)

power.

3rd-order

to pay

but I

a delay

price=20

US is=20

because=20

percent=20

iota=20

labor=20

miniscule.

and

that'll=20

or=20

wage,

delta

=20

Dealers usually get mote than that, like 3k to 5k per car, more for luxury lines like Lexus. Go ask if you don't believe me.

Please respond to the volume pricing at Digikey (and most electronic retailer/wholesalers).

the US=20

paycheck, I have

of that

now

post-taxes

my

tax land-

More like

rent=20

about=20

case.

may not agree

(homes and

to=20

of=20

(that

the

Tax)

Few cars sold in the US are made in Japan or Korea.

No, they really don't. It's usually closer to $300 than $3000 and often negative. Dealerships don't make a lot of money on the sale of a new car.

My answer is "B". And they should let engineers do it because they (or most of them) know how to fix a broken system. Politicians generally do not.

Over there most likely 30% or a bit more, don't remember. Fact is the Laffer curve rung true, big time. Meantime the VAT there has gone up even more, by another four percentage points or so. Guess what that did?

What receipts? Case in point, and I was right behind the guy: Dude had a huge cart in tow at the cash register. A toilet, two sinks, tile, pipe, mortar, the works. He could barely pull it. Ka-ching ... "That'll be eighthundred Dollars and .." He whipped out a huge wallet and paid the whole chebang in cash. Dollar bills. No check, no credit card, no name given. Now how exactly is this going to be recorded?

Exactly. So ...

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

(that

the

Tax)

Nope, not so. I was being generous here, they usually do not even get anything close to 10%:

Digikey is different, and not at all a factor in this game. Their higher prices for small volumes have simple reasons. For example, someone has to pay for the antistatic bag for the lone AD603 you order to test an AGC. The people (or increasingly robots) who pick must be amortized by the minute. Same for shipping department space and so on. All this cost is nearly identical whether you buy one AD603 or a whole reel. Consequently you must pay $10.50 for one, $7.10/ea for 100, and $6.50/ea if you buy bulk. Sound pretty normal to me. Hint: For lower quantities you can often get by with a lesser penalty at Mouser but they search engine is the pits, IMHO.

[...]

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

(that

of the

embedded

Tax)

pay

delay

Mine was made in Nagoya.

[...]

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.