Posts Made By: Thomas Holst

You call that an earthquake? CNN's coverage of the quake has even overshadowed the Libya situation with people freaking out all over the East coast. If you look closely at CNN's video, you can just barely see the camera is swaying a little. Ooooooh! Mass evacuations, traffic gridlock, cellular service overloaded. Better shut down the nuclear powerplants!

An earthquake is when it feels/sounds like a 747 has crashed into your house and the bed you're sleeping in suddenly becomes a mechanical bull. When it's over, you get up, dust yourself off and say "Wow, that was fun."

I wonder what kind of nasty carcinogens will leach out of that Chinese white granite when it starts raining.

Here's another photo, with a key bit of information.

Ford Fusion. (2006~2009)

1963 Chevy Corvette Stingray

Well, it sure resembles a '32~'33 Ford Coupe, but it could be later with some custom work or the wrong tail light. Confirm this is not a customized car? I need to see another photo.

robin woolsey said:

Hello!
Does Celestron honor the remaining warranty on one of their products if purchased used but still within the warranty period?

If you read Celestron's warranty information on their web site you will note two key bits of information:

1. Items sent in for warranty service must be accompanied by a proof of purchase document that satisfies Celestron.

2. It also says: "This warranty is valid to U.S.A. and Canadian customers who have purchased this product from an authorized Celestron dealer in the U.S.A. or Canada."

I would imagine that you cannot satisfy these requirements if you purchased the item used from an individual. Celestron's warranty information mentions nothing about the warranty being transferable.

I've used UPS, FedEx and USPS at one time or another, and I've had good/bad experiences with all of them. That said, I've pretty much settled on shipping small astro items via USPS Priority Mail, both regular and flat rate. (It pays to weigh the item then determine which is more cost-effective.)

I like Priority Mail because:

1. The USPS provides a variety of shipping boxes and bags for free, some of which I keep on hand at home.

2. The service is pretty fast; usually 2~3 days.

3. Priority Mail packages seem to actually get priority handling over parcel post and usually arrive with less damage to the box. I figure the less time spent in transit, the less opportunity there is for the box to get squished. Dunno if this is really true but it makes sense to me.

4. Packages usually arrive in better shape than those sent via UPS Ground.

Notes:

Tracking: Although you can spend extra money for Tracking, it's mostly worthless foo-foo. The item can still get lost and you have no recourse. You're better off buying insurance instead and the USPS can track the package from that. (Ask me how I know.) If the item does get lost or damaged, you have some recourse.

Delivery Confirmation: I think this is another worthless add-on expense. The package can still get lost and you have no recourse.

Zip Codes: When you send a Priority Mail package, look closely at the receipt the postal clerk hands you and make sure he/she typed in the right Zip Code. This is the same Zip Code encoded into the bar code on the postage sticker on the package and can delay delivery by a week or two if it's wrong. (Ask me how I know.)

I assembled a lot of plastic model aircraft as a kid but finally quit when the solvent cement started making me weird. I switched to balsa models and used the much safer white glue. The balsa models were more challenging and some of them (gliders) could actually fly. To avoid breathing dope (lacquer) fumes I covered them with MonoKote (iron-on, heat shrink) plastic film.

I figure I need to conserve the few brain cells I have left and go out of my way to avoid breathing the nasty stuff that we didn't know was harmful as a kid.

In my opinion, this is an incredibly stupid move. After reading a couple article about the Texas speed limit increase, I noticed that the primary concern is about reduced fuel economy with little or no mention of safety.

Most everyone generally knows that higher speeds increase stopping distance, crash severity and affect how a car handles. Few, however, seem to be aware of how high speeds affect tires and that tire failures at high speeds can have catastrophic results.

If you're driving a new car, in perfect condition, properly loaded, with new, properly inflated tires, you're in good shape. But it all goes downhill from there.

1. Passenger car tires are load, speed and temperature rated for a particular application. If you have replaced your tires with those of the wrong size or rating, you could have a problem.

2. If you have had a tire punctured and patched, it no longer meets its stated load/speed rating.

3. If your tires are over 5 years old, they are no longer covered by most tire manufacturer's warranties, regardless of mileage. (Tires simply degrade with age.)

4. If even one tire is underinflated by only a few PSI, it will generate a lot more heat at high speed and will be prone to failure.

5. A heavily loaded vehicle, rough pavement, high ambient temperatures, bad alignment, bad shock absorbers or any combination of these will result in higher internal tire temperatures and bring them closer to failure.

6. Combine a high speed tire failure with the fact that most people don't know what to do when a tire blows and an accident is very likely.

7. Tire failures can also result from hidden manufacturing defects but you usually don't find out about them until it's too late.

Visualize this: You're cruising down a Texas freeway at the posted 85 MPH limit, in your new Lexus. A 17 year old kid pulls up next to you in his beater '73 Camaro. His car is riding on one new tire, one bald tire, one retread and a temporary spare. You can't see that he's missing one lug nut on one wheel and two on another. His front end is out of alignment, the ball joints need replacement and all his shocks are worn out. You wanna be speeding down the road next to this "accident waiting to happen"? Chances are good that when one of his tires decides to self-destruct, he will take someone with him.

No, 85 MPH is too fast for public roads when 20%* of the cars on those roads have substandard tire conditions of one type or another.

*Based on my own observations.

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/9_firestone/stories/1_ford_Explorer.html