So if texting while driving is dangerous (and it really is) then why do cops use their in-vehicle computers while driving? Isn't that essentially the same thing? I'm sure it's probably prohibited by official policy, but I know first hand they do. I've gone on police "ride outs" and seen them do it. Just wondering.
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Oh no! Apple has been hacked. Apple has long bragged their Mac's are immune to the attacks their competitors suffer daily. Now hackers traced to somewhere in eastern Europe have hit Apple, too.
No! Not my Mac! :(
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To piggyback on something Joe posted on yesterday, here's one of my warranty stories:
Back in the early '70's, right after I graduated college, I went to work for a local homebuilder and also built my first personal house. After one year and about 3 days, in the middle of summer (naturally), my air conditioning went out. The service guy said my compressor had gone pfffttt, but that the part was covered by a 5-year warranty. The labor, however, wasn't. How much for labor? About $600.
SIX HUNDRED BUCKS?? He said it was a 2-man, 2-day fix. They'd have to disassemble everything, replace the bad compressor, and then rebuild it all.
They had everything all figured out. Sure, I could probably find cheaper labor, but I would then have to buy the compressor, and that would cost more than $600. They had me over the proverbial barrel.
I called the president of the mechanical contractor my employer used, identified myself as an employee of one of his good customers, explained my predicament, and asked if he or the manufacturer might agree to cover everything as if it was still within the one year warranty. He very kindly said he'd "take care of it".
Now that the labor was on them, too, one repairman came out and had the compressor replaced and everything back in perfect order in about 2 hours.
Hmmmmm.
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Have a great day everyone. Just two more days until....
S
Given long enough hackers can get in anywhere. I watched a report on Bloomberg a while ago about how all these chess nerds in Russia now are turning to hacking because it apparently uses a lot of the same skills.
ReplyDeleteBastards!
DeleteSeems that work always takes longer when you charge by the hour. A warrenty that does not include labor? I'll bet that section was in really small print...under the paragraph "rip-off."
ReplyDeleteYeah, labor not included after the first year. It had "lawyer" written all over it.
DeleteS
Now that we're facing paying ANOTHER $1,000 on my car I wish I knew someone to call who could at least assure me that I'm not getting ripped off. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteIn the old days a good "shade tree" mechanic could advise you, but with everything on cars computerized today, those types are fewer and further between. If you ever do find a mechanic you trust, treasure him!
DeleteS
Fortunately our son is an automotive expert who can either do the repairs or tell us if we're getting ripped off.
ReplyDeleteI told my next door neighbor one day about how when I lift the hood today it's all I can do to find the oil dipstick. He said oh, it's easier to work on them today cuz there's only about three parts under the hood. It's all computerized but you can just replace a motherboard and it's fixed. I'm not sure I believe him.
ReplyDeleteI wish it was that easy, but we both know it isn't.
DeleteS
Don't get me started on air conditioning units and failures of parts thereof. I'll be eating lentil soup for months and months...
ReplyDeleteAnd I still wish I had the same garage for my car I had in Buffalo. After a few repairs for my (older) car, I jokingly asked for the "frequent flier" discount. They said that everybody who knew the mechanic's first name would get it. I looked at the mechanic's name tag and cried out, "Angelo, my friend!"
After that I got a 10% discount on everything and all my oil changes were free.
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ReplyDelete