HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ashabana@agsm.ucla.edu (Ahmed Shabana)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Universal Remotes
Date: 16 Nov 92 15:47:38 GMT

I have a "One for all" (3) they have different models depending on how
many devices you plan to control with it. 
It works fine but every now and then it doesn't and I have to reprogram it 
( it takes about 1 minute with the manual in front of me).  It's worth the 
$19.99 I paid for it.

Ahmed

--
_____________________________________________________________________
Ahmed A. Shabana	         |" Bill, now you can get rid of THAT watch"
Anderson Graduate School of Mgmt.| Omega watches commercial aired on
U.C.L.A.                         | Election day referring to Clinton's Timex
From: fino@point.cs.uwm.edu (Alexander Finogenov)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Products you only buy once
Date: 22 Nov 1992 01:26:15 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.2.5

In article <92325.170640FJM1@psuvm.psu.edu> <FJM1@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:

: I am trying to identify products that a person only purchases once.

I am not sure about a book: what about the following editions?

How about anything which may be protected under the Copyright (software,
painting)?

Expensive jewelry? Sledge hammer? Wedding dress?

Services of a bad surgeon?
From: suffron@informix.com (Nancy Suffron)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Espresso/cappacino machines
Date: 16 Nov 92 04:43:42 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.
Originator: suffron@cheetah

I would like to get my parents a combination espresso/cappacino (sp?)
machine for Christmas and was all set to get the 4-cup Krups machine
until I got a negative reaction from a colleague.

What's the net.wisdom?  Any favorites?  Any horror stories?

Thanks in advance.


Nancy

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nancy Suffron                   email: suffron@informix.com
Client Services Engr.       phonemail: 913-599-8475
Informix Software, Inc.     snailmail: 16011 College Blvd.
                                       Lenexa, KS  66219
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: lou@hpkslx.mayfield.HP.COM (Lou Kvitek)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 01:13:58 GMT
Subject: Re: Nope again (was Re: Yup, Amway's a scam)
Organization: HP Response Center Lab
Newsgroups: misc.consumers

In misc.consumers, chrz@tellabs.com (Peter Chrzanowski) writes:

> Finally, while the products sold by some MLMs are good quality I've
> yet to see any that are a good value; they're just too expensive.
> According to Business Week magazine and other sources, a typical big
> discount chain store (e.g., Kmart, WalMart) has overhead in the area 
> of 15 to 30 percent of sales. I don't see how an MLM can keep costs 
> anywhere near that low.

I would first state that yes, the price of a comparable item at a
discount chain will probably be a bit lower than its counterpart
Amway product (some are higher).  However, price alone cannot be
the sole determining factor in a purchase.  If you shop at these
discount chains you must factor in these costs:  time spent driving
to and from the store, depreciation on your vehicle ($.28 per mile),
time spent walking through the store locating your items, time spent
in checkout line (for the privilege of) paying for your items, stress
associated with traffic, crowds, waiting in line.  The problem is 
that most people don't take the time to consider what things really
contribute to the cost of "shopping".  I hate traffic, crowds, and
rude sales people.  I prefer to shop at home.

Amway cuts out the middleman.  A typical manufacturer sells product
to a jobber, who sells to wholesaler, who sells to retailer, who
sells to you - the consumer.  Each middleman takes a markup.  Amway
takes the markup and uses it to pay bonuses to the distributors.
The end prices of the products compete very well (we have comparisons).
Amway pays 65% of every dollar of revenue back to the distributors.
65% of (1992) $4 Billion is a lot of money.  The bonuses are paid
for creating volume, volume is best created by building a network
of distributors.  After all, 100 people can move and use more products
than 1.

That'll be $.03 please (inflation ya know)

Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
From: bseymour@encore.com (Burch Seymour)
Subject: Re: Aluminum cookware: Recipe for disaster?
Organization: Encore Computer Corporation
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 20:42:41 GMT


>I personally avoid aluminum pans at home.  If aluminum is dangerous, I've avoided it.  If
>aluminum is harmless, I've not deprived myself of anything by using non-aluminum pans.
>__


Sorry, you lose. Well according to a former net-expert anyway. A few years
ago there was a frequent poster to sci.med (Craig Werner) who was a med
student at Albert Einstein in NY. His contention was that you get more
aluminum from glassware that from pots, as the aluminum oxide goes
into solution easier than the metalic state. 

At least that's what I remember him saying. Better documented confirmations
or contradictions welcome, of course.

-bs-
From: danny@vega.iii.com (danny)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: The Wonderfull Tri Star Vacuum
Date: 20 Nov 92 18:46:32 GMT
Organization: Innovative Interfaces Inc., Berkeley CA

I just have a in house demo of the Tri-Star vacuum ( they don't call
this a vacuum ).  Basically, the demo show how
dirty my house is by using there powerful Tri-star  to suck up 
all kind of dirt everywhere and to show how in-effective my current
vacuum is.  The major different for this vacuum is how they engle the
inlet tube at some 16 degree to the face of the motor. This enable a
circular air within the bag which keeps the dirt moving and 
from clogging up the bag.

I have to said I am impressed with this little thing (weight about 15 pound).
The Tri-Star cost $2089 at full retail with a 25 year full replacment 
warranty and clean my house carpet 25 time within this period using some
dry chem stuff.  He did come down to $1589 but we decided this is too
steep for my blood.  If you consisder a good vacuum cost 200-300 dollar
and a new one is in order every 5-10 years or so, $1589 is not much and also
consider how much more dust and dirt the Tri-star picks up.

Now here is my question?
Have any one in the netland brought a Tri-Star ?
if so, and how you like it? How the service response if you need it?
and would you recommand this?

Thanks 
Danny
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
From: yenamand@mega.cs.umn.edu (Murthy yenamandra)
Subject: Re: Aluminum cookware: Recipe for disaster?
Organization: :noitazinagrO
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 03:29:47 GMT

hnewstrom@hnewstrom.ess.harris.com (Harvey Newstrom) writes:

>The facts about aluminum and Alzheimer's are not disuputed, but the
>conclusions are.
>1.  Alzheimer's victims have more aluminum in their brain tissues than
>other persons.
>2.  Aluminum poisoning in animals causes Alzheimer's-like symptoms.
>Does aluminum cause Alzheimer's?  Dunno.
>Can avoiding aluminum prevent Alzheimer's?  Dunno.

I heard a report on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) about recent
research that disputes point 1. There was an interview with the
researcher (from the UK, I think). He said that the aluminium detected in
Alzheimer patients may have come from the tests themselves (because
of test methods - including aluminium contamination in instruments,
chemicals or whatever). He said that this is a setback for Alzheimer's
research. These were apparently recent results. Anyone have
more info?

>I personally avoid aluminum pans at home.  If aluminum is dangerous,
>I've avoided it.  If
>aluminum is harmless, I've not deprived myself of anything by using
>non-aluminum pans.

I too don't use aluminium pans at home, but not because of Alzheimer's.

Murthy

--
Murthy Yenamandra	|    "I close my eyes and all the world drops dead;
Dept of Comp Science 	|     I lift my lids and all is born again.
Univ of Minnesota	|     (I think I made you up inside my head.)"
yenamand@cs.umn.edu OR murthy@molbio.cbs.umn.edu (if the first one fails)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.legal,misc.taxes,misc.invest.real-estate
From: ask@cbnews.cb.att.com (Arthur S. Kamlet)
Subject: Re: cash flow crisis
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories,  Columbus, Ohio
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 07:20:18 GMT
Keywords: cash flow

In article <1eprb3INN1s7@agate.berkeley.edu> woodson@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu (Charles Woodson) writes:
>My friend is in a cash flow disaster.
>
>(1) His debt playments exceed his income.
>
>(2) He has used up all available cash reserves paying payments.
>
>(3) He has rental income, but not enough to cover all mortgage payments.
>
>(4) His assets are all in real estate.  They appear to exceed what he
>owes but he has been unable to sell any because the market is slow.
>He has a property on the market.
>
>(5) He says some creditors are planning to sue him.
>(I suspect he is 4 or 5 months behind on some.)
>
>(6) He appears to be very upset about it all and it appears to be
>harming his health.
>
>What should he do?
>
>(a) I suggested he write each creditor monthly and keep them informed of
>his efforts.  Will this help?

Depends.  On the one hand it could get some creditors to back off;
on the other hand it could speed up a bankruptcy petition.  He
should really talk with a lawyer.

>(b) He talks about filing bankruptsy.  Is that appropriate?  (His assets
>appear to be more than his debts, but they are not liquid.)  What would
>be the implications of bankruptsy?

You say his assets are adequate.  He could file for bankruptcy as
debtor in posession; but he really needs legal advice.

>(c) He feels he needs a few more months and he will be able to sell some
>real estate.  (Sales are usually better in the Spring.) 
>He fears some debtors will get a court to take his wages and he will
>have nothing to live on and even less to make mortgage payments?
>How do such things work?

Unless they have signed contracts authorizing such seizures, these
things work slowly.   If they have a title to his car, for example,
it is fairly easy and fast to prove he has not made payments, and to
reposess.   But if he has not kept current in other business
transactions, things take longer.

>I tell him it is just money--paper money no less.  He is taking it 
>very seriously.  Can anyone offer us some advice?

Well, it can be serious, and bankruptcy can make any business
dealings difficult.

Advice (3rd time)   See a lawyer.
-- 
Art Kamlet  a_s_kamlet@att.com  AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: reb@Ingres.COM (Phydeaux)
Subject: Re: Stereo Receiver Recommendations needed
Reply-To: reb@Ingres.COM (Phydeaux)
Organization: E 4th St Home For The Overeducated Underemployed - Chicago Div.
Date: 18 Nov 92 20:58:25 GMT

In article <1992Nov18.181258.16977@tellab5.tellabs.com> chrz@tellabs.com (Peter Chrzanowski) writes:
>In article <1992Nov17.215647.12586@pony.Ingres.COM>, reb@Ingres.COM (Phydeaux) writes:
>> In article <6967@dove.nist.gov> glenn@sloth.ncsl.nist.gov writes:
>> >I'm in the market for a new stereo receiver (our 28 year old tube amp isn't
>> >up to the task at hand).  
>
>> Sony has something for multi-rooms too.  Have you tried looking in rec.audio?
>
>Do you suppose a modern Sony consumer-grade receiver will last for 28 years
>like his old amp did?

No, I doubt *any* consumer-grade receiver you buy nowadays will last 28 years.

					reb
From: lsnow@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Linda Snow)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Discount silverware?
Date: 19 Nov 92 17:33:35 GMT
Reply-To: lsnow@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Linda Snow)
Organization: NCR E&M CLEMSON Liberty, SC

In article <1992Nov17.170850.7518@reed.edu> bob@reed.edu (Robert Ankeney) writes:
>
>     Does anyone know if there are any mail-order places to get discount
>silverware?  I'm looking specifically at Gorham Chantilly (sp?), but would
>be interested in other makers too.


Walter Drake has (or used to have) a silver exchange, including discontinued
patterns.  This is the same Walter Drake that has your basic 
gadgets-and-address-labels mail order catalog.  I believe they're located
in Colorado Springs.  Look in the little ads in the back of women's
magazines (i.e. Family Circle, etc.) and you should be able to find their
address somewhere.  I bought a place setting from them several years ago.
Some of the stuff is probably used, but then that's not a problem with silver.

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: <juyoung@kiwi.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: eyeglasses: want info about anti-reflective coatings
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 13:41:40 -0500

In article <1992Nov16.172320.11880@acuson.com> marc@acuson.com (Marc Weinshenker) writes:
>I would like to hear about experiences with anti-reflective
>coatings for regular clear eyeglass lenses. I have some idea
>about the advantages as well as the expense, but I would also
>like to know about what the downsides might be.
>

No down side.  I have wear it for over 8 years.  May be the only disadvantage
of it is the price here is really too expensive.  I have my eyeglasses made
overseas and they are much, much cheaper than here.  BTW, I am a foreginer.

>Thanks.
>
>-- 
>Marc Weinshenker                         marc@acuson.com
>Acuson Corporation                       415-694-5186 
>Mountain View, California                
>


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: bullock@watson.bms.com (JOAN BULLOCK)
Subject: Re: Getting Ready to Sell House: How to Ma
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 16:46:00 GMT

In article <1e89fkINN6qg@sixgun.East.Sun.COM>, egreen@east.sun.com writes...
> 
>The only time selling a house through a RE agent makes sense is if the
>house has some particularly undesirable "features," or time is
>critical, such as a job change out of state.
> 
>For a well maintained house in a desirable location, there is seldom
>any compelling reason to list the house through an agent.


This must be one of those things that vary widely by region.  Around here 
(NJ), the conventional wisdom is to use a realtor simply because most folks 
do and you'll be reaching a larger segment of the market.  I suppose there are 
secondary considerations of convenience, too.

Your mileage may vary.

Joan Bullock
bullock@bms.com
From: miner@hightop.nrl.navy.mil (Les Miner)
Subject: Re: Home Automation
Organization: Naval Research Labs (Washington DC)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 14:24:12 GMT

In article <722050942snx@uumike.UUCP> mikey@nlbbs.uucp writes:
>I'd like to know if there are any cateloges out there for home
>automation especially how to attach a PC to control this stuff....
>
>Mike Couture
>mikey@nlbbs.uucp

I would also appreciate any info on home automation.
E-mail to miner@hightop.nrl.navy.mil

Thanks


-- 
 _    ____ ____
| |  | ___| ___|          It's bad luck to be superstitious!
| |__| ___|___ |          #include <std.disclaimer>
|____|____|____|          DP2 Les R. Miner - miner@hightop.nrl.navy.mil
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: carl@Cayman.COM (Carl Heinzl)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: How to cut back my heat bill?
Date: 23 Nov 92 21:22:50 GMT
Organization: Cayman Systems Inc., Cambridge, MA
In-reply-to: bullock@watson.bms.com's message of 20 Nov 92 21:30:00 GMT
bcc: carl


>takes more energy to raise them X deg F).  When you increase the temperature 
>of your thermostat, your furnace will run until _all_ of the interior 
>(walls, possessions as well air) has risen to the desired temperature.  

Gee, I've *never* seen a thermostat that reads the temperatures at
every point in the entire house including walls, posessions, etc.  

The thermostat reads the temperature in ONE place and turns the heat
off and on according to the temperature it sees.  There are always
thermal gradients (differences in temperature) inside rooms, in fact,
that's what helps to heat up rooms that have radiators or finboard
(hot water).  Hot air rises and sets up very small eddy currents that
move the air throughout the room nice and slow.  You don't normally
feel these currents, unlike forced hot air!!!  The outside walls are
generally the coldest part of the room (well, except for the windows),
followed by the floor (unles you have radiant floor heating of course
:^) ) and the most heat is up by the ceiling, just where you don't
really want it.

-Carl-
--
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: brokaw@flamingo.weeg.uiowa.edu (Pete Brokaw)
Subject: Re: Basketball Goal
Organization: Weeg Computing Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 21:04:47 GMT

In article <1992Nov19.150211.5938@sdc.com>, kenk@sdc.com (Ken Konecki) writes:
|> If you're concerned about permanent mounting of a basketball net, consider
|> the portable ones that are making inroads in suburbia these days.  The
|> ones I've seen have a large (presumably heavy) base with wheels.  Check
|> your local sporting goods store for more information.
|> 
|> Cheers,
|>     -Ken K

My brother (who lives in chicago suburbia) has a model like Ken describes.
The base is heavy-duty plastic and can be filled with water--it is unmovable 
until the water is drained.

Pete
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The secret to a long life is knowing when it's time to go."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pete Brokaw		Email: pete-brokaw@uiowa.edu
Weeg Computing Center	University of Iowa	Iowa City, IA 52242

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: forced-hot-air vs baseboard heating: is it really "drier" heat?
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: misc
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 17:15:47 GMT

In article <MEIR.92Nov20133533@fiasco.watson.ibm.com> meir@watson.ibm.com (Meir Laker) writes:
>New construction in our area seems to have baseboard heating as
>opposed to forced-hot-air heating.
>
>The reason: "conventional" wisdom has it that baseboard heating dries
>out a house less than forced-hot-air heating, significantly less so
>that a humidifier is not needed (besides the fact that a humidifier
>could not be installed without duct work).
>
>Is this true?

I grew up in a house with electric baseboard heaters. As I recall, the
house didn't noticeably dry out in winter at all. I now live in a house
equipped with gas forced air with the smallest plenum mounted humidifier
Home Depot sells. There are noticeable problems; excessive evaporation
from my aquarium, sinus troubles, "cottonmouth" in the mornings, etc.
This is despite the fact that New Jersey (my current location) is more
humid than the area in which I grew up.

I can't say why, but "conventional" wisdom is no less wisdom for being
conventional. Sometimes "old wives" are pretty smart.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | The reason that cliches become cliches is that
George Patterson -  | they are the hammers and screwdrivers in the
                    | toolbox of communication.
                    |                        Terry Pratchett
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: 1k1mgm@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Christopher Gunn)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Rehab old 2nd-story deck surface?
Date: 17 Nov 92 14:42:45 CST
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

House I'm likely to own soon if the last few bits of the deal go through
has a second-story railed deck over what used to be the front porch,
which has now been finished (poorly) into an interior room.  A lot of
the second-story decks on pre-World War 2 houses around here seem
to have been purely ornimental--no door out to them, for example.  But
my future place not only has a door but a complete little entryway,
with storm and interior doors about 18" apart.  So I suspect that it
was intended to be used, but with an *outside* porch underneath
that didn't need a particularly watertight roof.

Sometime in the past folks have put lord knows what as roofing
on the deck--probably asphalt/gravel culminating in the deteriorating
rolled roofing that's now the top.  This is going to have to be
replaced sometime soon, and I'd like to replace it with some sort
of hard surface that will function as a deck.  (There is no other
outside porch--all three original ones [front, back, upstairs sleeping]
now are closed and finished.)

Mechanical inspector recommended stripping off the crud to a sound
surface (replacing boards if necessary), adding new rolled roofing
and putting some sort of floating decking on top of that.  No real
problem unless there's no sound surface left underneath.  I can't
help wonder if there's some way to kill two birds with one stone
in that situation, perhaps by putting down two layers of exterior
plywood with something (metal, plastic, sealant?) between them to
function both as waterproof roof and floor surface.  Since area
involved is about 10'x20', cost per square foot is an object....

Ideas or references?

Christopher Gunn	Molecular Graphics and Modeling Lab
SPAN--KUPHSX::GUNN	Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Malott Hall
913-864-4428 or -4495	University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS  66045
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: pjh@mccc.edu (Pete Holsberg)
Subject: Re: Re: How to tell a REAL buyer's agent
Organization: The College On The Other Side Of Route One
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 22:56:59 GMT

In article <1992Nov13.154744.23082@dg-rtp.dg.com> eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com writes:
=If the agents are getting paid by the seller to begin with then they aren't
=really 'buyers' agents, they're 'selling' agents.

There's a legal distinction between the "buyer's agent" and the "selling
agent," regardless of who pays them!

=I won't repeat the many explanations of the difference that have been posted
=here.

But perhaps you might reread them. :-)

=|> You pay your agent to list and sell your house.  
=
=No, I pay the agent to sell the house at the highest practical price; if the
='selling' agent is also working towards that goal then the selling agent is
=doing the same job as the listing agent; if the 'selling' agent is really
=acting as a 'buyers' agent, then they are working towards a different goal.

Yes! But the selling agent doesn't "act" as a buyer's agent. He/she
either is one (by contract between agent and buyer) or isn't (absence of
said contract).

Pete
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: rusty@nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov (Kenneth Hall)
Subject: Re: crickets
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 18:57:00 GMT

In article <20NOV199213120494@nsinic.gsfc.nasa.gov>, stern@nsinic.gsfc.nasa.gov (If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted) writes...
>As the weather in Maryland has turned nippy and I've started to
>batten down the hatches for the winter, I've noticed some crickets
>doing the same... in my house. Specifically, I've noticed one or two
>of them in the basement and near the furnace. I don't mind their 
>chirping. In fact, it kinda reminds me of more peaceful times. I'm
>just wondering what do they eat? Will/Could they proliferate? Do
>they cause damage?
            ^^^^^^

Yes these little guys can cause clear cut damage.  One of the problems 
I noticed and had verifies when I had crickets in my apartment is that 
they can cause slits in fabrics to occur by either chewing or 
someother means.  This can be bad especially if they get into your 

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house