HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: STAN@VM.TEMPLE.EDU (Stan Horwitz)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Interplak vs. Braun
Date: 29 Dec 92 16:05:45 GMT
 <2B38A49E.8570@news.service.uci.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Temple University - Computer Services

The original question on this thread was  whether or not the Braun is a more
effective tooth cleaner than the  Interplak.  This question cannot really be
answered without some objective scientific  research.  The best answer I saw
was an  article on electric  toothbrushes in Consumer Reports  which favored
the Braun.

Of course, if you follow  Consumer Reports' recommendation totally, you will
use a  conventional toothbrush.  They said  that a thorough brushing  with a
conventional  tootbrush can  be as  good as  the cleaning  one gets  from an
electric toothbrush. I thought that statement was silly though.

I am a big  fan of electronic gadgets.  I read Consumer  Reports to find out
what they had to say on this topic.  I have very strong teeth and have never
had a  cavity in my  31 years of  life.  This is  despite a history  of poor
dental hygene on my part.  After getting tired of hearing my dentist and his
staff yell at me, I decided to get an electric toothbrush.  My idea was that
that  I  would use  electronic  toothbrush  more  frequently than  a  manual
toothbrush.  My suspicions turned out to be correct.

The store  I went  to had  the Braun  and Interplak  displayed next  to each
other.  The Interplak looked like it  was clunky and poorly made compared to
the Braun.  I liked the small circular  brush of the Braun also which seemed
like it could  reach into smaller places than the  big Interplak brush head.
The Braun was also $10 less than the Interplak.

The Braun is my first electric toothbrush and its working out great.  I have
been using it daily  since I got it and it seems to  do a fantastic job.  As
was said earlier, it also seems industructable, but I certainly wouldn't try
putting the base in the tub with me with it plugged in or even if it isn't.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: us267418@mmm.serc.3m.com (Andy Ihlenfeldt)
Subject: Re: Recommendation for Nursery Monitors
Organization: 3M Company
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 92 15:17:20 GMT


I use a Fisher Price model and am generally pleased with it.  I am amazed at
the sensitivity of the microphone.   On occasion I do have problems: 

1) I get static on the receiving end which can usually be alleviated by
   moving the receiver.

2) My receiver picks up conversations, possibly from radio, tv, cb 
   or something else.  It's pretty annoying and seems to be getting
   more frequent.  Changing channels has little effect.  Anyone else find
   this a problem?

Andy
arihlenfeldt@mmm.com
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:21019 alt.visa.us:771
Organization: CUNY/UCC VM Systems
Date: Monday, 21 Dec 1992 08:56:39 EST
From: Robert Chambers <RMCCU@CUNYVM.BITNET>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.visa.us
Subject: Re: Can one be denied insurance based on citizenship?
Distribution: usa
 <1h0aq4INNoie@uwm.edu>

In article <1h0aq4INNoie@uwm.edu>, fino@point.cs.uwm.edu (Alexander Finogenov)
says:
>
>: shekar@bnr.ca (Shekar Benakatti) writes:
>:
>: >I was recently denied Insurance because I am not a citizen
>: >of USA, but a permanent resident.  I have been informed that
>: >they cannot legally do this to a permanent resident just
>: >because he is not a citizen.  Does anyone know what I can
>: >do?  The insurance company is refusing to put this in
>: >writing.
>:
>: >I wonder if one day a grocery store refuses to sell me food
>: >because I told them that I am not a citizen?
>: >
>: >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>: >  Shekar Benakatti         |  My Opinions only; NOT BNR/NT's
>: >  Bell-Northern Research   |  EMail: shekar@bnr.ca
>: >  Richardson TX 75083      |  Phone: (214)-684-4795 (ESN 444)
>: >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>Call your state's insurance comissioner office.  Tell them about that.  But
>never use this insurance company...

I have to agree, I have insurance buttwipes calling me all the time
trying to sell me insurance for this that and the other and not one
of them ever asked about citizenship.

Perhaps you could offer your insurance commissioner to go in there with
a "wire" and sting them.  I'm sure something like that could get their
license pulled... and they damn well deserve to have it pulled!

Certainly don't deal with them, they don't sound too reputable...
would you mind telling us who this was?  was it a major one or just
an insurance broker type?

Robert
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,sci.electronics,soc.culture.japan,misc.education,misc.entrepreneurs
From: newman@astro.schbbs (Alan Newman)
Subject: Re: DOES AMERICA SAY YES TO JAPAN? - Off track!!
Organization: /u2/newman/.organization
Date: 21 Dec 92 08:32:18
	<1992Dec19.004520.29380@leland.Stanford.EDU>
	<1992Dec18.205739.11193@doug.cae.wisc.edu>

In article <1992Dec18.205739.11193@doug.cae.wisc.edu> kolstad@cae.wisc.edu (Joel Kolstad) writes:
>
>...
>                                                 There is simply no American
>   competition in some products that I really like; for instance, some
>   Japanese made products that I could NOT buy "Made in the U.S.A." even if I
>   wanted to: 
>...
>              my Panasonic KXT-4000 cordless phone, 
>...
>
>						   ---Joel Kolstad

I suggest you check out a product my employer sells, the Motorola Cordless
Phone.  I had a KXT-4000 before the Motorola product came out, and then 
bought the Motorola phone.  At about the same price, it has many more 
significant features (such as channel autoscan, base-handset scrambling,
battery backup in the base for complete operation during power outages, 
lighted buttons, a mute that really works, ...), significantly better 
durability, better performance (sound quality and range), pocket size 
(larger than the KXT-4000, but hand and shoulder holdable, as opposed to 
an awkward thumb and finger tip holdable for the KXT-4000), and it is US 
designed and built.

(On the down side, the Motorola phone requires handset recharding in the base,
but not very often, and I can't button close my shirt pocket when the
phone is in it as I could with the KXT-4000.)

Alan Newman

Disclaimer:  My biased opinion expressed above probably is shared by my
employer!!
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:21101 misc.misc:4163 comp.sys.mac.comm:12363 comp.sys.mac:566 comp.sys.ibm.pc:1038
From: jimbo@leland.Stanford.EDU (Godfather of Soul)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.misc,comp.sys.mac.comm,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re:  PRODIGY New and improved STILL SUCKS, HORRIBLE as before
Date: 22 Dec 92 21:06:39 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: NewsRUs

In article <BznBCs.23Bw@austin.ibm.com> woan@cactus.org writes:
>Prodigy at 9600 bps is excellent for just interacting with a broad
>range of people. It is particularly nice for families with children
>(especially those that have kids in college as they have multiple free
>logins for immediate family members) and its interface is still far
>easier to navigate for novices than CIM with Compuserve. Good
>entertainment sections, political news coverage with full text of
>major speeches, etc...

Easier to navigate?  You've got to be kidding...


-- 
James W. Brown		-  I dream of the day when conservatives learn   	-
			-  the difference between a sin and a crime and  	-
			-  liberals learn the difference between a       	-
			-  virtue and a requirement.      --William A. Niskanen	-
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: gaubfb@sun330 (Brian Bishop)
Subject: Re: Legal Tender?? A different Twist
Organization: Fannie Mae
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 19:39:26 GMT

Rhonda Gaines (rrg@rtp.fibercom.com) wrote:
: 
: How much of a dollar bill ($20 bill to be exact) do you have to have
: before it's spendable?  My husband found 3/4 of a $20 bill and
: figured that it's probably unspendable but I thought I'd pose the
: question anyway.  Replies to rrg@fibercom.com
: 

   In the NOVA special they discussed the task of 'bill reconstruction'. 
In cases where the money has been damaged through fire (or malice) you do not
need a certain percentage of the bill. They just pick some unique portion of 
the bill (left lower corner, protrait) in order to determine how many of them 
there were originally. Looks like a fun job for people who like jigsaw puzzles.

--

    Brian Bishop ... gaubfb@fnma.com <=- (work) OR (play) -=> brian@grebyn.com

"Check beneath your fingernails, and in between your toes /
  Right between your earlobes, darling, that's where culture grows." - T. Dolby
From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Interplak vs. Braun
Date: 25 Dec 92 02:05:01 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Green Hills and Cows

In article <2B38A49E.8570@news.service.uci.edu> phiggins@crux.acs.uci.edu (Paul Higgins) writes:

>See the September 1992 issue of Consumer Reports for a review of ten
>electric toothbrushes.  The Braun Oral-B Plaque Remover D5545 received
>the highest ratings.

I used the Interplak for about a year after which it started to poop
out. Instead of replacing it, I bought the Braun Oral-B. It is easier
to use, the head does not qunk up like the Interplak did, and it seems
to be much better built.

This switch is magnetic and is easily cleaned, as is the base. My
Interplak base started smelling like burning transformer (even though
it still worked) and got lot of crusty brown crud in the charging
receptical. The Braun is designed differently, even though it is still
an inductive charger. There is also an indication on the motor unit
that it is charging. You could only hope the Interplak was charging, or
you could feel the base after a while and it would be hot--unlike the
Braun which stays cool.

I highly recommend the Braun.
-- 
 John Higdon  |   P. O. Box 7648   |   +1 408 264 4115     |       FAX:
 john@ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | 10288 0 700 FOR-A-MOO | +1 408 264 4407
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: kieran@world.std.com (Aaron L Dickey)
Subject: Re: Prodigy
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Distribution: na
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 06:48:16 GMT

kherron@ms.uky.edu (Kenneth Herron) writes:

>Okay, tell me where I can get one for my Commodore Amiga.

Isn't there a Mac emulation program for the Amiga?

--Aaron
From: lim@addvax.llnl.gov (Doug Lim)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Sony Charger & Adapter
Date: 22 Dec 92 17:40:00 GMT
Reply-To: DougLim@llnl.gov
Organization: LLNL
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

A friend of mine mentioned that he was having problems with his battery
recharger and the adapter for using the camera with regular wall socket power
for his Ricoh/Sony camcorder. I remember a thread relating to this recently in
this newsgroup, but since I don't own a Ricoh/Sony camcorder (I own an Olympus
8mm) I didn't follow that thread very carefully. Anyway, I would appreciate an
e-mail copy from anyone who saved a copy of the answers to the Sony recharger
question or remembers what the solutions presented were.

Thanks in Advance,
| | | |     +----------------------------------------+
| | | |     |      Doug Lim - DougLim@llnl.gov       |
| | | |__   | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| | |___/   |        Computer Scientist - ASD        |
\ \____/    |    (510) 423-6019 FAX: (510)423-2419   |
 \____/     +----------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: asa@STL-09SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin on 9000)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re:  rechargeable batteries and recycling fees
Date: 24 Dec 1992 09:15:46 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

>From: murthy+@EDRC.CMU.EDU (Sesh Murthy)
>Why isn't there a recycling fee of $1.00/battery.  I use all rechargables
>and I do not understand why other people should not be charged for putting
>toxic heavy metals in my environment.  

I'd be happy if there was a simple WAY to recycle ordinary batteries! I
have a plastic wastecan half-full of old batteries sitting and waiting
for someplace here to appear where I could dump them to be recycled!
Like everybody else, I used to just pitch them in the trash. Then, a
year or two ago, there was publicity about new legislation here in
Missouri regarding waste disposal and recycling. One item mentioned
was that "all places that sell batteries would be required to accept
old batteries and then turn them over to recyclers." So I began saving
instead of discarding old batteries.  Well, that legislation went into
effect, but it turned out that the "battery" provision was only for
AUTOMOBILE batteries! 

Here I was envisioning every Radio Shack, every Walgreen's, every 
corner drugstore or snack shop that had a rack of blister-packed
batteries would have to have a "used-batteries" can in the corner, where
anyone could dump their old batteries and they'd eventually make it to
some sort of recycling plant. No such luck... :-(

That's what we need -- just the provisions to allow recycling, not 
some elaborate "fee" structure... And it is important that the recycling
collection points be just as convenient as the sources to buy the
products. It doesn't help if you have to drive to some area recycling
center in order to get rid of the stuff. 

Does this type of point-of-purchase battery recycling exist ANYwhere? 

Regards, Will
wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil OR wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: CHP can't use radar?(Was: What radar d
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 09:54:46 GMT

tzs@stein.u.washington.edu (Tim Smith) writes:
: 
: The court says (I use the singular rather than the plural, because I could
: only find one California appellate case where someone objected to this on
: the basis of it being a speed trap) that this is NOT a speed trap, because
: the aircraft is using the marker to measure its own speed, rather than
: using them to measure the speed of the car.

The argument is misleading. They could not measure their own speed 
accurately, unless they were about 20 feet in the air and traveling
parallel to the highway. For a number of reasons, this would upset
the FAA very much.

: I seem to recall a pilot or two saying that the plane could not go this
: slow, but is that really true?  Don't planes of the type the cops use
: have to be able to fly at 71 MPH airspeed in order to be certified?
: (I spent a few minutes with my copy of the FARs, but I couldn't find
: where the requirements for certification are, but I'm pretty sure that
: there is such a speed...anyone have the reference?)

If they use a small 2 or 4 place plane, they can fly that slow. However,
they are getting fairly close to stall speed - any shift from a head wind
to a tail wind and they could stall and crash. From the low altitude they
fly, they probably would not have time to recover.

There is nothing in the FARs as to certification speed for an aircraft.
That is determined by the aircraft manufacturer - and is different for
each model they produce.

Bill
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,soc.culture.japan
From: josh@Happy-Man.com (Joshua_Putnam)
Subject: Re: America doesn't have a clue: (was DOES AMERICA SAY YES TO JAPAN? - Off track!!)
Reply-To: Joshua_Putnam@happy-man.com
Organization: Happy Man Corp., Vashon Island, WA 98070-7399
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 20:43:19 GMT

In <thomasd.50.725148841@tps.COM> thomasd@tps.COM (Thomas W. Day) writes:

>I don't see that.  If the Japanese don't obey the rules of free trade, using 
>a free trade model is erronous.  

Only if you consider free trade to be an exclusively economic,
rather than moral, system.  Two moral wrongs do not make a right
-- you cannot serve justice by imposing injustice.

>You mean the service industry people who sell their products, or the 
>government officials who live from their bribes?  The basis of a solid 
>economy is still manufacturing.  Discounting the nation's future for a few, 
>or a lot of, retailers is short-term thinking.  Not the kind of thinking our 
>opponents will be doing.
[....]

>If the "freedom of association and trade" went two ways, there would be no 
>justification.  That isn't the case.  Even more important, it is a mistake 
>to think that reselling their products in exchange for minimal prices on our 
>natural resources is the same thing as participating in the 1st world 
>economy.  We are being treated like a 3rd world, incapable of manufacturing 
>our own products and we are, by your own words, liking it.

Yes.  Living here in Puget Sound I frequently drive past the
plantations where Boeing grows its towering 747s, and the mines
where Micrsoft digs up its disks.  The gall of those Japanese,
buying these natural resources on the cheap and adding value
overseas!
-- 
 Joshua_Putnam@happy-man.com    Happy Man Corp.  206/463-9399 x102
 4410 SW Pt. Robinson Rd., Vashon Island, WA  98070-7399  fax x108
 We publish SOLID VALUE for the intelligent investor.  NextMail OK
Info free; sample $20: Send POSTAL addr: Solid-Value@happy-man.com
From: lstowell@pyrnova.mis.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Sony Equipment (was Re: CD walkmans)
Date: 29 Dec 92 20:24:15 GMT
Reply-To: lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corporation

>In article <Bzy9pI.EEJ@world.std.com> kieran@world.std.com (Aaron L Dickey) writes:
>
>>At the time, some Circuit City drone told
>>me that really old players may have trouble with the newer 75-80 minute
>>discs because the laser beam is just too wide (in other words, old
>>technology...wouldn't you love to see some *new* players while you're
>>here?).

In article <44031@zygot.ati.com> john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes:
>
>What a snake! ALL CD players and ALL CDs available commercially conform
>to the Sony/Philips international licensing standard. In other words,
>the spec for all such equipment (including the "new" longer playing
>CDs) was defined over a decade ago. The only reason that longer playing
>CDs are only recently available has nothing to do with "improved
>technology", only the fact that the CD is finally a recognized medium
>in its own right and does not have to bow to the time limitations of
>the now-obsolete vinyl LP concurrent releases.
>
>My opinion of Circuit City has sunk to somewhere below sea level.

   Sadly in this instance, you are wrong and "Circuit City" may just
   be correct.

   Check rec.audio for postings from genuine CD engineers who note
   the exact specs in microns.   

   The Sony/Phillips Digital Audio Compact Disk standard supports a
   track-track spacing and bit-length that allows for a maximum
   recording time of just about 74 minutes.   The only way you can
   get more audio on the disk is to cheat a bit on either bit length
   (rare) or track spacing (most common).   

   SOME of the older CD players have a combination of beamwidth and
   servo accuracy that cannot properly track CD's which cheat on
   the track-track spacing in order to record more music.  And SOME
   of the older players CAN have the necessary tracking accuracy.

   Neither Phillips nor Sony condones the practice of shrinking the
   track-track gap, but in my experience the Sony servo's are among
   the best at tracking such NON-CONFORMING disks.  

   NOTE that both Phillips and Sony consider the DISKS to be
   non-conforming to the standard...and a violation of the license.
   I know of no current actions by the license owners to attempt to
   curb the practice....and there are mutterings about LP-CD's.   

   Even some of the (cheaper) recent model players can't track the
   extended length CD's....they were designed for the OFFICIAL
   track width, not the de facto one.      

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: n36c@pnet16.cts.com (Rm1 Straight)
Subject: Re: amway
Organization: People-Net [pnet16], NCTAMS EASTPAC
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 18:36:05 GMT

As a former Amway distributor, I can honestly say that the products are
good. Expensive, but good. I've even called the BBB and they had a good
report about them. **BUT**, some of the practices used by the distibutors
to "recruit" new distributors are questionable. I don't like the fact that
they keep you in suspense when asked a question. And ask a question with a
question shit. All I want is answers to my questions. So to answer your
question, I have no information from outside other thatn BBB. Also be
aware that there is other Amway organizations. There is traditional Amway.
Then there is worldwide, I belive that it is a pyramid, and also Network
21. I'm not sure how these operate. Yes it can work, but it's not for every
one. Please no flames as my opinions are my own and I don't need anyone elses.
when i plays i plays hard. when i thinks i falls to sleep.
From: carlp@frigg.isc-br.com (Carl Paukstis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Foreign ATM Fees Re: Dedicated ATM card?
Date: 31 Dec 92 03:51:27 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: ISC-Bunker Ramo, An Olivetti Company

timlee@netcom.com (Timothy J. Lee) writes:

>It happened in California a few years ago.  Now almost every bank, S&L,
>and credit union charges a fee to use someone else's ATM.  This does
>seem to be slightly different from what you are finding in Utah, since
>that charge is based on which bank your account is at, not whose ATM
>you use.  The largest banks tend to charge the highest fees (one of
>them charges 2%, I think).

Seafirst (now owned by Bank of America) charges $0.50 for using your
Seafirst Versateller (Plus-compatible) ATM card at any non-BRANCH ATM.  
Even if it's the Seafirst ATM at Costco (or some other place), unless
it's at a Seafirst branch, you pay.  I'm not thrilled by this, but
their branch locations are convenient for me, so I seldom pay.  There
may be a higher charge for using a non-Seafirst ATM; I'll find out
when I get this month's statement.

The original note seemed to say that the owner bank for the ATM you
use deducts a buck from the cash you get, on the spot.  This can't be
right, can it?  Would make for awkward amounts.  With Seafirst, it's
just a service charge deducted on your statement.
--
Carl Paukstis, RRR&RSG             |"The good news is that Clinton will have to
 Olivetti North America/Spokane,WA | work hard to do worse than Bush in terms
 Phone: +1 509 927-5439            | of economic policy.  The bad news is that
 Mail: carlp@mail.spk.olivetti.com | he will probably manage to do so"-Ed Ipser
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:21367 soc.men:21962 misc.misc:4203
From: lstowell@pyrnova.mis.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,soc.men,misc.misc
Subject: Re: Levi Strauss DEFUNDS Boy Scouts
Date: 31 Dec 92 21:59:53 GMT
Reply-To: lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corporation

>->    However, the City of San Francisco seriously considered
>->    withdrawing it's (considerable) city funds from their bank just
>->    because that bank was contributions which eventually went to the
>->    boy scouts.
>
In article <1992Dec31.200620.8302@ads.com> henry@ADS.COM (Henry Mensch) writes:
>actually, the supes voted for it but the mayor vetoed it ... it's
>going back for a veto override as we type.
>
  Yup, so i've heard.  It's sad, really sad.  Both the ban, the
  defunding, and the controversy.  In the immortal words of Rodney
  King,  

     PLEASE, can't we all just try to get along?
Newsgroups: misc.consumers