OT: The yearly gasp over technology improvements... (changed from low traffic)

[Bill Vermillion]

I know you'll find it hard to believe, but on Fri, Aug 13 13:56 ,
Fairlight actually admitted to saying:"

> On Fri, Aug 13, 2004 at 05:32:08AM -0400, after drawing runes
> in goat's blood, John Esak cast forth these immortal, mystical
> words:

> > like $499... Nope, $144!!!! Yikes I said, send me two!!! He
> > says oops, sorry sir, I forgot to tell you I can't get the
> > price any lower than the $144 because there is a $50 rebate
> > going on now! I nearly fell off the chair. This printer is
> > going to cost me $94... and people are complaining about the
> > economy??? :-)

> And at those prices, it makes more sense to buy a new printer
> when your ink runs out than it does to buy a new cartridge.
> Especially if you print heavily, then why not get a new printer
> and a whole new MTBF time period?

If you print heavily you really should look into the modified
Cannons ?? - with the external ink supply fed by tubes from 
6oz ink bottles.  Printing is gorgeous.

I'm sticking with my old HP for now - but I suspect I'll move from
them - after years of use - because of the ink cartridges with the
smart chips that cease working after a set period of time - even if
you refill them.  There are methods of resetting the chips.

Other manufacturers have sued some of the 3rd party refiller
source for diddling the cartridges.

The manufactuers seem to take the old Gilette razor philosphy, you
give the razor away and then sell them blades for as long as they
shave.

> > (yes, yes, I know different aspects of the economy are not so
> > good, even horrible I guess if you've just lost a job, etc.
> > But, on the whole, with the single exception of gasoline, the
> > consumer is getting one helluva bang for his buck these days.
> > Now, if we could only do this in medical care, water supply
> > and musical instruments... :-)

And a lot of that bargain is because the Chinese learned from all
the mistakes made by the early Japanese manufacturers, Korean
manufacturers, and then Taiwanese manufacturers.

Besides their products being inexpensive they build quality into
them.  China manufactuers about 80% of all DVD players sold in
the WORLD.

On recent video I've seen out of China there are a lot of allfuent
buyers going after luxury automobiles and plunk down from $80K
to $125K and drive out with brand new hi end Mercedes, Lexus, etc.

It is growing so fast that gasoline consumption in China has risen
by 20% in the past year alone.   

And the imported musical instruments are bargains from what I've
seen.  At the studio we were able to be a gorgeous Kwai for about
1/2 or more than the cost of a Steinway, Baldwin, and even cheaper
and better sounding than the Yamaha.

I saw an old line name on an accoustic guitar this past week.
Remember the Silvertone brand that was from Sears.

I saw a Slivertone accoustice guitar at $130 in Costco - made
in one of the SE Asia countries - whose name I forget at the
moment.

Bill


-- 
Bill Vermillion - bv @ wjv . com