My take on... Star Trek

Caution - this blog entry may contain SPOILERS. You have been warned!!!

It's probably been the most eagerly anticipated movie to come to theaters in 2009 and it's here - Star Trek. Released just last week, it's been the subject of intense discussion by Trek fans and nonfans alike. And why not? This is the first Trek of any kind since the end of Enterprise in 2005(?). At this time, the concept had grown so stale that the franchise already had one foot in the grave and the other foot on it's way.

Enter J. J. Abrams, the mastermind behind the hit TV show "Lost". He had been given charge of the franchise. His task - to relaunch the franchise with fresh life while keeping the best of what everyone knew.

Last Tuesday, I went and saw the movie. Let's just say that Abrams succeeds in giving Trek new life.

Here's a point by point look at key features of the movie...

• Plot - two stories are at play here. First is the maiden voyage of the Enterprise (NCC 1701, no bloddy A, B, C, or D) with the crew we have come to love coming together for the first time. Second is a story of revenge from the key villian of the movie. He achieves his goal in a big way.
• Canon - Abrams & Co. has tried to maintain 43 years of established Trek history. Movie viewers will notice some changes and that is nicely explained.
• Characters - a fresh take on characters we've known over the last 43 years. Kirk - a strong rebellious nature we never saw before. Spock - still struggling with his Vulcan / human heritage. McCoy - viewers know right away who they're watching. Scotty - as an eager young engineer who's still working out a few bugs. Sulu - still wet behind the ears but his love of fencing comes out. Chekov - that Russian accent is overdone and almost annoying. Uhura - never looked better in her undies and bra.
• USS Enterprise - 1701 really started to look ancient even compared with it's predecessor, the NX-01. The ship, and any Federation ship, looked great. I would love to see some pics of the entire bridge.
• Nice touches - Leonard Nimoy, who plays a key role as old Spock. Much more than a cameo appearance. Majel Barrett also voices the Enterprise computer one last time, as she passed away just after it was announced that she provided the voice over. Watching the credits at the end, look for the tributes to Gene & Majel.
• Nitpick - Ken Jennings (game show legend) bought this up in his own blog entry about the movie, where in Iowa does one find a deep vast canyon like the one where the Corvette goes over the cliff.
• What next? (aka the future) - There have been some timeline changes. What does that mean for worlds and people encountered in the original series and movies? And what about the 24th Century? Everything is wide open now.

All in all, this was a fun movie to watch. I'm going to say that there is a little something here for everyone.

Grade - A+, the best Trek I've seen in some time.

Disappearing Automotive Features

I've been a bit of a car guy for some years now. I've noticed for some time that the trend in equipping cars has been to introduce new features all the time - keeps everybody up to date. Yet amongst all the new features that would make a luxury car from the 70's green with envy yet are so common place there has been some equipment in cars that has had to disappear.

This caught Yahoo! Autos attention and wrote an article about it. Read about it here and don't forget to read on about my take.

My take on the list...

• Non-power windows - you know, the kind you have to crank by hand. This is the reason for the phrase "roll up (or down) the window". Still common in the smallest cars. My last 3 cars have (had) power windows though.
• Cassette tape decks - Once common in the post-8-track era, now you're lucky to have one in your car. I was surprised to get one in my '01 Malibu and really surprised and lucky to get one with my CD player in my current '07 Grand Caravan.
• Keys, locks, etc. - I'm committed to my Grand Caravan for the next 4 years and 11 months so, for me, the key won't go away yet. However, my key thingie has remote control for opening the two sliding doors and unlocking all doors.
• Center seat lap only seatbelts - I don't notice this as much as I'm usually the only person in the car.
• Cars costing less than $13,000 - Gee, my 2 year old Grand Caravan only cost me $12, 650. Oh yeah, they're talking new right.
• 85 mph speedometers - Like I'm going to be taking my Grand Caravan up to 120 mph.
• Power antennas - Despite what the article says, they really don't extend rather they just come up from the fender. It did help with reception from next to nothing to something. The last car I had with one was my '76 Ninety-Eight.
• 3-Speed Automatic Transmission - How about 3 speed any transmission? The last car I had with less than 4 speeds was my '87 Skyhawk with a 3 speed automatic.
• True compace pick-ups - anyone remember the Luv?
• Six-passenger, rear-wheel-drive, body-on-frame cars - I agree. Just seems so impractical now. In pizza delivery, rear wheel drive is so impractical anyway in rough weather.
• Honorable mentions include:Trunk releases in the glove box (hey, my Malibu had one), Full-size spare tires (which are still much better than the donut crap out there now), Floor-mounted headlight dimmer switches (I haven't seen one in many, many years), and Completely manual mirrors (better yet, how about just one outside mirror - on the driver side only).

Haha! Hope you enjoyed the list as much as I. Remember, all these cool features on cars now will one day be obsolete too. One day our children will be reading articles like this about obsolete CD players and 6 speed transmissions too. :)

Has Papa John's Pizza lost their way?

I had a conversation with a co-worker yesterday who had done some research into the original mission of Papa John's Pizza. Being a long-time employee of Papa John's, we sometimes forget that the original mission was to keep it simple - a limited menu and limited number of toppings that help create a better pizza. It is my co-worker's belief that Papa John's has completely destroyed that mission.

For a better understanding of what Papa John's was, let's look at the menu when I first started in June 1998...

• Pizzas - sizes small, large, extra large and thin crust...
• Toppings - fewer than today
• Breadsticks
• Cheesesticks, and
• 20 ounce and 2 liter coke, diet coke, and sprite.

That's it.

Numerous product changes have occured in the last 10 years. Some of these have met with the approval of customers such as the chicken products (wings/strips) and garlic parmesan breadsticks. Numerous specialty pizzas have come and gone - does anyone remember the meatball pizza? Products have come through that really didn't live up to the potential. Anything dessert related had potential but they were too small to have mass market appeal. A few experiments even completely bombed. Papa John's salads were so poorly executed that they were just that - executed.

If your local Papa John's store is suffering through flat sales right now, then the more products you offer fragment your customer base and create lower sales for all the items on your menu.

On the other hand, were all the changes necessary in the last 11 years I've been around? Yes! The only reason is this: everyone else was upgrading by adding new products and services. Essentially, in business, if you don't change and adapt to current economic conditions then you die!!!!!

Back to my co-worker's original premise - that Papa John's Pizza has lost their way by destroying their original mission. That Papa John's had to move away from a simple menu is a sign that the company has been looking for ways to keep themselves competitive, especially in these challenging economic times.

In an extremely competitive industry such as pizza, this is the approach that has to be taken.

Now that Chrysler has done the once unthinkable...

...by filing for bankruptcy protection, there are those who wonder what the future lineup will look like for the company once the link-up with Fiat occurs.

Here is Detroit News' Auto Critic Scott Burgess' take on what the lineup could look like by 2011.

Coming:
Fiat 500: A small, fuel-efficient car that could quickly be imported once it passes U.S. safety and emission regulations.

Fiat Grande Punto: A small curvy car that can reach more than 40 mpg.

Alfa Romeo Spider: Fiat's luxury sport brand could resurrect the affordable Italian sports car in the U.S. The Spider comes with a variety of engines and extremely good looks.

Alfa Romeo 159 sedan: A compact sedan with strong lines and luxurious looks. Its platform could be the base for a new midsize car by Chrysler after 2011.

Dodge Circuit: Chrysler still plans to introduce an electric car in 2010. It has not named which vehicle it will build.


Going:
Dodge Caliber: A compact car that never performed well in the market.

Dodge Nitro: A bland, compact SUV.

Jeep Compass: The first Jeep without a trail rating.

Jeep Commander: Stole too many Grand Cherokee customers.

Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Caravan: Two minivans may be too much for the future Chrysler.

Chrysler Aspen: Like a dinosaur in a hostile climate, it's too big to live.

Chrysler Sebring: The midsize sedan that lacks style and performance.


Staying:
Chrysler 300: A fresh design could help bring back customers.

Dodge Avenger: Could serve as a stopgap until a redesigned midsize car arrives around 2012.

Dodge Charger: A redesign in the coming years could keep this car alive.

Dodge Challenger: Debuted last year and will remain in the lineup.

Dodge Ram: The highest volume and biggest money-maker stays put.

Dodge Journey: Has potential overseas as a rugged crossover.

Jeep Grand Cherokee: Redesigned and coming out later this year. Needs to be a hit.

Dodge Durango: Could survive if built off the smaller Grand Cherokee platform.

Jeep Wrangler: The quintessential Jeep, it stays.

Chrysler Sebring convertible: Could remain in the lineup.


In limbo:
Jeep Liberty: Fills a need but built along side the Dodge Nitro, which is going.

Dodge Hornet: A subcompact built with Nissan Motor Co. Plans are on hold.

Dodge Dakota: Small pickup that continues to sell.
Source: Detroit News research

Any thoughts?

a diversity of friends...

You gottta love the diversity of friends you have.

I was reviewing the recent posts of my Facebook friends last night when these consecutived posts popped up.

#1 - "Arrived in Dubai and it is 32C. Getting settled in for the next 9 days!"

This friend is a native of western Canada who I'm sure had a tough winter worse than we did here in this part of the country. The celcius conversion comes out to around 90 degrees F. I'm guessing they're still in the 30's yet.

#2 - "thinking it is too damn cold outside!" Disclaimer - her words not mine!

This friend lives in the same town as I where temperatures yesterday were in the low to mid 60's.

I think it's time to send friend #2 to western Canada for a while.

Spring is Springing!

There is now no doubt that after the long winter here in Michigan and in the Great Lakes Bay Region that spring has arrived. Can summer be far off? This was the high temperature as registered by my van's thermometer earlier today.

By the way, a cool down is expected by late weekend.

Food for Thought

I wish I can take credit for this but I can't. I found this on the back page of the "White Lake Area Visitor's Guide" that i picked up yesterday. No name is given for credit.

Food for Thought

• Can you cry underwater?
• How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
• Why do you have to "put your two cents in"...but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?
• Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
• What disease did cured ham actually have?
• If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
• Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
• If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
• If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
• If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
• If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
• Do the alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
• Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
• Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a ride, he sticks his head out the window?
• If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all the ACME junk, why didn't he just buy dinner?
• Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?
• How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
• Why is it people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up every two hours?
• Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

Think about it for a while, but not for too long....

Something I previously did in Dec. 2002...

...was purchase a car. It was a 2001 Chevy Malibu sedan that I purchased with only 27,700 miles for only $9,200 from Suderman's in Midland. It served me well for a long time. There were times I had to push the car through some tough conditions but it came through everytime - those as the car got older I think it protested a bit.That was then.

Now, the car has nearly 182,000 miles with new little glitches happening frequently. This last week, I found some new rust and realized that the power mirrors no longer worked. I already had been looking for a bit for the next vehicle but by the time I found the latest glitch its fate was sealed.

Enter Suderman's again... Once again, they had their eyes out looking for another vehicle for me. This time I was looking for something different. My vehicles over the last 10 years have been sedans or the equivalent so it was time to head in a new direction -- minivans. I wanted a van over an SUV for the mileage and safety factor and I chose one over crossovers for the room and versatility. They found one for me - a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT with 48,000 miles that I ended up buying for $12,656. Five years of payments should end up around $246 monthly which I think is a bargain though I understand used cars are starting to become less of a bargain then they were. I think I got this in time...

Here are the first set of photos of the van I took yesterday and today alongside the final set of Malibu pics I took yesterday before trading it in.

Front

If you look closely, you can see rust on the hood of the Malibu that started around 80,000 miles ago.

Front tires were new just before the snow arrived.

Rear

Cargo Area

The van has "Stow-n-Go" which allows the back seats to be folded into the floor. With the rear seats up, this offers storage below the floor as shown here. I have a few things there already including geocaching stuff and bottles to take back to the store.

Dashboard
The steering wheel was already starting to be worn on the Malibu when I got it at 27,000 miles. I'm already used to not having the shift lever on the floor.

Gauges

Both are simple and direct with speedometer, tachometer, gas gauge, and engine temp gauge. They say at nighttime you can't tell those are white gauges. They're right.

Miles

Malibu miles --> 181,956

Grand Caravan miles --> 48,361.

I've been averaging 25,000 miles a year.

Stereo System / Climate Control

I was lucky to even get a cassette deck on the Malibu, now I have a CD too. I'll like the seperate driver / passenger temp controls. There's one for the rear seat passengers too.

Engine Compartment
Everything on the Malibu was easy to reach but was never able to access the transmission fluid (by GM's design). Some might be a little tougher to get to on the Caravan but everything looks like it's marked in bright yellow.

That's all for now. I'm sure I'll be keeping y'all appraised as to how the van is coming along in coming years.

Time to be fair... :)

Recently I had a chance to pick on a store sign near where I work. It seems that anytime the display showed the time & temperature, the temperature always seemed to be screwed up somehow.

Since that original post, I somehow suspect that someone at Walgreen's caught wind of what I had said in this blog. A few days after the post, I noticed that the sign no longer showed the time & temperature. The feature has yet to return...

To be fair, I'm not going to pick on the sign this time. Rather, it's time to show that they are using the sign in a positive way.

In a time when some are starting to discuss the effectiveness of the Amber Alert system, it is a good system used in the recovery of missing children. The sign (below) at Eastlawn Plaza might be the only one in Midland that displays the information. To all, please tell me if another location in Midland displays alerts. Also, I don't know how many Walgreen's stores actually participate in the program.

This particular Amber Alert was the second one I have seen posted. I have used the information in these alerts to share with my fellow drivers at my store. Unfortnately, I don't think most of my fellow drivers give a rat's hind end about this whole thing.

To Midland Walgreen's - I think you took the easy way out of solving the temperature issue with the sign out front (by removing the information), but you're doing the right thing by displaying this information when you need to.

An end to a costly habit...

No, it's not smoking or drinking or gambling, or anything like that.

I decided yesterday it's time to stop buying my newspapers to read. It's not because I think the papers have some kind of "liberal" agenda or that any of the columnists are socialists or communists. Rather, the decision was based entirely on economics.

Every newspaper I read has a presense on line. Everyone I do business with has their ads online. I am the kind of person the newspapers are learning to hate. They are going through their toughest business climate in years with a number of papers in Michigan planning on cutting back on the number of days they publish. Everything online will be kept current though.

Let's break my newspaper purchases down...

Monday to Friday

1. USA Today - $1.00
2. Saginaw News - $.75
3. Bay City Times - $.75
4. Midland Daily News - $.50

This comes to $3.00 a day or $15.00 for these 5 days.

Saturday only

1. Saginaw News - $.75
2. Bay City Times - $.75
3. Midland Daily News - $.50

I spent $2.00 on Saturday papers, and from Monday to Saturday this figure rises to $17.00

Sundays only

1. Saginaw News - $2.00
2. Bay City Times - $2.00
3. Midland Daily News - $1.50

On Sunday papers, this figure rises to $5.50 for that day's news. Add this to the previous figure and you look at $22.50 per week.

You hear me correctly - $22.50 per week. Do the math and you're looking at something like $97.50 per month and $1170 per year (based on 52 weeks).

That's mind boggling. This can be used in many ways. $97.50 can go toward various bills I pay. I'm planning on getting a car soon, so that can be a half a payment a month on what I expect to spend. Maybe I can invest someway or another. The possibilities are almost endless, and that's the point.

Buying and reading all those papers in a year --> $1170

Reading all those papers, and even others online --> priceless