I adore you, Ladybug, and the whole gang. You put together a wonderful magazine that encouraged this young scientist to explore a whole world of literature.
Now, you and your ilk appear to be invading my home. Sluggo's relatives are leaving slime everywhere outside. I don't remember if there were any wasps in your gang, but they set up residence in an air vent. Once the Bee Man took care of the wasps, the aunties (ants) moved in. And don't get me started about the spiders.
Please stop. I love you guys, but as pen pals.
Best,
M
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Monday, August 29, 2005
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
I'll never stop saying it.
I've said it before, I'll say it again, and I'll never stop saying it.
If you're going into the sciences or engineering, learn to write.
If you're not going into the sciences or engineering, learn to do math.
I recently encountered three education PhDs who could not do any simple arithmetic in their heads. The three of them had to use a scientific calculator to do a basic currency conversion (Divide by 8. Approximate when it's not perfect. No, really.). They kept asking me to do the conversions for them. I could have told them anything and they would have believed it.
I fear for the US when even our teachers cannot divide by 8, or even approximate the result, without resorting to a calculator. I don't care if you are on vacation. That's no excuse for leaving your brain behind.
If you're going into the sciences or engineering, learn to write.
If you're not going into the sciences or engineering, learn to do math.
I recently encountered three education PhDs who could not do any simple arithmetic in their heads. The three of them had to use a scientific calculator to do a basic currency conversion (Divide by 8. Approximate when it's not perfect. No, really.). They kept asking me to do the conversions for them. I could have told them anything and they would have believed it.
I fear for the US when even our teachers cannot divide by 8, or even approximate the result, without resorting to a calculator. I don't care if you are on vacation. That's no excuse for leaving your brain behind.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Four things people do to mess up their interviews, regardless of degree obtained.
1. Show too much humility.
If your group's project was successful, and assuming you at least showed up and did what was expected of you, I sure hope whatever you did was important to the project. I'd much rather hear about how important your part was than how you managed to get your socks matched every morning.
2. Show too little humility.
Behind every great leader is a great team. A great leader strives to leverage the strengths of each team member. Talk about this, not about how you managed to squish their hopes and dreams in one short quarter.
3. Be passionate about nothing.
Everybody else in the room has a pulse. I've never met you before, so I don't know what makes yours stand out.
4. Be passionate about one thing and one thing only.
Surely you are a person of many talents. Whatever will you do if we decide to do something else? Burn down the building? (No, wait, Milton did that.)
If your group's project was successful, and assuming you at least showed up and did what was expected of you, I sure hope whatever you did was important to the project. I'd much rather hear about how important your part was than how you managed to get your socks matched every morning.
2. Show too little humility.
Behind every great leader is a great team. A great leader strives to leverage the strengths of each team member. Talk about this, not about how you managed to squish their hopes and dreams in one short quarter.
3. Be passionate about nothing.
Everybody else in the room has a pulse. I've never met you before, so I don't know what makes yours stand out.
4. Be passionate about one thing and one thing only.
Surely you are a person of many talents. Whatever will you do if we decide to do something else? Burn down the building? (No, wait, Milton did that.)
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Why Oh Why
Why, oh why, does the guy with personal space issues sit next to me in meetings? By this I mean he has little respect for my personal space. He's not particularly tall but somehow manages to take up three times the normal amount of space for someone his size, which is double the amount of space taken by someone taller. He's not always the same person, but for some reason, he's been serialized. That is, if he's absent, a different guy (and it's always a guy) with the same issues will sit next to me.
He likes to stretch out his legs. When he crosses them he will invariably kick me in the shin. It doesn't matter if I sit across from or next to him. He will manage to get my shin and no one else's. (For the record, the amount of volume I take up is nearly equal to that of my chair.)
He likes to lean back with his hands folded behind his head. Thank God he wears deodorant because his armpits are at about nose level.
He likes to take up more than one table. This I wouldn't mind so much except he will start on one table, then move over to mine and start crowding out my stuff.
He jiggles his leg and stomps his feet, causing the floor to shake. If he's particularly adept at this, and if the floor is particularly weak, the table will wobble, too.
He suffers from gastrointestinal distress. He will burp and whatnot during the meeting. He will breathe down my neck because whatever I am doing on my laptop is interesting. Unfortunately, he doesn't use breath mints. I really wish he would.
He likes to stretch out his legs. When he crosses them he will invariably kick me in the shin. It doesn't matter if I sit across from or next to him. He will manage to get my shin and no one else's. (For the record, the amount of volume I take up is nearly equal to that of my chair.)
He likes to lean back with his hands folded behind his head. Thank God he wears deodorant because his armpits are at about nose level.
He likes to take up more than one table. This I wouldn't mind so much except he will start on one table, then move over to mine and start crowding out my stuff.
He jiggles his leg and stomps his feet, causing the floor to shake. If he's particularly adept at this, and if the floor is particularly weak, the table will wobble, too.
He suffers from gastrointestinal distress. He will burp and whatnot during the meeting. He will breathe down my neck because whatever I am doing on my laptop is interesting. Unfortunately, he doesn't use breath mints. I really wish he would.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Part 2.
Harry Potter is like an Asian serial drama. The following paragraphs are blasphemy for the legions of Harry Potter fans out there.
The first book started out intriguing and engaging. The characters were delightful. Serial dramas are the same way.
Book two spent an awful lot of time reminding the reader of what happened in book one. Books three and four picked up the pace a little bit as the characters got older, but weren't half as engaging as the first book. The dramas do the same thing--they drag after a while, the introduce a decent plot twist, but never regain the original momentum.
Book five dragged. It was far too thick for its own good. At this point, the dramas start pulling out the storylines, giving the characters ten-minute crying scenes to fill the time. Book five was better than this, because by now we've been guaranteed a nice plot climax in every book.
Book six was better than book five, but now I feel suckered. You would think with all the time they had to hype the book, and all the money they are charging for the book, they could have fixed the glaring typographical error early on in the book.
They used "site" when they meant "sight". I will update with a page reference if I ever get around to rereading it. I have at least six books on the in progress pile, including the delightful "Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader", by Bradley Martin. The latest Harry Potter was an impulse buy.
At this point in time in the drama, I have the theme song stuck in my head, I adore the actors I viewed with skepticism in the beginning, and I'm a love/hate relationship with the whole thing. I keep going because I want to know how it ends and because I've already invested so much time and effort. I hate myself for having gotten suckered in yet again and yet I'm loving the end of the series.
I feel the same way about Harry Potter. Please, just hurry up and finish it off so I know how it ends. I've invested enough time, effort, and money not to see how it ends.
Incidentally, Lord Voldemort reminds me of Kim Il-sung. You know, the personality cult, the constant need for adulation and praise, and the ability to use his charisma to gain the loyalty of so many of his people.
The first book started out intriguing and engaging. The characters were delightful. Serial dramas are the same way.
Book two spent an awful lot of time reminding the reader of what happened in book one. Books three and four picked up the pace a little bit as the characters got older, but weren't half as engaging as the first book. The dramas do the same thing--they drag after a while, the introduce a decent plot twist, but never regain the original momentum.
Book five dragged. It was far too thick for its own good. At this point, the dramas start pulling out the storylines, giving the characters ten-minute crying scenes to fill the time. Book five was better than this, because by now we've been guaranteed a nice plot climax in every book.
Book six was better than book five, but now I feel suckered. You would think with all the time they had to hype the book, and all the money they are charging for the book, they could have fixed the glaring typographical error early on in the book.
They used "site" when they meant "sight". I will update with a page reference if I ever get around to rereading it. I have at least six books on the in progress pile, including the delightful "Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader", by Bradley Martin. The latest Harry Potter was an impulse buy.
At this point in time in the drama, I have the theme song stuck in my head, I adore the actors I viewed with skepticism in the beginning, and I'm a love/hate relationship with the whole thing. I keep going because I want to know how it ends and because I've already invested so much time and effort. I hate myself for having gotten suckered in yet again and yet I'm loving the end of the series.
I feel the same way about Harry Potter. Please, just hurry up and finish it off so I know how it ends. I've invested enough time, effort, and money not to see how it ends.
Incidentally, Lord Voldemort reminds me of Kim Il-sung. You know, the personality cult, the constant need for adulation and praise, and the ability to use his charisma to gain the loyalty of so many of his people.
Part 1.
It turns out that something called Chinese Egg Custard Tarts can actually be too eggy.
2 eggs
5 oz. can of evaporated milk
scant 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Whisk all ingredients together, pour into frozen tart shells, and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Makes 6 tarts.
Next time: reduce to 1 egg, and let mixture rest overnight to allow the bubbles to settle.
2 eggs
5 oz. can of evaporated milk
scant 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Whisk all ingredients together, pour into frozen tart shells, and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Makes 6 tarts.
Next time: reduce to 1 egg, and let mixture rest overnight to allow the bubbles to settle.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Fruity Lessons
The individual fruit tarts were a big hit. They did taste good, but I suspect a big part of their success was psychology. It's a delight to be able to commandeer your own adorably adorned dessert.
* Strawberries leach color when set on lemon curd. It's the curd's acidity that does it. I'll have to find a solution.
* As predicted, grated dark chocolate makes a lovely foil for the bright lemon curd. It's difficult to grate properly. I'll work on a solution.
* Blueberries are a little too subtle for the lemon curd. They work beautifully with the vanilla custard.
* Some people like the taste of crust, some don't. Fortunately, the vanilla lets the crust shine through, whereas the lemon curd masks it.
* I should have searched for pastry cream recipes instead of vanilla custard. Odds are good this search would have yielded better results.
* Strawberries leach color when set on lemon curd. It's the curd's acidity that does it. I'll have to find a solution.
* As predicted, grated dark chocolate makes a lovely foil for the bright lemon curd. It's difficult to grate properly. I'll work on a solution.
* Blueberries are a little too subtle for the lemon curd. They work beautifully with the vanilla custard.
* Some people like the taste of crust, some don't. Fortunately, the vanilla lets the crust shine through, whereas the lemon curd masks it.
* I should have searched for pastry cream recipes instead of vanilla custard. Odds are good this search would have yielded better results.
Monday, July 11, 2005
And here's an untested reconstruction.
A long time ago, I had a fantastic recipe for chocolate truffles. It was fantastic for two reasons: one, it tasted wonderful, and two, it was amazingly simple.
Okay, there is a third reason. It is one of the very few recipes that J, Z, and I agree on. Most things we eat together are too sweet, too meaty, too greasy, or too whatever for one of us. Most of the time, we end up with something that one person doesn't completely rave about for some reason. At least I think we all agreed on it. Actually, I'm not sure if Z ever tried it. No, wait, I'm pretty sure she did.
I lost track of this recipe. It looks like I tossed out any paper copies, and the e-mail accounts that held the electronic versions are long gone. (Give me a break, I hadn't learned proper archival techniques by then.) And I think J and Z lost track of it, too.
I have been looking for a recipe like this one for a while now. I have seen few recipes that resemble it. Most call for things like butter or exotic formation techniques.
So here is what I remember. I know I have the ingredients and (most of the) methodology right, but I don't know about the proportions.
-------------------------------------------------
1 pound best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bits
1/4 pint heavy cream
2 tbl brandy
Bring the cream and brandy to a boil. Add the chocolate and stir until it's all melted. Transfer to a bowl. Let cool a little bit. Beat with an electric mixer until...I guess until you've whipped in some air, lightened the texture a bit, and it's not as liquid. I remember the recipe admonishing you not to overwhip it. Chill the mixture in the fridge until it's almost set, but still malleable. Form into truffle-sized pieces and chill until firm. Enrobe in ganache or roll in cocoa powder or whatever floats your boat.
-------------------------------------------------
I am confident about the chocolate quantity because the Trader Joe's Pound-Plus bars were almost perfect.
The cream was essentially one of those small containers from the dairy case. Possibly a little less, but you'd add the whole thing to avoid leftovers and to account for the Plus chocolate.
The brandy I'm not sure about. Not that I'd measure this one anyways.
Okay, there is a third reason. It is one of the very few recipes that J, Z, and I agree on. Most things we eat together are too sweet, too meaty, too greasy, or too whatever for one of us. Most of the time, we end up with something that one person doesn't completely rave about for some reason. At least I think we all agreed on it. Actually, I'm not sure if Z ever tried it. No, wait, I'm pretty sure she did.
I lost track of this recipe. It looks like I tossed out any paper copies, and the e-mail accounts that held the electronic versions are long gone. (Give me a break, I hadn't learned proper archival techniques by then.) And I think J and Z lost track of it, too.
I have been looking for a recipe like this one for a while now. I have seen few recipes that resemble it. Most call for things like butter or exotic formation techniques.
So here is what I remember. I know I have the ingredients and (most of the) methodology right, but I don't know about the proportions.
-------------------------------------------------
1 pound best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bits
1/4 pint heavy cream
2 tbl brandy
Bring the cream and brandy to a boil. Add the chocolate and stir until it's all melted. Transfer to a bowl. Let cool a little bit. Beat with an electric mixer until...I guess until you've whipped in some air, lightened the texture a bit, and it's not as liquid. I remember the recipe admonishing you not to overwhip it. Chill the mixture in the fridge until it's almost set, but still malleable. Form into truffle-sized pieces and chill until firm. Enrobe in ganache or roll in cocoa powder or whatever floats your boat.
-------------------------------------------------
I am confident about the chocolate quantity because the Trader Joe's Pound-Plus bars were almost perfect.
The cream was essentially one of those small containers from the dairy case. Possibly a little less, but you'd add the whole thing to avoid leftovers and to account for the Plus chocolate.
The brandy I'm not sure about. Not that I'd measure this one anyways.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
The deconstruction worked, sort of.
The original recipe for lemon curd:
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
6 tbl butter
Whisk all ingredients over low heat until the first bubbles break. Chill the mixture.
The chewing gum and sticky tape (deconstructed) recipe for vanilla custard (because the tartness of the curd is painful for those people with dental work):
1/2 cup half and half (because I don't normally stock hevy cream)
2 tsp vanilla paste
3/8 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tbl butter (because I don't want to cut another stick)
Whisk all ingredients over low heat until the first bubbles break. Chill the mixture.
Notes to self:
* Reduce sugar to 1/4 cup or less.
* Reduce vanilla to 1 tsp.
* Possibly increase to 4 eggs or more, depending on whether the intent is a vanilla or an egg tart.
* Possibly increase or eliminate the butter. I can't taste it anyways.
I suppose we could call the vanilla recipe a success, except it is rather sweet and cloying for my taste. It would work well loaded into a prebaked tart shell and garnished with fruit, which was the original intent. As a standalone custard or tart, it's a little much.
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
6 tbl butter
Whisk all ingredients over low heat until the first bubbles break. Chill the mixture.
The chewing gum and sticky tape (deconstructed) recipe for vanilla custard (because the tartness of the curd is painful for those people with dental work):
1/2 cup half and half (because I don't normally stock hevy cream)
2 tsp vanilla paste
3/8 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tbl butter (because I don't want to cut another stick)
Whisk all ingredients over low heat until the first bubbles break. Chill the mixture.
Notes to self:
* Reduce sugar to 1/4 cup or less.
* Reduce vanilla to 1 tsp.
* Possibly increase to 4 eggs or more, depending on whether the intent is a vanilla or an egg tart.
* Possibly increase or eliminate the butter. I can't taste it anyways.
I suppose we could call the vanilla recipe a success, except it is rather sweet and cloying for my taste. It would work well loaded into a prebaked tart shell and garnished with fruit, which was the original intent. As a standalone custard or tart, it's a little much.
Friday, July 08, 2005
希望
There's medication for this, isn't there?
I wish to live a day where I didn't think about consequences. This is not the same as willfully ignoring the consequences of my actions, or participating in activities in which consequences didn't matter. This would be living a day in which I didn't worry about them.
Then I could do something like quit my job in Corporate America and open a coffee shop without wondering whether Starbucks will take the kitty corner. And without worrying about what all that caffeine will do to my health.
Or I could be free to innovate. I would be so bad at forecasting equipment requirements that nobody would call on me to put together a budget when I'm not a manager. I would be so bad at keeping our currently inventory straight, everybody would figure things out without asking me all the time.
I could write real code, because I wouldn't be able to keep reams of data in order.
I wouldn't sound like a wet blanket when we discuss our hopes and dreams.
I could eat out with reckless abandon. I wouldn't worry about how my stomach would feel the next day. Or how thin my wallet would feel.
I would start the day with a sense of culinary wonder, because I wouldn't have already figured out lunch and dinner before the breakfast dishes were all cleaned up.
Laundry day would be any day of the week.
Sigh.
I wish to live a day where I didn't think about consequences. This is not the same as willfully ignoring the consequences of my actions, or participating in activities in which consequences didn't matter. This would be living a day in which I didn't worry about them.
Then I could do something like quit my job in Corporate America and open a coffee shop without wondering whether Starbucks will take the kitty corner. And without worrying about what all that caffeine will do to my health.
Or I could be free to innovate. I would be so bad at forecasting equipment requirements that nobody would call on me to put together a budget when I'm not a manager. I would be so bad at keeping our currently inventory straight, everybody would figure things out without asking me all the time.
I could write real code, because I wouldn't be able to keep reams of data in order.
I wouldn't sound like a wet blanket when we discuss our hopes and dreams.
I could eat out with reckless abandon. I wouldn't worry about how my stomach would feel the next day. Or how thin my wallet would feel.
I would start the day with a sense of culinary wonder, because I wouldn't have already figured out lunch and dinner before the breakfast dishes were all cleaned up.
Laundry day would be any day of the week.
Sigh.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
It's jinxed
Highway 101 and I do not get along at all. Weird things happen when I try to drive on it. To be fair, every time I do drive on it, I curse it, its potholes, the weird strip in the right lanes that make my tires buzz, and the endless construction in Mountain View, so maybe I'm sending off negative vibes. The following have happened the last few times I drove on it:
* As we were turning off the highway, a car several cars ahead of me lost a hubcap from its left side. This bounced along the pavement at high speed and sailed just over my car, narrowly missing the windshield. Naturally, instinct took over and I ducked, which would have done no good at all because I was in the car.
* Glop wound up on my windshield at high speed. At first I thought it was bird droppings, but it never solidified. Gross.
* A pickup truck wanted to drive in the left lane. Naturally, he (I'm assuming it's a he) cut across all 4 lanes of traffic with his right blinker on.
* A guy missed his exit. So he pulled over to the shoulder and drove in reverse until he reached it.
This pretty much accounts for the last three times I've taken 101. None of this, I repeat, absolutely none of this, happens on 280.
* As we were turning off the highway, a car several cars ahead of me lost a hubcap from its left side. This bounced along the pavement at high speed and sailed just over my car, narrowly missing the windshield. Naturally, instinct took over and I ducked, which would have done no good at all because I was in the car.
* Glop wound up on my windshield at high speed. At first I thought it was bird droppings, but it never solidified. Gross.
* A pickup truck wanted to drive in the left lane. Naturally, he (I'm assuming it's a he) cut across all 4 lanes of traffic with his right blinker on.
* A guy missed his exit. So he pulled over to the shoulder and drove in reverse until he reached it.
This pretty much accounts for the last three times I've taken 101. None of this, I repeat, absolutely none of this, happens on 280.
Monday, June 27, 2005
*shudder *
Random musings in response to part (A) of http://telecate.blogspot.com/2005/06/greetings-and-leavings.html:
There was an episode of "King of the Hill" in which Hank shook hands with one of the George Bushes and found his handshake disappointingly limp.
Don't you hate it when limp handshake person also has cold, clammy hands?
I once shook hands with a guy who was blowing his nose as I entered his office. What would you do in this situation? Because I was being escorted and it was a job interview to boot, I couldn't just go wash up immediately afterwards.
In general, I don't like to shake hands because I have a slight germ phobia. If shaking hands means crossing the room to get to the person, I just do a little wave. I like to think I can get away with it because I'm a girl (albeit less cute as the years march on). I suspect this is a career-limiting move.
There was an episode of "King of the Hill" in which Hank shook hands with one of the George Bushes and found his handshake disappointingly limp.
Don't you hate it when limp handshake person also has cold, clammy hands?
I once shook hands with a guy who was blowing his nose as I entered his office. What would you do in this situation? Because I was being escorted and it was a job interview to boot, I couldn't just go wash up immediately afterwards.
In general, I don't like to shake hands because I have a slight germ phobia. If shaking hands means crossing the room to get to the person, I just do a little wave. I like to think I can get away with it because I'm a girl (albeit less cute as the years march on). I suspect this is a career-limiting move.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Hmm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062301972.html
In deference to smoking lounges, how about Geek Lounge as an alternate name for TBC?
In deference to smoking lounges, how about Geek Lounge as an alternate name for TBC?
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Thump.
Note to self: when backing up to park, do your best to clear all condensation from the rear window. The wall is a lot closer than you think. I'm so sorry, Herb, but at least you survived with minimal damage.
I have also decided that Dr. Zoidberg is my favorite character. "Robot".
I have also decided that Dr. Zoidberg is my favorite character. "Robot".
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
I feel for Leela.
Even though Bender is my favorite character on the show.
We tested out my friend's in-car GPS navigator this weekend in San Francisco. We tried to argue with it, we really did. It turned out that it really was more efficient to take 280 from 101 entering the city. Also, we really were on track to get back onto 101 from the financial district until we got in the wrong lane. Then, we really did have to take 10th to get to 101.
If only they would perfect this for those of us who have no depth perception. Detailed instructions would be really handy for parallel and rear-in parking. "Turn right...a little more...now back straight...little more...now pull forward..."
Shows you how fulfilling my job is right now. I've retaught myself to parallel park in recent weeks, and just today, I have begun perfecting rear-in parking, something I was never taught in the first place.
We tested out my friend's in-car GPS navigator this weekend in San Francisco. We tried to argue with it, we really did. It turned out that it really was more efficient to take 280 from 101 entering the city. Also, we really were on track to get back onto 101 from the financial district until we got in the wrong lane. Then, we really did have to take 10th to get to 101.
If only they would perfect this for those of us who have no depth perception. Detailed instructions would be really handy for parallel and rear-in parking. "Turn right...a little more...now back straight...little more...now pull forward..."
Shows you how fulfilling my job is right now. I've retaught myself to parallel park in recent weeks, and just today, I have begun perfecting rear-in parking, something I was never taught in the first place.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Wait a minute.
I've set a bad precedent at work. Not only do they think I know stuff, they think I know everything about machine administration. So why would this one guy (who holds a PhD and has used Linux longer than I have) come to me with the following dialogue?
Him: I can't log on to this machine with my user account.
Me: Can you ping the machine?
Him: Yes. And the root password works just fine. It's just my user account.
Duh. You log in as root and reset your password. It doesn't take a PhD to figure that out. They don't pay me nearly enough. Apparently I've gotten so good they've gotten soft.
I'll stop the ego trip now.
Him: I can't log on to this machine with my user account.
Me: Can you ping the machine?
Him: Yes. And the root password works just fine. It's just my user account.
Duh. You log in as root and reset your password. It doesn't take a PhD to figure that out. They don't pay me nearly enough. Apparently I've gotten so good they've gotten soft.
I'll stop the ego trip now.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Queer Eye for the Cubicle Guy
I think they should do this. I want to see what they would do with the grey walls, dusty monitors, bedroom slippers, holey shirts, and the shirts that never change.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Why can't cars be like cell phones?
I don't know anything about cars, but I like to whine about them anyway. I guess I should really learn more about cars.
For cell phones, you pay a flat price for the phone and you subscribe to a service plan based on the number of minutes you think you will use. You are responsible for charging your own phone and getting insurance for it, if you so desire. The phones have warranties in case the battery explodes or something. When the phone gets really old, say, as much as a whole year old, some people who are still happy will hang on to their old phones, and other people will want to upgrade.
So why won't this work with cars? Couldn't you pay a flat price for the car and sign on to a service plan based on the number of miles you drive each month? The price of the service plan would include regular maintenance. The car company could call you in periodically to have the service done. They could estimate the schedule based on your service plan and check the odometer against the expected usage. You, of course, would be responsible for the occasional recharge (gas).
Of course this is more expensive, in much the same way (but with major differences) land lines cost less than cell phones. But I wonder if there are many people who would rather do this than be surprised when they run out of washer fluid.
For cell phones, you pay a flat price for the phone and you subscribe to a service plan based on the number of minutes you think you will use. You are responsible for charging your own phone and getting insurance for it, if you so desire. The phones have warranties in case the battery explodes or something. When the phone gets really old, say, as much as a whole year old, some people who are still happy will hang on to their old phones, and other people will want to upgrade.
So why won't this work with cars? Couldn't you pay a flat price for the car and sign on to a service plan based on the number of miles you drive each month? The price of the service plan would include regular maintenance. The car company could call you in periodically to have the service done. They could estimate the schedule based on your service plan and check the odometer against the expected usage. You, of course, would be responsible for the occasional recharge (gas).
Of course this is more expensive, in much the same way (but with major differences) land lines cost less than cell phones. But I wonder if there are many people who would rather do this than be surprised when they run out of washer fluid.
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