............................................................

[Nicholas Randall Forystek]

...........................................................

[Leon van Dommelen]

On Tue, 12 Jul 2016 02:10:48 -0500, Nicholas Randall Forystek wrote:

> ...........................................................


One of the best things said about Miatas.

Leon

[XS11E]

I'm not sure I agree with Nicholas but it's nice to see you back, Leon,
what have you been up to lately?


--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

[Leon van Dommelen]

On Sat, 16 Jul 2016 09:48:36 -0700, XS11E wrote:

> Leon van Dommelen <ra...@dommelen.net> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 12 Jul 2016 02:10:48 -0500, Nicholas Randall Forystek wrote:
>>
>>> ...........................................................
>>
>>
>> One of the best things said about Miatas.
>>
>> Leon
>
> I'm not sure I agree with Nicholas

You just need to read between the points.

> but it's nice to see you back, Leon,
> what have you been up to lately?

Well, Bozo is gone. I now own a grey 2004 Mazdaspeed, souped up by a
previous owner with Flying Miata parts, and a 2016 stock Artic White
(what else) Miata. I AutoX the 2016 regularly; the PAX on the 2004 is
punishing for a driver like me.

Leon

[XS11E]

Goodbuy Bozo! My white 1992 just sits there with a dead battery now,
my arthritis doesn't allow me to shift anymore.

I need to stick a new battery in it and sell it.... My driving is
reduced to a van with a handicap lift and a mobility scooter installed,
not nearly as much fun as the Miata and, like most vans, I can't put
the top down and it doesn't handle quite as well.. <G>

Old age SUCKS but it sure beats the alternative!

[Leon van Dommelen]

On Sat, 23 Jul 2016 20:31:39 -0700, XS11E wrote:

>> Goodbuy Bozo! My white 1992 just sits there with a dead battery now,
my
> arthritis doesn't allow me to shift anymore.
>
> I need to stick a new battery in it and sell it.... My driving is
> reduced to a van with a handicap lift and a mobility scooter installed,
> not nearly as much fun as the Miata and, like most vans, I can't put the
> top down and it doesn't handle quite as well.. <G>

They definitely need to build more vans with convertible roofs.
Or mobility Miatas, really. Just a bit of additional robotics
to slide the driver in the seat.

> Old age SUCKS but it sure beats the alternative!

Young age? ;)

Actually, I am doing pretty well health wise. I was thinking I would be
dead by now, based on historical family data, but I am still aggravating
students. Or at least I will be again in August.

Leon

[XS11E]

Leon van Dommelen <ra...@dommelen.net> wrote:

> Actually, I am doing pretty well health wise.

Very glad to hear that. I'm not complaining, I knew before I bought
the Miata it would be a short term thing and I enjoyed it several more
years than I thought I would. Other than the arthritis and difficulty
walking, I'm in very good shape for 81!

> I was thinking I would be dead by now, based on historical family
> data, but I am still aggravating students. Or at least I will be
> again in August.

That's part of the fun of teaching! That and the look on their face
when they grasp a difficult concept, which makes all the frustration
worthwhile.

And also I enjoyed the class laughing at an old bad joke because they
knew they had to, it was always explained to them that how much they
laughed at my jokes was a part of my grading system! <G>

[Leon van Dommelen]

On Sat, 30 Jul 2016 12:52:54 -0700, XS11E wrote:

> Leon van Dommelen <ra...@dommelen.net> wrote:
>
>> Actually, I am doing pretty well health wise.
>>

>> I was thinking I would be dead by now, based on historical family data,
>> but I am still aggravating students. Or at least I will be again in
>> August.
>
> That's part of the fun of teaching! That and the look on their face
> when they grasp a difficult concept, which makes all the frustration
> worthwhile.
>
> And also I enjoyed the class laughing at an old bad joke because they
> knew they had to, it was always explained to them that how much they
> laughed at my jokes was a part of my grading system! <G>

Ah, but in their anonymous instructor evaluation at the end of the
semester they will get back at you. You have to be careful, because
in a class of 80 students, *some* will take offense at almost any joke.

Leon

[XS11E]

Very true! The evaluations were never anonymous, I almost always could
tell who had written each one. My classes were usually fairly small,
20 students or so, one advantage of teaching at a private tech school.

[XS11E]

XS11E <xs1...@SPAMyahoo.com> wrote:

I need one, any preference between Westco and Autozone? My local
Autozone has a battery for my 1992 Miata and Batterys + has the Westco.

My results with Westco (my last two batteries) have been very mediocre,
is tha Autozone better, worse, the same?

[Robert Klemme]

On 30.07.2016 22:30, Leon van Dommelen wrote:

> Ah, but in their anonymous instructor evaluation at the end of the
> semester they will get back at you. You have to be careful, because
> in a class of 80 students, *some* will take offense at almost any joke.

Is this the micro aggression one is hearing so much about recently?
Somehow it seems political correctness has run berserk.

> Leon

I had one years ago and had to sell it because of a lot of technical
issues - and that was way before the Diesel scandal. Other than that it
was a nice car with its 180HP turbo engine...

Kind regards

robert

--
remember.guy do |as, often| as.you_can - without end
http://blog.rubybestpractices.com/

[Leon van Dommelen]

On Fri, 05 Aug 2016 21:17:28 +0200, Robert Klemme wrote:

> On 30.07.2016 22:30, Leon van Dommelen wrote:
>
>> Ah, but in their anonymous instructor evaluation at the end of the
>> semester they will get back at you. You have to be careful, because in
>> a class of 80 students, *some* will take offense at almost any joke.
>
> Is this the micro aggression one is hearing so much about recently?
> Somehow it seems political correctness has run berserk.

Well, I do not know about that. I did not hear about it. Anyway, I
think it is only fair that the students get a chance to say what
they feel too. Whatever I would think about their opinion.

Live and let live?

>> Leon
>
> I had one years ago and had to sell it because of a lot of technical
> issues - and that was way before the Diesel scandal. Other than that it
> was a nice car with its 180HP turbo engine...

Uhm, I do not actually think this is the Volkswagen group. But I guess a
Diesel Miata is always a future possibility.


> Kind regards
>
> robert

[Leon van Dommelen]

On Thu, 04 Aug 2016 21:39:52 -0700, XS11E wrote:

> XS11E <xs1...@SPAMyahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I need one, any preference between Westco and Autozone? My local
> Autozone has a battery for my 1992 Miata and Batterys + has the Westco.
>
> My results with Westco (my last two batteries) have been very mediocre,

Mine too. And I had two, too.

> is tha Autozone better, worse, the same?

I put one in my NC Miata. The Miata I shipped to Europe for a vacation
trip and then shipped back. Of course the shipping company, Hoegh
Autoliners is supposed to disconnect the battery. Especially on the
trip back where the car is on the boat for a couple of months. But then,
they did not. So the battery was dead as a door nail. Now if an AGM
battery is dead as a door nail, according to Miata.net, you can not just
power charge it. You have to trickle charge it overnight. A power boost
got me out of the Hoegh terminal, but after a sorely needed stop at a gas
station, I did not have that luxury. I tried to explain the issue to the
AAA battery guy that showed up on my call, but obviously he had no clue
what an AGM battery was. I ended up replacing the (probably OK)
battery with a conventional one since I had to get home. So the bottom
line is that I have no long-term data on the Advanced Autoparts AGM
battery. (Which may or may not be the same as the AutoZone one.)
It worked fine before it got on the Hoegh boat back, though.

Leon

[XS11E]

Leon van Dommelen <ra...@dommelen.net> wrote:

> On Thu, 04 Aug 2016 21:39:52 -0700, XS11E wrote:
>
>> XS11E <xs1...@SPAMyahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> I need one, any preference between Westco and Autozone? My local
>> Autozone has a battery for my 1992 Miata and Batterys + has the
>> Westco.
>>
>> My results with Westco (my last two batteries) have been very
>> mediocre,
>
> Mine too. And I had two, too.
>
>> is tha Autozone better, worse, the same?
>
> I put one in my NC Miata.

Thanks for the info, I believe I'll give the Autozone a try. Funny, in
my neighborhood Autozone and Batteries + are right next door to each
other so it makes little difference which one I use. The Autozone is
cheaper by about $38 so that helps make the decision.

FWIW, my previous Westco batteries have been mail order, if I get a
battery locally I'll at least be able to check the date code before
paying, that might make a big difference in the life of the battery.

[Robert Klemme]

On 06.08.2016 05:43, Leon van Dommelen wrote:
> On Fri, 05 Aug 2016 21:17:28 +0200, Robert Klemme wrote:
>
>> On 30.07.2016 22:30, Leon van Dommelen wrote:
>>
>>> Ah, but in their anonymous instructor evaluation at the end of the
>>> semester they will get back at you. You have to be careful, because in
>>> a class of 80 students, *some* will take offense at almost any joke.
>>
>> Is this the micro aggression one is hearing so much about recently?
>> Somehow it seems political correctness has run berserk.
>
> Well, I do not know about that. I did not hear about it. Anyway, I
> think it is only fair that the students get a chance to say what
> they feel too. Whatever I would think about their opinion.
>
> Live and let live?

Yes, if only it were that way. Current development, especially in the
US (but I guess not limited to), is quite different from "live and let
live":

http://time.com/32618/microaggression-is-the-new-racism-on-campus/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microaggression

>>> Leon
>>
>> I had one years ago and had to sell it because of a lot of technical
>> issues - and that was way before the Diesel scandal. Other than that it
>> was a nice car with its 180HP turbo engine...
>
> Uhm, I do not actually think this is the Volkswagen group.

I was referring to a Seat Leon. :-) And yes, it's Volkswagen group.

> But I guess a
> Diesel Miata is always a future possibility.

Ugh! I cannot imagine that. Sounds about as appealing to me as an MX-5
with a hitch...

Cheers

[Leon van Dommelen]

On Sat, 06 Aug 2016 11:32:35 -0700, XS11E wrote:

> Leon van Dommelen <ra...@dommelen.net> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 04 Aug 2016 21:39:52 -0700, XS11E wrote:
>>
>>> XS11E <xs1...@SPAMyahoo.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> I need one, any preference between Westco and Autozone? My local
>>> Autozone has a battery for my 1992 Miata and Batterys + has the
>>> Westco.
>>>
>>> My results with Westco (my last two batteries) have been very
>>> mediocre,
>>
>> Mine too. And I had two, too.
>>
>>> is tha Autozone better, worse, the same?
>>
>> I put one in my NC Miata.
>
> Thanks for the info, I believe I'll give the Autozone a try. Funny, in
> my neighborhood Autozone and Batteries + are right next door to each
> other so it makes little difference which one I use. The Autozone is
> cheaper by about $38 so that helps make the decision.
>
> FWIW, my previous Westco batteries have been mail order, if I get a
> battery locally I'll at least be able to check the date code before
> paying, that might make a big difference in the life of the battery.

Interesting point. I never thought of that.

Leon