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Judy G. Russell
June 13th, 2007, 03:36 PM
(BTW, I just ordered a Nuvi 650. I'll let you know how I like it once it comes in.)That looks very cool. I've been awfully tempted to get a GPS system, but want one I can carry around into cemeteries and old family homesteads for genealogy purposes as well as to keep from getting lost on the roads.

Lindsey
June 13th, 2007, 04:20 PM
You know, when I saw the subject line on this message, I wasn't entirely sure whether you were talking about a Global Positioning System or the Genealogical Proof Standard. ;)

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
June 13th, 2007, 06:54 PM
You know, when I saw the subject line on this message, I wasn't entirely sure whether you were talking about a Global Positioning System or the Genealogical Proof Standard. ;) ROFL!! I wouldn't have done that to all of the non-genealogists hereabouts!

ndebord
June 13th, 2007, 07:39 PM
That looks very cool. I've been awfully tempted to get a GPS system, but want one I can carry around into cemeteries and old family homesteads for genealogy purposes as well as to keep from getting lost on the roads.

Judy & Mike,

I had no idea what a NUVI was, much less GPS. Sounds good. When you get it, I'll borrow it for a few months and let you know how it works!

;-)

Judy G. Russell
June 13th, 2007, 10:13 PM
I had no idea what a NUVI was, much less GPS. Sounds good. When you get it, I'll borrow it for a few months and let you know how it works!I wasn't sure what a NUVI was, but I sure do like the sound of it. A bit big for what I have in mind, but...

Mike Landi
June 14th, 2007, 09:17 AM
That looks very cool. I've been awfully tempted to get a GPS system, but want one I can carry around into cemeteries and old family homesteads for genealogy purposes as well as to keep from getting lost on the roads.
The 650 is a hand-held unit. It comes with a suction cup mount for a dashboard or a windshield. It has an internal battery, so you should be able to walk around a cemetery with it.

Mike Landi
June 14th, 2007, 09:31 AM
Judy & Mike,

I had no idea what a NUVI was, much less GPS. Sounds good. When you get it, I'll borrow it for a few months and let you know how it works!

;-)
How will you find me if you do not have a GPS? <gd&r>

Judy G. Russell
June 14th, 2007, 09:49 AM
The 650 is a hand-held unit. It comes with a suction cup mount for a dashboard or a windshield. It has an internal battery, so you should be able to walk around a cemetery with it.Aha: "Unit dimensions: 4.9”W x 2.9”H x 0.9” D"! It looks a lot bigger than that in the online images. That does look good... Where are you getting it?

Dan in Saint Louis
June 14th, 2007, 11:32 AM
Where are you getting it?
I don't see the 650, but here are a ton of places to get the 660:

http://shop.resellerratings.com/pd-37054716/SB-6

Mike Landi
June 14th, 2007, 12:44 PM
Aha: "Unit dimensions: 4.9”W x 2.9”H x 0.9” D"! It looks a lot bigger than that in the online images. That does look good... Where are you getting it?
BeachCamera.com, same place I got my Canon cameras and flash.

Ordered yesterday, $533. No charge for ground shipping and it has already shipped.

Mike Landi
June 14th, 2007, 12:45 PM
I don't see the 650, but here are a ton of places to get the 660:

http://shop.resellerratings.com/pd-37054716/SB-6
The 650 is the 660, minus the bluetooth and FM transmitter options. I need neither, so saving about $100 was very appealing.

Judy G. Russell
June 14th, 2007, 01:18 PM
BeachCamera.com, same place I got my Canon cameras and flash.They have a showroom within driving distance of my home. I'm gonna have to go there one day... without credit card or wallet...

Judy G. Russell
June 14th, 2007, 01:19 PM
I don't see the 650, but here are a ton of places to get the 660:

http://shop.resellerratings.com/pd-37054716/SB-6Thanks, Dan! I don't know that I want the extra options with the 660 but I should at least look at it carefully.

Mike Landi
June 14th, 2007, 03:46 PM
They have a showroom within driving distance of my home. I'm gonna have to go there one day... without credit card or wallet...
Save yourself the trip...the return trip! Take the wallet. The Nuvi's are fantastic.

There are a few models higher than the 650, but they add some extra goodies, like bluetooth for speakerphone calling, a FM transmitter to have the Nuvi speak through your radio and a subscription service for up to the minute traffic reports.

If you can do without those extras, you can get a 650 for about $530.

Lindsey
June 14th, 2007, 05:12 PM
ROFL!! I wouldn't have done that to all of the non-genealogists hereabouts!
Yeah, I was thinking that would have been a little specialized for this place...

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
June 14th, 2007, 05:19 PM
Save yourself the trip...the return trip! Take the wallet. The Nuvi's are fantastic.It's not just the Nuvi that would threaten my wallet. The Canon S5 should be on the shelves soon and... and... and...

There are a few models higher than the 650, but they add some extra goodies, like bluetooth for speakerphone calling, a FM transmitter to have the Nuvi speak through your radio and a subscription service for up to the minute traffic reports. If you can do without those extras, you can get a 650 for about $530.What blows me away is that the navigation system Acura was willing to sell me in my car would have been FOUR TIMES as expensive. Nice, sure, but not $2000 nice!

Judy G. Russell
June 14th, 2007, 05:22 PM
Yeah, I was thinking that would have been a little specialized for this place...Oh, folks would have caught on soon enough, I expect. And then slapped me silly...

Lindsey
June 14th, 2007, 05:25 PM
The 650 is a hand-held unit. It comes with a suction cup mount for a dashboard or a windshield. It has an internal battery, so you should be able to walk around a cemetery with it.
The screenshot I see on Amazon.com looks a lot like the GPS system I had in a rental car a few weeks ago, though that wasn't a flat screen (it was cube-shaped), and it didn't have suction cups -- it had a weighted "skirt" at the bottom to hold it on the dashboard.

I liked it very much, though at times it was misleading. For example, coming up I-405 out of LAX, the screen was telling me to take the US-101 South exit to get to Westlake Village, when I knew that I needed to go North, not South. Only when I got right at the exit did it change to North, which would have required a last-second lane change if you weren't already in the correct lane, and that's not something you want to have to do in LA-area traffic.

--Lindsey

Lindsey
June 14th, 2007, 05:29 PM
Oh, folks would have caught on soon enough, I expect. And then slapped me silly...
LOL!!

I've been reading Christine Rose's booklet on the proof standard, which she always refers to as "GPS," and it took me quite a few pages before I stopped being confused whenever she said something about "using the GPS."

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
June 14th, 2007, 10:28 PM
I've been reading Christine Rose's booklet on the proof standard, which she always refers to as "GPS," and it took me quite a few pages before I stopped being confused whenever she said something about "using the GPS."Ditto. I sat in on a few sessions at NGS and kept having to stop and think what they meant about GPS!

Mike Landi
June 15th, 2007, 02:36 PM
It's not just the Nuvi that would threaten my wallet. The Canon S5 should be on the shelves soon and... and... and...

What blows me away is that the navigation system Acura was willing to sell me in my car would have been FOUR TIMES as expensive. Nice, sure, but not $2000 nice!
Just got the Nuvi! Ground shipping turned out to be 48 hours.

Wow! What a display on this thing! The antenna works inside a building also (although not as well).

I even came charged!


New toy.....

New gadget to learn....


<g>

(You've got an Acura now? Thought you had an Audi...)

Judy G. Russell
June 15th, 2007, 05:42 PM
Just got the Nuvi! Ground shipping turned out to be 48 hours. Wow! What a display on this thing! The antenna works inside a building also (although not as well). I even came charged! New toy..... New gadget to learn.... <g>Sigh... I need a new toy. Can't afford one -- I'm having the kitchen done, and MAN is that expensive...

(You've got an Acura now? Thought you had an Audi...)I did have an Audi. Traded it in at the end of last year. I was being eaten alive by the repair costs. So I have an Acura TSX now. Great fun -- but I was not about to spend $2000 for a nav system.

Mike Landi
June 15th, 2007, 10:03 PM
Sigh... I need a new toy. Can't afford one -- I'm having the kitchen done, and MAN is that expensive...

I did have an Audi. Traded it in at the end of last year. I was being eaten alive by the repair costs. So I have an Acura TSX now. Great fun -- but I was not about to spend $2000 for a nav system.
Audi's are repair prone? I did not know that.

Been playing with the Nuvi....this thing is fun (and quite good at what it does.)

You can purchase "Points of Interest" maps for it that cover everything you could imagine. I did not dig too far into them, but I'll bet there is something on cemeteries.

Judy G. Russell
June 16th, 2007, 02:53 PM
Audi's are repair prone? I did not know that.It's not that there were so many repairs but that, once you were past the warranty, every repair cost a bloody fortune. A repair bill of several hundred dollars -- or more -- was not unusual.

Been playing with the Nuvi....this thing is fun (and quite good at what it does.) You can purchase "Points of Interest" maps for it that cover everything you could imagine. I did not dig too far into them, but I'll bet there is something on cemeteries.Sigh... soon. New toy time definitely soon.

Mike Landi
June 16th, 2007, 08:24 PM
It's not that there were so many repairs but that, once you were past the warranty, every repair cost a bloody fortune. A repair bill of several hundred dollars -- or more -- was not unusual.

Sigh... soon. New toy time definitely soon.
Ouch! I had an Acura (back in 1988) that was like that. The smallest thing was over $100. I'm sure they are better than that now.


The Nuvi is cool...and a distraction if you are not careful. Seeing a live map update with ever 1/10 mile you go is way cool.

Judy G. Russell
June 16th, 2007, 08:40 PM
Ouch! I had an Acura (back in 1988) that was like that. The smallest thing was over $100. I'm sure they are better than that now.I'm sure this one won't be. I bought an extended warranty. Which guarantees I will never have to use it. Or, at least, that anything that goes wrong won't be covered by it...

The Nuvi is cool...and a distraction if you are not careful. Seeing a live map update with ever 1/10 mile you go is way cool.Stop it! I can't get a new toy now! Gotta get the kitchen first. (Sigh.) (Whimper.)

Mike Landi
June 17th, 2007, 11:39 AM
I'm sure this one won't be. I bought an extended warranty. Which guarantees I will never have to use it. Or, at least, that anything that goes wrong won't be covered by it...

Of course! You now are guaranteed a zero maintenance car. <g>

Stop it! I can't get a new toy now! Gotta get the kitchen first. (Sigh.) (Whimper.)

Go check one out! I just found the feature where you can browse around the whole country, set a point as a place to go on your way to a destination. This is great, I can plan a trip to Florida, but set a place or two to stop on the way down and have the Nuvi plot the route.

I'm going to like this thing.....

Judy G. Russell
June 17th, 2007, 01:00 PM
Go check one out! I just found the feature where you can browse around the whole country, set a point as a place to go on your way to a destination. This is great, I can plan a trip to Florida, but set a place or two to stop on the way down and have the Nuvi plot the route. I'm going to like this thing.....Get thee behind me! Kitchen, I tell myself. Kitchen. New fridge. New stove. New microwave... (Whine...)

Mike Landi
June 17th, 2007, 04:14 PM
Get thee behind me! Kitchen, I tell myself. Kitchen. New fridge. New stove. New microwave... (Whine...)
$533 from BeachCamera. You may be able to get it cheaper somewhere else....

<g>

Stove, microwave, fridge, .... you don't need that until fall... <g>

Judy G. Russell
June 17th, 2007, 10:09 PM
$533 from BeachCamera. You may be able to get it cheaper somewhere else.... <g> Stove, microwave, fridge, .... you don't need that until fall... <g>You are bad bad bad! And I sure hope I need those kitchen things sooner than fall. I want to get this project started and finished ASAP if not sooner. The idea of living with a microwave and cube fridge for eight weeks or so is NOT my idea of fun.

Mike Landi
June 18th, 2007, 08:46 AM
You are bad bad bad! And I sure hope I need those kitchen things sooner than fall. I want to get this project started and finished ASAP if not sooner. The idea of living with a microwave and cube fridge for eight weeks or so is NOT my idea of fun.
Hey, that's what restaurants are for! <gd&r>

Judy G. Russell
June 18th, 2007, 10:33 AM
Hey, that's what restaurants are for! <gd&r>I certainly expect to be very much on a first name basis with the folks at the local diner this summer.

Mike Landi
June 18th, 2007, 11:34 AM
I certainly expect to be very much on a first name basis with the folks at the local diner this summer.
Better than the local tavern....

...maybe not. <g>

Judy G. Russell
June 18th, 2007, 01:50 PM
Better than the local tavern....

...maybe not. <g>I expect to choose a cube refrigerator by its capacity to ensure that I don't need to hit the local tavern! (IOW, it better have room for my beer!)

Mike Landi
June 18th, 2007, 02:32 PM
I expect to choose a cube refrigerator by its capacity to ensure that I don't need to hit the local tavern! (IOW, it better have room for my beer!)
Priorities, priorities.....

What's more important? A new toy or cold beer?...

...don't answer that!

Judy G. Russell
June 18th, 2007, 10:44 PM
...don't answer that!I can't answer that!

Mike
June 19th, 2007, 12:53 AM
The idea of living with a microwave and cube fridge for eight weeks or so is NOT my idea of fun.
That's life at our place in Sacramento. We got the real fridge and the stove last week (when I'd rather have been visiting friends on the East Coast).

Mike Landi
June 19th, 2007, 08:23 AM
I can't answer that!
<ROFL!>

Judy G. Russell
June 19th, 2007, 10:36 AM
That's life at our place in Sacramento. We got the real fridge and the stove last week (when I'd rather have been visiting friends on the East Coast).I'd have rather you'd been out here visiting too, but at least you're getting that place up and running.

Me, I'm still waiting for my #$%@# town to issue the building permit. I suppose I should start moving things out of the kitchen to the garage or basement...

Jeff
June 19th, 2007, 01:20 PM
I'd have rather you'd been out here visiting too, but at least you're getting that place up and running.

Me, I'm still waiting for my #$%@# town to issue the building permit. I suppose I should start moving things out of the kitchen to the garage or basement...

A building permit for an INSIDE job? Oh right. NJ. New Juice.

- Yeff

Judy G. Russell
June 19th, 2007, 05:41 PM
A building permit for an INSIDE job? Oh right. NJ. New Juice.I was really expecting to get shaken down on this, and may yet, but so far it's been pretty straightforward. Remember that out here in the all-too-civilized east, there's a code for everything: fire, building, plumbing, electrical. And somebody whose job it is to inspect everything.

Lindsey
June 19th, 2007, 09:52 PM
A building permit for an INSIDE job? Oh right. NJ. New Juice.
Not just in New Jersey! You'd sure need one here for a kitchen renovation.

--Lindsey

Mike
June 20th, 2007, 01:05 AM
I'd have rather you'd been out here visiting too, but at least you're getting that place up and running.
We're definitely chipping away at it. I spent much of last weekend sealing the new tile floors, while Brent finished the walls in the kitchen.

We already have someone interested in renting it, but we don't want to rent to her, because we already learned form a little bird that she's going into foreclosure. So when she approached Brent the other day and asked how the renovations are going, he told her there's no way it will be done before Christmas. I suspect she only had 30 days to get out, because she was very disappointed. <g>

Judy G. Russell
June 20th, 2007, 10:35 AM
We're definitely chipping away at it. I spent much of last weekend sealing the new tile floors, while Brent finished the walls in the kitchen.Gee... you wanna come do a kitchen renovation in New Jersey?

We already have someone interested in renting it, but we don't want to rent to her, because we already learned form a little bird that she's going into foreclosure. So when she approached Brent the other day and asked how the renovations are going, he told her there's no way it will be done before Christmas. I suspect she only had 30 days to get out, because she was very disappointed. <g>Yeeeek. That's the last thing you need -- a tenant you can't rely on and, under California law, probably can't evict very easily. Are you allowed to consider his/her/its financial record and status when you decide to rent?

Jeff
June 20th, 2007, 01:07 PM
Not just in New Jersey! You'd sure need one here for a kitchen renovation.

--Lindsey

This pissant town seems to think I need a "building permit" to stucco the siding on this little house. Build WHAT? I will fix up first, and say "what"? later. I fully agree on a relevant license requirement for the people doing the work, but I'll be damned if I'll get a license to have the work done.

- Jeff

Judy G. Russell
June 20th, 2007, 03:31 PM
This pissant town seems to think I need a "building permit" to stucco the siding on this little house. Build WHAT? I will fix up first, and say "what"? later. I fully agree on a relevant license requirement for the people doing the work, but I'll be damned if I'll get a license to have the work done.I am firmly of the opinion that it's generally easier to get forgiveness than permission. My own situation is a little different: I live on a busy corner, the dumpster would be out in plain view, and there's no chance I could get away with not having a permit for just about anything.

Dan in Saint Louis
June 20th, 2007, 05:55 PM
I'll be damned if I'll get a license to have the work done.In many jurisdictions a permit is not required for "repairs," only for modifications or remodeling. Be sure you "repair" your walls!

Lindsey
June 20th, 2007, 06:41 PM
This pissant town seems to think I need a "building permit" to stucco the siding on this little house.
I will admit, that seems a bit excessive. Then again, I'm not a builder, and I don't work in construction lending, so I'm not sure whether that is unusual or not.

--Lindsey

Mike
June 21st, 2007, 12:41 AM
I will admit, that seems a bit excessive. Then again, I'm not a builder, and I don't work in construction lending, so I'm not sure whether that is unusual or not.
In many, many jurisdictions, the permit requirements serve to give those jurisdictions reasons to extract more money from the citizens, via permit fees, inspection fees, appeal fees, processing fees, WTF fees, etc.

Mike
June 21st, 2007, 12:49 AM
Gee... you wanna come do a kitchen renovation in New Jersey?
I'd be willing, but there's this not-so-trivial matter of a job that's based in CA. Make it worth Brent's while, however, and you might acquire a cheap contractor. Just provide sufficient beer (and he drinks the cheap stuff).

Yeeeek. That's the last thing you need -- a tenant you can't rely on and, under California law, probably can't evict very easily. Are you allowed to consider his/her/its financial record and status when you decide to rent?
Yes! Landlords can use credit reports and information from references when considering a potential tenant, and as long as the tenant is declined for a non-discriminatory reason (e.g., race, marital status, sexual orientation, children, etc.), it's legal. IOW, if a former landlord reports that the tenant never paid its rent on time, then it's legal to refuse to rent to that person.

BTW, it's even legal to charge a prospective tenant for the costs to obtain a credit report. Many landlords levy a fee of $20-30 against all applicants for that purpose.

earler
June 21st, 2007, 05:37 AM
Depends on the wall, at least here in france. We required a permit, with oversight by the national commission of monuments, for a wall on the road. No cement permitted, only stone and lime.

Jeff
June 21st, 2007, 01:24 PM
In many, many jurisdictions, the permit requirements serve to give those jurisdictions reasons to extract more money from the citizens, via permit fees, inspection fees, appeal fees, processing fees, WTF fees, etc.

Yeah, out here we fix first, and say "what?" later. If at all. Remember Hannibal, the census taker, and the Chardonnay..? No questions there.

- Jeff

Judy G. Russell
June 21st, 2007, 02:55 PM
WTF feesThose are the ones I expect to hit at any moment!

Judy G. Russell
June 21st, 2007, 03:00 PM
I'd be willing, but there's this not-so-trivial matter of a job that's based in CA. Make it worth Brent's while, however, and you might acquire a cheap contractor. Just provide sufficient beer (and he drinks the cheap stuff).Sigh... I wish the heck I'd known that before I signed on the dotted line...

Landlords can use credit reports and information from references when considering a potential tenant, and as long as the tenant is declined for a non-discriminatory reason (e.g., race, marital status, sexual orientation, children, etc.), it's legal. IOW, if a former landlord reports that the tenant never paid its rent on time, then it's legal to refuse to rent to that person. BTW, it's even legal to charge a prospective tenant for the costs to obtain a credit report. Many landlords levy a fee of $20-30 against all applicants for that purpose.Both of those are very reasonable. I mean, in effect, a lease is a loan -- it just happens to be a loan of premises. But it's still a loan and creditworthiness ought to be a factor to be considered.

Lindsey
June 22nd, 2007, 11:37 PM
In many, many jurisdictions, the permit requirements serve to give those jurisdictions reasons to extract more money from the citizens, via permit fees, inspection fees, appeal fees, processing fees, WTF fees, etc.
I guess that really wouldn't surprise me. Governments at all levels (as well as telephone companies, banks, airlines, and any number of other service-type businesses) have gone fee-happy. Anything they can think of a label for, they'll slap a fee on. :-(

And there was this story by Farhad Manjoo in Salon.com today saying that a Chicago alderman wants to ban a device that warns drivers when they are approaching an interesection with a red-light camera because it would cut into the city's fine revenue: http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/06/22/red_light_alderman/

--Lindsey

Mike
June 25th, 2007, 12:35 AM
Those are the ones I expect to hit at any moment!
We've already paid a lot of WTF fees. <sigh>

Mike
June 25th, 2007, 12:38 AM
Sigh... I wish the heck I'd known that before I signed on the dotted line...
But we have to get our place finished first!

Both of those are very reasonable. I mean, in effect, a lease is a loan -- it just happens to be a loan of premises. But it's still a loan and creditworthiness ought to be a factor to be considered.
Brent's personal opinion is that people likely will pay the rent before they'll pay some of their other obligations, so we get references first, and if the references are confirmed and good, then we don't bother with a credit check.

I'm not as certain as he is, but so far, we've not been burnt.

Judy G. Russell
June 25th, 2007, 07:58 AM
Brent's personal opinion is that people likely will pay the rent before they'll pay some of their other obligations, so we get references first, and if the references are confirmed and good, then we don't bother with a credit check. I'm not as certain as he is, but so far, we've not been burnt.That sounds like as good a system as any.

Lindsey
June 25th, 2007, 11:32 PM
Brent's personal opinion is that people likely will pay the rent before they'll pay some of their other obligations
I think he's likely right about that. It's one thing to have your credit card frozen because you didn't pay the bill; it's something else again to find yourself out on the street because you didn't pay the rent!

Mainly you want to be sure they are not going to be running meth labs or having wild parties or other sorts of things that could cause serious damage to the property.

--Lindsey

Mike
June 26th, 2007, 01:14 AM
Mainly you want to be sure they are not going to be running meth labs or having wild parties or other sorts of things that could cause serious damage to the property.
Right. And those who might decide not to pay the rent to us likely have done that to previous landlords.

Lindsey
June 26th, 2007, 10:48 PM
Right. And those who might decide not to pay the rent to us likely have done that to previous landlords.
Yep, I think that's a pretty good bet, too.

--Lindsey