Chrysler to go hybrid

[sidney]

After hearing that Chrysler was going to be bought by the Italian car company once known as Fix It All the Time, I was surprised to read that they have gone into Chapter 11 bankruptcy instead. But when I saw the details I realized that they fit in with President Obama's push for alternative energy in our transportation systems.

The new board of directors that will control Chrysler will be split between the US Government and the Italian auto maker. That means that Chrysler will be going hybrid -- Half ruled by a Democracy, and half ruled by Fiat.

-- sidney :)

[ktinkel]

Groan. :)

Here we said Fix It Again Tony.

Jack and I had two Fiats and loved both of them. Only reason we don’t still have them is because once they left the U.S., parts were hard to come by, and the insurance company totaled the cars after minor problems.

It appears that the partnership will go on. The bankruptcy is supposedly to resolve the claims of hedge fund investors who are otherwise unwilling to settle.

[Judy G. Russell]

Chrysler will be going hybrid -- Half ruled by a Democracy, and half ruled by Fiat.O-u-c-h!!

[Mike]

Yet another <groan>.

PS. I signed up for Sonic DSL on Thursday. I'm tired of my Comcast High-Speed Internet that's rated at 6 Mbps, and often gets to 24 Mbps during the day, but regularly slows to .8 Mbps during the 8pm-1am timeframe. I might as well have stayed on dialup.

Next step, getting a dish to replace Comcast TV. Comcast keeps taking away channels and telling us we need to upgrade to digital to get 'em back. For $1.50 more a month, I can get a dish with three times as many channels, including 40 in HD, and a DVR. (And it ends up that both dish companies have "Multi-Unit Dwelling" plans, where we might be able to have one dish for the entire complex, which would allow everyone here to get rid of Comcrap.)

[Judy G. Russell]

For $1.50 more a month, I can get a dish with three times as many channels, including 40 in HD, and a DVR.I have DirecTv, one of my brothers has Dish, and we both think they're terrific, so go for it!

[sidney]

Next step, getting a dish to replace Comcast TV.

I'm not sure if it is available yet in your area as I haven't read all the details, but Sonic.net is offering some kind of Internet/TV bundle:

http://corp.sonic.net/ceo/2009/02/23/sonicnet-hdtv/

Once you have your account, be sure to check out the sonic.net newsgroups as a good signal-to-noise ratio low volume place to get questions answered and get a heads up for new developments at Sonic.net. There aren't many companies of that size that have a support forum that is actually read and posted to by the CEO.

[Mike]

I have DirecTv, one of my brothers has Dish, and we both think they're terrific, so go for it!
Indeed, either one will be better, so it's simply a matter of seeing which one offers the best value... this month. (6-12 months from now, we can see which one has a better deal at that time. :-)

Also, AT&T uVerse seems to be coming to the island, which is further competition, although its prices seem to be a bit higher than a dish. OTOH, that's no external equipment, and did I ever tell you about all the trees around here?

[Mike]

...Sonic.net is offering some kind of Internet/TV bundle:

http://corp.sonic.net/ceo/2009/02/23/sonicnet-hdtv/

That, I hadn't seen! I'd seen the discussion about the super DSL that supposedly will carry TV, but not for DirecTV through Sonic. That deal is much better than AT&T's bundle, and right now, seems to be the clear winner.

Once you have your account, be sure to check out the sonic.net newsgroups...
Already BTDT. I've already read a bunch of super-informative posts by some bright guy named Sidney.

There aren't many companies of that size that have a support forum that is actually read and posted to by the CEO.
Indeed. And none of the competition bothers to let its paying customers know about planned outages, nor are there any that give explanations of and apologies for unplanned outages.

I remember reading Dane's postings on ba.internet in the early 1990s, and I think we even conversed in a few threads.

[Dan in Saint Louis]

Indeed, either one will be better, so it's simply a matter of seeing which one offers the best value... this month.
THIS month, if you sign up for DTV using my (or Judy's) ID, we each get $100.

[Judy G. Russell]

THIS month, if you sign up for DTV using my (or Judy's) ID, we each get $100.Use Dan's, Mike. (a) He knew about this; I didn't. (b) I don't even know what my ID is!!

[Dan in Saint Louis]

Use Dan's, Mike. (a) He knew about this; I didn't. (b) I don't even know what my ID is!!
It works like this:




Now you can get $100 off your DIRECTV bill for every friend who orders DIRECTV service. Your friends will also get $100 each, on top of our current new customer offer. Not to mention, they'll start enjoying the ultimate TV experience that only DIRECTV can deliver.
How it works

http://cdn.directv.com/images/referafriend/referral_icon_arrow_rt.gifYou refer your friends to DIRECTV and give them your DIRECTV account number.
http://cdn.directv.com/images/referafriend/referral_icon_arrow_rt.gifYou receive $100 in bill credits for each friend who activates DIRECTV service.
http://cdn.directv.com/images/referafriend/referral_icon_arrow_rt.gifYour friends also receive $100 in bill credits.
What to do

http://cdn.directv.com/images/referafriend/referral_icon_1.gif Refer your friends to DIRECTV with an email (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageIFnorail.jsp?assetId=P4970049).
http://cdn.directv.com/images/referafriend/referral_icon_2.gif Give them your DIRECTV account number and tell them to order online at directv.com/refer or by calling 1-800-507-4045. They must have your DIRECTV account number when they order. Where is my account number? (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/referral/referralProgram.jsp?footernavtype=5#)
You can find your account number on your monthly DIRECTV bill or by logging in to directv.com


http://cdn.directv.com/images/referafriend/referral_icon_3.gifReceive $100 in bill credits for each friend who activates DIRECTV service.

[sidney]

THIS month, if you sign up for DTV using my (or Judy's) ID, we each get $100.

Huh, all Sonic.net gives for a new account referral is a t-shirt. :)

[Mike]

THIS month, if you sign up for DTV using my (or Judy's) ID, we each get $100.
Thanks. First, we have to see whether one of the dishes' MDU plans will give the entire community any significant savings (along with a reduction of the number of physical dishes). If not, then we need to see which carrier has the better plan, and then finally, whether we'll spend less by going with a Sonic plan or by taking advantage of your offer.

[Judy G. Russell]

You can find your account number on your monthly DIRECTV bill or by logging in to directv.comThat I can do!

[Mike]

I'm running on Sonic DSL now, and it looks good.

I had to call support, because I couldn't get an IP address, and it ended up the modem's default state is not to bridge to DSL. It only took a few minutes and it was reconfigured.

I'm getting about 5.1 Mbps on Speedtest, but that's consistent (Comcast was all over the map--sometimes up to 24 Mbps, and often down to .5 Mbps). Downloads usually get over 650 Kbps, which was rare with Comcast.

The service is rated 3-6 Mbps, but I haven't done any conditioning of the phone lines. I'm less than a mile from the CO, so distance isn't an issue. I'll probably run a dedicated line from the phone co demarc, and put the DSL filter there, instead of one on each phone. I suspect that'll raise my speed.