economics: Germany
in [Design]
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From: Michael A. Terrell on 11 Jul 2010 01:35 Phil Hobbs wrote: > > "What's the difference between a mechanical engineer and a civil engineer?" > > "Mechanical engineers build weapons, and civil engineers build targets." "There are no civil engineers." -- Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.
From: Michael A. Terrell on 11 Jul 2010 02:27 Bill Bowden wrote: > > Another question might be "Where" are they going to invest surplus > profits other than US securities, which can be exchanged on a minutes > notice? > > Why don't the Chinese just buy gold instead of US bonds? Who has enough gold to sell them? -- Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.
From: German on 11 Jul 2010 05:38 On 11.07.2010 03:03, John Larkin wrote: > On Sun, 11 Jul 2010 01:19:17 +0200, German<invalid(a)invalid.invalid> > wrote: > >> On 10.07.2010 23:57, John Larkin wrote: >>> On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 23:22:21 +0200, German<invalid(a)invalid.invalid> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> On 10.07.2010 19:42, John Larkin wrote: >>>>> On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:22:36 +0200, German<invalid(a)invalid.invalid> >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> On 06.07.2010 00:43, Bill Sloman wrote: >>>>>>> On Jul 5, 4:28 pm, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote: >>>>>>>> On Jul 4, 7:21 pm, John Larkin >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> <jjlar...(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: >>>>>>>>> http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1f011f36-87ae-11df-9f37-00144feabdc0.html >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> It appears that the Germans, at least, appreciate where they are on >>>>>>>>> the Laffer curve. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> John >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> "The stronger-than-expected growth and falls in unemployment were >>>>>>>> making it significantly easier for Germany to reduce its public sector >>>>>>>> deficit." >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> We'd be bouncing back too but for Obama. Even flat on its back, our >>>>>>>> economy would be trying to sit up if Big Bro wasn't busy holding it >>>>>>>> down. It was and is weakly trying, but he just won't let it. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> It isn't Obama who shipped great swathes of American manufacturing >>>>>>> industry off to China and Mexico. Germany is doing well because it >>>>>>> does manufacturing better than anybody else. >>>>>> >>>>>> This, sadly enough, is only theoretically true, because here in Germany >>>>>> we don't have much left to manufacture. This parts of the industry have >>>>>> been shifted to China, Rumania,... in the last years. So it is basically >>>>>> the same situation here. >>>>>> >>>>>> Greets from Germany >>>>> >>>>> Germany still has a trade balance surplus. Do you think that will go >>>>> away? >>>> >>>> I'm not familiar with the figures. The media report, that the situation >>>> is improving at the moment. But I personally don't have a good feeling >>>> for the future. >>>> >>>>> >>>>> Keep making cars, anyhow. German cars are great.. even the ones made >>>>> in Mexico. >>>> >>>> I hope we will and thanks in the name of all that are involved in their >>>> production. >>> >>> My last four cars have been Fiesta (made in Germany), VW Golf, VW >>> Rabbit, and now an Audi A3 Quattro. The A3 is beautiful and awesome >>> mechanically, but the firmware sort of sucks. >> >> VW Rabbit is funny, I had to look that one up. Here it's only known as >> "VW Golf I". > > VW can't decide whether it's a Golf or a Rabbit here. They have > changed back and forth 3 or 4 times now. I think it's a Golf this > year. > > >> >> I drive an Golf Mk3 from 1997 with 75 (metric) HP. Perfect car for me: >> simple, robust and relatively low fuel consumption (important, if you >> have to pay up to 1.45 Euros per liter). Unfortunately it has started to >> rust lately and I already had to replace some body parts. I hope I can >> still drive it for a few years. >> >> The A3 is really a great car. I wouldn't mind owning one. >> >> The firmware and electronics seem to be an issue for this generation of >> (german?) cars in general. I know quite some people who also had had >> problems with their cars in this respect. That's why I love my Golf, it >> hasn't much electronics and firmware that can fail (writes an elecrical >> engineer, pure irony). > > I hate over-tech stuff. The Audi thinks it's smarter than I am. All > the HVAC and radio and nav controls are digital and incremental, so > you have to take your eyes off the road and press a sequence of tiny, > confusing buttons to do anything. It's downright dangerous. There's a > separate manual for the radio/navigation subsystem. I fully agree with you. I hated that too when I occasionally drove a car of this generation. It really is dangerous, you can end in the ditch if you simply want to adjust the temperature. > > I haven't yet figured out the door locks. It will lock itself whenever > it feels like. I don't dare leave the keys in the car, because it > might decide to lock me out. Seems to be same with VW. I heard about this "feature" from a friend two or three years ago, who got locked out by his car. I didn't believe it at first hearing, because I thought, why would VW want to upset their customers considering this could happen far from home, where one doesn't has his spare key at hand and has to call the breakdown service. > What sort of engineering do you do? I have a degree in "general electrical engineering" (I hope this has some meaning in the US as the titles and descriptions can't be translated one to one, I believe). At the moment I'm studying in a master course. After that I hope to get a job that involves electronic design. A German
From: dagmargoodboat on 11 Jul 2010 08:50 On Jul 10, 5:48 pm, John Larkin <jjlar...(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: > On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:26:32 -0700 (PDT), dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com > wrote: > > > > >On Jul 10, 11:35 am, John Larkin > ><jjlar...(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: > >> On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:03:34 -0600, m II <c...(a)in.the.hat> wrote: > >> >Joerg wrote: > > >> >> Out here the ultimate cat's meouw would be an all tricked-out truck with > >> >> a huge engine, and where you need a ladder to get in. > > >> >4 X 4 = IQ for some of those people. I swear, they must be forced to > >> >get a lobotomy before they can drive those things. They seem to be bent > >> >on destroying nature with empty beer cans and quarter mile long > >> >burn-outs through the bird nesting areas. > > >> >They're the Archies of the automotive world. > > >> >mike > > >> I love the names of these vehicles: Sierra, Tundra, Outback, Tahoe, > >> Sequoia, Yukon, all the places they are designed to destroy. > > >> Blazer, n: forest clear-cutting device > > >> Xterra, v: latin for "destroy the earth" > > >> John > > >Canyonero: > > >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4QgWRycd7I&feature=related > > That's great. "Twelve yards long and two lanes wide, sixty-five tons of American pride, Canyonero... Canyonero" > Do you know why a man gets excited by a woman dressed in leather? > Because it makes her smell like a new truck. Hmmm, I've never owned a truck...maybe I've been missing something? (I've been thinking a pickup would be handy these days.) Cheers, James
From: krw on 11 Jul 2010 09:53
On Sun, 11 Jul 2010 05:50:33 -0700 (PDT), dagmargoodboat(a)yahoo.com wrote: >On Jul 10, 5:48�pm, John Larkin ><jjlar...(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: >> On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:26:32 -0700 (PDT), dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com >> wrote: >> >> >> >> >On Jul 10, 11:35�am, John Larkin >> ><jjlar...(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: >> >> On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:03:34 -0600, m II <c...(a)in.the.hat> wrote: >> >> >Joerg wrote: >> >> >> >> Out here the ultimate cat's meouw would be an all tricked-out truck with >> >> >> a huge engine, and where you need a ladder to get in. >> >> >> >4 X 4 = IQ �for some of those people. I swear, they must be forced to >> >> >get a lobotomy before they can drive those things. They seem to be bent >> >> >on destroying nature with empty beer cans and quarter mile long >> >> >burn-outs through the bird nesting areas. >> >> >> >They're the Archies of the automotive world. >> >> >> >mike >> >> >> I love the names of these vehicles: Sierra, Tundra, Outback, Tahoe, >> >> Sequoia, Yukon, all the places they are designed to destroy. >> >> >> Blazer, n: forest clear-cutting device >> >> >> Xterra, v: latin for "destroy the earth" >> >> >> John >> >> >Canyonero: >> >> >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4QgWRycd7I&feature=related >> >> That's great. > >"Twelve yards long and two lanes wide, > sixty-five tons of American pride, > Canyonero... Canyonero" > >> Do you know why a man gets excited by a woman dressed in leather? >> Because it makes her smell like a new truck. > >Hmmm, I've never owned a truck...maybe I've been missing something? They're handy for hauling lumber home from the BORG. I gotta take a run or two up North to fetch some furniture. It doesn't fit well in a car. ;-) >(I've been thinking a pickup would be handy these days.) Indeed they are. Since having one, I'd not be without one. |