jkerouac

Report: 007

fyi, I just checked Costco online and they have the Nikon D40 with an 18-55mm Lens and 2GB SD Card for $500. If prices at other retailers are comparable I'd be tempted to go Costco because of their good customer service and return policies (90 days on cameras). Of course I don't know if you are a member.

Amazon also has some nice options. Last Christmas one of my gifts was an amazon gift certificate, which I used in part for a watch case. Amazon Watch Case Search Results

It would be interesting to see what percent of the RWG "regulars" or "veterans" (whatever those terms mean, I'm not sure) own one or more Asian 7750s. From the vast number of threads that discuss watches with these movements, my guess is that the majority own at least one, if not more.

I have the same version as Prince, and agree with the others on this thread that the Chopard Miglia GMT is a stunning, fantastic watch, and one of the best reps available today. I received three compliments from random strangers in the first two days that I wore it. I am somewhat surprised that this watch does not receive more comment on RWG. Although I haven't inspected the movement, it has the best "feel" of any of my 7750s, keeps excellent time, and has a strong power reserve. My sole complaint is that on my watch the cyclops sits a bit higher than it should. This would be easily adjusted by someone who is comfortable with basic repairs. In my case I'll have the crystal properly adjusted when I send it out for service in a few months.

I'm holding out for the Kia watch....

First check out the camera reviews at http://www.dpreview.com/ . You will learn more than you ever thought possible about different models to narrow down your search to the specific make and model that is right for you. The same Web site also includes links to various online retailers who offer each model. A dealer who has the best price for one model may not have the best price for a different model, so it's hard to say that any one dealer is best. But before you pick a retailer, decide whether you need a US warranty (I presume you are in the US though I should have checked your profile info before posting this response). Dealers who offer "grey market" versions can offer lower prices than those offering US warranties. For me, sometimes it is worth it to save the extra expense, and at other times I really want that warranty and am willing to pay extra for it. Whichever option you choose, be sure this is spelled out in advance. Addendum: I just looked at your profile and avatar. My guess is that if your avatar is of the Pike Market, then we are practically neighbors.

Gunnar, From what I remember of your taste in watches, the 3717 strikes me as a Gunnar Gran type of watch. Also, the IWC GST, in white or black. I have the Chopard as well, and it is a fantastic watch. But it doesn't strike me as meeting your criteria as well as either of the IWCs. Cheers, and hope you hang around awhile.

First Communion (the Catholics in the audience will understand.) I got a diver-style watch with a black bezel. Way cool.

Ummm, that would limit some of us to straps made from fabric. I presume you haven't shopped at this place: Exotic Meats USA Nice people, if you ever stop in at their San Antonio location. I don't know if they still do this, but stop in on a Saturday for free samples.

That genuine caseback is gorgeous. I, too, have a see-through caseback on my Speedy rep, and appreciate the view of the movement. But that genuine caseback is in a different league altogether.

Accuracy and quality are very important, but the main consideration has to be your own personal taste. I would rather get a rep that is 80% or 90% accurate thate really turns me on than a rep that is 95% or 99% accurate that doesn't do a thing for me. If you narrow your focus only to the few watches that have received the highest praise and consideration from the "gurus" on this or other boards, are you really doing justice to your own taste? White dial of watch 1 is "more accurate" than the black or blue dial? What if the blue would really turn you on more? If so, acknowledge the expert opinions but make your own final selection.

Sure, but that's kind of like saying you like air, or water -- it's such a given [to me, at least] that men like women's bodies that it hardly seems a distinguishing personality characteristic. By the way, I like parrots that wear sunglasses.

When I first joined RWGI, one member used a photo of his girlfriend as his avatar. She wasn't a conventional sexpot, but was more of what I would describe as an "ideosyncratic beauty." And from this member's handle and posts I couldn't tell whether this person was male or female. So I was really intrigued, but eventually figured out the truth. The question I always ask is, if an avatar is meant to represent you in some way, what exactly do the sexpot avatars really say?

The annoying thing about watches in movies is that where I used to freeze frame for the hot girl, now I freeze frame to study the watch. OK, I might still study the girl, or at least rewind to see her a second time. I watched Hollywoodland on HBO the other night. A Chopard that George Reeves supposedly received as a gift from his mistress serves as a plot pivot point. I only recall seeing the watch itself momentarily, though.

I want to know where I can get one of those fancy deployants! Have you considered offering them for sale? If so I think we could arrange a group buy. But seriously, good luck getting this resolved. If your watch has a serial number I would just give it to him. If the strap turns out to be the wrong size, you can always claim to being duped, and that you are extremely bummed that it's not real. But t as long as you have this watch that works and doesn't fit, you would still like to get a gen strap for it while you arrange your bank accounts to eventually get the real deal. As others have stated, possessing the rep is not a crime. They can't take it away from you. Your money is still as genuine as any other customer's.... and you may eventually be a return customer of their fine establishment.

Congratulations, Jiro. This is a great reminder to all of us that the value of a member has nothing to do with their longevity or sheer volume of posts. We were all noobies once, and are all noobies at some or (in my case) many aspects of this hobby. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy from his Cold War visit to Berlin: "Ich bin ein Noobie!"

One other hotly debated term that you will see bandied out in many threads this year is the concept of the "Super Rep." The term is used to cover reps such as the Steelfish, Cousteau, and Big Bangs, and also used to justify the considerably higher prices people are paying for some of these models. If you have not shopped for a rep in the past year, you may be in for a bit of a sticker shock, with prices in the $400 and up range surprisingly common, and true bargains relatively rare. By the way, on that cheery note.... welcome back.

Sorry, but I haven't heard that ipods are any more reliable.... or repairable... than other players. They definitely have their good points, so I'm not trying to start a pissing contest here. In fact, earlier I was going to point out that one thing I like about my four-year-old Creative Zen player is that if the hard drive dies you can replace it -- which you can't do with an ipod. And I have two batteries that I can swap out without sending the unit back to the manufacturer. So when I was on a long trip I got 20+ hours of playing time out of the tandem before having to recharge. But repairability on a four-year-old player is a bit beside the point because I would rather buy a new player than repair theCreative Zen, or any other player of that vintage. After all, every player has become better, and prices have gone down so it makes little sense to invest in an older model. But when I do buy a new player, it most likely will not be an ipod, both because of the price premium they are asking, and the proprietary software format trap Apple is forcing on their customers.

I see your dilemma. When I looked at the white dial individually, I said yes, that's a killer, that's the one. And when I looked at the black dial individually, I said that is the 'must have' version. If you really are into gold as much as you indicate, then you eventually will need to get both. But when I looked at the two pictures simultaneously, I felt that the black dial holds its own and balances more effectively against all that gold than the white dial does. But remind me to bring sunglasses if we are ever in the same room.

It sounds as if your ipod still functions, but connectivity is the issue. I have a similar problem with one of my cell phones-- an internal connector that allows the phone to sync PC data and to recharge the phone is broken. I ended up getting an external battery charger.... a pain to be sure, but at least the phone still works and I can sync data over the air. On the other hand, you may simple need a replacement cable, or to update/replace the device driver on the computer. Try connecting to a different computer. If the second computer doesn't recognize the ipod, I'd borrow someone else's cable and try that instead. Or there may be a different reason why the computer doesn't recognize the ipod. If the second computer recognizes it, go back to the first computer and right-click on My Computer and go to Device Manager to look for whether your ipod registers. It might show up under Other Devices with an exclamation mark on it. If so, delete that item, then try to reconnect your device again. Having said all this, I confess that I am not familiar with how Apple chooses to install and connect their players to pcs (or macs). You shouldn't need the itune software for a computer to recognize the player as a connected piece of hardware, unless they combined the hardware driver with the itune application. Nasty piece of engineering, in my opinion, if that's what they did. P.S. I have two 30g players, one a Creative Zen that has lasted for years, and a Zune that I acquired earlier this year. I can't wait until they come out with an affordable (translation: almost anybody but Apple) 60G or 80G player, so I can put all of my music on a single player.

A Date Just -- as in, "Honest, Judge, it was just a date."

Neil, I tinkered a bit with what I believe you are trying to do... but then decided that it might not even help you since I am on Outlook 2007 and have doen very little customizing with this or even previous versions. So much for the "solid experience" you were requesting. But I did a Web search and found this tutorial: Tutorial: Creating and distributing custom forms with Outlook . In particular the sections on Publishing and Making your new form the default look as if they are pertinent to the obstacle you are trying to overcome. I hope this helps. If not, I suggest a nip or two of whiskey. Heck, this recommendation stands even if the tutorial does help.

I haven't needed parts help often, but have received it when I needed it -- once from Paul, and once from Andrew. In Paul's case I wanted a replacement dial to change a white dial Speedmaster to a black dial. It took him a couple of months to deliver, but I wasn't in a hurry, and the dollar amount was relatively small so I didn't sweat it. In Andrew's case I needed a replacement bracelet for an IWC Ingenieur. He asked whether I had purchased it from him and even though I hadn't (I have, however, purchased other watches from him), he sold it to me anyway. Confirmation and delivery were prompt. He may have charged me a bit more than if he had sold the original watch to me, but I thought the price was fair. I agree with you that after-sale service and parts are important, both for retaining existing customers and for gaining new customers. A dealer who could not help me out with after-sale parts, or at least make an effort to get those parts, would have a harder time getting the order for my next watch.

My local Breitling AD prices and sells the watch and bracelet or strap separately. Believe it or not, they'd be perfectly happy to take your money for any combination of colors or styles of watch and bracelet/strap you like.