I really hesitate to write about anything's permanent demise. It's a tricky and iffy proposition. On one hand if I had written about the death of 8-track tape in the 70's, I might have been deemed a prophet, or at least a good analyst of trends. On the other hand, if I had been one to declare print media to be dead in the 80's, I would still be wiping off the proverbial egg from my face. In the early 90's, anyone who saw the death of democratic congressional dominance would have had a...

Consumer reports has issued a retraction in regards to the trashing of 9 out of the 12 car seats they tested last fall and featured in a recent issue. It is the 1st time the magazine has issued such a retraction in almost a decade. The last time was over dog food in 1998. Consumer reports has admitted that their methodology was flawed. They have conceded that the "38 mph test" they claimed was done was bogus. The test was done @ 70mph. And that they actually "outsourced" the whole study. ...

Apple Computer Inc. is no more. This week, along with the announcement of their new "iPhone" gadget, the growing and diversifying company decided to shed the "computer" part of it's corporate title. This should better reflect the ways in which Apple Inc (it's new name) is positioning itself not only in the competetive personal computer market, but in the music, communication and other fields as well. And in my opinion, Apple has done a brilliant job in "reinventing" itself. It seemed, abo...

Ok. we're in the box. Throughout the process, the salesperson has been peppering you with certain "closing" questions. Here, in the box, those questions will increase in frequency. Most of them will not seem like questions that you are giving commitments to, but they are. Remember when I brought up a very common question that the sales manager or sales person may ask you. The question was "Pretty nice car, isn't it?" The important part of that question is "isn't it?" The way it is designe...

Negotiating for a car can sometimes be one of the most frustrating experiences we go thru. But it doesn't have to be. Knowing a few things and being prepared as well as negotiating withthe right people can impressively reduce your time and stress. The first thing to know when going into a car negotiation is that all car dealerships are measured in monthly increments. Since most managers in the industry are more cunning than they are smart, the systems are usually rather simple. The lat da...