Survey Invitation: New survey on Feedback Survey

Survey

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2. If not, what offer might entice you to take this survey?

3. Do these surveys convey how much we value your feedback?

4. Do you think other responses will be similar to your response?

5. In your transaction, was the subject matter clearly communicated?

6. Did our representative demonstrate sufficient knowledge of subject matter?

7. In your opinion, does this survey cover key points of our subject matter?

8. How likely are you to participate in future surveys from us?

9. Making this survey was well worth our time. Do you feel similarly about your time spent taking this survey?

Numbers don't lie

Numbers don't lie
Number don't tell the truth either. Science also doesn't represent the truth. People tell lies and truths, even to themselves. Consider these posts I've seen on the internet.

The density of gasoline changes with temperature. So on a warm day the gas in my tank will weigh slightly less than it does on a colder day.

Increasing gas mileage by 50% will cut the amount of fuel used by 50%.  

Defensive Driving

As expected now that I'm older, what I consider a no-brainer in driving might be considered a no-such-thing by someone else. I've occasionally caught myself briefly breaking the 3-second rule by following at a frightful 2.5 seconds distance. Apparently, people following the 2-second rule look at me thinking "why are you following a grandpa-ish 2.5 seconds distance?". Google search for two-second rule has 2x-4x the results compared to three-second rule. I can only extrapolate that future generations will eventually employ a one-second rule. I wonder what rule Tesla auto-pilot uses.

I had assumed that my son has been learning the same safety tips from the state drivers handbook as I did. It's never overboard to question the obvious. In one conversation, I learned that he considers defensive driving a bad thing. He quoted the state drivers handbook on this. I did an internet search for defensive driving and could not substantiate his claim. However, all results describe defensive driving as something different from my preconception. Most simply point out paying attention to road conditions and weather conditions. Some associate it with mature driver course. (Ah, I'm beginning to understand my young son's condescending attitude towards defensive driving.) Some associate it with a certificate required after moving violations.

No wonder there are so many crazy drivers out there, we all consider each other crazy.

LaLeche

2 weeks ago Wednesday morning, I took a $7 taxi ride to downtown Puerto Vallarta about 3 miles from the cruise terminal. Less than half way there, we passed by LaLeche restaurant, which is walking distance from the cruise terminal. 

Earlier this week, there was a gunpoint kidnapping at LaLeche involving drug cartel associates including one of El Chappo's sons.

A week before the cruise, we watched The Infiltrator movie about drug cartel investigation, where El Chappo's character is on screen briefly. I watched the movie with Al, who remembers most of the events (Reagan freezing assets, etc) in the news when he was at Lowell HS (I was in college). I didn't remember those news events too clearly, other than some name being familiar. But he didn't recognize Bratt, an actor in the movie, who was also at Lowell around then. 

Some Of The Many Things You Didn't Know About Hybrids

Each manufacturer designs their hybrid cars differently. When Toyota hybrids run out of gas and the propulsion battery starts running low, the car computer will try to restart the gas engine. It will retry after a failed gas engine start. After the third try fails, it will set a fault code which prevents the car from starting at all until a technician resets the code.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/repair/what-to-do-when-your-hybrid-cars-battery-dies

New Cheap Talk/Data plan from VirginMobile

Great for people who can manage data usage and maximize wifi use on android phone.
http://www.virginmobileusa.com/custom/
$6.98 for 20 min/20 text/0 MB, 
$13.88 for 250/250/20, 
$23.48 for 250/20/500, 
$max for 500/500/6144 or choose some mixture thereof. 

Family: 
$60.90 for 5 phones to share 250/500/1024, 
$44.42 for 4 phones to share 250/20/500. 

Must buy phones from walmart $80-$130 android 4.1.2-4.4

Add-ons:
Maps & Navigation — 1 Day with 50MB data $1
Maps & Navigation — 1 Week with 135MB data $3
Unlimited Facebook — Monthly $5

Non News About Osama and Clinton

There was some non news today related to non-decision that Clinton could not have made that would not have led to any action that may not have killed Osama who at that time had not done enormous terrorists against US.

I love reading non news. Why can't they have honest headlines clarifying that it's non-news.