Dave Ambrose

When it comes to delivering healthcare, the organization matters. It sets standards of conduct and performance expectations. I'm in the San Diego California area. The two biggest, and best systems are non-profit. One is independent, and the other is affiliated with University of California at San Diego. I've used both non-profit systems, and both are much better than the for-profit medical facilities.

Find different doctors. If they give you an after visit survey, let 'm have it. For what it's worth, I've found non-profit medical orgs much better than for-profits.

I'd look at two things -- First is your current monitor's resolution. It should be at least 1920x1080. If it's lower than that, get a new monitor. Second is the available plugs on the back. It should have either Digital Video Interface, or some size of HDMI connector. If it doesn't have either of those, get a new monitor. DVI is identifiable by having a blade as one of the contacts. You can get adapter cables to go between HDMI devices, and DVI monitors. There are three sizes of HDMI connector, micro, mini, and full-size. My Dell desktop and Mac Mini have full size. My camera has a mini, and my new laptop has a micro. If money gets tight, I'm going to open a cable store. I currently have two largish monitors on my main desktop system. They have DVI connectors and are working fine. Incidentally, Costco has good prices on monitors.

We also had this problem. I'd go for a short drive at some inconspicuous time. The main thing is to get all the speeds to calibrate the engine ECU. Then, just have the smog shop fail it, and get the permit for the full driving cycle. The DMV is just enforcing the underlying laws, which are frequently defective. Contact can also contact your local assembly representative. They can get that permit ironed out.

It's a bit of a joke. My daughter's degree is in cultural (social) anthropology. I have extensive course work in it too, and my sister in-law is a cultural antropology professor at Rutgers. Surveys are a key tool for Cultural anthro and they spend a lot of time learning how to interpret them properly.

<sigh> We're having a server issue. The site is as safe as ever, but our encryption certificate did not automatically renew like it was supposed to. The hos(t)ing company is working on it, and it should be fixed fairly soon.

Yes, we've removed the locations. And, like way too many things we do these days, it has to do with security. Unscrupulous people have been taking bits of information, like real names and location, then filling in a few blanks, and then stealing your identity. I'm not happy about it, but we do need to take this step.

It's definitely helped us know what you all think is important, and that helps us plan the editorial content. Not really. We've taken a snapshot of the data for post processing. There are some things that Google's report doesn't do out of the box, and we had to turn that analysis over to an our in-house cultural anthropologist.

Going into extreme detail isn't going to be super interesting. I'm working on summarizing the results. I'll be posting them pretty soon.

So, this was my first, and sadly, last GSL. All I can say is -- better check that, and leave it at wow. Just an amazingly high quality on the tables. There are a few contests that I'm glad I don't have to judge and this one tops the list. We have access to the room during the judging, and the judges really do put in a monumental effort. But, more importantly, it was beyond awesome to meet, and get to know so many new and old friends. This is the biggest benefit of attending. Our existing contests can do more to foster this, and we'll be talking more about that in days to come. From the magazine's side, this was a mountain of totally worthwhile work. It was also the first in-person meeting for our new staff. Thank you to all who stopped by our table, said hello, and reminded us of just how valuable this forum has become.

Quick update: There is a bewildering assortment of outstanding models on the tables here. I'll try to get some quick table shots posted. It has been incredibly gratifying to meet many of our members in real life. I've been having some great conversations with people, and I can see why this is such a special show. More to come

I recently learned that we lost another member. Josh Atkinson, known as Venom here, lost his life in an auto accident. He was an outstanding builder, and I, for one, am grateful that he shared his skills.

Every.Time.It.Rains. We're close to the Mexican border so we get a wide diversity of drivers. Mexican driving habits are not always compatible with the NASCAR inspired high speed driving the natives tend to do. Drivers in some sections of town are just terrible. I spent my formative years driving a motorcycle so the paranoia is strong with me. I still need it even though I drive a mid-size pickup.

I officially retired today. More time for model cars, telescopes, astronomy, scuba diving, surfing, and grandson. Oh yeah, and helping around the house.

Yes, response sent.

Lots of great stuff here. My rarest kit is probably my JoHan Chrysler Turbine car. Got it some years ago at what I thought was a fair price. They seem to have gone through the roof while I was sleeping. As for the rest of my stash? Probably fairly prosaic.

Yes, all but one of the editorial team will be there. I, for one, will be in idea collection mode.

Model Cars Magazine is going to the final GSL contest in Salt Lake City. Gregg, myself, and a lot of the magazine staff will be there. We're going to be there taking pictures, talking to people, and generally enjoying the show. We'll also have a Friday evening hospitality suite. If you are there, please stop by and say hello. We don't get to see you all nearly often enough in real life. Who else is coming, and what are you bringing?

I hope you have a full and speedy recovery.

Steve, Very sorry to hear about your cat. She's a beauty It's inordinately difficult to lose our little friends.

A ton if interesting cars in that place. Spotted a '62 MGA, an Avanti, and an MG Magnette. There was a TR8 next to the Ferrari. Hopefully, not to much of it rubbed off on the Ferrari.

I don't know that I have a theme, other than celebrating a mild case of ADD when it comes to subjects. Generally speaking, I like things that I like the creative aspect though, and have lately been imagining some good color schemes for some of the models in my stash. I will definitely need to up my paint game. That should be fun. I keep a notebook of sorts in Evernote that keeps me from losing good ideas.

I would have someone capable (NOT GEEKSQUAD!!!) run diagnostics on it. It sounds like the video adapter is going bad. You can work around that by adding a cheap video card, but you want to know what's wrong first.

Spring finally showed up this weekend. It normally makes an appearance in mid February. The BBQ roared to life and we now have a lot of leftover meat. Our resident psychic sees tacos in our future.

Ah, you must not be a Start Trek - Next Generation fan. The Borg (short for cyborg) are a mixed biological/machine species that's also a fearsome, intractable enemy. When they encounter a new sentient species, they assimilate them into a highly connected collective. Sort of like teenagers on social media without the need for smartphones. Their signature concept is "Resistance (to assimilation) is futile. Here's the executive summary: