Question:

First a quick run down of my business and its future… I am the owner and sole employee of a landscape maintenance and installation company. I am essentially a service business right now, ordering in specific materials that I will need for a specific job. In the near future I plan to have one or more part time/seasonal employees and within the next two years I plan to open a retail shop. Heres what I forsee as my software needs, now and in the future… -general accounting -employee payroll (mainly the ability to input state/fed tax rates then auto calculate paycheck based on hours (and not as an add-on product or service from the software developer)) -client management -inventory management (including the ability to have one item with multiple vendors) -retail point of sale with the ability to create invoices for service customers while also doing pos sales -reasonable price!  I’m a small business… Now I realize that what I am asking for is not going to come in one package (dispite the fact that some software developers will claim that there product does). I’ve been using QuickBooks 2003 Pro this summer with acceptable results. I’ve been able to track my expenses and create invoices for customers and track payments with little effort.  However, looking at the features of this package, I am starting to doubt how well it will serve me as I expand. I initially tried this package because of the fact that many POS packages claim to "integrate" with it, yet after inspection of some of those packages, I’ve concluded that "integrate" is somewhat exagurated. I’ve also concluded that that feature may not be as important as I initially thought. I think I’d rather shoot for a solid, well designed accounting package that may require a little manual entry from POS software figures. From the perspective of inventory management, customer management, pos and invoicing, it seems that this should be able to come from one package. What I’m looking for here is basically a package that will allow me to set up a cash register station that will work fairly easily with a keyboard (not a touch screen and with minimal use of a mouse for the actual sales ring-up). It also needs to allow me to create invoices (similar to what QB allows you to do) and have this take info from the same inventory database that POS sales do.  As far as inventory goes, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to make an inventory value adjustment in an accounting package on a periodic basis, either daily or monthly, that would used total sales figures from the pos package. Does anyone have any experience using a cocktail of software packages that is reasonably priced (say under 1k for everything) and accomplishes all of the tasks well? I am eagerly awaiting your thoughts on this matter. Jimmy

Response:

Does anyone have any experience using a cocktail of software packages that is reasonably priced (say under 1k for everything) and accomplishes all of the tasks well? I am eagerly awaiting your thoughts on this matter.

We provide the Jaya123 web-service for small businesses. (http://www.jaya123.com) and we have many, many, many users who do what we do. We run Jaya123 for order-entry, invoicing, inventory, reporting, etc. It will export receipts to a file you can feed to Quicken (but not Q2005… use an earlier version… Q2005 is a mess). Finally, we use, and recommend that you outsource payroll as it is a world unto itself. We use http://www.paycycle.com for several years and have been very happy with them (Usual disclaimers apply.) The nice part about our solution is that it’s very inexpensive to get into. Quicken is about $35 (maybe less on eBay for an old version). Our Jaya123 web service is $14.95 a month. Paycycle is $39.95 (for both state and federal). And all three items (Jaya, Paycycle, and Q) are very easy to use (and with Jaya and Pay, there is nothing to download, nothing to install, nothing to backup and nothing to crash!) And you can run your business from anywhere in the world that you can get a web connection. People always ask if this solution is as good as a $10,000 integrated accounting system. We say no, but it does not cost $10,000 ! HTH. Al Canton, President Adams-Blake Company, Inc. *** JAYA123 – the web-based total-office system for the small biz. Order entry, billing, bookkeeping, etc. for $14.95 a month. Perfect for the small business or start-up. See demo at: http://www.jaya123.com ***

Response:

Jimmy, I have the affordable answer you are looking for.  There are two alternatives: either with or without job costing.  Job costing may be more than you need, but if you want to discuss how it works, please call me toll-free at A-Systems at (800) 365-6790. Visual Bookkeeper is an affordable answer to your needs.  For $39.95 you get general accounting, payroll, contact management, sales order (quote system), accounts payable, and accounts receivable.  They are bundled and fully integrated.  You can add inventory for $100.  You can track inventory on FIFO, LIFO, Standard Cost, or serialized.  If you want you can add purchase orders too.  There are several add-ons, but we bundled what most businesses need for under $40. Unlike some accounting programs, the payroll tax tables are user definable, you an update them yourself for free.  You don’t have to purchase them every year.  Our website has the information for federal tables and you can copy that information into your payroll tax tables in a matter of seconds. See:  http://www.a-systems.net/html/tb512.htm for the latest free federal tax tables.  You can do the same thing for state and local taxes, entering them directly from the tax tables provided by the appropriate taxing authority. As the owner of A-Systems and a crusader, advocate, and speaker for small business, I priced the Small Business Advantage version of Visual Bookkeeper under $40 to make it affordable for everyone.  If your business grows, Visual Bookkeeper can grow with you.  You won’t have to start all over with new accounting software if you determine you want more power and features, just upgrade to the Preferred Edition and add as many users as you want.  Our largest user does an annual revenue over $400 million.  That should give you plenty of breathing room as you grow. You’ve probably never heard of A-Systems unless you have a friend using the software.  A-Systems has been developing accounting software since 1978.  We are privately owned.  We have not gone to the public trough to get money to advertise.  We control costs so we can afford to sell our software affordably. Still, we compete with the biggest software companies in the world and we do that by providing affordable software that is superior in many ways.  For example, our software comes with a "wizard" to help you set up your company.  When you are getting started, you will need instruction.  We include dozens of training sessions on the CD with the software.  You can run them from the CD or install them on your hard drive.  One of those sessions introduces the terminology and processes of accounting.  It’s called "Bean Counting 101."  In addition, our Help File is arguably the best in the industry.  It is not a yellow page filled with text.  Whenever you press the Help Button you are treated to a full color picture of the screen where you pushed the button.  Every data field is explained. We have gone the extra mile to make sure that you, as the owner of a small business, have what you need, it’s affordable, quick to learn and easy to use.  If you need tech support, we offer it (for a small fee of course) at a toll free number. We believe that personal service is important.  We are as high-tech as any company, but we refuse to use voice mail.  When you call A-Systems, a live body answers the phone.  It’s old fashioned, but that’s the way we want to do business.  You can call a bigger business, but you won’t find one that takes better care of its clients. Small business is our specialty.  A few years ago, I spent a week in Washington DC, meeting with the SBA.  They were so impressed with what we had to offer, they purchased a copy of our software and put it into every SBA office, every Business Information Center, etc. in their system.  They called it an endorsement.  We are constantly reminded that the SBA endorses no one’s software.  Well, that’s what they called it at the time and they did in fact purchase a copy for every office, so it doesn’t matter whether we say they endorsed it or not.  (This comment is for those who will want to respond to this posting with negative comments about the SBA’s "endorsement".) That’s the whole story, the sales pitch, and a bit of background.  If you want affordable software that will grow with your company, call A-Systems toll-free at (800) 365-6790.  You can order with a credit card over the phone.  If you are reluctant to believe that it is a good as I say, call and ask for a Risk-Free Trial copy, a full running version of the software that you can have for free.  You can actually set up your own company and run it.  The training is on the CD, also for free. There are no strings attached.  It’s risk free.  This is better than a money back offer.  You get it for free to test and use.  If you decide you want to keep it, then you pay for it. Please call us at your convenience.  We’ll answer the phone.  If you want, I’ll be glad to talk to you. Arnold President A-Systems Corporation – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – First a quick run down of my business and its future… I am the owner and sole employee of a landscape maintenance and installation company. I am essentially a service business right now, ordering in specific materials that I will need for a specific job. In the near future I plan to have one or more part time/seasonal employees and within the next two years I plan to open a retail shop. Heres what I forsee as my software needs, now and in the future… -general accounting -employee payroll (mainly the ability to input state/fed tax rates then auto calculate paycheck based on hours (and not as an add-on product or service from the software developer)) -client management -inventory management (including the ability to have one item with multiple vendors) -retail point of sale with the ability to create invoices for service customers while also doing pos sales -reasonable price!  I’m a small business… Now I realize that what I am asking for is not going to come in one package (dispite the fact that some software developers will claim that there product does). I’ve been using QuickBooks 2003 Pro this summer with acceptable results. I’ve been able to track my expenses and create invoices for customers and track payments with little effort.  However, looking at the features of this package, I am starting to doubt how well it will serve me as I expand. I initially tried this package because of the fact that many POS packages claim to "integrate" with it, yet after inspection of some of those packages, I’ve concluded that "integrate" is somewhat exagurated. I’ve also concluded that that feature may not be as important as I initially thought. I think I’d rather shoot for a solid, well designed accounting package that may require a little manual entry from POS software figures. From the perspective of inventory management, customer management, pos and invoicing, it seems that this should be able to come from one package. What I’m looking for here is basically a package that will allow me to set up a cash register station that will work fairly easily with a keyboard (not a touch screen and with minimal use of a mouse for the actual sales ring-up). It also needs to allow me to create invoices (similar to what QB allows you to do) and have this take info from the same inventory database that POS sales do.  As far as inventory goes, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to make an inventory value adjustment in an accounting package on a periodic basis, either daily or monthly, that would used total sales figures from the pos package. Does anyone have any experience using a cocktail of software packages that is reasonably priced (say under 1k for everything) and accomplishes all of the tasks well? I am eagerly awaiting your thoughts on this matter. Jimmy

Response:

Question:

Hello, I live in California and I am going to take the new CPA exam soon, 1 part at a time.  I was wondering which study methods are best?  Should I take a class or just acquire materials and study myself? I graduated in 1999 with a bachelors in accounting, and I worked for around 3 years under CPA’s including 1 year of auditing.  I graduated #1 in my business school, but I have hardly touched any accounting type work in the last 2 years.  I am currently working as an independent consultant and I am paid very well, and most of my work is more finance related than accounting.  I honestly don’t want to be a CPA, I think its a waste of time but my wife and mother in law won’t stop bitching at me so I figure I will do it to shut them up.  With that said my motivation and dedication will be minimal so I am just wondering what will be the bare minimum I can do to pass and get this over with.  I understand accounting very well, but my attention span is extremely low as I find accounting to be arguably the most boring topic of study that exists. Any help is appreciated!!!! Thanks, J

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I live in California and I am going to take the new CPA exam soon, 1 part at a time.  I was wondering which study methods are best?  Should I take a class or just acquire materials and study myself? I graduated in 1999 with a bachelors in accounting, and I worked for around 3 years under CPA’s including 1 year of auditing.  I graduated #1 in my business school, but I have hardly touched any accounting type work in the last 2 years.  I am currently working as an independent consultant and I am paid very well, and most of my work is more finance related than accounting.  I honestly don’t want to be a CPA, I think its a waste of time but my wife and mother in law won’t stop bitching at me so I figure I will do it to shut them up.  With that said my motivation and dedication will be minimal so I am just wondering what will be the bare minimum I can do to pass and get this over with.  I understand accounting very well, but my attention span is extremely low as I find accounting to be arguably the most boring topic of study that exists. Any help is appreciated!!!! Thanks, J

You shouldn’t waste your time on the CPA exam if you really don’t like accounting too much or find it boring.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I live in California and I am going to take the new CPA exam soon, 1 part at a time.  I was wondering which study methods are best?  Should I take a class or just acquire materials and study myself? I graduated in 1999 with a bachelors in accounting, and I worked for around 3 years under CPA’s including 1 year of auditing.  I graduated #1 in my business school, but I have hardly touched any accounting type work in the last 2 years.  I am currently working as an independent consultant and I am paid very well, and most of my work is more finance related than accounting.  I honestly don’t want to be a CPA, I think its a waste of time but my wife and mother in law won’t stop bitching at me so I figure I will do it to shut them up.  With that said my motivation and dedication will be minimal so I am just wondering what will be the bare minimum I can do to pass and get this over with.  I understand accounting very well, but my attention span is extremely low as I find accounting to be arguably the most boring topic of study that exists. Any help is appreciated!!!! Thanks, J

Don’t bother yourself!  With this attitude, you’ll never pass the exam anyway.  Tell your Wife and Mother-in-law that you don’t want to be a CPA. The only thing a CPA can do that no one else can legally do is to perform a financial audit of a company checking to see whether or not that company has complied with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).  This is not for everybody.  If you are making good money and are satisfied with your situation, stick with it.  Of course, CPAs do other things rather than audits as well such as I do.  I prefer tax planning and preparation for individuals and companies as opposed to audits. Wayne Brasch, CPA, M. S. Taxation

Response:

Hello, I live in California and I am going to take the new CPA exam soon, 1 part at a time.  I was wondering which study methods are best?

I agree with Wayne, but you asked so here goes…. None, there is no such thing as best, it is an individual thing.  What is good for one is awful for another.  Bisk, Micromash, Kaplan, Gleim, or something else….  just take the one you feel most comfortable with.

Response:

Question:

BING bang boom. BANG bing boom. Bing BING, bing bang boom. Boing Boing splat. Damo http://community.webtv.net/damodara/MystoryasIseeit

Response:

<damod…@webtv.net> wrote in message

news:13435-40A60E31-43@storefull-3237.bay.webtv.net… > BING bang boom. > BANG bing boom. > Bing BING, bing bang boom. > Boing Boing splat. > Damo

rata ta tat rata ta tat rata tarata tarata ta tat rata ta tat tata ta tat rata tatata ta BOING TICK TOCK SPLAT!!! — sm

Response:

Quote from 32nd Canto, Chapter 35 Verse19- Teacher: Do wee? Student: Do wha? Teacher: Wha? Bing Bang . Whatty wanna "ting tang"? Disciples: Do we, do wha? wha? Ting tang? whatya wanna Bing Bang? Teacher:Do we, do wha wha!?! BING BANG whaty wanna ting tang? Do we, do wha wha whutye wanna Bing Bang. http://community.webtv.net/damodara/MystoryasIseeit

Response:

<damod…@webtv.net> wrote in message

news:12520-40A761A5-76@storefull-3235.bay.webtv.net… > Quote from 32nd Canto, Chapter 35 Verse19- > Teacher: Do wee? > Student: Do wha? > Teacher: Wha? Bing Bang . Whatty wanna "ting tang"? > Disciples: Do we, do wha? wha? > Ting tang? whatya wanna Bing Bang? > Teacher:Do we, do wha wha!?! BING BANG whaty wanna ting tang? > Do we, do wha wha whutye wanna Bing Bang.

spike millegan lives!!! — sm

Response:

boing???!!!!…dont they make planes? sorry thats boeing..:-P "spacemouse" <manuballi…@msn.com> wrote in message

news:Yc8pc.1684$YS4.1130@doctor.cableinet.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Boing boing splat > Boing boing splat > Boing boing splat > Boing boing splat > Boing > Boing > Boing > Boing > Boing boing boing boing splat splat splat > <squeaks happily> > — sm

Response:

Heard on the radio (last night) during the 20 minutes it took for me to fall asleep before my radio switched off, from a station 40 miles away: "All I Need is A Miracle" "That Girl Is Poison!" Conclusion: They’ve seen the cover photo from an issue of "Cashbox" from October 1983…and they are telling me about what they found….or what they were told to play for me on my birthday. Heard at Ponderosa when I sat down to eat my birthday dinner: "It’s the same old song, but with a different meaning since you’ve been gone…(and it breaks me up to hear it!)" "How can you stay away so long? … I don’t want to find another way to make it through the day without you." "Golden Years, don’t let me hear life is taking you nowhere." Conclusion: This is the second time in a row that the readio at Ponderosa has kidnapped my attention!

Response:

By the way, happy birthday, and hope the dinner was good. I turn 39 on June 8th.  Where has all the time gone? Flato – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Cymbal Man Freq. wrote: > Heard on the radio (last night) during the 20 minutes it took for me to fall > asleep before my radio switched off, from a station 40 miles away: > "All I Need is A Miracle" > "That Girl Is Poison!" > Conclusion: > They’ve seen the cover photo from an issue of "Cashbox" from October 1983…and > they are telling me about what they found….or what they were told to play for > me on my birthday. > Heard at Ponderosa when I sat down to eat my birthday dinner: > "It’s the same old song, but with a different meaning since you’ve been > gone…(and it breaks me up to hear it!)" > "How can you stay away so long? … I don’t want to find another way to make it > through the day without you." > "Golden Years, don’t let me hear life is taking you nowhere." > Conclusion: > This is the second time in a row that the readio at Ponderosa has kidnapped my > attention!

Response:

Where will all the time come from? I’m too far out of the money to buy much more time. Ta-la-la-la-la (The Reflex – DD)

Response:

"Cymbal Man Freq." <Don’t Bot…@ForgedPostsAnonymous.unorg> wrote in message news:wTUuc.31288$j24.17924@twister.nyroc.rr.com… > Where will all the time come from? I’m too far out of the money to buy much more > time. Ta-la-la-la-la (The Reflex – DD)

Julia Fordham – "Where does the time go……………….?"

Response:

"Cymbal Man Freq." <Don’t Bot…@ForgedPostsAnonymous.unorg> wrote in message news:nyJuc.275434$M3.271065@twister.nyroc.rr.com… > Heard on the radio (last night) during the 20 minutes it took for me to fall > asleep before my radio switched off, from a station 40 miles away: > "All I Need is A Miracle"

Would that be Mike and the Mechanics?

Response:

"HAWK" <H…@spitfire.com> wrote in message

news:2lsvc.176$yu2.150@newsfe3-gui > Would that be Mike and the Mechanics?

That would be BIG MIKE, yup. Miracles have no currency where money is banned. Not sure who the "Dancing Pig" posting here is yet though; but there will be a pig roast next door to me this weekend…and the former Mayor of my town will be there. Maybe I don’t want to be there. She may have spotted me somewhere & not known any context…or maybe she knows too much already!

Response:

Kodak let out a secret, says suit TouchPoint says the company broke a deal on software details. By Ben Rand Staff writer (June 5, 2004)

Question:

Would like to get some feedback from this group about the value/benefits of a vClassroom for Small Business to teach them how to do their accounting online. This setup can also be used to teach the busy entrepreneur how to read and understand financial statements and reports. Also keep in mind that this vClassroom setup can be adapted for most other types of virtual learning, meetings or group collaboration. Earl Rudolfo http://www.ez-e-accounting.com Ez-e-Accounting.com Manage your Business Finances, Anytime, Anywhere

Response:

Tried going to the site three times.  Took way too long to download and see the home page so I gave up. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Would like to get some feedback from this group about the value/benefits of a vClassroom for Small Business to teach them how to do their accounting online. This setup can also be used to teach the busy entrepreneur how to read and understand financial statements and reports. Also keep in mind that this vClassroom setup can be adapted for most other types of virtual learning, meetings or group collaboration. Earl Rudolfo http://www.ez-e-accounting.com Ez-e-Accounting.com Manage your Business Finances, Anytime, Anywhere

Response:

Question:

Faxing ‘aint easy I work as a sub-contract carpenter in the building industry. I also have a great interest in computers. In an effort to combine the two,I have wasted many hours. I am in search of a Single programme which will carry out my few basic needs,which are,,,,,,,   1) A simple accounting ledger which will track my expenses and transactions,,,chart of accounts and reports.   2)Ability to write invoices   3)Simple notes and Letter writing   4)Faxing,,,,(mainly for invoices)   5)Simple Client Contact details. Thats All,,,!!!!!! The following "Simple Task" of trying to use my computer to to produce and send an invoice for payment of work may explain my Frustration with Microsoft,,,,,   1) I open ms money and enter the transaction (Client,Amount,memo and pps Tax)   2) Open ms works and Re-enter these same details into a Fax template   3) Print to symantec starter Fax,,,,,Which rattles my hard drive for a while then opens ms Outlook2000 and goes about its faxing,,,,THEnnn it Opens windows Address book to find my contact Details,,,(which i thought i put in outlook?),,,, my takbar is now 3 rows deep too keep track of all this and i then have too open a separate memo type document which associates the names of the various files created with the initial transaction entered in Money,,,,,,,, I am ready to give up on the whole computer thing,,, i am not interested in tracking stocks and bonds,,,and investment scenarios and,,,variable international currencies,,,,,, Am I asking Too much?,,,,,maybe i should leave this greatly advanced   piece of technology for the kids too play games on,,,,,, Regards,,,Glyn

Response:

Yes, Glyn, microsoft stinks.  It is not your imagination. But you may not have enough resources for what you’re trying to run, if it takes this long to open symantic fax. Maybe you could invest in a cheap comupter course, if they have one in your area. Sarah Clark <snip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

Faxing ‘aint easy I work as a sub-contract carpenter in the building industry. I also have a great interest in computers. In an effort to combine the two,I have wasted many hours. I am in search of a Single programme which will carry out my few basic needs,which are,,,,,,,   1) A simple accounting ledger which will track my expenses and transactions,,,chart of accounts and reports.   2)Ability to write invoices   3)Simple notes and Letter writing   4)Faxing,,,,(mainly for invoices)   5)Simple Client Contact details. Thats All,,,!!!!!! The following "Simple Task" of trying to use my computer to produce and send an invoice for payment of work may explain my Frustration with Microsoft,,,,,   1) I open ms money and enter the transaction (Client,Amount,memo and pps Tax)   2) Open ms works and Re-enter these same details into a Fax template   3) Print to symantec starter Fax,,,,,Which rattles my hard drive for a while then opens ms Outlook2000 and goes about its faxing,,,,THEnnn it Opens windows Address book to find my contact Details,,,(which i thought i put in outlook?),,,, my takbar is now 3 rows deep too keep track of all this and i then have too open a separate memo type document which associates the names of the various files created with the initial transaction entered in Money,,,,,,,, I am ready to give up on the whole computer thing,,, i am not interested in tracking stocks and bonds,,,and investment scenarios and,,,variable international currencies,,,,,, Am I asking Too much?,,,,,maybe i should leave this greatly advanced   piece of technology for the kids too play games on,,,,,, Regards,,,Glyn

Response:

Question:

Louis, I can’t imagine anyone keeping an expensive boat sitting in a repair facility for 9 yrs.  If he had a legitimate claim, my guess is Whaler would have corrected it, or he would have won in court. — Jim "People who disagree with ME aren’t just wrong, they’re evil…"

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Something’s fishy here……why would he let the boat sit for so long? Even if the boat required $10,000 repairs, I would think that most people would have the work done – then gone after Whaler. I think its strange that a boat this expensive would sit for so long over a relatively inexpensive repair – litigation would have been in the owners favor. I have a 1999 commercial whaler – these boats are made for the military, coast guard etc – are not made to be tough not pretty -and are warranted for structural (not cosmetic) flaws. My boat was shipped with some cosmetic flaws -the boats cleats and rails needed to be re-powdercoated -the underside of the gunnels where rough – they needed to be taken off and gelled (this is no easy task) -my leaning post was shipped with no gel on the inside Whaler was contacted – they responded to the dealer – who was told to fix the boat to my satisfaction – period. The dealer had the boat for 2 weeks – everything fixed beyond my expectations. All the cosmetic NON-WARRANTY items I had issues with where fixed at Whalers expense. My suspicion about the boat is question stems from my current (and previous) experiences with Whaler – this story doesn’t sound right. Louie Received 1849 EDT via email: Thanks for the note.  I am curious now, what newsgroups are you referring to and what are they saying… As for the repairs.  Whaler directed me t oa former employee/manager who runs a repair yard down the street from the factory (he may even own it?).  I spoke to the gentleman wh ohas seen the boat and thought it cost no less that $2000 and maybe as much as $6500 to repair.  If they can drill one hole and blow foam in; that would be the least expensive repair.  If they have to remove glass and gelcoat to get to the effected areas the nthe cost rised because more man hours will be needed.  As a rule the factory does not repiar boats any longer.  Hope this helps. I have had dozens of inquiries and have tried to be as candid as possible. If you could direct me to the news groups I would enjoy seeing what they are saying. Mattias Your sale has stirred some controversy in the boating newsgroups. Any idea what Whaler would charge to correct the hull? David We spend a lot of words in this newsgroup discussing the reputation of various brands, both good and bad. Here’s a Boston Whaler for sale on Ebay.  It’s an interesting auction. Nice looking boat, probably a hell of a fishing machine.  Drawback:  Some hull delamination during warranty period, never fixed because of some sort of dispute.  Boat is laid up at the factory. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=173720364 I don’t know the story, but I thought it would make a good discussion. How good are Whalers?   How good is the company since this boat never got fixed. Rich Stern

Response:

I’m just glad my boat doesn’t have a foam core or wood.  I can see through my hull if I have one of the speaker holes open on the Sea Rayder.  It’s very light, inside the hull, if the sun is shining outside.  Can’t be any coring if there’s that much light coming through.  If someone holds their hand on the hull while looking at the light, inside, you can see their hand shadow very plainly in the translucent light. Larry

And you think being able to see through your hull is good? SA ***When I grow up, I wanna have a brown nose***

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I’m just glad my boat doesn’t have a foam core or wood.  I can see through my hull if I have one of the speaker holes open on the Sea Rayder.  It’s very light, inside the hull, if the sun is shining outside.  Can’t be any coring if there’s that much light coming through.  If someone holds their hand on the hull while looking at the light, inside, you can see their hand shadow very plainly in the translucent light. Larry And you think being able to see through your hull is good? SA

Listen, if I haven’t broken it to bits jumping tugboat wakes and ocean swells, yet, it’s gotta be made of the right stuff…..(c; Larry….

Response:

We agree. He probably bought the boat as is, and is making up a story to sell it (based on his story I would imagine there is lots wrong with this hull that isn’t being disclosed). People who buy 27′ Whalers usually aren’t first time buyers, have lots of disposable income, and most probably can tell you their lawyer and accountants telephone numbers from memory. Louie PS delamination is a very legitimate claim on any boat.   Was he the original owner?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Louis, I can’t imagine anyone keeping an expensive boat sitting in a repair facility for 9 yrs.  If he had a legitimate claim, my guess is Whaler would have corrected it, or he would have won in court. — Jim "People who disagree with ME aren’t just wrong, they’re evil…" Something’s fishy here……why would he let the boat sit for so long? Even if the boat required $10,000 repairs, I would think that most people would have the work done – then gone after Whaler. I think its strange that a boat this expensive would sit for so long over a relatively inexpensive repair – litigation would have been in the owners favor. I have a 1999 commercial whaler – these boats are made for the military, coast guard etc – are not made to be tough not pretty -and are warranted for structural (not cosmetic) flaws. My boat was shipped with some cosmetic flaws -the boats cleats and rails needed to be re-powdercoated -the underside of the gunnels where rough – they needed to be taken off and gelled (this is no easy task) -my leaning post was shipped with no gel on the inside Whaler was contacted – they responded to the dealer – who was told to fix the boat to my satisfaction – period. The dealer had the boat for 2 weeks – everything fixed beyond my expectations. All the cosmetic NON-WARRANTY items I had issues with where fixed at Whalers expense. My suspicion about the boat is question stems from my current (and previous) experiences with Whaler – this story doesn’t sound right. Louie Received 1849 EDT via email: Thanks for the note.  I am curious now, what newsgroups are you referring to and what are they saying… As for the repairs.  Whaler directed me t oa former employee/manager who runs a repair yard down the street from the factory (he may even own it?).  I spoke to the gentleman wh ohas seen the boat and thought it cost no less that $2000 and maybe as much as $6500 to repair.  If they can drill one hole and blow foam in; that would be the least expensive repair.  If they have to remove glass and gelcoat to get to the effected areas the nthe cost rised because more man hours will be needed.  As a rule the factory does not repiar boats any longer.  Hope this helps. I have had dozens of inquiries and have tried to be as candid as possible. If you could direct me to the news groups I would enjoy seeing what they are saying. Mattias Your sale has stirred some controversy in the boating newsgroups. Any idea what Whaler would charge to correct the hull? David We spend a lot of words in this newsgroup discussing the reputation of various brands, both good and bad. Here’s a Boston Whaler for sale on Ebay.  It’s an interesting auction. Nice looking boat, probably a hell of a fishing machine.  Drawback:  Some hull delamination during warranty period, never fixed because of some sort of dispute.  Boat is laid up at the factory. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=173720364 I don’t know the story, but I thought it would make a good discussion. How good are Whalers?   How good is the company since this boat never got fixed. Rich Stern

Response:

Hehehee…question is, what kind of light source would be required? 100 M candel power search light, or just a candle? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – through the Sea Rayder hull? Rich Stern

Response:

Brunswick makes a bowling pin that’s SO HARD it doesn’t even scuff when hit by a 16 lb bowling ball, over and over and over.   Why can’t they make a hull that doesn’t disintegrate when it comes in contact with a wooden dock??

Any boat company could use kevlar or other plastics that are more durable than FRP, but at what cost?  For that matter, why not just graduate to steel hulls? It’s possible to make a car that would be nearly impossible to get killed in. But the price and functionality would limit the market (dramatically), right? Few would benefit. through the Sea Rayder hull? Rich Stern

Response:

I’m just glad my boat doesn’t have a foam core or wood.

There are some extraordinarily high quality boats that incorporate foam or wood or both. There are reasons to use both materials, and in the hands of people who know what they are doing, they work very well in boats. Brunswick makes a bowling pin that’s SO HARD it doesn’t even scuff when hit by a 16 lb bowling ball, over and over and over.   Why can’t they make a hull that doesn’t disintegrate when it comes in contact with a wooden dock?

And we can put a man on the moon, too. Or, rather, could. — Harry Krause – - – - – - – - – - – - Annoying: Two people who go right on talking when you’re interrupting

Response:

Larry, Whaler no doubt honors it’s warranty committments.  But, that does not mean repairs need to take place at the plant.  Generally better all around if it is subbed out.  A nearby shop operated by a qualified person would be a good solution. Folks who build boats are not necessarily good at repairing boats. Butch

I’m just glad my boat doesn’t have a foam core or wood.  I can see through my hull if I have one of the speaker holes open on the Sea Rayder.  It’s very light, inside the hull, if the sun is shining outside.  Can’t be any coring if there’s that much light coming through.  If someone holds their hand on the hull while looking at the light, inside, you can see their hand shadow very plainly in the translucent light. Larry Brunswick makes a bowling pin that’s SO HARD it doesn’t even scuff when hit by a 16 lb bowling ball, over and over and over.   Why can’t they make a hull that doesn’t disintegrate when it comes in contact with a wooden dock??

Response:

  As a rule the factory does not repiar boats any longer.  Hope this helps. Mattias

I’d certainly hope Whaler is still repairing boats that are under the long hull warranty.  To refuse to repair a hull, with the warranty still effective, would put them in breach of contract under Magnusson-Moss in several areas where the lawyers could make complete replacement costs of a  boat look like a pittance, compared to what the payout would be after the court battle…..if you get my drift. I’m going to be watching this very closely because my Sea Ray and your Whaler are part of the same Brunswick conglomerate corporation. Bayliner owners should also keep an eye on this. Larry

Response:

Larry, Whaler no doubt honors it’s warranty committments.  But, that does not mean repairs need to take place at the plant.  Generally better all around if it is subbed out.  A nearby shop operated by a qualified person would be a good solution. Folks who build boats are not necessarily good at repairing boats. Butch

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –  As a rule the factory does not repiar boats any longer.  Hope this helps. Mattias I’d certainly hope Whaler is still repairing boats that are under the long hull warranty.  To refuse to repair a hull, with the warranty still effective, would put them in breach of contract under Magnusson-Moss in several areas where the lawyers could make complete replacement costs of a  boat look like a pittance, compared to what the payout would be after the court battle…..if you get my drift. I’m going to be watching this very closely because my Sea Ray and your Whaler are part of the same Brunswick conglomerate corporation. Bayliner owners should also keep an eye on this.

Response:

Something’s fishy here……why would he let the boat sit for so long? Even if the boat required $10,000 repairs, I would think that most people would have the work done – then gone after Whaler. I think its strange that a boat this expensive would sit for so long over a relatively inexpensive repair – litigation would have been in the owners favor. I have a 1999 commercial whaler – these boats are made for the military, coast guard etc – are not made to be tough not pretty -and are warranted for structural (not cosmetic) flaws. My boat was shipped with some cosmetic flaws -the boats cleats and rails needed to be re-powdercoated -the underside of the gunnels where rough – they needed to be taken off and gelled (this is no easy task) -my leaning post was shipped with no gel on the inside Whaler was contacted – they responded to the dealer – who was told to fix the boat to my satisfaction – period. The dealer had the boat for 2 weeks – everything fixed beyond my expectations. All the cosmetic NON-WARRANTY items I had issues with where fixed at Whalers expense. My suspicion about the boat is question stems from my current (and previous) experiences with Whaler – this story doesn’t sound right. Louie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Received 1849 EDT via email: Thanks for the note.  I am curious now, what newsgroups are you referring to and what are they saying… As for the repairs.  Whaler directed me t oa former employee/manager who runs a repair yard down the street from the factory (he may even own it?).  I spoke to the gentleman wh ohas seen the boat and thought it cost no less that $2000 and maybe as much as $6500 to repair.  If they can drill one hole and blow foam in; that would be the least expensive repair.  If they have to remove glass and gelcoat to get to the effected areas the nthe cost rised because more man hours will be needed.  As a rule the factory does not repiar boats any longer.  Hope this helps. I have had dozens of inquiries and have tried to be as candid as possible. If you could direct me to the news groups I would enjoy seeing what they are saying. Mattias Your sale has stirred some controversy in the boating newsgroups. Any idea what Whaler would charge to correct the hull? David We spend a lot of words in this newsgroup discussing the reputation of various brands, both good and bad. Here’s a Boston Whaler for sale on Ebay.  It’s an interesting auction. Nice looking boat, probably a hell of a fishing machine.  Drawback:  Some hull delamination during warranty period, never fixed because of some sort of dispute.  Boat is laid up at the factory. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=173720364 I don’t know the story, but I thought it would make a good discussion. How good are Whalers?   How good is the company since this boat never got fixed. Rich Stern

Response:

Received 1849 EDT via email: Thanks for the note.  I am curious now, what newsgroups are you referring to and what are they saying… As for the repairs.  Whaler directed me t oa former employee/manager who runs a repair yard down the street from the factory (he may even own it?).  I spoke to the gentleman wh ohas seen the boat and thought it cost no less that $2000 and maybe as much as $6500 to repair.  If they can drill one hole and blow foam in; that would be the least expensive repair.  If they have to remove glass and gelcoat to get to the effected areas the nthe cost rised because more man hours will be needed.  As a rule the factory does not repiar boats any longer.  Hope this helps. I have had dozens of inquiries and have tried to be as candid as possible. If you could direct me to the news groups I would enjoy seeing what they are saying. Mattias Your sale has stirred some controversy in the boating newsgroups. Any idea what Whaler would charge to correct the hull? David

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -We spend a lot of words in this newsgroup discussing the reputation of various brands, both good and bad. Here’s a Boston Whaler for sale on Ebay.  It’s an interesting auction.  Nice looking boat, probably a hell of a fishing machine.  Drawback:  Some hull delamination during warranty period, never fixed because of some sort of dispute.  Boat is laid up at the factory. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=173720364 I don’t know the story, but I thought it would make a good discussion.  How good are Whalers?   How good is the company since this boat never got fixed. Rich Stern

Response:

Rich, My guess is that the web site is a way to "encourage" Boston Whaler to fix whatever the problem is "under Warrenty".  I can’t belive that the boat sat at BW for 8 or 9 yrs waiting to be fixed. Michael, Quality is definitely measurable, but I agree that perception of quality or lack there of will impact on the way someone views the product. — Jim "People who disagree with ME aren’t just wrong, they’re evil…" – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Quality, or the lack of,  in today’s market has become more a subjective perception than a measurable commodity. The automobiles of this era are a good example. No one can deny that there has been dramatic increase in the quality of today’s cars, more so than ever before, and yet most of us older folks still refer to some brands, across the board, as dogs. We remember our old 1962 Dodge (Chevy, Ford) car or truck and, so be it, all Dodge (Chevy, Ford) cars or trucks are dogs forever more. Unless, of course, you look subjectively, and boats are no exception. Boats too, all of them, all brands, are much more reliable than they used to be. The problem is with our self-maintained perceptions, the brand decals that are afixed to the back of our minds rather than our rear windows, perceptions that can be fueled by the increasingly rare and uncommon problem referenced below in the Whaler comment. Today’s lack of quality is more likely to stem from dealings with people, not products. How different the scenario with the Whaler would be if someone at Whaler quickly resolved the problem to the customers satisfaction. What would his opinion of the Whaler brand then be? "I remember my old Whaler back in the late 90’s! Whadda boat is We spend a lot of words in this newsgroup discussing the reputation of various brands, both good and bad. Here’s a Boston Whaler for sale on Ebay.  It’s an interesting auction. Nice looking boat, probably a hell of a fishing machine.  Drawback:  Some hull delamination during warranty period, never fixed because of some sort of dispute.  Boat is laid up at the factory. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=173720364 I don’t know the story, but I thought it would make a good discussion. How good are Whalers?   How good is the company since this boat never got fixed. Rich Stern

Response:

lhfarm1 has an interesting auction history, mostly computer peripherals and software, cdr’s etc. For shit’s and grinns I emailed him asking if Whaler gave him a qoute to correct the hull. This happened to a couple of Scituate men around fifteen years ago on their shakedown run on a new Whaler 21 0r 23. They were steaming along in Cape Cod bay when one of the men noticed water coming through the deck sole. Moments later the hull split in half down the centerline. It was early spring in 42 degree water, one survived to tell his tale to the Boston Globe. I wouldn’t go near this one. David – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -We spend a lot of words in this newsgroup discussing the reputation of various brands, both good and bad. Here’s a Boston Whaler for sale on Ebay.  It’s an interesting auction.  Nice looking boat, probably a hell of a fishing machine.  Drawback:  Some hull delamination during warranty period, never fixed because of some sort of dispute.  Boat is laid up at the factory. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=173720364 I don’t know the story, but I thought it would make a good discussion.  How good are Whalers?   How good is the company since this boat never got fixed. Rich Stern

Response:

My guess is that the web site is a way to "encourage" Boston Whaler to fix whatever the problem is "under Warrenty".  I can’t belive that the boat sat at BW for 8 or 9 yrs waiting to be fixed.

Jim, I don’t think so.  It’s an ebay ad.  Putting it out there is a commitment to sell it in a short amount of time, so I don’t think this is about leverage against the manufacturer. Rich Stern

Response:

Rich, Many of ebay ads have "reserve" prices, which really doesn’t make it a bid, just a place to sell a product.  I assumed that this item had a reserve price, it does not. This could be one hell of a great deal, or one hell of a expensive nightmare.  I saved the site to see what it finally sells for. — Jim "People who disagree with ME aren’t just wrong, they’re evil…"

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My guess is that the web site is a way to "encourage" Boston Whaler to fix whatever the problem is "under Warrenty".  I can’t belive that the boat sat at BW for 8 or 9 yrs waiting to be fixed. Jim, I don’t think so.  It’s an ebay ad.  Putting it out there is a commitment to sell it in a short amount of time, so I don’t think this is about leverage against the manufacturer. Rich Stern

Response:

Very interesting story on the boat.  I wouldn’t touch it for any price.  It has reportedly been in outside storage for ~9 years with an inner/outer hull delamination.  Do you think it might be repairable within the normal selling price of the boat? I wonder what the storage charges are for ~9 years of storage?  Do you think Whaler provides free storage? Based on Whaler’s excellent reputation for dealing with people, I’ll speculate that the owner put a lawyer into the picture.  Once the laywers get involved the stew is usually ruined.  Let’s see… my client lost the use of the boat for X seasons so you owe us a new boat plus $4 million.  Gotta earn my fee, you know. ;=) Butch – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – peripherals and software, cdr’s etc. For shit’s and grinns I emailed him asking if Whaler gave him a qoute to correct the hull. This happened to a couple of Scituate men around fifteen years ago on their shakedown run on a new Whaler 21 0r 23. They were steaming along in Cape Cod bay when one of the men noticed water coming through the deck sole. Moments later the hull split in half down the centerline. It was early spring in 42 degree water, one survived to tell his tale to the Boston Globe. I wouldn’t go near this one. David We spend a lot of words in this newsgroup discussing the reputation of various brands, both good and bad. Here’s a Boston Whaler for sale on Ebay.  It’s an interesting auction.  Nice looking boat, probably a hell of a fishing machine.  Drawback:  Some hull delamination during warranty period, never fixed because of some sort of dispute.  Boat is laid up at the factory. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=173720364 I don’t know the story, but I thought it would make a good discussion.  How good are Whalers?   How good is the company since this boat never got fixed.

Response:

We spend a lot of words in this newsgroup discussing the reputation of various brands, both good and bad. Here’s a Boston Whaler for sale on Ebay.  It’s an interesting auction.  Nice looking boat, probably a hell of a fishing machine.  Drawback:  Some hull delamination during warranty period, never fixed because of some sort of dispute.  Boat is laid up at the factory. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=173720364 I don’t know the story, but I thought it would make a good discussion.  How good are Whalers?   How good is the company since this boat never got fixed. Rich Stern

Response:

Quality, or the lack of,  in today’s market has become more a subjective perception than a measurable commodity. The automobiles of this era are a good example. No one can deny that there has been dramatic increase in the quality of today’s cars, more so than ever before, and yet most of us older folks still refer to some brands, across the board, as dogs. We remember our old 1962 Dodge (Chevy, Ford) car or truck and, so be it, all Dodge (Chevy, Ford) cars or trucks are dogs forever more. Unless, of course, you look subjectively, and boats are no exception. Boats too, all of them, all brands, are much more reliable than they used to be. The problem is with our self-maintained perceptions, the brand decals that are afixed to the back of our minds rather than our rear windows, perceptions that can be fueled by the increasingly rare and uncommon problem referenced below in the Whaler comment. Today’s lack of quality is more likely to stem from dealings with people, not products. How different the scenario with the Whaler would be if someone at Whaler quickly resolved the problem to the customers satisfaction. What would his opinion of the Whaler brand then be? "I remember my old Whaler back in the late 90’s! Whadda boat is

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -We spend a lot of words in this newsgroup discussing the reputation of various brands, both good and bad. Here’s a Boston Whaler for sale on Ebay.  It’s an interesting auction. Nice looking boat, probably a hell of a fishing machine.  Drawback:  Some hull delamination during warranty period, never fixed because of some sort of dispute.  Boat is laid up at the factory. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=173720364 I don’t know the story, but I thought it would make a good discussion.  How good are Whalers?   How good is the company since this boat never got fixed. Rich Stern

Response:

Question:

Accounting systems are gradually, and very cautiously, being interconnected via the internet. In 1999 the country is busy rolling out bill presentment and payments, online storefronts, and all manner of more private B2B and supply chain connections. Clearly, in the future, our transaction infrastructure will be better evolved both in internal database technology and its communications. It will become effortless for individuals and small companies, to remit funds, send invoices, order goods, etc. with network devices. The emergence of internet payments technologies and high-powered ERP accounting systems has been sudden. It may take a decade or more for large numbers of individuals to wake up to the potentials. Some of the most explosive potentials are already possible, today. The online payments and accounting infrastructure enables individuals, for the first time, to participate in collaborative ventures of arbitrary complexity by enabling allocations of revenue they helped to generate, or in allocations of costs or cost pools from which they have drawn resources by their activities. People are already quite mobile and quite capable of working in extended groups. Corporations themselves are extended groups. But unlike the present situation, sole proprietors will not be slaughtered by the complex accounting and overhead involved in partnerships or JVs. I honestly believe that the day is coming when the entire expense and revenue stream of midsized corporations could be split out to all the employees as if it were a co-op. Contracts could be written. We would not be employees. Who could be targeted by tax authorities as "the Employer"? Some ISP on the internet in San Jose? Which person, the system engineer? The DBA? Go to Yahoo Calendars. Hundreds of thousands of people already use, or are familiar with, shared calendars on internet. Now, see E-room or HotOffice which enable shared discussion and files as well as calendars. Now, imagine these with a powerful accounting hypercube beneath, where you could view every cent of every transaction, and the way it was allocated to members. Imagine these with realtime facilities that give you the power, every day, to understand and control your commitments. * Click here to view details of your costs. * Click here to approve your allocations for May 23, 1999. * Click here to remit partners’ draw to yourself…. Imagine that the system had gotten stable and functional enough to produce all the paper filings and reports and tax returns, and print them on paper and send to governments which so richly deserve them. Click here to create an LLC Click here to review your form K-1 Technology will reduce the risks of partnering with new, untrusted ventures. Nick Szabo’s Smart Contracts contains a useful catalogue of techniques. http://www.best.com/~szabo/formalize.html Five years from now there will be CPA firms and consultants will performing services that do not even exist today.  For example, financial virtualization of companies.  I don’t know what the term will be.  Maybe "LLC Conversions". What it means is a functioning corporation with stockholders, employees, payroll, and perhaps other stakeholders like creditors or vendors will be groaning under the burdens of legacy Client Server stuff like SAP or Solomon.   They will convert to parterships or LLCs in which all the participants get roughly the same deal that they are getting today, except 20% more money by ripping out the entire admin system and legal form, and replacing it with an accounting hypercube in a Web-based ledger. Everybody will get slices and allocations of every expense (or more realistically, expense pools, perhaps daily or weekly) for their inspection and approval.  Ditto the income. It will all reside in powerful hosts and quite often offshore.  It’s perfectly legal, makes good tax sense and that’s what will happen. * Todd F. Boyle CPA    http://www.GLDialtone.com/ * 9745-128th Av NE, Kirkland WA 98033       (425) 827-3107 * Accounting ASP, Web ledger, netledger, web GL, GL Dialtone, whatever.

Response:

The entire economy can be viewed as a single mathematical model. Each individual human being has a monetary balance, which is the sum of his/ her cash and monetary assets, minus monetary liabilities.  The grand total for the entire human race, sums to zero. (This is self evident, surely we can all agree on this, in theory)

That depends on the about of dark matter in the universe. If the amount is enough to reverse the expansion,  then at the moment of the big crunch it would indeed sum to zero. Or perhaps this would occur at the time our sun becomes a red giant or when we blow each other up in a nuclear holocaust.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The online payments and accounting infrastructure enables individuals, for the first time, to participate in collaborative ventures of arbitrary complexity by enabling allocations of revenue they helped to generate, or in allocations of costs or cost pools from which they have drawn resources by their activities. The entire expense and revenue stream of midsized corporations could be split out to all the employees as if it were a co-op. They will convert to parterships or LLCs in which all the participants get roughly the same deal that they are getting today, except 20% more money by ripping out the entire admin system and legal form, and replacing it with an accounting hypercube in a Web-based ledger. Everybody will get slices and allocations of every expense (or more realistically, expense pools, perhaps daily or weekly) for their inspection and approval.  Ditto the income.

The entire economy can be viewed as a single mathematical model. Each individual human being has a monetary balance, which is the sum of his/ her cash and monetary assets, minus monetary liabilities.  The grand total for the entire human race, sums to zero. (This is self evident, surely we can all agree on this, in theory) In tomorrows universe the nations’ accounting systems will be increasingly, kept in agreement with each other electronically.  Your liabilities will tend to equal the assets on other systems. This accounting fabric is the MDD or hypercube I’m talking about, inaccessible without security of course but it is terribly real, nevertheless. The simple list of transactions since birth, totalling your net monetary worth (NMW) is a 1-dimensional list isn’t it? The most immediate dimension to be added (for individuals) is WHO.   Who do I owe, and who owes me.  Now, you have a 2-dimensional spreadsheet with columns for your employer or income sources, as well as utilities companies and other payees and liabilities.  call it customer/vendor. Another dimension of course is time periods.  Years, months, days.   (I’m talking about the phenomenal, objective reality not models or designs.  The fact is days have identities in the calendar and people ask, "when did transactions occur".) Dimensions upon dimensions exist. by product or service. By channel.   By method.  Fixed or variable.  Associations with actions, or mental processes e.g. mandatory/discretionary. You reach out your hand. The dials increment and decrement like the cockpit of an airplane. Someday, we will drill down into the financial statement of publicly held companies into a product line, and review their cost structure. We will review their average salaries and, probably, form judgements whether they are gouging us.  For example, the average W-2 income of individuals in the software industry in the state of Washington in 1997 was $160,000. There will be greater income equality.  Ordinary, private enterprises may publish their data.  Who cares?  When you see that the automotive mechanic on the corner uses higher cost parts and has 50% lower gross margin that the Ford dealer has, you might make purchase decisions on that basis. Everything a company does, it does by the power invested in it by its customers. Many businesses will achieve better relations with their customers when the customers understand better the disposition of funds.   Customers may come to expect an accounting of the money they have spent.   Why shouldn’t we be able to drilldown into the payment we made to the electric utility, and see their financial statement? What more natural way to navigate, than from your own family budget? There will be greater democracy.  We already know that policy choices and social contract is defined more by how we spend than how we vote. * Todd F. Boyle CPA    http://www.GLDialtone.com/ * 9745-128th Av NE, Kirkland WA 98033       (425) 827-3107 * Accounting ASP, Web ledger, netledger, web GL, GL Dialtone, whatever.

Response:

Question:

Thanks much for the tips.  I’ll be giving them a shot tomorrow….

Response:

Well, there is one thing you can do now to quickly balance your system at least on paper. Then, you should probably keep control totals manually as a monthly and on-going check for all of your sub-ledgers. If the AR is out of balance, do the following; Start at the last point the AR aging agreed with the GL control account. Add all AR sales and subtract all AR cash received on a month by month basis, attempting to balance with any AR aging reports on the way (its a good idea to keep monthly aging reports). Bear in mind any writeoffs and discounts taken/allowed on the way. You’ll have to ensure all transactions during that time were posted both to the GL and the subledgers. Somewhere along the line, you will find where the imbalance occurred. More than likely in the month that yielded corrupted integrity checks. Maintain this temporary out of balance condition in your manual control totals until such time as the missing transactions can be accounted for. Review all bank reconciliations to ensure all cash was posted to AR and cash receipts journals. Trace all sales (invoices) to sales register to ensure all sales posted. It’s not such a tough job, perhaps just time consuming. Don’t despair, it will work out. There must be some import/export utility within Peachtree to import any missing transactions. There certainly is some way to fix it. Chaloner Hale

Response:

Well, there is one thing you can do now to quickly balance your system at least on paper. Then, you should probably keep control totals manually as a monthly and on-going check for all of your sub-ledgers. If the AR is out of balance, do the following; Start at the last point the AR aging agreed with the GL[..]. Somewhere along the line, you will find where the imbalance occurred.

This reminds me of a fantastically easy way to fix corruption if you are lucky enough to find the problematic transaction. First make a backup.  Then put your cursor on the unbalanced transaction, and hit <DELETE Then run the reindexing, and integrity checks again, this might cure the whole thing. Todd

Response:

But first you have to find the offending transaction, which I believe that we did today.  Thanks for your help !

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello all — I’m a computer consultant, not an accountant, so excuse any ignorance as it applies to accounting terms within this post. Here’s our problem, any advice, suggestions, good beers to drink after fixing it, are much appreciated. I’m working with a small steel brokerage that is currently running Peachtree for Windows 5.0.  We have it running on a Compaq workstation (Pentium 166 / 32 mb. / Win 95), and four users are accessing the PEACHW data on this machine from their Win 95 machines.  Your basic peer-to-peer operation.  The problem is the bankers are in their office this week doing audits.  The books don’t balance, and we suspect that the data within Peachtree is corrupted.  We ran "integrity checks" for the month of June ‘98, and found two entry errors which were corrected.  We then ran integrity checks for both May and July (before and after June months) to test to make sure that no errors were showing up before or after the June accounting periods.  No errors were found by the integrity check for May or July.  Yet, when the folks in this office run the Aged Receivables report, apparently they are not getting whatever is supposed to balance, to balance.  The data within the General Ledger seems to be OK.  We called Peachtree support, and they advised running integrity checks & data synchronizations for EVERY accounting period going back to Jan. of ‘97. During one of these checks / synchronizations, the check got up to about 85% complete, then it stops, giving an error msg. which Peachtree tells us means that the file is corrupt.  How can we have corrupt data files if we are able to work within Peachtree at all? A) Can we somehow "uncorrupt", or clean up the Peachtree data files? B) Can we retrieve a Peachtree data backup from, say, September ‘97, determine if it is clean, then use this retored file on our system?  And if so, is there a quick and easy way to enter data from (for example) September ‘97 going forward until October ‘98 without manually entering every entry? C) How can we convince a bank that we are not playing games with our books, but that our data is genuinely corrupt, and yes, by the way, we still need your loan in order to stay in business? This is a grave situation.  Any advice will be MOST appreciated.  Thanks much in advance and I offer apologies for the lengthy post.

you can go back to any period and "export" or extract applications, say payments or receivables to check the numbers. This can then be imported back into the current period but first a professional (CPA) should review ledgers/files to determine where and why the G.L. or "books" don’t balance.

Response:

Hello all — I’m a computer consultant, not an accountant, so excuse any ignorance as it applies to accounting terms within this post. Here’s our problem, any advice, suggestions, good beers to drink after fixing it, are much appreciated. I’m working with a small steel brokerage that is currently running Peachtree for Windows 5.0.  We have it running on a Compaq workstation (Pentium 166 / 32 mb. / Win 95), and four users are accessing the PEACHW data on this machine from their Win 95 machines.  Your basic peer-to-peer operation.  The problem is the bankers are in their office this week doing audits.  The books don’t balance, and we suspect that the data within Peachtree is corrupted.  We ran "integrity checks" for the month of June ‘98, and found two entry errors which were corrected.  We then ran integrity checks for both May and July (before and after June months) to test to make sure that no errors were showing up before or after the June accounting periods.  No errors were found by the integrity check for May or July.  Yet, when the folks in this office run the Aged Receivables report, apparently they are not getting whatever is supposed to balance, to balance.  The data within the General Ledger seems to be OK.  We called Peachtree support, and they advised running integrity checks & data synchronizations for EVERY accounting period going back to Jan. of ‘97. During one of these checks / synchronizations, the check got up to about 85% complete, then it stops, giving an error msg. which Peachtree tells us means that the file is corrupt.  How can we have corrupt data files if we are able to work within Peachtree at all? A) Can we somehow "uncorrupt", or clean up the Peachtree data files? B) Can we retrieve a Peachtree data backup from, say, September ‘97, determine if it is clean, then use this retored file on our system?  And if so, is there a quick and easy way to enter data from (for example) September ‘97 going forward until October ‘98 without manually entering every entry? C) How can we convince a bank that we are not playing games with our books, but that our data is genuinely corrupt, and yes, by the way, we still need your loan in order to stay in business? This is a grave situation.  Any advice will be MOST appreciated.  Thanks much in advance and I offer apologies for the lengthy post. — —

Response:

Question:

Can someone help me with some accounting / bookkeeping questions ? If so I will post them at a later stage

Response:

Hi,     I am willing to help you Rochelle

Response:

Question:

Can someone recommend a good book on how to build the best energy efficient homes?  Especially interested in Canadian info. and info on air to air heat exchangers.  Thanks.  Gene Bortmes

There is a book called "Green Home: Planning and building the environmentally advanced house" written by Wayne Grady published by Camden House.  It describes one house in Waterloo that was part of a Canadian sponsored program from a few years ago.  The idea was to build an environmentally friendly house when cradle to grave accounting of resources was taken into account including operating costs for energy etc.  The book is a good read and has lots of good ideas for energy efficiency.  There is also a good list of references in the back. Kevin

Response:

Can someone recommend a good book on how to build the best energy efficient homes?  Especially interested in Canadian info. and info on air to air heat exchangers.  Thanks.  Gene Bortmes

Response:

btw:  Efficient Air to Air Heat exchange systems for Canada are not going to be easy to locate.  Some conservationists would realisticly say that such a form of heating has not advanced technologically enough to be either energy efficient or cost effective above the 40th parallel (just for a quick reference).

  The air-to-air heat exchange systems that are becoming "code" required   in Canada are not for heating purposes (ala heatpumps). They are for   transferring (with minimal loss) heat from heated internal air to   fresh air drawn in for ventilation required by extremely tight construction.                                                                 – Mac

Response:

Do you refer here to a counterflow heat exchanger or an air source heat pump? btw:  Efficient Air to Air Heat exchange systems for Canada are not going to be easy to locate.  Some conservationists would realisticly say that such a form of heating has not advanced technologically enough to be either energy efficient or cost effective above the 40th parallel (just for a quick reference). Let me comment since I live above the 40th parallel:  there are many such units installed and working perfectly fine.  They do, however, need to work in tandem with conventional heating methods for the coldest parts of the year.

I believed that the original poster I responded to was talking about an air source heat pump, and that is what I was referring to.  My appologies for not making this clear. The term ‘air to air heat exchange systems’ is often used in these parts to refer to heat recovery ventilation systems.  These are boxes in the range of $1500 to $2000 that transfer heat from exhaust ducts to intake air (or the other way around during A/C season). Though they are not 100% efficient in recovering the heat (or cooled air), they are necessary when building an airtight home and the inefficiencies are more than made up in the draft-free design of the home.  These, by the way, are now manditory under our building code here in Ontario. —   Calvin Henry-Cotnam, CATE    | "If the women don’t find you handsome, Ryerson Polytechnic University |  they should at least find you handy."   Toronto, Ontario, Canada     |                  - Red Green

Response:

Do you refer here to a counterflow heat exchanger or an air source heat pump? rhg – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -btw:  Efficient Air to Air Heat exchange systems for Canada are not going to be easy to locate.  Some conservationists would realisticly say that such a form of heating has not advanced technologically enough to be either energy efficient or cost effective above the 40th parallel (just for a quick reference). Let me comment since I live above the 40th parallel:  there are many such units installed and working perfectly fine.  They do, however, need to work in tandem with conventional heating methods for the coldest parts of the year. —  Calvin Henry-Cotnam, CATE    | "If the women don’t find you handsome, Ryerson Polytechnic University |  they should at least find you handy."  Toronto, Ontario, Canada     |                  - Red Green

Response:

[lotsa good stuff...] btw:  Efficient Air to Air Heat exchange systems for Canada are not going to be easy to locate.  Some conservationists would realisticly say that such a form of heating has not advanced technologically enough to be either energy efficient or cost effective above the 40th parallel (just for a quick reference). Let me comment since I live above the 40th parallel:  there are many such units installed and working perfectly fine.  They do, however, need to work in tandem with conventional heating methods for the coldest parts of the year.

AFAIK Air-to-Air heat exchangers are now code in Ontario.  For that matter, I have also heard that the building code in much of the country is getting pretty close to R2000. A number of links are available here:        http://www.ualberta.ca/~amulder/house/                 — Energy Efficient Housing in Canada WWW site. Sorry to all for continuing this off topic thread. —               ( Sys Admin / Support Analyst, Network Resources )               ( Computing and Network Services, U of Alberta, Edmonton )

Response:

Can someone recommend a good book on how to build the best energy efficient homes?  Especially interested in Canadian info. and info on air to air heat exchangers.  Thanks.  Gene Bortmes

Your best bet is to look into the R2000 home design.  I think the department of the federal government that is responsible for this is the ministry of Energy, Mines, and Resources, but I could be wrong. Anyhow, it was a system of building more energy efficient homes that was developed back in the 70’s.  Features included higher insulation standards, substantial vapour barrier, and air-tight design (and the need for heat-recovery ventilation systems). Officially certified R2000 built homes must be built by R2000-licensed builders, but anyone can build to the standards without official certification.  When R2000 was first developed, the cost of going R2000 over building code standards was over $20,000.  However, since that times, our building codes (especially here in Ontario, soon the rest of the country will follow) have come up to the point where the cost of going R2000 is only about $3000. btw:  Efficient Air to Air Heat exchange systems for Canada are not going to be easy to locate.  Some conservationists would realisticly say that such a form of heating has not advanced technologically enough to be either energy efficient or cost effective above the 40th parallel (just for a quick reference).

Let me comment since I live above the 40th parallel:  there are many such units installed and working perfectly fine.  They do, however, need to work in tandem with conventional heating methods for the coldest parts of the year. —   Calvin Henry-Cotnam, CATE    | "If the women don’t find you handsome, Ryerson Polytechnic University |  they should at least find you handy."   Toronto, Ontario, Canada     |                  - Red Green

Response:

Try CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation). Surprisingly good info available. Lots free. One free publication I liked was "Keeping the Heat In, A guide to home insulation". It made a lot of sense. The best feature of CMHC is that they don’t represent any financial interest but your own. They are on the net. Search "CMHC". BTW. Consider active/passive solar. You have windows anyways, why not make them work for you? A book I saw in a library once was "Movable Insulation". Probably out of print. It covered solar heating in very practical terms. Dave Can someone recommend a good book on how to build the best energy efficient homes?  Especially interested in Canadian info. and info on air to air heat exchangers.  Thanks.  Gene Bortmes

– Dave Baggaley Thunder Bay, Ontario

Response:

Can someone recommend a good book on how to build the best energy efficient homes?  Especially interested in Canadian info. and info on air to air heat exchangers.  Thanks.  Gene Bortmes

Energy efficient home design information is readily available on the net from the normal search engines like Yahoo.  You may want to try contacting Real Goods in Ukiah,CA.  They have many items to sell which are highly energy conscious.  They also sell most of the top notch books on energy conservancy as applied to all facets of the building process.  They are at: http://www.well.com/www/rrealgood/  or btw:  Efficient Air to Air Heat exchange systems for Canada are not going to be easy to locate.  Some conservationists would realisticly say that such a form of heating has not advanced technologically enough to be either energy efficient or cost effective above the 40th parallel (just for a quick reference).  You weill want to give serious consideration to Geothermal applications.  These are devoted energy efficient air exchange systems that show great promise now and in the future.  A friend of mine had one installed in his country home near Pittsburgh, PA.  It was extremely efficient and cost effective even though it had a longer pay back period.  Consider also using a maximum passive solar design with superinsulated exterior walls.  These are essential in your northern climate. Best of Luck Ed

Response: