Something Random

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
22,232
Location
I am omnipresent
Nice. I cap my users at 25 people at a time. If they want to send to more than that, they can get me to do it or do it in batches.

I thought you switched to Gmail for all your mail services. Are they using a client program or is there something I haven't noticed in the admin dashboard?
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
17,454
Location
USA
You know it's a good day when someone sends an email to a HUGE email list (thousands of people) for something they needed and hundreds of people all reply-all at roughly the same time asking "please remove me from this email list" and then more people telling everyone not to reply to all (yet that's just what they did). Email servers are now crawling to a stand-still. I couldn't help but laugh. What a productive use of time... :rotfl:

edit: This was at work.

:) I have a special rule for those people. ;)

Do you also black the BCC? That seems to be popular now.
 

CougTek

Hairy Aussie
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
8,728
Location
Québec, Québec
I need to find a dying rich uncle who likes me. I sold a 2000$ computer to a financial analyst, but I don't have enough money to buy the parts. The first of the month is coming fast and other payments too. And a guy who owes me 3000$ is about to commit suicide (if he hasn't already) instead of moving his ass to pay me back.

I'm tired of all this. I live in an age in which you better be a good salesman than being good at anything else you should be good at. Giving a good service is way less important than making the customer believes he received a good service, whether he did or not. I'm simply too honest to make money.
 

BingBangBop

Storage is cool
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
667
Use credit cards to fund the short-term debt needed to buy parts. Custom orders, should always be at least 50% non-refundable pre-paid deposit especially with new customers or old customers with poor paying habits. If the man pays upon delivery, then you should easily be able to pay off the credit card well before you have to pay any interest. If the man doesn't pay then at least you have the 50% so can sell the final machine at a discount and still make a profit.
 

time

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Jan 18, 2002
Messages
4,932
Location
Brisbane, Oz
That's fine BBB, but it doesn't cover services. Small shops can't make enough money just selling PCs and random bits of hardware, they have to provide paid services to customers.

For a business customer, this may well be onsite. So if you repair and rebuild a server, say, there could easily be a multi-thousand dollar bill attached to that, and most businesses aren't expecting to pay you on the spot, assuming you are able to somehow give them an invoice then and there.

There's also the problems associated with people paying by check.

Also, if you think a shop can easily fit all their purchases on a credit card, you obviously don't understand much about small business and cash flow (no offense intended).

I can't afford to help CougTek right now, but there may be others here who can offer tangible help and, once this crisis is past, advice. There may well be no future in his business model - you don't need to look any further than Tannin.
 

CougTek

Hairy Aussie
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
8,728
Location
Québec, Québec
Thanks, but I wasn't asking for help. With Paypal's fees, I would eat a good chunk of my little profit (10%). Credit cards? Already maxed. What I really need is a rich dying uncle or a winning lotery ticket (and I don't buy lottery tickets). I make ok money with services, but I need to sell more stuff than I currently do. My store is not located on a busy street (industrial sector), but that's all I could afford when I searched for a place.

I'm not game over yet, but I clearly see the cliff.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
22,232
Location
I am omnipresent
Cash flow is a bigger issue for both myself and for the business where I work. I operate my personal stuff on my American Express card, and I never have as much on it as the credit limit, but it's not uncommon for me to pay off $5000 or $7000 in a month and have another $5000 or $7000 on it two weeks later. My salaried job has the bigger problem that our two largest customers disburse funds on oddball schedules: One customer pays quarterly and the other issues small checks weekly. The end of a quarter is always a nail-biter for us and it's not uncommon for my employer to have to loan the business many thousands of dollars to cover expenses to meet obligations before the big check comes in.

Obviously, there's money to be made out there, but it's harder and harder for the little guys, which is a big part of the reason I'd rather someone else sign my check than have the heartache of worrying about it myself.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,719
Location
Horsens, Denmark
Now that I am not building systems for a living, I can be much more unprofessional about it. I try to sell people the rigs that I've been using. This often leaves me on my laptops until I get the cash and order another one, but that is fine.

Barring that, I get them to order the parts on Newegg and have them shipped to me. Then I do the build either fixed-rate or hourly.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
17,454
Location
USA
Thanks, but I wasn't asking for help. With Paypal's fees, I would eat a good chunk of my little profit (10%). Credit cards? Already maxed. What I really need is a rich dying uncle or a winning lotery ticket (and I don't buy lottery tickets). I make ok money with services, but I need to sell more stuff than I currently do. My store is not located on a busy street (industrial sector), but that's all I could afford when I searched for a place.

I'm not game over yet, but I clearly see the cliff.

Sorry to here that, but I know many businesses that failed in the first year or so from being under financed. :(
 

CougTek

Hairy Aussie
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
8,728
Location
Québec, Québec
If China crashes, then I don't know what will happen to the global economy of the planet. Let's face it, there's only two players : China and the U.S.A. The rest of the world simply looks at the parade. About a fifth of the U.S. credit is owned by the Chinese. If they crash and the U.S. no longer can borrow from them, then the U.S. will colapse simultaneously with China. But there's no one else behind to take their turn. Brazil, Russia and India are nowhere near being ready. Germany is simply too small to play a big role in the world economical picture. Arabian oil countries : not even close.

The world will go bankrupt. Just forget Earth and restart under a new name : Dirt.
 

mubs

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Nov 22, 2002
Messages
4,908
Location
Somewhere in time.
Coug, sorry to hear about your problems. I hope you pull through it ok. It is really tough for honest people to make a living doing business these days. Perhaps you should look into a part time job so you have a steady income coming in.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,719
Location
Horsens, Denmark
Depends on where you are going. The north is...messy and has a fair bit of crime. Bangkok is just a disaster, poor planning, tons of pollution, and not much of interest. Phuket in the south is morally bankrupt; underage prostitution is rampant, but there is no crime to speak of, everyone is friendly and the pollution isn't bad. It is also a great jumping-off point to the islands further south. They are the best part about Thailand IMHO.
 

CougTek

Hairy Aussie
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
8,728
Location
Québec, Québec
I'm not sure I understood it well, but I think they briefly mentioned in the news that U.S. troops found the corpse of Ben Laden. Can anyone confirm?
 

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
Messages
10,865
Location
Michigan
I'm not sure I understood it well, but I think they briefly mentioned in the news that U.S. troops found the corpse of Ben Laden. Can anyone confirm?
That's all that's on the news here. Supposedly an announcement from the President is coming.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
17,454
Location
USA
Phuket in the south is morally bankrupt; underage prostitution is rampant, but there is no crime to speak of, everyone is friendly and the pollution isn't bad. It is also a great jumping-off point to the islands further south. They are the best part about Thailand IMHO.

I'm afraid to ask the pronunciation. ;) I have no interest in underage prostitution. :(
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
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17,454
Location
USA
Agggh! I hate websites that usurp the back button. You can never get out. There should be a law against it. :mad:
 

Chewy509

Wotty wot wot.
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
3,348
Location
Gold Coast Hinterland, Australia
I'm not sure I understood it well, but I think they briefly mentioned in the news that U.S. troops found the corpse of Ben Laden. Can anyone confirm?
Local media reports that US used a surgical strike against a compound in Pakistan, killing several members including bin Laden. No US forces were injured during the mission. There are rumors that Navy Seals formed the greater number of operators on the ground, but from experience the truth will only come out decades later.

The body was ex-filed with the US forces, and DNA tests have confirmed his identity. The body was laid to rest with a burial at sea.

My hats off to all involved in the mission, from the operators on the ground, the pilots/flight-crew and all within the intelligence agencies involved. The greatest respect is to the families of all members involved with and currently serving in Afghanistan, whose continued support of allied troops have seen this through.

The questions I have, which only time will tell are:
1. Who will take control of Al'Qaeda? Will there be a power struggle and a splintering of the organisation, or will there be a united front which may even include merging of smaller anti-US groups/organisations former a larger Al'Qaeda?
2. How long before he is made a martyr by various groups?
2. How long before retaliation strikes against the US and allies. Either by Al'Qaeda members, other related groups or even supporters.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
17,454
Location
USA
Well they are practically inseparable to me. I have no aetenna.
 
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