Dear Friends,
We are back in the deep freeze here in Vermont with temperatures well below zero. My water supply is a spring is shared with my neighbor, and while the water is really great, our system is a little complicated in that it has a pump pushing water into an underground 750-gallon tank. Whenever it gets below zero for a few days, the feeder pipe in the spring box freezes and once the 750-gallon tank is empty, we have to thaw out the pipe.
This system is better than the original (which was a gravity feed system), but it needs to be frequently primed by my climbing into the underground 750 gallon tank and shooting water back to the spring — a major production when it is snowy and below zero. My neighbor has it down now, though; when the pipe freezes, he pulls the pipe and the sump pump from the spring box and takes it up to his hot tub to thaw it out and then puts it back. Still a pain, but I guess that’s the price we pay for awesome spring water!
My high-technology car also does not like the cold. I have an Infiniti Q50 hybrid that has what is called Direct Adaptive Steering. The steering wheel is not actually mechanically attached to the wheels, and all is done electronically, allowing various steering modes, i.e. sport, eco, snow, etc. Apparently, this system, which they claim was 10 years in development, was not tested in very cold weather, because it fails by causing the steering to lock up.
I was going to my weekly radio show and stopped at the grocery store on the way, and when I came out and started the car, there was basically no steering and a bunch of idiot lights were on. It steered like a big truck and I nursed it to the radio station and found a parking spot that did not require parallel parking. Fortunately, the condition cleared itself by the time I got out of the show, but Infiniti towed the car later and are replacing the modules and updating the software. Moral of the story? Well, if you are a pioneer with technology, you can expect some hiccups. And hopefully, not as serious as losing steering in an automobile!
I am pleased to announce that long-time Small Dogger Rob Amon has been promoted to VP of Sales for the company and will be taking on top-line responsibility for all of our sales efforts. Also, Emily Dolloff, who is our Executive Assistant, has been promoted to Director of Retail and Service operations. Both Rob and Emily have worked their way through the ranks at Small Dog Electronics. In fact, both started out in the shipping department and have sought increasing responsibility over the years. I could not be prouder of them for stepping up to take on these new roles.
Apple will release its 1st Quarter (holiday quarter) financials on Monday, and already analysts are jockeying to predict just how many millions of iPhones and iPads the company sold. We know it was a good quarter for the company as our December was our best yet and we could hardly keep iPads and MacBook Pros in stock! One of these days, Apple will get the respect it deserves in the market as the company continues to exceed expectations, produce game-changing products and be a financial success.