The old UNIX Wars

From a slashdot comment:

Don't you know the new required thought pattern? We aren't supposed to remember how nasty IBM were.

They are meant to be thought of as the poor unfortunate victims of an evil Microsoft, not the over confident and arrogant giant company who's failure to understand the market handed the world of computing to a small company whose owner lived on junk food and didn't wash much.

Being old I remember the time when Microsoft were this great company who liberated the computing world from the Unix wars. A company whose philosophy of getting their product out there cheaply and on everything meant I could finally afford a computer after several years of wanting, but not being able to buy, a Mac.

There was a time when Microsoft were the good guys, where people suddenly found that they could write a product for DOS and it would run on almost any computer. That meant it was possible to become a software house with a lot less effort and money than before.

I rather suspect people just don't realise what it was like before DOS.

Ok it didn't stay that way, or didn't unless you're a big Microsoft fan, but when I were young it was true.

Personally I wish they would get with the Open Source movement. I've been an open source developer for over five years, working with both Linux and Windows, and the lack of high level co-operation between the two camps is, in my opinion, is preventing a huge leap forward in computing.

More Gen-Y Articles..

5 Ways to Make Your Company Gen Y-Friendly

Katherine Spencer Lee, Computerworld.com

Thursday, June 26, 2008 11:03 AM PDT

Facing a potential onslaught of baby boomer retirements and a smaller pool of Generation X employees to replace them, IT managers who want to create or sustain a Best Place to Work environment will need the additional help of another group of professionals: Generation Y. Also known as Millennials, this group consists of nearly 80 million individuals born roughly between 1979 and 1999. They are the workforce of the future.

But what will it take to attract and keep these individuals? Are Generation Y's ideas about what makes a great employer different from those of other generations?

Yes, and no.

In many ways, the Millennial generation wants exactly what professionals from previous generations expect from employers. When polled for a recent study by our company and Yahoo HotJobs, the most senior members of Generation Y - those aged 21 to 28 and beginning their careers - placed salary, benefits and opportunities for professional growth at the top of their lists.

This isn't to say, however, that they are like their predecessors in every way. In terms of their workstyles, professional expectations and career concerns, they show some distinct preferences. Based on their responses to the survey, here are a few suggestions for making your company Gen Y-friendly.

No. 1: Offer attractive benefits. Salary is a key consideration for members of this group, but so are benefits. Growing up at a time when the U.S. health care system is delivering fewer services at higher costs and the future of Social Security benefits is in doubt, Gen-Yers are most attracted to companies that provide first-rate health care and retirement benefits.

No. 2: Promote work/life balance. Nearly 73% of Gen-Yers surveyed said they are concerned about being able to balance a career with personal obligations. Consider implementing specialized arrangements - such as flextime, telecommuting or a compressed workweek - that give employees more control over their work schedules.

No. 3: Narrow the rungs of the corporate ladder. Millennials are willing to work hard, but when it comes to moving up the ranks, they want to do so quickly. According to the study, 51% of Millennials surveyed believe professionals entering the workforce should have to spend only one to two years proving themselves in entry-level positions. That means you aren't likely to attract or keep talented Gen Y employees by requiring them to spend years "paying their dues."

No. 4: Ensure managers are engaged and accessible. In the survey, Millennials described their "dream boss" as being understanding, caring, flexible and open-minded, as well as someone who is authoritative but respects, values and appreciates his employees. They aren't looking for a micromanager, but they do value good management skills and regular contact with their supervisors; in fact, 35% of those surveyed want to communicate with the boss several times a day.

No. 5: Foster "face time." Even though Gen-Yers grew up with cell phones, e-mail and the Internet, two-thirds of survey respondents selected in-person conversations with their co-workers as their preferred communication method. You'll encourage longer tenures and greater loyalty among employees if you create opportunities for them to interact with others. Consider arranging workgroups in open seating areas, establishing project teams or developing a mentoring program.

Although Generation Y employees bring specific values and ideals to the business world, it would be a mistake to view all of them simply through a generational lens. Avoid stereotyping and be prepared to tailor your workplace policies and management strategies when necessary.

IT professionals who are members of Generation Y expect a lot from their employers, but they also expect a lot of themselves and enter the workforce eager to make contributions and prove their value. The key to successfully recruiting and retaining Millennials is taking the time to learn what they care most about on and off the job.

freebsd 7.0, dell latitude d830, intel snd_hda

The latitude d830 I have uses intel's HDA - snd_hda.ko, this driver works, but i could only get sound out of the headphone / audio out jack...not the speakers.

so i enabled snd_hda_load="YES" in /boot/loader.conf
(this also loads sound.ko (sound core))

then added some device hints to /boot/device.hints for the snd_hda driver.
i went ahead and added all 'gpio' hints, even though i don't know what they mean ;p
hint.pcm.0.config="gpio0,gpio1,gpio2,gpio3,gpio4,gpio5,gpio6,gpio7"

There are several other hints in the snd_hda man page...dunno what they do.
Anyway, after adding the gpio flags Sound worked from the internal speakers! ;)
Not sure which flag exactly did it...but one of them did!

man in the first place i just wanted to setup this box as the ap

[quleap] man in the first place i just wanted to setup this box as the ap
[quleap] instead of running an openvpn to it through a linksys
[quleap] i want some real security
[me] quleap: unplug it!~
[EdwardElric] haha
[EdwardElric] fool proof
[quleap] then there'd be nothign to secure
[quleap] i like it
[quleap] very zen
[quleap] lol

How to Wash your car..properly.

Taken from: http://crackaddict.com/~flynn/howtos/washhowto.htm

Routine Z Washing HOW-TO

By flynnibus @ www.350zmotoring.com

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any misinformation in this document or any damage that may occur to your vehicle from following this document. Consult your service manual for specific Nissan recommended instructions.

Table of Contents

Routine Z Washing HOW-TO.. 1

Introduction. 1

Acknowledgements. 2

Routine Washing. 2

Supplies needed: 2

Setup. 5

Get started. 5

Drying. 8

Supplies. 8

Tire Dressing. 11

Cleaning the Windows. 12

Exhaust Tips. 14

Quick-Detail Top-off 15

Exterior Summary. 16

Interior 16

Cleaning the Interior 18

Interior Summary. 19

Final Looks. 19

Introduction

This guide is intended to step by step guide you through the proper way to wash your Z. There are several trains of thought on several methods, which I’ll mention when appropriate, but for the most part this guide will instruct you in the ways I have found to be effective and safe for your Z.

I’m sure everyone has washed a car before, but there is definitely a difference between getting the dirt off your car and making your car look its best. This guide will try to tell you everything you need to know from the terminology, the supplies you’ll need and the techniques to use to get the most out of your car’s looks. If you never thought there was any difference in how you wash a car, this guide will be a total reference for you. If you are a veteran, hopefully this guide will fill in some areas you may have had questions on or tell you some things you may not have heard before.

Enjoy and please be sure to send any comments to me for improvements!

Acknowledgements

There is lots of good information available on detailing, and the Internet has made that information even easier to find. However, there is still a lack of consolidated end-to-end guides or information that isn’t sales biased. Two good commercialized (but still pretty accurate) sources I learned a lot from are autotopia.com and properautocare.com. An invaluable source has been Brad4hay from my350z.com that in the past has written very detailed write-ups to help the community and helped people with their questions. Thanks to these guys so others could learn as well

Routine Washing

The goal of washing is to remove the loose dirt and containments without damaging the finish of the car. Cleaning the car without damaging the car’s finish is the key difference between a casual car wash and a quality wash. If you are careless, at the least you will reduce the longevity of the protection you currently have on the car, scratch the finish, or worse, stain or actually irreversibly damage the car’s finish.

Supplies needed:

Two buckets

Car Wash Shampoo

Cotton Mitt

Water Hose w/Nozzle

Stiff Bristle Tire/Wheel Brush

Soft Bristle Tire/Wheel Brush

Tire Cleaner

Wheel Cleaner

Cotton Rags

Two Buckets – Any two buckets will do as long as they are clean and are at least 1 gallon in size.

Recommended Products: Standard cleaning buckets you can find at any WalMart, etc in the cleaning supplies section.

Car Wash Shampoo – The shampoo’s purpose is to break up the dirt and lube the surface of the car so things slide off the finish. A good shampoo should be gentle on the car’s finish, so you don’t strip off previously applied protection or damage the car’s finish while still being tough on dirt and crud. A good shampoo will suds up well and maintain its suds. Using strong detergents (like Dish Soap) will strip the wax you have on the car and can dull your finish so they should never be used routinely on your car (You’ll hear recommendations to use Dawn for stripping things off car. Never use it for routine washing)

Recommended Products:

Meguiar’s Gold Class Shampoo P21S Shampoo

Cotton Mitt – The most important piece is the tool you are applying to your car’s surface. The mitt should be clean, free of any dirt or debris. Cotton is soft and if kept clean will wipe dirt away without damaging your car’s finish. Natural Sponges are favored by some as well, but are expensive and not as easy to maintain. Artificial sponges aren’t good to use as the flat surface traps dirt between the sponge and the car’s surface.

Recommended Products:

Cotton Mitt from properautocare.com

Hose and Nozzle – Often overlooked, a good nozzle will save you time and can prevent accidents while cleaning your car. Use a nozzle with multiple spray settings and has rubber edges in case it comes in contact with the car. You will want a jet setting, a shower setting, and ideally a soaker setting. Really any hose nozzle will do, but spending $5 on the proper nozzle will prevent you from accidentally scratching your car and save you time on drying.

Recommended Products: I haven’t found any nozzles online that are cheap and meet my criteria (if you have… tell me where!). Look at your local Lowe’s or Walmart and find a cheap one that meets the above requirements.

Generic Nozzle from Lowe’s I use

Brushes – You’ll want a stiff nylon bristle brush for your tires, usually the palm-style brushes are the easiest to use. You’ll want a softer bristle nylon brush for the rims themselves. Brushes with long handles and low profile heads work best for reaching inside rims.

Recommended Products:

Oxo Brush from Generic Long Handled Brush

properautocare.com (for tires) (for rims)

Tire Cleaner/Wheel Cleaner – While Acid-based cleaners are the strongest, they can damage your painted or polished rims. An Acid-free cleaner can do the job and will be safer on your rims. Some even should be diluted and should only be used in full strength when needed.

Recommended Products:

Eimann Fabrik Hi Intensity Cleaner

diluted 1:1 with water

Cotton Rags – Cotton rags are your catch all cleaning material. You don’t need to be very picky here, as the main thing is to be lint free and pure cotton. Also, be sure to keep your ‘dirty ones’ for the dirty uses (like tires), and clean for clean uses (like interior). I bought a box of rags from properautocare.com and I’ve barely made a dent in my supply.

Recommended Products:

Pack of 24 Surgical Towels from

Properautocare.com

Here is a shot of my ‘collection’ of wash bits ready for action

Setup

Stay Cool

Pick a spot out of direct sun and when the car’s surface is cool. When the surface is hot, the clearcoat is softer, making it easier to scratch. When the car is hot, water will evaporate faster and will lead to more spots. So pick a spot out of direct sun if you can.

Get Naked

Remove any metal from yourself. This includes things like belt buckles, metal studs on jeans, bracelets, watches, zippers, etc. You want to remove anything that accidentally may come in contact with the car. Jeans and zippers especially can be overlooked and cause irreversible damage. I prefer working in a t-shirt and work-out shorts, or my nylon pants if it is cold outside.

Fill up

Fill up one bucket with clean water only. This will be your rinse bucket. If at any point this bucket becomes murky, dump it and refill with fresh water. Fill the second bucket with water and your car shampoo based on the label’s recommendation. Don’t forget to dump this bucket when necessary!

Get started

Rinse

Using the shower setting on your nozzle, rinse the entire car. Rinse as much dirt off as possible. Don’t use a jet spray, just rinse with the shower setting. Save the jet to rinse things like your rims. Make sure the entire car is wet. If at any time the car becomes dry, simply spray it again to keep it wet. You don’t want the car to dry until you are ready to dry it completely. If you have any crud on the car like bird droppings, try to remove as much of the material as possible with just the nozzle spray before moving onto the next step.

Washing Panels

The key to washing is a clean mitt. Two rules to follow:

1) ALWAYS rinse the mitt by vigorously shaking the mitt in the clean water bucket before dunking in the soap bucket for more suds. Every time you go for more suds you rinse in the clean bucket first.

2) As soon as you get ANY brown on your mitt, rinse mitt in the clean bucket and reload the mitt with suds. Be sure to keep checking your mitt, as it may load up VERY quickly if your car if filthy (in just a few swipes).

At first this may seem extreme, but it’s hardly any more work, and is the difference been damaging your finish and minimizing the inevitable swirl marks on your finish.

Here’s an example of what I mean by a dirty mitt. As soon as you see any grey/brown on the mitt, its time to rinse. Cheating here and not rinsing is where those fine scratches come from! After flushing in the bucket alone, this grey will disappear

Start with the roof of the car. Work one area at a time and rinse with your hose on the shower setting. Be sure to rinse all shampoo off the car. Save the dirtiest parts of the car for last. Clean the exterior windows with the mitt as you go along. I work in the following order

- Roof

- Rear hatch

- Hood

- Top half of the sides of the car

- Rear bumper

- Front bumper

- Lower side panels

When dealing with the lower half of the car, you’ll find the mitt getting dirty VERY quickly, don’t cheat and be sure to rinse the mitt when dirty AND before each dunk in the suds bucket.

After washing all the panels, I open up the doors and wipe the inside door jams with just a wet mitt. I also wipe the jams under the rear hatch, again without soap so no rinsing is required.

If you are doing a quick wash, take a clean cotton rag, wet it, and wipe your exhaust pipes. Otherwise, wait on the tips till later.

Stubborn Bug Stains – Bugs if not cleaned off the car soon enough will leave a substance like sap on the finish which can even etch into the finish. Often using the cotton mitt requires a lot of work to clean even these light stains off and you’ll be tempted to ‘scrape’ the stuff off. I’ve found the ‘bug sponges’ like the ‘Safe Scrub’ to be very effective and easy to use. They feel very rough, but soften once wet. I still would only use them ‘as needed’ and cautiously on highly visible areas. The front bumper on the other hand though isn’t very visible in terms of scratches so I scrub the entire front bumper area with the sponge soaked in the normal suds bucket to clean off all the bug stains before using my normal cotton mitt.

Bug Sponge from Properautocare.com

Tire Washing

Work on one wheel at a time. Start by wetting the wheel with the hose again. Spray liberal amount of diluted 1:1 Hi Intensity Cleaner onto the rim. Scrub the rim with your long handle soft bristle brush. When working on your front rims, it may take awhile and you will have LOTS of black fluid sitting on the rim. If your rim is very dirty, you should rinse the excess off mid-way through working on the rim. If you don’t, the excess will dry on the rim requiring you to clean it again. I work on my touring’s rims by doing the triangular sections of the face of the rim and the center hub then rinse. Spray some more cleaner on the rim near the inner side, then work the inside of the rim making sure to get the flat part of the rim behind where the spokes meat the rim and then rinse again. When dealing with the lug holes, I actually just use my finger to run around in the hole. Optionally you can use a old worn toothbrush as well.

Then spray the rubber part of the tire, and the *plastic* parts of the inner wheel wells. Avoid spraying on painted areas. For the front wheels, I scrub the plastic guards inside the well where I can easily reach. For the rears I just spray cleaner up onto the coated areas but do not scrub with the brush unless absolutely necessary. Then, using your stiff bristled brush, scrub the rubber part of your tire. Finish by rinsing the entire well, tire, and rim with the hose thoroughly. Then move onto the next wheel.

Drying

Drying the car can be very easy or take a lot of work to get a streak free finish if you don’t have the right materials, technique and upkeep on your car’s finish.

Supplies

Big Blue Drying Towel

Water Hose w/Nozzle

Some people prefer two other methods, the California Water Blade or Absorber towel. My opinion on the water blade is you will find even after a good wash, often you miss some dirt (as seen on your towel) so rubbing even a soft silicon blade across this dirty surface is not a good idea. The absorber is another towel one would use instead of Big Blue. It is almost like a super-chamois towel. Others report good results with it, but I’ve found the Big Blue towel more then adequate and I prefer the soft Microfiber aspect of the Big Blue as well. The Big Blue Towel can be purchased from www.properautocare.com or other locations.

Recommended Products:

Big Blue II Drying Towel from Properautocare.com

The key to drying the car without spots or streaks is to not let the water dry by itself where its containments would be left behind (spots) and to minimize the amount of water on the car before drying (how you get streaks).

Preparation

If any part of your car has dried, wet it down again with the hose. If the water dried by itself, you’ll have spots left behind otherwise.

Minimizing Water left behind

Set your hose nozzle on soaker setting. If your nozzle doesn’t have a soaker setting, remove your nozzle and turn your water flow down to a soft flow. Start at the top of the car and move side to side “pushing” the water puddles off the car with the water flow. The surface tension of the water rolling over the car will pull most of the water off as the larger flow of water you just created rolls off the car. The key is SOFT water flow. Just spraying with the hose will cause too much disturbance and the surface tension will be broken making this method less effective. Some water will be left behind, but no puddles and much less then when you started. If you do not have a semi-decent wax/polymer finish on the car, this step will not be as effective.

Example Photo

Here the driver’s side of the hood has been prepared using nozzle to ‘push’ the excess water off the car. Notice how the center of the hood car has MANY more water puddles then the driver’s side (passenger side hard to see due to tree reflection).

Drying with the Big Blue Towel

Using the towel properly is the key to making it work. Hold two corners of the towel, drape 1/3 to ½ of the towel on the car’s panel while holding the rest up off the panel, and drag it across the car. Repeat to dry the panel. Dragging the towel vs. wiping with the towel allows the towel to wick up the water better and the towel doesn’t get saturated as quickly. This method leaves no streaks and very small amounts of water left on the panel to clean up. To clean up these last remaining bits, just wipe using the towel in your hand. If there are any spots from areas where water dried, simply wipe the area with a damp section of the towel and the spots will disappear. The Big Blue Towel does not dry as well if the towel is saturated with water. If it gets full, ring it out as much as possible.

Example Photo

This is a poor attempt to show how to drag the towel rather then wiping with the towel. Normally I would hold both corners at the bottom of the photo, but I was holding the camera.

Here is a shot showing the hood after a single drag of the towel across the hood. Successive drags would get the remaining water on the flat surfaces. Simply wipe using the towel in your hand to dry the water in the fold in the hood.

For the vertical panels where you can’t drag the towel across, hold the towel open from the top two corners, and flap it up against the panel. This will dry up the most of the water, and just wipe the remaining water using the towel in your hand.

I work in the same order as I do washing the panels but skip drying the glass for now. Start with the roof of the car and then move to the hatch, hood, sides, and then bumpers. Leave the glass till last as that holds the most water and saturates the towel. I also usually don’t bother drying the side sills or front bumper unless I’m preparing to polish/wax the car. These tend to be the dirtiest part of the car, even after washing, and water marks are not visible at all on these parts of the car. After drying all the car panels, open the doors and hatch and dry the jams. Opening these will cause more water to run down from your mirrors and near the hatch. After drying the jams, close the car back up and clean up any excess water that has ran from mirrors and hatch (also often the rear brake lights and blinkers hold excess that leaks out). Finish by quickly getting the excess water off the windows with your Big Blue.

Hint: Keep checking your towel to make sure it’s clean. Sometimes you miss a spot washing, and the dirt will get picked up in your towel. Don’t dry the car with a dirty towel! With just a little dirt, I just avoid using that portion of the towel until done, if the towel gets too dirty, you’ll have to flush it clean. If you have to flush the towel, simply wring it out as dry as possible and continue drying. The Big Blue defiantly works better when not fully soaked (unlike a chamois). On my Z, if the car is clean, I can dry the entire car with just the Big Blue without issue, but I do have two Big Blue Towels and it is definitely easier with two (in case one gets dirty, or you’ve done a poor job reducing the amount of water on the car).

Flushing Microfiber Towels

This method works GREAT for cleaning out your Microfiber towels if you get a dirt stain on the towel or when done for the day. Microfiber towels can be machine washed, but eventually start breaking down and become less effective when washed a lot, so this is the preferred method to keep them clean when possible. Spread the dirty section of the towel over your hand (always keep MF towels off the ground), then with your nozzle set on shower, spray the towel with the nozzle about 1’ away from the towel. The water will flush the towel and you’ll see packed dirt rinse right out of the towel. All but the toughest stains will disappear almost immediately. Dirt that is rubbed into the towel, you can rub lightly with your fingers. Usually this light rubbing is enough to get the dirt out. Dirt that will not come out with this method will have to wait for the washing machine. Just avoid using that area of the towel until it is cleaned.

Tire Dressing

Tire treatments serve two purposes, to look good and protect. However, a product that may make the rubber look great, may be horrible for your tires. Silicon based products are the top to avoid. They will cause the tires to ‘bloom’ which robs the rubber of its natural oils and eventually will lead to browning and cracking of the rubber. Second to avoid are products that stay as excess on the surface as they will ‘sling’ off the tire as the car moves, and get all over your car. The last factor is what type of finish you want. I prefer a ‘satin’ finish, so my product of choice is 303 Aerospace Protectant. It provides great UV protection, silicon-free, and gives a great satin finish. It may not last as long as some other products, but will never be a sling problem like some tire gels are. Eagle One Tire Gel is a popular choice for those looking for a ‘wetter’ look.

Recommended Products:

303 Aerospace Protectant

Available from properautocare.com

Application is straight forwarding. Avoid spraying any onto the tread of the tire. Simply spray the product liberally, but uniformly over the sides of the tire. Let the tire sits after spraying the product on the tire. To do this, I spray all four tires, and then let the tires sit at least 10 minutes by moving onto the next step, then coming back later to wipe/buff. When ready, wipe the tires with a cotton rag to remove any excess and make sure you get a uniform look to the tire’s surface. The key to avoid blotching is simply spraying the product on evenly. A keep a separate set of cotton rags for wiping the tires.

Cleaning the Windows

Cleaning the windows isn’t required for each wash, but I recommend at least doing the outsides each time if you have time.

Supplies Needed:

Glass Cleaner

Drying Material

Glass Cleaner – Glass cleaner should break through dirt while trying to be as streak free as possible. Also of significance is being safe for tint or not. Home Windex is not safe for tint. I prefer Stoners Invisible Glass for cleaning. I also like Eimann Fabrik Clear Vision. Stoners is better for strong cleaning, Clear Vision is better for less streaking. Because I tend to have lots of bug stains, I prefer Stoners for my regular cleanings. Stoners you can even find in local WalMarts or Auto stores, Clear Vision you’ll probably have to order online. Clear Vision is an incredible product, just doesn’t have as much dirt-power as the Stoners product.

Recommended Products:

Stoners Invisible Glass Eimann Fabrik Clear Vision

Drying Material – The key to a good drying material is three fold, cleaning the window (abrasive, but not enough to scratch the glass), absorbency, and lint free. There are special microfiber weaves available for glass cleaning, and while they excel at cleaning and being lint free, they tend to get saturated making it harder to leave the window completely dry and are relatively expensive. I’ve used the Microfiber towels designed for glass and while they are effective, they aren’t that much better to be worth the cost or effort. A towel such as the Viper Glass Cloth costs more, and must be maintained, while old newspaper is basically free (a Sunday edition will last you for years), works as good or better for tough stains, is lint-free, and is just thrown away when used up.

Recommended Products:

Old Newspaper

Cleaning the glass

Stoners is an aerosol product, so spray the product lightly onto the glass, take 2 or 3 pages of newspaper, lightly crumple them into a large bundle and wipe the glass until dry. I keep one side of the bundle for the ‘wet’ wiping, and the other for the drying wipes. If you have some stubborn stains, apply some cleaner directly to the stain, let it soak for a minute or so, then rub vigorously with your newspaper. If your newspaper becomes saturated and you find it hard to dry the glass, re-arrange your bundle and when no more dry material is available, toss it and make a new one from more newspaper.

For the side and inside mirrors, I use a piece of the newspaper bundle which is already saturated with some cleaner and simply wipe the mirror instead of spraying the mirror directly.

I recommend at least doing the outside of your windshield each time you wash the car. Doing all the other window surfaces is not required each time

Exhaust Tips

The beautiful exhaust tips on our Z deserve special attention. When in a rush, I’ll skip or just wipe with a wet cotton cloth, but the real way is to use a metal cleaner and polish. This really doesn’t take long at all (It takes longer to walk back into my garage and get the can then to clean the tips). I’ve used the Nevr-Dull metal polish for years on my pinball machines and it does an excellent job on our polished tips.

Recommended Products:

Nevr-Dull Metal Polish

Start by grabbing a small pinch of polishing material and wipe the entire outer surface of the tips. Be sure to watch how coated the wadding gets. It can get black, but don’t let it get caked. Simply rearrange the wadding, or get a new pinch. Finish off by wiping the lip around the exit end of the tip. The polish will leave a reside on the tip. Simply allow to sit and dry, and after several minutes, simply wipe with a clean cotton cloth.

This is what the Never Dull wadding looks like and an example of how little material is really needed to use.

Before Photo

After Photos

Quick-Detail Top-off

Lastly, for the best shine, you can top off your wash with a quick detail spray. Quick-detail spray is a spray based wax intended to give a good shine and a slight layer of protection for your car. The best ‘cheating’ factor of quick detail spray is, it allows you to erase any water spots you may have left on the car from drying, or really cheating by skipping drying all together and letting the car air dry. I do not do a quick detail top off each time I wash the car, but only do it if I’m planning on showing the car off afterwards. Some people use Quick-detail spray as a ‘replacement’ for waxing when your car needs it, which is a very poor idea as QD sprays really have no durability.

Supplies Required:

Quick-Detail Spray

Microfiber Towels

Recommended Products:

Meguiar’s Final Inspection Viper Microfiber Towels

Note: Be sure to get Final Inspection, as there are MANY similar products offered by Meguiar’s. For Microfiber towels, I’m not as picky, but I’ve stayed away from totally generic towels.

Application is very easy. Simply work one panel at a time, spraying the product liberally on the panel. Wipe dry and buff with the Microfiber towel. Make your way all around the car, and don’t forget to check on your towel for any dirt you may have missed in cleaning (if you’ve skipped drying and let the car air dry or didn’t wash at all). If you have any problems with streaking, be sure to wipe till dry, and buff with a dry section of the towel.

Exterior Summary

That should wrap up the exterior of your car. On average, all of these steps take me approximately 45 minutes start to finish or about 10-15 minutes longer if you choose to do a quick-detail layer as well. The dirtier the car, the longer it will take. If you are in a rush, save time by

- Skipping drying the lower portions of the car and interior door and hatch jams

- Skipping the exhaust tips

- Skipping the glass cleaner steps

- Skipping drying by letting air dry and then using a Quick-Detail spray

- Or lastly, skip drying all together and simply go for a quick spin to push the excess water off the car

Interior

For routine washing, we will not go into deep cleaning of carpets or leathers, just upkeep. Normal upkeep really only needs three things in the interior (besides glass); dusting, vacuuming, and protecting.

Supplies Required:

Vacuum w/Hose and Nozzles

Microfiber Towels

Plastic Cleaner and Protectant

Leather Cleaner and Protectant

Vacuum – You could use various products for the vacuum. I’m lucky enough to have an older upright one we used in the house which I use solely for garage use now. The key requirements are to have a long hose to reach into the car with, the knife-like nozzle and a nozzle suitable for flat surfaces (I prefer the T shaped flat nozzle).

Microfiber Towels – As discussed before, I don’t have a firm opinion on different types of Microfiber towels, but I’ve had good success with the green Viper towels. One could also use cotton towels in replacement of Microfiber towels with the requirement of being soft and most importantly, lint-free.

Recommended Products:

Viper Microfiber Towels

Plastic Cleaner and Protectant – 303 Aerospace Protectant is an excellent product for use here as well. It leaves a great satin finish and has excellent UV protection.

Recommended Products:

303 Aerospace Protectant

Available from properautocare.com

Leather Cleaner and Protectant – The leather in the Z doesn’t require a lot of maintenance as long as it is kept up. Because the leather is coated, 303 Aerospace Protectant again excels in this category. Another favorite of others is Lexol. I use 303 Aerospace on my Touring Z’s leather seats.

Recommended Products:

303 Aerospace Protectant Lexol Leather Conditioner

Available from properautocare.com Available from properautocare.com

Cleaning the Interior

I work top to bottom on the interior. The key to prevent blotching and overspray. The simple way to do this is simply apply the cleaner to the towel, not directly spraying it on the surface. Simply dampen the towel with the cleaner, and wipe down all surfaces. Do not wipe the clear plastics like the faces of your gauges with a dirty section of your towel. If necessary to clean some dust, make sure to use a clean section of your towel. A product like Novus #1 (available online from various places) should be used if required for clear plastics. (I have yet to need that with my almost 2yr old Z). When it comes to the door panels, make the towel nice and damp, but do not spray the cleaner directly on the door! If you do you’ll struggle to get it uniform. When cleaning the interior, don’t forget the undersides (like the steering column), lower panels, and nooks. The key to keeping this easy is simple up-keep. If you keep up on the interior, this step simply becomes dusting and UV protecting.

Normally I do the front cabin every time I do clean the interior, but I do not wipe down the rear of the car every time. Only if the car has become very dusty do I wipe down the panels behind the seats, and panels in the trunk. Normally I only have to do the rear of the car every 3^rd or 4^th cleaning of the car.

Next, pull the floor mats out, and if you have an upright vacuum you can vacuum them like normal carpets lying on the ground. I also find it helps to beat the mat while holding it in the air and simply brushing with your hand will get most loose dirt off due to the tight weave of the mats. If you ever get mud on the mats, always let it DRY before trying to remove it as it will be much easier to clean as it will flake right off. Next, move inside the car with the hose and nozzles to clean the floor board areas and along the sides of the seats. You should also vacuum the trunk mats if dirty.

If you need to actually clean the carpets, I’ve also had success with Griot’s Interior Cleaner (available from girotsgarage.com) by spraying on the stain, letting soak, and rubbing as necessary with s a short bristled nylon brush.

Interior Summary

The Z’s interior is VERY easy to clean if you keep up on it. Using 303 Aerospace Protectant makes cleaning the Z’s interior simply a dusting and vacuum job. Doing the interior is only a 20 minute job. I recommend cleaning the driver and passenger areas at least every other wash of the car, and wiping down the trunk panels and rear speaker areas every other time you clean the interior of the car (so about one in every four car washes).

Time Saving steps when in a rush:

- Skip wiping down the rear speaker panels and trunk

- Skip vacuuming all together and simply pull floor mats and beat/brush with your hand

Final Looks

Here are some looks of my Z using the techniques discussed here. If you have any questions, comments, or corrections, please come visit us over at http://www.350zmotoring.com or email me at flynnibus@yahoo.com

Treat your employees like customers.

From http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1080-you-have-to-treat-your-employees-like-customers

Several weeks ago I ran out of cash at the Farmers’ Market. After sampling some goat cheese I told the vendor I’d definitely buy some the next week because I’d ran out of cash that day. She said “take it home today and pay me next week.”

It’s not surprising that a vendor at a Farmers’ Market would behave that way but it was still so refreshing to just be trusted as a consumer. It seems like so many businesses/vendors think consumers are “trying to get one over” on them. Naturally the goat cheese lady now has a loyal customer for life.

It occurred to me the exact same concept applies to workplaces too. Just swap out the word employee for customer. When employees are trusted and treated like adults, they appreciate it just as much. The result: loyal employees who want to stick around forever.

The secret to Southwest’s success
Southwest Airlines founder Herbert D. Kelleher has a similar theory. He says, “You have to treat your employees like customers.” His final meeting as head of Southwest shows what an employee-centric management style can create…

When Mr. Kelleher, 77, entered the main meeting room, shareholders gave him the kind of standing ovation usually reserved for rock stars. The Southwest pilots union is also in the process of negotiating a new contract with management. But not only did the Southwest pilots not set up a picket line, they took out a full page ad in USA Today thanking Mr. Kelleher for all he had done. “The pilots of Southwest Airlines want to express our sentiment to Herb that it has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of his aviation legacy,” said the union president, Carl Kowitzky, in a statement…

But when he brought up the pilots ad — and when he talked about how much the company’s employees meant to him — he wept. “I’m Lucky Herbie for having all of these years with all of you,” he said. More than a few people in the audience wept right along with him.

No surprise there, either. Over the years, whenever reporters would ask him the secret to Southwest’s success, Mr. Kelleher had a stock response. “You have to treat your employees like customers,” he told Fortune in 2001. “When you treat them right, then they will treat your outside customers right. That has been a powerful competitive weapon for us.” As he stepped away from the company this week, his line didn’t change.

“We’ve never had layoffs,” he told me the day before the annual meeting, sitting on the couch of the single messiest executive office I’ve ever seen. “We could have made more money if we furloughed people. But we don’t do that. And we honor them constantly. Our people know that if they are sick, we will take care of them. If there are occasions or grief or joy, we will be there with them. They know that we value them as people, not just cogs in a machine…”

“There isn’t any customer satisfaction without employee satisfaction,” said Gordon Bethune, the former chief executive of Continental Airlines, and an old friend of Mr. Kelleher’s. “He recognized that good employee relations would affect the bottom line. He knew that having employees who wanted to do a good job would drive revenue and lower costs.”