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Got Engines.com Offers Engine Replacements & Transmission Replacements

gotengines — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:55:54 +0000

Vanagon, 1980-1983 air-cooled with manual transmission only. This will also loosely apply to late ('75-'79) Buses, but there are many different details, and the devil is in the details, as they say. This procedure is for the Type 4 2.0L fuel-injected engine, for all you non-US folks who had other engine choices.

First, before you attempt this procedure, go buy a copy of the Haynes manual. The Haynes procedure for this job is quite good and I will generally follow their order of operations.

What you should buy beforehand depends on a) how well-funded you are and b) how much time you have. If you have ample amounts of both a and b then you should go whole hog. Buy a new clutch disc and pressure plate, as well as a new clutch release bearing and pilot bearing. If you need to replace fuel lines, when the engine is out is the time to do it, especially if you're dealing with the fuel rail in the enVanagon, 1980-1983 air-cooled with manual transmission only. This will also loosely apply to late ('75-'79) Buses, but there are many different details, and the devil is in the details, as they say. This procedure is for the Type 4 2.0L fuel-injected engine, for all you non-US folks who had other engine choices.

First, before you attempt this procedure, go buy a copy of the Haynes manual. The Haynes procedure for this job is quite good and I will generally follow their order of operations.

What you should buy beforehand depends on a) how well-funded you are and b) how much time you have. If you have ample amounts of both a and b then you should go whole hog. Buy a new clutch disc and pressure plate, as well as a new clutch release bearing and pilot bearing. If you need to replace fuel lines, when the engine is out is the time to do it, especially if you're dealing with the fuel rail in the engine compartment or the injectors themselves. Also, if those four big fat short hoses on your intake manifold are shot, now's a good time to fix that. Anything else you think you should do with the engine out, buy what you need to do it.

This procedure does not concern itself with why you have to remove your engine. I'm just gonna tell you how. I'm telling you how to remove the engine and transmission as a unit from the car, and then separate them on the ground. It seems to be a little easier to do it this way. For this job you will need a helper. Period. You will also need a sturdy floorjack, preferably some kind of dolly you can set the engine/tranny on or a couple sets of jackstands. I had the privilege of performing this procedure with access to an automotive lift. You will also want some sort of largish piece of wood, to spread out the weight of the engine on the floorjack's saddle. If you don't have lots of jackstands or a dolly, you can always set the engine down on some sort of tarp or old piece of carpet. Be creative.

Well now let's get started. I'm not going to quote a list of tools needed here, because it would take too much time. I'll just mention them as the need for them comes up.

The first step is to disconnect the battery ground strap. Don't forget this important step! Easy enough...

Next you want to remove the air cleaner assembly. Get your Philips head screwdriver and undo the clamp that holds the rubber S-boot in the engine compartment to the fuel injection system's air flow meter. Separate the boot from the AFM. Next unplug the FI wiring harness from the AFM. Grasp the plastic plug and pull straight back on it. Next remove the charcoal canister hose from the air cleaner housing. Finally, you will find that on top of the air cleaner housing there is a clip that holds the air cleaner assembly to the body of the van. Unhook this clip (it is similar in operation to the clips that hold the air cleaner assembly halves together). Once you have all this stuff removed, wiggle the air cleaner assembly out of there and set it somewhere safe.

Now check down behind the alternator (toward the front of the van) and see where the wiring connects. You will find a plastic connector plugged into the alternator. Unplug this. Also you will find another single wire coming from the alternator that has a connector plug near the alternator. Unplug this wire too.

Now remove the rubber bellows for the heater blower. You can just pull it out of there.

Next detach the big vacuum hose for the power brakes at the manifold. Just pull it off of the left side of the manifold.

Disconnect the wiring from the ignition coil. On my van, the coil is mounted to the left side wall in the engine compartment. You need to determine which wires must be removed for the engine to come out. The wire to the condenser must be removed as well as the white wire to the fuel injection wiring harness. There may be others that I can't remember right now. Basically any wires that go to the engine must be removed. Label them so that you know what terminal to place them on when you have to put it back together. Also, disconnect the wire from the oil pressure switch and label it. The oil pressure switch is located immediately forward of the distributor, buried beneath the tin.

Disconnect the wiring plug from the electronic control unit. The ECU is located on the right side of the engine compartment, it's that electronic box with the huge plug going to it. One end of this plug has a spring lever -- push the lever in while simultaneously pulling that end of the plug away from the ECU. Also disconnect the right-side wiring plug from the double relay (mounted to the left side of the firewall). The left-side plug can remain attached to the relay. Disconnect also the wiring plug to the series resistors, mounted near the double relay. Finally disconnect the vacuum hose to the deceleration valve (large cylindrical device mounted to the firewall).

Additionally, disconnect the accelerator cable from the engine. It passes through a barrel-type clamp, so loosen the bolt and pull the cable free, then push it out of the engine compartment, toward the front of the van. I seem to remember the bolt being 8mm.

Now is a good time to jack up the rear of the vehicle and support it on jackstands. Give yourself plenty of room to get the engine out -- don't forget to take into account the minimum height of the floorjack!

Now you have to disconnect the fuel lines. Crawl under the van and notice where the fuel lines pass through the breast tin. There underneath the van you will see where the rubber hoses connect to the metal fuel rail. There should be clamps on each end of the section of rubber hose -- if not, you need to buy some. If the rubber hose looks at all questionable, be sure to replace it with quality FUEL-INJECTION RATED hose. A tip here is to take a pair of locking pliers like Vice-Grips and clamp on the rubber fuel hose before removing it to keep the gas in the tank from siphoning out. It helps to own two pairs of locking pliers. You also may want to have a pencil or bolt or golf tee handy to plug the fuel line after removal. Remove both fuel lines, on a fuel-injected van there is a supply line and a return line.

Now you have to undo the wiring from the starter. Remove the 13mm nut from terminal 30 on the back of the solenoid and remove all the wires. Put a zip-tie through all the ring connectors of those wires so you don't lose any. Then pull the two push-on wires from the solenoid, labeling each one.

Now you have to unclamp the heater flapper boxes from the short pipes that lead from the flappers to the heat exchangers. Unclamp them at the flapper end. There will be some sort of clamp holding it on, probably rusty as hell. Do what you have to do, but the clamps must come off. Once the clamps are loose, unseat the flappers from the heat pipes.

Now you get to have fun with CV joints. You will need to put the transmission in neutral and remove the parking brake. Find out what sort of CV bolts you have. You will either have 6mm allen-head CV bolts (stock) or a set of 12-point bolts (Porsche replacement). You CANNOT use an allen head bit on the 12-point bolts, you will strip them out and will be up sh*t creek. Whatever you have, buy the appropriate bit that will fit on a ratchet. Once you've got the tool ready to go, loosen the bolts on each axle that hold the driveshaft to the transmission. You will need to to 2 or 3 bolts and then rotate the wheels to get the rest. Once you've done that, withdraw the joints from the tranny and let them hang (actually, it would be better to support the axles with coat hangers or something but do what you have to do). You also should wrap the now-open CV joints with a plastic bag and rubber band so they don't get grit in them.

Now you get to deal with the clutch slave cylinder. On the left side of the transmission you will find it. There are two bolts that hold the slave cylinder to the transmission and then there is another bolt more toward the front of the car that holds the hydraulic pipe support bracket to the transmission. You need to undo the bolt to the support bracket, and then undo the two bolts that hold the slave cylinder to the transmission. They are nuts and bolts, so a helper will come in handy here. It's easiest to reach them through the left rear wheel well, while someone else underneath holds the nut to keep it from turning. Once you've got the slave cylinder loose, set it aside somewhere and support it so it doesn't stress the hydraulic hose.

Now, look at the transmission nosecone, where the shift rod attaches. You will see that at the end of the shift rod is a big 19mm nut. Remove this nut from the shift rod and pop the shift rod forward so it is free of the transmission.

While you're down there, remove the ground strap between the transmission and frame. Don't forget! Also disconnect the two wires from the back-up light switch. You don't have to label them, it doesn't matter which terminal of the switch they go to.

OK, now take your piece of scrap wood and put it on the saddle of your floorjack. Now try to center the wood under the engine/tranny and jack it up so that the jack is just supporting the weight of the engine/tranny.

Now get under and head up to the front of the transmission. Find the front transmission mount. There are two ways to undo this, and I chose the way that I thought would be easier to put back together later. You will see that four bolts hold the transmission mount to the frame. Undo these four bolts and put them in a safe place.

Now crawl back out and find where the rear engine bearer bar bolts to the frame on each side of the van with 2 13mm bolts/nuts per side. Undo all of these bolts and put them in a safe place. Now the only thing holding the engine/transmission in is the jack.

Do one last check and make sure you've disconnected everything. SLOWLY lower the engine and transmission. It will usually want to tilt one way or another so have your helper steady it as you control the jack. Slowly lower it while checking to make sure nothing will be crushed or broken by the engine -- WATCH THOSE CV JOINTS!

Once you've got the engine lowered so it will clear the body, slide it back and out of the way -- or, if you're lucky enough to be using a lift, just raise the body up out of the way.

Now you need to set the engine and transmission down. If you have spare jackstands around, you can set up a tripod of sorts by putting a jackstand under each side of the bearer bar and then another one under the transmission. If you have a dolly you can gently transfer the engine to that or if you have a soft surface on the ground, you can do that too.

Now you can separate the engine and transmission. There are two bolts at the top and two nuts on studs at the bottom. All are 17mm. The top right one is also the top mounting bolt for the starter. Once all nuts and bolts are removed and stored in a safe place (don't lose the washers) then the engine can be removed from the transmission. If you have the engine and transmission resting on jackstands, then you will need to move the one under the transmission to somewhere under the engine case so everything won't come crashing down when you pull the transmission. If you or your helper is sufficiently strong, then one of you can steady the engine while the strong one pulls the transmission straight back and sets it gently on the ground. If not, you can use the floorjack to help. The transmission weighs about 70 pounds.

While the engine is out you can do whatever you need to do that led you to remove the engine in the first place. You also may want to take this time to clean out the engine compartment, and anything on the engine that looks like it would be easier with the engine out.

Installation really is the reverse of removal. The tricky part comes in aligning the engine and transmission splines for mating the two and in aligning the engine and transmission upon putting them back into place -- that is, aligning the bearer bar with the holes the bolts go through and aliging the front transmission mount with its holes. It takes some patience but once you've got it aligned then thread the bolts and nuts and then re-attach everything you disconnected. That's it.

gine compartment or the injectors themselves. Also, if those four big fat short hoses on your intake manifold are shot, now's a good time to fix that. Anything else you think you should do with the engine out, buy what you need to do it.

Well now let's get started. I'm not going to quote a list of tools needed here, because it would take too much time. I'll just mention them as the need for them comes up.

The first step is to disconnect the battery ground strap. Don't forget this important step! Easy enough...

Now remove the rubber bellows for the heater blower. You can just pull it out of there.

Next detach the big vacuum hose for the power brakes at the manifold. Just pull it off of the left side of the manifold.

Once you've got the engine lowered so it will clear the body, slide it back and out of the way -- or, if you're lucky enough to be using a lift, just raise the body up out of the way.

To Order an Engine or Transmission Replacement, Please Call 1-877-268-0664 or visit GotEngines.com

Market Trends of Remanufactured Auto Parts

gotengines — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:48:08 +0000

Nowadays, a new trend of re-manufacturing auto parts has created new avenues for auto market industry with every player, small or big, foraying into this uncharted territory due to immense business potential the industry offers. The re-manufacturing process involves re-manning the worn part in such a way to give it a brand new finish. Most of the parts really does not wear out and can be easily reused. The process involves inspection and quality checks for any damage and reusability, thoroughly cleaning the reusable parts and giving it a new finish as well as repairing and surfacing and these done in well-treated plants ensure top performance without sacrificing the quality. Wherever necessary, old bearings are replaced with old ones. Moreover, re-manufactured parts come with original equipment quality seals. Stringent testing and quality control throughout the whole process ensure that remanufactured parts meet original specification standards. In many cases, these parts may even exceed original quality specifications and have much greater finish. This is possible as re-manufacturing firms know the exact cause of failure and extent of damage and is well equipped with fine expertise to deal with any problem.

It is quite interesting to note that over 90 percent of the parts of the automobile can be recovered and recycled reducing 40% of the cost- in fact quite too irresistible figures. Though western countries including the United States and Canada have well-established remanufacturing industries, there is a new trend brewing up with developing countries like China keen to tap the immense potential re-manufacturing offers. China is promoting auto parts re-manufacturing business in a major way as was evident from the 2008 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition. A pilot project for recycling and rebuilding auto parts has been launched in China by the National Development and Reform Commission. This is following the recent announcement of “Administrative Methods on Auto Parts Re-manufacturing” in early March, 2008. Fourteen manufacturers including FAW and Shanghai-Volkswagen have signed letters of commitment regarding remanufacturing auto parts. These enlisted companies are at present required to focus on five products namely, engines, transmissions, electric generators, starters and converters. With millions of units of vehicles nationwide in US and European countries and fast growing automobile industry in Asian countries, especially Asian giants China and India expecting to have more vehicles nationwide, market trends of re-manufactured auto parts is very much encouraging with enormous market for auto parts.

Re-manufacturing usually works on three basic principles of economy, ecology and energy conservation. It is economical in the sense by immensely reducing the cost as old casting and parts are reused without sacrificing the quality, ecological in the sense by reducing environmental pollution as no casting is needed, and more importantly conserves energy as less power is consumed to re-manufacture than actual manufacturing. Moreover, re-manufacturing provides immense revenue and employment generating opportunities. With all these advantages, we can witness more and more countries following the foot steps of western countries and China to come up with encouraging polices to promote re-manufacturing of auto parts.

If you need an engine or transmission replacement call toll free 1-877-268-0663 or visit www.GotEngines.com.

Remanufactured Auto Parts

gotengines — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:29:37 +0000

When you think of recycling, you may think of glass, plastic, paper and aluminum. But did you know that 47% of the hard parts on your vehicle can be recycled, too? This is called re-manufacturing. During this process, the worn part is actually re-manufactured to"like new" condition. A good example of this process would be a water pump. The body, shaft, impeller and hub don't wear out and can be reused. In the remanufacturing process, they are thoroughly cleaned, inspected for any form of damage, then get a new protective finish. Bearings are tested and replaced with new ones when necessary. All seals are replaced with 100% original equipment quality seals, and the "like new" assembly is ready for resale. While all of these "remanned" parts meet original specifications, it's not unusual for many of them to exceed the original specs. Remanufacturers see the cause of failure and often have the opportunity to fix it. The re-manufacturing process is backed by the same quality systems as the original equipment manufacturers. In fact, some remanufacturers are QS9000 and ISO9002 certified. As a result, the warranty on their parts is often times better than those on new parts. Many parts come with a lifetime warranty, to ensure satisfactory performance. So what's the primary difference between new and remanned parts? They call it the three E's: Economy, Ecology and Energy conservation.

Economy - Old casting is reused with no sacrifice to the quality of the part.

Ecology - No casting is needed, which means cleaner air.

Energy conservation - Less power is consumed to produce them.

If you need an engine or transmission replacement call toll free 1-877-268-0663 or visit www.GotEngines.com.

What is an Engine and How Do We Use The Word Engine...

gotengines — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:27:40 +0000

An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input.

An engine whose purpose is to produce kinetic energy output from a fuel source is called a prime mover; alternatively, a motor is a device which produces kinetic energy from a preprocessed "fuel" (such as electricity, a flow of hydraulic fluid or compressed air).

A motor car (automobile) has a starter motor, a windscreen wiper motor, and motors to drive pumps (fuel, power steering, windscreen washer) – but the power plant that propels the car is called an engine. The term 'motor' was originally used to distinguish the new internal combustion engine -powered vehicles from earlier vehicles powered by a steam engine (as in steam roller and motor roller).

Military engines included siege engines, large catapults, trebuchets and battering rams.

Originally an engine was a mechanical device that converted force into motion. Military devices such as catapults are referred to as siege engines. The term "gin" as in cotton gin is recognised as a short form of the Old French word engin, in turn from the Latin ingenium, related to ingenious. Most devices used in the industrial revolution were referred to as an engine, and this is where the steam engine gained its name.

In more modern usage, the term is used to describe devices that perform mechanical work, follow-ons to the original steam engine. In most cases the work is supplied by exerting a torque, which is used to operate other machinery, generate electricity, pump water or compressed gas. In the context of propulsion systems, an air breathing engine is one that uses atmospheric air to oxidise the fuel carried, rather than carrying an oxidiser, as in a rocket.

The term is used in computer science in "search engine", "3-D graphics game engine", "rendering engine" and "text-to-speech engine", even though these "engines" are not mechanical and cause no mechanical action (this usage may have been inspired by the "difference engine", an early mechanical computing device).

Geo Metro and Kia Rio Engines Galore!!!

gotengines — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:24:34 +0000

Wow, we've got loads of customers calling in for used and remanufactured Metro Engines lately (Geo Metro Engines). We have had calls for used Geo engines in the past, but the last couple days have been crazy. Well if anyone out there needs a great price on a used geo engine I just wanted everyone to know we've got an overstock of used geo engines, including used metro engines, used tracker engines, used prizm engines, really any used geo engine you can think of we've got it. In fact, we've got a used engine or remanufactured engine for nearly any vehicle you can think of, cars, trucks, or SUV's

While I'm writing here my wife is telling me she's noticed the same thing with used Kia engines, especially the Kia Rio. This doesn't suprise me do to how many of these things sold. I mean, let's face it, Kia Rio's are a pretty good bang for the buck at the low price tag and warranty they come with. So I better address these engines too.

We've got a bunch of these engines, used or remanufactured, on palets and ready to ship. Actually we've got more of them than we can handle, so we've been selling used Kia engines pretty darn cheap. The majority of our used Kia overstock is 2001 -2004 used Kia Rio engines with less than 40,000 miles on them. Each of these comes with the GotEngines.com unbeatable warranty.

Hopefully, your Kia Rio engine is just fine and still running like a top, but just in case I thought I'd let everyone know we've got em' cheap right now, so make sure to call us first Toll Free at 1-877-268-0664.
Just visit http://www.gotengines.com/ today to check your options. Or call toll free 1-877-268-0664 and speak to one of our friendly service reps.

Should You Buy a Remanufactured Engine or Just a Used One?

gotengines — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:15:38 +0000

Should you buy a used engine or a remanufactured engine? Heck, you could even buy a crate engine or a rebuilt engine. With so many choices, which one do you choose...

Well, I'll try to be as informative as possible but there really isn't one correct answer here so I'll give a breakdown of let's say a Camry Engine, let's use a 1998 Toyota Camry Engine for this example.

A good remanufactured Camry engine is going to run you around $2,900, unless of course you use GotEngines.com, who sells these for $1,900 give or take depending on the shipping. This is a high priced engine for a Camry engine. But on the other hand, this engine will be like a brand new engine and run for years and years.

A rebuilt Camry engine will cost less and you could figure around $2,200 for a 1998 rebuilt Toyota Camry engine. This may be cheaper, but a lot of times these are custom jobs and you need to understand that a rebuilt is much different than a remanufactured engine. A rebuilt is usually rebuilt in just the areas the mechanic thought needed to be updated and the rest is still an old engine. A remanufactured engine has completely been remanufactured to like new condition. If you do decide to choose a rebuilt engine, please be sure you know who you're dealing with. Or for more advice please call toll free 1-877-268-0664 and ask the GotEngines.com staff.

When it comes to a used 1998 Toyota Camry engine, your prices will be all over the place, because of mileage, warranties, condition, etc... But for this example we will go with a used Camry engine that has 70,000 miles on it. While you can expect to pay much less, around $1,500 - $2,000 (please call GotEngines.com first of course), this engine is a used engine and may get you back into the same situation you were in before with a blown or broken down Camry engine. You may be able to get a great warranty to help ease your mind, especially when buying from GotEngines.com who offers up to lifetime warranties on their used engines.

And then there are crate engines that are straight from the manufacturer and brand new performance engines. I don't have any crate engines for a Camry available as I write this post, but I can tell you a crate engine will be extremely expensive. If you're looking for performance this will be a cheaper option then building out your performance engine yourself.

And last but not least, there are Japanese Take-Out engines that can fit the American model of the vehicle. These can be a much lower cost if you can find the vendor. Unfortunately there are not many out there. But you can always count on GotEngines.com

GotEngines.com Airs on CBS Radio

gotengines — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:13:28 +0000

I received a phone call last week from a radio host from CBS Radio asking if he could give GotEngines.com a plug on his next show. This was quite the shocker for me considering this is something companies usually pay for or beg to have done, but I gladly accepted the offer.

Apparently, on this gentleman's free time, he looks for antique cars as a side hobby, and runs across situations when he needs a used engine or remanufactured engine or transmissions, and said he had great experiences finding rare parts when calling GotEngines.com.

As soon as the show airs, I will be putting the audio link on GotEngines.com for everyone to hear. It's always great to hear how happy our customers are.

Initial post-

pittedchrome — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:42:34 +0000

The idea for this page is to be populated with helpful links, stories, photos and experiences relating to working on your vehicles, your engines in your own garage with your tools. Assisted mainly by books, manuals and most importantly, knowledgeable friends lending that helpful hand...or beer occasionally.

DIY, Shadetree Mechanics, etc.

Wiki:

The term "Shadetree Mechanic" is a general term for people who enjoy working on automobiles in their spare time, usually in their own driveways, taking up basic DIY upgrades as well as basic maintenance.

I personally tend to disagree with the following portion though...who cares if you screw up something on your own car? Failure is sometimes part of learning.

Amongst some people the term has also developed a negative connotation, suggesting that shadetree mechanics often cause more damage than improvement to their cars.

And another definition from UrbanDictionary:

A person willing to learn and perform scheduled maintenance or simple repairs on their own vehicle rather than being completely reliant on technicians who may be dishonest, careless, or ignorant.

Either way, I think we get the hint.

In my mind, this kind of work is done because you want to...not because you have to. Whether it's a love for a particular vehicle, the joy of getting your hands dirty or just your thirst for knowledge, it's definitely something you must want to do.

I'm no professional- just a guy with a few habits, a few toys and a curiosity of how to fix them (cause I sure know how to break 'em).

So, good luck with your current project and I hope we can keep 'em all running soundly-

Edje Chop-Shop.

edjy — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:06:26 +0000

Welcome to the Edje chop-shop. Lets dive right into it!

First, let make a new theme. Now, Ive always admired my own menu item effect on Grunge theme. What can I say, Its neat. Ive also heard the subtle effect on Ceriums menu items is kind of cool too! Aren't I just great!? Anyway. Lets look at how to chop bits from themes and mash them together.

I do try my hardest to mention 'theme engines' because it hinders creativity and locks designers in to certain things. So I URGE you to try different things and think outside the 'box' in terms of designing. If you make another Vista Aero duplicate, I will cry. What I'm getting at with the engine idea, is that every theme creates an 'Engine' to do a certain thing to a certain widget. You also get to specify the image/appearance of the widget. You can very easily copy the edc group to your theme and replace the images. Lets do this to Cerium.

So here is the Grunge menu. You can see the splat there, after it shoots in from the centre. Rad.

So lets take the menu item effect from Grunge and put it directly into the Cerium menu item. For a look at Ceriums menu, take a gander here...

Lets open up Grunge (via edje_decc gunge.edj) and open up the default_menu.ed.

Also, open up Cerium (same as before but with cerium.edj) and again, open the default_menu.edc.

Next, navigate down the Grunge menus edc to this...


group {
   name: "e/widgets/menu/default/label";
      parts {
      ...
      }
}

This is the Menu items label for Grunge. Now, head over to Ceriums menu edc and find this...


group {
   name: "e/widgets/menu/default/label";
      parts {
      ...
      }
}

Pay very careful attention to what images are used by the theme you want to edit, or supply your own. Also, the font used in the Text part will need to be the same as your new theme.

Now paste the whole Grunge group section over the Cerium group section. Change the font to the font you are using in the new theme and use a different image, that's provided in the theme. It might look a little like this...


group {
   name: "e/widgets/menu/default/label";
   parts {
      part {
	 name:          "title_bar";
	 mouse_events:  0;
	 description {
	    state:    "default" 0.0;
	    visible:  0;
	    min:      1 1;
	    fixed:    1 1;
	    rel1 {
	       relative: 0.8  0.5;
	       offset:   0    0;
	       to:       "e.text.label";
	    }
	    rel2 {
	       relative: 0.8  0.5;
	       offset:   -1   -1;
	       to:       "e.text.label";
	    }
	    image {
	       normal: "e-light.png";
	    }
	    color: 255 255 255 0;
	 }
	 description {
	    state:    "active" 0.0;
	    visible:  1;
	    min:      85 30;
	    rel1 {
	       relative: 0.0  0.0;
	       offset:   20    0;
	       to:       "e.text.label";
	    }
	    rel2 {
	       relative: 0.0  1.0;
	       offset:   20   -1;
	       to:       "e.text.label";
	    }
	    image {
	       normal: "e-light.png";
	    }
	    color: 255 255 255 255;
	 }
      }
      part {
	 name:           "e.text.label";
	 type:           TEXT;
	 effect:         SOFT_SHADOW;
	 mouse_events:   0;
	 description {
	    state: "default" 0.0;
	    rel1 {
	       relative: 0.0  0.0;
	       offset:   4 4;
	    }
	    rel2 {
	       relative: 1.0  1.0;
	       offset:   -6 -4;
	    }
	    color: 255 255 255 255;
	    color3: 0 0 0 128;
	    color_class: "menu_item";
	    text {
	       text:     "Item Label";
	       font:     "Edje-Vera";
	       size:     10;
	       min:      1 1;
	       align:    0.0 0.5;
	       text_class: "menu_item";
	    }
	 }
	 description {
	    state: "active" 0.0;
	    inherit: "default" 0.0;
	    color: 255 255 255 255;
	    color3: 0 0 0 255;
	 }
      }
   }
   programs {
      program {
	 name:    "go_active_pre";
	 signal:  "e,state,selected";
	 source:  "e";
	 action:  STATE_SET "active" 0.0;
	 target:  "title_bar";
	 target:  "e.text.label";
      }
      program {
	 name:    "go_passive_pre";
	 signal:  "e,state,unselected";
	 source:  "e";
	 action:  STATE_SET "passive" 0.0;
	 target:  "title_bar";
	 target:  "e.text.label";
      }
   }
}

As you can see, we're left with a Grunge label with the Grunge Text as well. Alternately, you could just copy and paste the part{} and the programs{} that might operate that specific part. Here's a little taste of what that's like...

Remember to obey theme licensing as this is technically using somebody elses work. A general rule of thumb is to give credit where credit is due. Even if you're using a license like 3-Clause BSD, it is nice to mention the theme you've taken a part from, even if its just a little mention in the EDC code. Themes license with a Creative Commons license MUST include the other authors name as they technically contributed to your work. Remember to respect your fellow themers work!

So there you have it. How to swap out the 'engine' of an E17 themes widget and make a Frankenstein theme. Do try to be original with your work, but somethings have already been done quite well and you can save yourself a lot of time by borrowing ideas from others.

Enjoy!

Toma

SEO For Semantic Search Engines

sylvain — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:35:39 +0000

SEO For Semantic Search Engines
The new search engines I'm talking about are the semantic search engines, meaning they are search engines that can be queried using natural language (not keywords like when using Google). Behind the scenes, these search engines try to understand the meaning behind the text web pages and so when you query them, they map what your query means and find answer based on the meaning they've extracted. It's all very neat, and there are many examples: Powerset (which Microsoft recently acquired), Hakia, [true knowledge], Cognition and a few others.

Conceptual Design at NASA

gravityloss — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:00:49 +0000

The Constellation program has been going on for about 3 years. Kicking off with the ESAS study of a few months, it still hasn't settled very much about the architecture. Even the number of solid segments and liquid engines on the Ares I and V launchers are uncertain - issues which mean a lot for the infrastructure. A high launcher means VAB rebuilding. A heavy launcher means new crawler ways. Everything seems to be reassessed constantly.

Ed Kyle has documented the Ares I and Ares V history, while I discussed the future of Ares V here, the picture is from that post's presentation. At the moment the design has moved along from the first configuration in January, having added half-segments, more core length and a sixth RS-68. No move to HTPB rubber in the boosters yet or composite wet parts EDS IIRC.

[caption id="attachment_101" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ares V Evolution, Muirhead Jan 2008"][/caption]

People from inside NASA have lamented the lack of conceptual design skills there, since the design keeps changing too much because of flaws being discovered.

There's the classic story from Apollo, when Wernher von Braun simply didn't believe the mass numbers the spacecraft people gave him, and vastly oversized the Saturn V - and it turned out that eventually all the performance was needed.

But the leaps in capabilities were huge back then. Now rocketry is routine and there is already one example of a lunar architecture to compare to. Not many new engines need to be developed for example, and a lot of the hardware is derived from STS and other flying systems.

So how is it that an agency getting 15 billion dollars a year is failing to pin down the mass numbers any better? Over ten ton sudden shortfalls in LEO mass seem to be a lot. Of course, it is a hard problem, and it's easy to carp from the sidelines, but still...

What will the payload landed on the moon be? What propellants are used? What is the Altair's or Orion's mass? And work back from there to TLI mass and ultimately to launch from Earth, all with generous margins. And it has seemed that a certain cycle has formed. First a solution on Ares I is based on some logic linking it to Shuttle hardware, infrastructure or Ares V with common elements, which should save a lot of money and time and keep the workforce etc etc. Somewhat later, rumors about a severe performance shortfall on either launcher start circulating. Then after a while NASA announces a new configuration where the commonality is disrupted. And again forward we go.

The decisions made earlier are not supported anymore because new facts (performance problems) were realized later. But these decisions can't be revisited. (Flying Orion on an EELV is one.) ESAS is referred to as having looked at all that, discarding it. Yet when some changes happen in Constellation, ESAS is mentioned as "only a 90 day study, how much can you expect from it?". The consistency of decision justification is lacking. Ability for honest introspection is a rare thing for persons or organizations. I am just an outsider and don't really know what's going in inside there, maybe all is just exaggerated, but it looks troubled to me. How much can there really be progress if nobody knows what the launchers will be like in the end anyway?

What Is A Crate Engine?

gotengines — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:59:24 +0000

Have you ever heard of the term crate engine and wondered what the heck it really means? I know I used to hear the term and had no idea. But it's actually kind of funny how simple the explantion is. Crate motors received their name because they're shipped in wooden crates.

These engines come from the major manufacturers and are complete performance engines. They're brand new and come with the manufacturer's warranty. They do carry a hefty price tag, but these babies are sweet engines.

If you're interested in getting a crate engine for your vehicle, please visit GotEngines.com or call 1-877-268-0664

9 Deadly Mistakes You Don't Want To Make When Putting A Bigger Engine In Your Ride

gotengines — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:47:31 +0000

Swapping out smaller engines for larger engines is a subject that is very important for me to get off my chest. First of all unless this vehicle is going to be some kind of high performance racecar I don't suggest it. In fact, we've turned down thousands of engine sales due to the fact the buyer told us they were upgrading their vehicle to a bigger engine.

Let's face it, bigger, faster engines are fun. Someone's dream of improving their vehicles power is not my problem here, it's the fact that almost EVERYONE ends up having problems, and if I sold them the engine, that means I'll be getting a call asking if they can ship it back because they can't get it to fit in their vehicle.

However, we will all do what we want to do, so instead of fighting the issue of people putting a larger engine in their car, I thought I'd better give everyone a few suggestions...

Engine Mounts - The most common problem people face that try swapping these engine is the engine mount. You need to fasten the engine to your vehicles chasis. Sometimes you can buy factory parts to get the job done depending on if they were available for that vehicle, but in other cases you might need to fabricate your own, which causes some real headaches.
Transmissions - manual transmissions cause problems when your vehicle wasn't originally designed for a manual transmission, there will be no mechanical linkage. It may need a different hole in the floor plan as well. Automatic transmissions my need linkage assembly and kickdown cable changes.
You'll most likely have to change your throttle linkage because most are made for the engine they're attached to.
Pulley System Alignments can be a problem if using your old engine accessories.
Putting in a bigger engine can cause problems with your heating systems, windshieldwipers, etc, due to firewall clearance.
The length of your drive shaft may need to be changed to fit your new engine.
Transmission mounts can also be a big problem if the tranny wasn't available for your vehicle and just like the engine mount you may have to have your own fabricated.
The wiring harness might not line up with your electrical components.
Having enough room between the engine and the hood. You can obviously change out your current hood to fit your new engine, but again, this causes unexpected chaos and may take away from the factory look of the car.

What Is A Long Block Engine?

gotengines — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:51:58 +0000

A long block consists of the block, heads, and the internal parts...rods, pistons, crank, cam, etc. When purchasing a long block you want to make sure all the parts are in good condition before putting the engine in the vehicle. Once the engine is installed it is very difficult to change anything. You will save more money fixing the problem before it's installed than trying to save a buck and wait until something goes out. I can't tell you how many people try to avoid making simple repairs due to spending a few more bucks. Spend the money and get the job done right!

If you're going to keep the vehicle for awhile, my personal opinion is to replace your engine with a remanufactured engine anyway. These engines come in "like new condition", and you won't have to worry about these problems.

A Word From My One of My Engine Experts "Steve Coleman"...

gotengines — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:13:13 +0000

This article was passed along to me by one of my valued staff members, Steve Coleman...

Big Tires need Big Engines

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to the mud hole and seen people run 44” super swamper boggers under a 4 cylinder ranger engine or even a 6 cylinder engine, and just blow their engine like it’s their job. I feel like I’m wasting my breath because they don’t listen when I tell them to either rebuild their tranny or get an 8 cylinder.

If you have 35” tires or bigger, run a V-8 or have your tranny geared up to handle the weight of the tires. If you have lockers in the rear, upgrade to a big block V-8 or GEAR UP YOUR TRANNY! When you gear up your tranny, not only will you improve your gas mileage, but you will also extend the life of your engine by thousands of miles. Not to mention, save you thousands because you won’t need to buy a new engine.

What Side Of Your Car Is Your Gas Tank On?

gotengines — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:50:31 +0000

This may seem like a really dumb article to post, but I can't tell you how many times I've been in the car with a friend or family member and they open up the car door to check what side the gas tank is on. In fact, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but it took me a few years to recognize this simple thing myself.

In almost any car you'll find a little arrow right next to your vehicles gas gauge pointing to the direction of which side your gas tank is on. It's usually a little white arrow. If you haven't noticed this before you'll laugh at how many times you've tried to figure out which side to pull up your car to the gas pump.

Well, I've got to get back to selling some engines for now, but I thought this simple tip may help someone out there.

Breaking News About Brian Hanson Owner of GotEngines.com

gotengines — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:10:36 +0000

I went on this online community thing and everyone was talking about about me... what is going on? There's even a video about it on News3Online.

I'm in the business of selling used engines, remanufacutured engines, used transmissions, remanufactured transmissions, even fuel injectors, but this is ridiculous...check out the link below to hear the breaking news about me...

http://www.news3online.com/index.php?code=310UrU57uPu24X79C9KY

Best,

Brian Hanson
President
GotEngines.com

Balanced John McCain offers America solid ENERGY SOLUTIONS, and visionary "Green Ideas!" (See his Lexington Project!)...

vbonnaire — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:50:37 +0000

John McCain has plans for Americans. He sees the crisis we are in regarding energy, and jobs. His plans are strong, concrete and visionary at the same time. He offers LEADERSHIP to an exhausted AMERICA. In fact, his ZEST is what AMERICA needs. One of the things I like the most about him is his STRONG, FIERCE SPIRIT. And his HEROIC NATURE. He is a lot like President Teddy Roosevelt, who was FEARLESS when he championed necessary reforms.

John McCain is interested in creating lots of industry in AMERICA. This is the best thing about him. He cares about US! And he wants to foster tremendous innovation here, in terms of how we produce ENERGY. He is aware that we need both short and long term plans for this, and so he offers actual SOLUTIONS for right now!

I feel that John McCain is thinking "America First" when I look at this ad. He is a maverick who won't play along the pork barrel party line, like others have and are. We need a President we can TRUST. McCain's stance is solid, balanced, and he brings fresh ideas in a time when American's need a joyful burst of cultural Nationalism. This makes him a rogue, but also, VISIONARY!

One thing I loved in this ad above, was the honeycomb motif. I think all the time about the "colony collapse" disorder facing our bees, globally. To see this in the ad, shows me that the Republican Party is also aware of this. McCain has to manage the "old grid" while building "the new grid." His nature is PROGRESSIVE, BALANCED, INTEGRATED and PLANNED.

Here is what he had to say over at the The Wall Street Journal right before the Fourth of July:

“...To get our economy back on track, we must enact a jobs-first economic plan that supports job creation, provide immediate tax relief for families, enact a plan to help those facing foreclosure, lower health care costs, invest in innovation, move toward strategic energy independence and open more foreign markets to our goods,” McCain said in a statement..."

When I read this next part of the article it was music to my ears, and I bet, music to a lot of Green Progressives' ears as well! He believes in Green Ideas for the long run in our country. Since we have such VAST resources available in terms of solar (the sun in our deserts) wind, (our deserts, mountains and passes) and water (the sea, and our rivers) McCain will COMMAND all of these natural forces to produce the energy AMERICA needs.

"...He acknowledged the challenges facing the U.S. economy, and reiterated his plan to use energy alternatives to boost the economy. “I believe the green technologies in the United States of America will create millions of jobs, if not hundreds of thousands. I believe that green technologies — whether it be nuclear power or hybrid cars, or battery-driven cars, or wind and solar or tide – are directly the factor that will improve America’s economy and get us on our feet again,” McCain said..."

Using the power of the sea and tides is a very positive step to a green future. I was thinking of the time McCain was at sea in the Navy, from his book "Faith of my Fathers" and so I wondered about how the Navy under John McCain's expert command, might take a look at this video, to see what is being done already to harness the immense power of the sea. This could be a part of McCain's extraordinary LEXINGTON PROJECT in the future, perhaps... (we already have such an incredible Navy!)...

Another look at this from "GreenPeace".... Progressives... and how it looks in action...

The place with Green Spirit, and renewables is here at "The National Renewable Energy Laboratory"

We already have the technologies available! McCain could harness all of this!

hat tip to: THE BLUE PLANET (Dynamics of the Oceans)

Things Bill Moyers had to say off "Grist" are here... it's a good piece for Greens, and new Green Republicans...

Now Hear This

an excerpt:

"...Meanwhile, over a billion people have no safe drinking water. We're dumping 500 million tons of hazardous waste into the Earth every year. In the last hundred years alone we've lost over 2 billion hectares of forest, our fisheries are collapsing, our coral reefs are dying because of human activity. These are facts. So what are the administration and Congress doing? They're attacking the cornerstones of environmental law: the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, NEPA [the National Environmental Policy Act]. They are allowing l7,000 power plants to create more pollution. They are opening public lands to exploitation..."

My sense is that McCain is both practical and a PROGRESSIVE at heart. Hence THE LEXINGTON PROJECT!

Coming from the same time Moyers did, Progressive Republicans would want the same reforms as Greens I bet. It's just that we all are aware of what faces our planet, right now. How to emerge from an "old grid" to a "new grid" is what McCain will be best at shepherding. It's on his web page, for all of us to see...

I think a lot of us feel very scared about nuclear, because of the waste. Could that industry make the shift, using all its engineers to a different model? Here is more on the power of the Ocean from "The Ocean Energy Council."

"...The waters off the Pacific Northwest are ideal for tapping into an ocean of power using newly developed undersea turbines. The tides along the Northwest coast fluctuate dramatically, as much as 12 feet a day. The coasts of Alaska, British Columbia and Washington, in particular, have exceptional energy-producing potential. On the Atlantic seaboard, Maine is also an excellent candidate. The undersea environment is hostile so the machinery will have to be robust.

Currently, although the technology required to harness tidal energy is well established, tidal power is expensive, and there is only one major tidal generating station in operation. This is a 240 megawatt (1 megawatt = 1 MW = 1 million watts) at the mouth of the La Rance river estuary on the northern coast of France (a large coal or nuclear power plant generates about 1,000 MW of electricity). The La Rance generating station has been in operation since 1966 and has been a very reliable source of electricity for France. La Rance was supposed to be one of many tidal power plants in France, until their nuclear program was greatly expanded in the late 1960's. Elsewhere there is a 20 MW experimental facility at Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia, and a 0.4 MW tidal power plant near Murmansk in Russia. UK has several proposals underway..."

John McCain has already proven that he is concerned about conserving our natural resources, and he cares about the BEAUTY we in the WEST care so deeply about. Here is his take on that, from his own web page!

Stewards of Our Nation's Rich Natural Heritage

"...John McCain has a proud record of common sense stewardship. Along with his commitment to clean air and water, and to conserving open space, he has been a leader on the issue of global warming with the courage to call the nation to action on an issue we can no longer afford to ignore.

America has been blessed with a rich and diverse natural heritage. In the tradition of his hero, Theodore Roosevelt, John McCain believes that we are vested with a sacred duty to be proper stewards of the resources upon which the quality of American life depends. Ensuring clean air, safe and healthy water, sustainable land use, ample greenspace - and the faithful care and management of our natural treasures, including our proud National Park System - is a patriotic responsibility. One that must be met not only for the benefit of our generation, but for our children and those to whom we will pass the American legacy..."

Click on that link above and you can watch him speak in a video, right on the page!

They don't call John McCain "The Straight Talk Express" for nothing. This is why people LOVE him, especially reporters. He isn't going to doublespeak. He isn't going to waffle around, hoodwink, baffle or bamboozle AMERICA.

He's a WESTERNER. HE HAS ETHICS! He has CHARACTER! He is going to be honest with Americans, and straight with his plans. Don't miss his video! And read about how he feels about the earth!

A WESTERNER IS ALWAYS GOING TO GIVE YOU STRAIGHT TALK! ALWAYS!

That's why I place my trust in John McCain, why I have left the Democratic Party, and have decided to devote my energy and ideas to the GREEN REPUBLICANS from now on! I have seen the absolute corruption within the Democratic Party and its Dirty Politics. I don't want any part of that, EVER AGAIN.

As far as I am concerned Hillary and Bill Clinton were the last decent Democrats. And the Democratic Party tried to ruin Hillary, before my very eyes in 2008.

I'm picking a PRESIDENT who understands just what we need in America. John McCain!

This is a platform I can believe in!

"REFORM, PROSPERITY, PEACE"

minha nova paixão : DELPHI

Norberto Tsoulefski — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:54:51 +0000

Nova Paixao ? mas o Delphi é uma linguagem que existe desde antes de 1999? como assim?

Pois é .. durante muitos anos estive ocupado com muitas outras coisas .. O 3ds Max ocupou parte do meu tempo nestes ultimos anos.. seguido pelo Director e algumas outras coisas..

Durante a minha vida jpa tive oportunidade de programar com muitas linguagens tais como Turbo Pascal, Turbo C, Clipper, C++ e o próprio Lingo do Director.. Sempre que eu investi em alguma coisa na minha vida foi com muita paixão..

E por um capricho do destino , sei lá , agora estou envolvido com o Delphi.. pretendo sim estudar mais Processing ou C++ , etc mas neste momento só tenho olhos para o Delphi.

E digo mais: o Delphi , ao contrário do que muitos podem pensar não é uma linguagem voltada apenas para banco de dados e sistemas administrativos. Pode-se muito bem criar jogos e gráficos fantásticos em 2d ou 3d com o Delphi. Mas como assim ?!!

-É isto mesmo o Delphi, na verdade o Pascal, linguagem usada pelo Delphi é uma das linguagens mais poderosas e bem escritas que existem. Em alguns casos é melhor do que o C++ pois ela é muito mais fácil de aprender e muito mais estruturada no sentido de gerar um código mais claro e bem definido. Engana-se quem pensa que uma linguagem tem que ser muito difícil para ser poderosa.. Além disso o Delphi é muito rápido!

Através do Delphi podemos acessar todos os recursos do sistema operacional, usar bibliotecas gráficas avançadas e criar jogos em 3d.

Para os céticos posso citar 2 exemplos : Asphire Extreme II e XNA Chrome, são duas bibliotecas extremamente poderosas que podem ser usadas no Delphi para criar jogos em 3d , sendo que a última permite criar jogos para a plataforma Xbox 360!.

Visite o site http://www.afterwarp.net/ , nele você pode conhecer mais sobre a Asphire.

Vou continuar usando o Lingo do Director (e publicando as dicas) e com certeza irei usar mais o C++ e o C# mas agora o foco é o Delphi.

HOW YAHOO! ANSWERS WILL HELP YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS

wings219105 — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:12:02 +0000

Yahoo! Answers is a very valuable leveraging tool to lead your marketing campaign into a successful direction. The question-and-answers site is ripe with opportunity to target your market and reach thousands of people in new way. The forum currently is home to approximately 65 million questions, and is becoming one of the leading social interaction venues on the web today. It has rising to the ranks of online search, becoming the second most popular Internet reference site used, after Wikipedia.
Sharing knowledge with a global community is the essential basis of Yahoo! Answers, and anyone can ask a question and help answer it. As a business or website owner, it’s important to understand that there are a diverse range of people readily available on the boards; you can find discussions on a variety of topics, and honing in on the right keywords and topics of relevance for your business is an important part of valuable participation.
Yahoo! and Harris Interactive conducted a study to show that one in three online adults have used the Q&A site, and 52% reported that the information that they find helped them with their final decision. This is an important fact to consider when determining your marketing channels, since you have a highly attractive audience available to provide information for. Valuable online advice is a commodity on the internet, and if you position yourself or your business as an expert in the field, you may find it to be an even more marketing tool.
Yahoo! Answers offers a number of benefits for business strategy and effective marketing campaigns. It can help you build a reputation, increase traffic, help you understand your target market, and increase your exposure to search engines. Yahoo! Answers can also improve your networking skills and community presence, while improving your connections with customers and possibly developing new ideas in the process.
Building a reputation is an important component of Yahoo! Answers, as this can help build confidence in people who want to do business with you. If they are turning to you for information about a given topic, you will need to create quality content to provide them with. If you become a Top Contributor, this can further help you become more valuable to the community. A solid reputation will take time to build, but you can influence the decision of thousands of people simply be taking effective steps over a period of time. When users see quality responses on a regular basis, they are much more likely to put a link to you on their website, learn more about you through your profile or blog, and check your website for updates.
Increasing traffic to your site is another result of appropriate participation on the Yahoo! Answers network. Since you can add a link to your website directly in your profile, you can make recommendations without coming across as a spammer or direct advertiser. Even though direct advertising is considered a big ‘no-no’ on Yahoo! Answers, you can still create a compelling signature file with or without links, in order to improve your presence. The deterring factor for the placement of this URL is essentially it’s relevance. If someone is asking for a tip, you cannot respond with an affiliate link and expect to earn their respect. You will need to post and pitch your Yahoo! Answers as a resource, not a direct lead to a site or affiliate program.
In addition to leading people in the right direction, Yahoo! Answers can help you assess and determine your target market. You can learn about the specific interests that people in your demographic have, and where they are already learning about their chosen topics. You will be able to review their behavior in many ways, and narrowing down your search on Yahoo! Answers is helpful in pitching to your ideas to the right people. Learning how to better serve your customers is a valuable opportunity as you become more comfortable navigating and focusing on the different segments of the board.
Increasing your exposure and page ranking on search engines is another result of steady participation of Yahoo! Answers. When people are redirected to your website, either through your profile or other relevant links, you will be creating increased traffic and popularity through search engine optimization. When you have created relevant links and headings for signature files and other postings, you will also benefit from a positive response from search engine crawlers.
Increasing your credibility and online visibility in multiple ways will give you chance to share your website content, and encourage visitors to continue coming to your site or blog. Brand recognition will become much easier, and you will have increasing options to become a regular contributor on networks such as Yahoo! Answers, and other social networks that you participate in. By sharing rich and relevant information, you will have the chance to cultivate and nurture a strong online presence. This will literally start to sustain itself to more readers, and is one of the web’s best kept secrets!
Positioning yourself as an expert in your target market is the main purpose behind joining a Yahoo! Answers group. This will serve as your marketing thrust, and the prestige of this position will naturally make visitors come to you or more knowledge. There is a shortage of quality information and knowledge on the web today, and the more refined and targeted your approach will be in every presentation, the more likely you will increase your credibility as a result.
The web is full of free information, but only a select few people take the time to research a topic thoroughly and write relevant content. Even if you are simply participating in an online forum, you can develop strong responses so people will turn to you on the future. Making sure you gain the customer’s perspective can further enhance their loyalty, and you can start reaching the high ranks as a top contributor or noteworthy participant on the website. Prospective customers will quickly turn into regular customers after you develop this relationship. Creating a bond through your brand or company is critical for your long-term success, both online and offline. Yahoo! Answers can serve as a platform to present your business or company in many unique ways.
Networking effectively with other members on Yahoo! Answers will be a result of ongoing efforts as you continue to post on the boards. Yahoo! Answers allows communication between its members, and you can start to collaborate and share ideas with like-minded users as a result. Not only will this increase your potential customer base, but you can start developing a steady list of business networks and professionals in your targeted niche as well. This may lead the way towards inspiration as well; you may be able to generate new business ideas and channels as a result of your efforts!

Joseph Cornell on How to See

delphinia — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:27:42 +0000

Mr. Cornell asks us so nicely to SEE, please. To use not just our rods and cones, or even just our dendrites and axons, but to focus in on the doll's head or the bubble pipe and see its wholeness and separateness and zoom back out to see its apartness and connectedness. It really is just pure genius. And I love how he asks so insistently, and continually, with every construction.

Here are some of the things that I saw:

Refrigerator shrines to family life; an archive of the majestic mundaneness of humanity, moving along, every day, to soccer practice and to ballet lessons and doctor's appointments and the grocery store, but stopping once in a while to look at a four-year-old's artistic vision of a butterfly or the family home
My stuff, not just as detritus that's been blown or dragged into my house, collecting in the corners (though definitely some is that and just that) but as a story about who I am and what I did and where I might go, and where I didn't go yet
Archeology digs a shadowbox into the far past and finds things that people made and used and collected and threw away like folsom points and mousterian flakes and piles and piles of oyster shells and antelope bones flower pollen and lake core samples and those are every bit as impressive and full of life and mystery as Stonehenge and Newgrange

And really I knew all that, that's what I was trained to see as an English major, and as a writer, but that the glorious thing Cornell does is point those rods and cones so what they see shoots right past the frontal lobes and starts fiddling with our deepest dendrites and axons, the ones that can feel a shadow move behind us, and then right back again to the ones that moved us from thinking "i build a nest for baby to sleep in" and "the honey is in the crooked, not straight tree" to "baby nestles into the crook of my arm."

Shadowboxes are portals, time-travel contraptions, space ships, enigma machines; and they work because they aren't sleek and perfect and seamless; they work because they're weird and quirky and held together with wire from hangers and because they're powered by refrigerator magnets and butterflies and stuff from Bev's alley. I think you could unlock any mystery with a shadowbox, if you made the right one. Or you could just make the mystery more mysterious. But either way, it's refrigerator shrines and piles of junk and oyster shells and pollen samples from archaeological digs and what's happening in Bev's alley that make up the quirky, crooked engine that powers humanity. A shadowbox lets you peek inside and see it working.