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(...) Wow! They *are* watching! Hey, LEGO folks out there! Come out to our Train Show tomorrow and Sunday in the Seattle Area! See how we promote LEGO among the train enthusiasts and their kids! Seriously, my agenda (in addition to trying to get (...) (25 years ago, 22-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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Just some general comments: I. I know Larry P had something upwards of $10,000 -promised- payment for the bricks that (might have been/should have been...) ordered. If I was a company, and someone said, I have $10,000 worth of orders, IN MY HAND for (...) (25 years ago, 24-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) been (...) I think that the problem may be (IMHO) that all the attempts so far that i've seen have been made by "end users" or customers. Perhaps it takes a request from an actual retailer for something like bulk order to get through to the (...) (25 years ago, 24-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) My take on retailers.... #1 & 2 are probably WalMart and K-Mart (tied). K-Mart had some management problems a few years back, but they are cleaning up their act fast. In Florida, I believe the numbers are ~170 K-Mart stores and ~150 WalMart (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) #1 Walmart #2 Target #3 K-Mart There was just an article on this in Newsweek a couple weeks ago, concentrating mostly on Target and all of the new stores they just opened up. Of course, this is just for general retail. It does not reflect (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) $.04 (...) $1.00 (with glass) (...) 4864 in clear and blue-tint ( (URL) ) (...) $500+ -John (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) I don't know but that sounds like a cool ideal. But man that could be a great expense for a BO to do a trial run. They could open it up with prepaid funds tho from AFOL who know what they want and are willing to pay for the ability to buy in (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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(...) to get (...) to (...) I wouldn't mind doing something like this, it just takes the money (which I don't have yet!). But i'm getting there...I'm getting more and more money as I go along, with reinvesting all of the money I get from my auctions (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) I like the idea too, and it could be set up as a member type thing to help you get the kitty up, so each person who wants to buy joins in. That would allow you greater buying power, and I'd be willing to look for sets here at some of those (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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Not sure what you're proposing exactly but based on details I would be willing to be lead partner in a VC to get something off the ground. We could just dust off the consortium mailing list to see who else is in. Tell me more. Jodi Neal said: (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) I *think* what's being proposed is a consolidation of the various efforts into a more professional setup. Approach TLG with a list assembled of parts people want, and that we have the money (or the backing) for, right now. I think (correct me (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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James Brown <galliard@shades-of-night.com> wrote in message news:FK5zGK.B9I@lugnet.com... (...) into (...) people (...) buy (...) that (...) 2 (...) off (...) idea (...) quantity of an existing set, say one of the current buckets, and parting it (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) To an extent I agree with you, but I posit that this proof of concept has already been done. Julie Krenz, and several others routinely buy and part out buckets via eBay, and Todd (and others) also do it in large-scale parts auctions. The scale (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Larry, what is VC???? (...) and the sales base that we have in our local stores. Just like Todd and Suzanne do in buying 10 sets and auctioning them off, we will be running a large base for bulk buying from the LUGNET community. If we find (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Well, I'm not Larry, but I think he's talking venture capital. Or venture consortium. Probably the second, actually, looking at context. (...) As I mentioned in my other post there are easily 8 or 9 people I can think of, just off the top of (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Ditto. I've done this, so have many others. Rather than buying a bunch of buckets to part out to make money to try to come up with enough to try to persuade TLG into doing this (which is what I THINK I'm hearing Jodi suggest) I'd say we draw (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Right. I don't care whether its a TLG direct or a third-party service. Just so long as the service exists. James (URL) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Venture capital. Just so you know, a group of us put together a consortium with 20,000 USD lined up and ready to go, on the faint hope that we would be able to order a one time only glob of bulk parts from the train windows area... that's (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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One thought I will inject here... Perhaps we should concentrate on 'known active parts' first. Look at the current year sets as soon as they become available. Look at the colors available. Do you see something in there that you would like a large (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Thanks Mike! Hope someone at TLG is reading this..... what does it say? If we can't get things from TLG, then eventually we will get them elsewhere. Gary Istok (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) It's done all the time. I have one running now on BRICKS for 3033 tubs. But the scale isn't anything that would get TLG to notice. (It's only 10 tubs sorted out). Nor were the tubs purchased wholesale from TLG (on sale at Kmart). I htink that (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) parts, (...) I think that if we got something like this off the ground, that we would be able to provide this service. Atleast for parts that are currently available in sets from TLG. Lets say that you want 1,000 of part X Now lets say that (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) I think that if we got enough want lists like this, we could put something together buying just current sets. With a cross reference of set parts lists, we could determine which sets would have the mix of parts most requested by fans, and then (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Exactly, Gary- A few pitchforks today, which can obviously be ignored by TLG as insignificant, but the IDEA will be planted-- in *our* heads. And once our silly blind loyalty/pure LEGO dazement is over, then the real trouble for TLG will (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) I disagree. :) Like Larry, I think that a business case for exactly what we want needs to be developed. If we go to TLG asking for wholesale purchases, they will simply treat us like a small-scale retailer, and that is (IMHO)a road that leads (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) This is what I would propose. If we are looking for spicific parts, the first one on my list (and Larry's too I guess) would be a train window and door. I -don't- care what colour (I'd prefer gray, but...as long as I can get 200-300 of the (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) here (...) This is all starting to sound like an elaborate version of Auczilla combined with Jambalaya. Now, instead of Todd buying sets and parting them out, someone would be collecting everyone's bricks they don't want (for a price), and (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) I'd pay upwards of .20 per brick for tan, brown, light blue, purple, and clear. The train windows don't apply to me. But, my hottest commodity is roof peaks - of all kinds. I lust roof peaks. Especially in less common colors (i.e., just about (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) There is one obvious drawback to this option: I want 5000 2x4 light blue bricks. Another drawback is that I want 2000 2x2 orange tiles. That would be a $90,000 investment on your part to be able to fill my entire order. I just don't think very (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) just (...) this (...) Yes, this will obviosly not work in such extreme cases as this. I am sure that there are plenty of cases for which it WILL work though. And my point was to build it up to the point where it COULD order your parts directly (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) That may or may not be true, though. I remember reading several accounts that indicate that TLG makes just enough of a part to fill the need for that year's sets. So just because a certain Model Team truck has a couple of train doors in it (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) I'll be posting pics and my opinions of them when they become a reality. For things like this, minifig weapons I'll probably never see produced again, I don't have a problem at all with "artificially" creating them. (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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(...) Well, people already ARE doing things like this. I buy sets that have some parts I want but also parts others want. But I'm getting tired of it. If you want to keep doing the buy/sort/auction/sell thing that's up to you, but you'll never be (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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This sounds something like the other message that I posted last night. (...) there (...) send (...) you (...) Remember that to get TLG to work with us, we need to be flexible. And we need to start getting a group want list with alternatives. Jodi (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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(...) Well, this isn't fully compatible with what a lot of us want, and as Larry pointed out, this adds more work into the process that doesn't really have any value. If you want to be the one doing the grunt work, more power to you, but most people (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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(...) Yeah, but like Steve said, I don't think you'd be building up to that point. I think you'd be building up a relationship as another small-time Lego retailer who would have little if any better chance getting them to switch to bulk ordering (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) My point (well ok, one of them) is that I don't think this is an extreme case. If I said "who wants 500+ macaroni bricks in the color of their choice?" How many hands do you think would go up? 5? 10? I'd guess even more. (...) Again, I think (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Neat! I've transmogrified! Wow. I'm being mistaken for intelligent people. That hasn't happened before. ;) James (URL) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general, lugnet.off-topic.fun)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) I would think that there is some lead time on the sets, so knowing what is currently available might not help us that much. Knowing what is coming NEXT is probably where we would need to be, since those are the sets that are currently in (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Yes, I know. I'm one of them! :) (...) Yes, I know this too. My point was to use a large scale "bulk set" purchase as a means of getting enough parts to show as a proof-of-concept that something like this could work. The idea would be to then (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Place you bulk order here.. (Was Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!))
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Here is a rough rough draft of the revised letter to Lego. I figuresd I'd just throw out my company name to see it if helps. Who know. ;-) Please take a look, add thoughts, critize it, laugh at it, fill in your wants, or just ignore it. I've alsawy (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) If I had the $50k, i'd probably try this route. I could even come up with a business plan (My best friend graduates in december with a business/marketing degree). But as I don't have the money, I think that what has been discussed here is a (...) (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Why to pitch some un forkunate person like you around :) JP (25 years ago, 25-Oct-99, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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Correct me if I am wrong, but don't we already have a foot in the door? Didn't someone (Mike Poindexter?) post that we could get a bulk order accepted for $.06 per piece for the bricks available in the standard tub? It seems to me that that is an (...) (25 years ago, 26-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) Yeah, for the really popular hard-to-find parts 500+ is a small number. I'd take 1000 in gray, green, and white right now. Oh, and black. (25 years ago, 26-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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(...) Well, wrong and not wrong. Bulk order accepted at 6 cents, yes. You, no. They allowed me to make such an order, but then I was told that none of the items were available. My order was for almost 150,000 elements for a total of just under nine (...) (25 years ago, 26-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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(...) Logic alone would seem to dictate that it should happen, if for no other reason than you ought to be able to convince some S@H manager that you're saving them a good bit on shipping by ordering a lot of items at once. (25 years ago, 26-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) might (...) What would be next, common sense in web design? :-) Mike (25 years ago, 26-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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I won't use MegaBlocks. But if some HOBBYIST produces parts I want, and does it in a way that is non infringing of TLG intellectual property, just tell me where to send my money. I'd rather buy them from TLG. But... (25 years ago, 26-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Carpe who? (Was: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!))
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(...) Carpe DM...Sieze the Dungeon Master... Cheers, - jsproat (25 years ago, 26-Oct-99, to lugnet.off-topic.pun)
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| | Re: Carpe who? (Was: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!))
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(...) After all of this talk in .general about no more service packs, I'm having a crappy diem. -John (...) (25 years ago, 26-Oct-99, to lugnet.off-topic.pun)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) company, (...) big/small (...) Just a comment for all of you trying to appeal to TLG financial interests: In a word - forget it, unless you weild the kind of money a retail chain or Bill Gates does... The TLG 1996 sales - more since then - was (...) (25 years ago, 26-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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(...) <snipped some math> (...) A good point, but any company that only pays attention to their %sales is in trouble. Two other considerations: %profit, and %above average (sales) %profit. We know that TLG already has bulk(1) of the mechanisms in (...) (25 years ago, 26-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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| | Re: Big Brother is Watching (and reading, too!)
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Mike Poindexter wrote in message ... (...) too. (...) just (...) I (...) I would go for a 1000 2x6's at $0.06 @ piece ($60) if they were all black. :?) Ok, seriously, if they were a mix of black, blue, and yellow. I don't need red and white at the (...) (25 years ago, 27-Oct-99, to lugnet.general)
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