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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Beam Style Winter Wiper Blades, an Observation
These wipers have a flexible shaft instead of the normal wiper framework. I've only seen them around for about a year or two and only in specialty catalogs before this fall. I figure this new style of blade will either go down in price as more companies offer the "beam" style... or they will go out of fashion like those brightly colored double blades from the early 90s and you will never see them again.
Winter hasn't visited Kansas yet, so no word on how these do in snow, sleet and ice; but they've done a great job in the rain so far. Plus the low profile looks nice on the 9-5... better than this photo makes it appear.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Radioactive SAAB, Part 2
Inspired by Dean W. Armstrong's near infrared photography, I modified an old digital camera this weekend so it will take near IR photographs.
I've taken a lot of photos with the camera, pointing it at all sorts of things. Most impressive was the stove burner that was warming up but absolutely not glowing to my eyes.
I also took a photo of the engine bay of the 9-5 after a spirited drive home from work. I also took a photo of the exhaust under the car, but it was not as impressive as I expected and not worth posting.
And here is a photo of our back yard in near infrared. The trees and ground look vividly green to our eyes but show up white with the camera.
I modified the camera by removing the infrared filter inside the camera and adding three layers of (developed) exposed camera film over the lens to block out the bulk of visible light.
The camera has a "video" feature. I haven't tried yet, but I look forward to playing with it soon.
HD Lip, One Day Later
I drove the 9-5 for a total of 40 minutes at 70-80mph today and the HD lip held strong. There weren't even any ripples in the lip when I finally parked the car. I also noticed that my new lip was very similar to a co-worker's stock lip on his new Mustang.
The lip sits about a thumb's width from a standard concrete parking block.
I was planning on keeping the lip for a month and then removing it. After today I think I'll keep the lip installed until it wears out. We'll see how it holds up to rain, snow and ice.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Vintage SCCA Shirt
It says, "SCCA National Rally Championship" "Mid-South Region Sports Car Club of America" "The Bluff & The Truth" on the front and
"Beck Arnley Parts For Imported Cars, Inc." "Sponsor" on the back.
I'm trying to track down the year. The folks were active in the Mid-west Region in the 70s and early 80s. I couldn't imagine them going to Memphis for a rally after I was born, so I would guess it's from the early to mid-70s.
Update: My father was not much help on nailing down a year for that shirt. He said, "early 70s, '72 or '74." but he didn't seem too sure.
Install a Front Lip Spoiler on the SAAB 9-5 for Only $25
This project is not for everyone. It is just for fun and just for appearance. For $25, it is a project that you can do in an hour. The lip can be easily removed if it gets damaged or if you get tired of it.
I picked up this modification from an autocross forum I frequent. I don't autocross and I wouldn't use my SAAB if I did, but I grew up in an SCCA family and I love to keep up with the sport. I saw the HD lip and had to try it out.
You will need:
9 feet of "rubber garage door bottom" (preferably from Home Depot)
two 1.5 meter rolls of outdoor mounting tape (I used Scotch brand)
a dozen self-tapping lathing screws
a bottle of rubbing alcohol
clean rags
a pair of scissors
a screwdriver that matches the screws
You can optionally jack or ramp the car to get to the front bumper easier, but the installation will still work at ride height.
Use the rubbing alcohol and rags to wipe down the underside of the front bumper and the edge of the rubber "garage door bottom" strip. Apply the mounting tape to the strip. I ended up with an extra 2 feet and 4 inches of rubber. You could just tape 7 feet of rubber and you should be safe, but I wouldn't cut the rubber yet. Take your time adding the tape and really press it into the rubber strip. It will take about 1 and a half rolls of tape for the entire project.
Peel back to expose about a foot of tape at a time and, starting at a wheel well, carefully place the strip around the edge of the bumper. Cut the end of the rubber so it is flush with the end of the bumper. Really press the tape into the bumper as you go to make sure it sticks. You could stop here if you only wanted the lip to be temporary.
I went ahead and used some screws at key points under the bumper to make sure the new lip will hold for awhile. No pre-drilling was required, the screws went in by themselves.
It actually looks quite finished for $25 worth of hardware store items. Maybe I should have cut and pre-taped some strips and then sold them online for $$$ instead of writing this post. (c:
There are two ways of mounting the rubber strip, one is a thicker "aggressive" looking lip and the other a thinner lip. I went with the thicker lip by taping the smaller of the two edges to the bumper. A thinner lip can be made by using the other surface of the rubber strip. Play with the strip before you add tape and figure out which edge you want to use.
Here is a closeup photo soon after I installed the lip. The edge near the wheel well was at the center of the roll. It straightened out after a week in the sun.
11/29/07 Update:
Welcome to the visitors from redlineforums.com and ionforums.net
I ended up using satin black bumper paint and toothpick to carefully blackout the places where the gray tape could be seen. A month and many highway miles later, and the lip is holding strong, no ripples or sagging. We will see what winter weather does to it.
12/13/07 Update:
Welcome to the sixthsphere.com visitors.
The lip stood up to the ice storm in the midwest this week. Tomorrow has a forecast for some real snow.
1/23/08 Update:
Welcome g20.net and 93forum.com visitors.
The lip seems to hold fairly firm at high speed with little bending or flapping. The fold of the foam gives it a certain strength.
My lip is still holding strong in all our winter weather and even in the automatic car wash. I really didn't expect it to last long or look as striking as it does. I've decided that I'm keeping it on as long as it holds up and might even install a new one when it is time to retire the current lip.
3/16/08 Update:
Welcome celicatech.com visitors.
The lip is still on and looks as good as it did when I installed it, even after being folded over and pinched by the occasional curb when parking. Something that isn't shown in the photos is how the lip looks when coated in an Armor All type rubber conditioner. I suggest giving it a wipe down with rubber conditioner ever so often because the stuff really makes it look better.
5/25/08 Update:
Welcome ecomodder.com visitors.
I don't have anything really to add to the post except that it is still holding strong after more than six months. I put a coat of armor all on it occasionally to keep it looking fresh.
7/25/08 Update:
Welcome Audiforums.com visitors.
The lip is still holding strong, I just give it a spray of Armor All when it starts to look rough and it's as good as new. I drive 40 miles round trip to work five days a week and most of that is at 70-80mph. The lip takes the abuse like a champ.
How To Remove The Rivet Panel Clips In A SAAB 9-5
I grew up working on cars with the plastic panel clips that have one-way barbs. You were lucky to get the clip out in one piece, and forget about that clip ever securely holding the panel again.
The plastic rivets on the 9-5 are made of two pieces. They not only hold tight, they can be reused.
The way to remove these rivet clips is to first press the center of the head with the tip of a small Philips screwdriver. The center will sink in relatively deep and the clip can then be pulled out with your fingers.
The SAAB part number for these rivets is 5127683.
SAAB Secret: Oil Drain Plug Edition
Here is a photo of my drain plug. Notice the big drip of oil, how embarrassing. I had better tighten that before I lose too much oil and leave a mess on the garage floor.
And here is a blurry photo of my half inch socket securely placed on that plug. A little pressure with the socket wrench and the drip is gone. And I swear the photo didn't look blurry on the camera screen. I'll retake the photo soon.
I wonder what other standard/English sized parts there are on the 9-5. The 5/8 inch spark plug is the only other thing I've come across that wasn't metric.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Remove and Replace the License Plate Bulbs
You will need:
T20 Torx screwdriver
Small flathead screwdriver
2825 replacement bulb
A clean rag or rubber gloves
A photo of the license plate light
I found it helped to open the trunk so that the lenses were pointed towards me and at eye level. Each lens above the license plate has two T20 torx screws, remove them and then use the small flathead screwdriver to gently pry the plastic lens away from the foam gasket underneath. Remove the burned out bulb by pulling down like it was a child's loose front tooth.
A photo of the bulb with the lens removed
A photo of the removed lens and burned out bulb
Wear gloves or use a clean rag when handling the new bulb to prevent skin oil from getting on it. The new bulb will install by pressing up into the socket with a little pressure. Turn the lights on to make sure it is working again. Return the plastic lens cover and install the two torx screws.
The license plate bulbs don't go out very often, but they are easy to fix when they do.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Cheap Terrycloth Shop Towels
A photo of these towels
This is the best deal for towels in the store, cheaper than their standard red shop rags in the automotive aisle.
These towels do a great job of wiping away bird droppings, cleaning brake dust off wheels, checking fluid levels, cleaning the engine bay, drying windows, and any other place you might use a towel or shop rag. But I wouldn't throw out the nice detailing towels yet; these washcloths are very thin, very linty, and are of a very horrible quality.
Theoretically they can be washed and reused. I haven't dared to stick them in the washing machine yet. Heck, at 17 cents, just soil the usefulness out of the rag and pitch it.
I have a sort of "cleanliness hierarchy" inside my mind. I use a new rag for drying the windows, then use it to clean bird poo and bug splat, then clean the wheels, then use it to soak up spilled fluids, finally throwing it in the trash. That doesn't have to happen all in one day, I keep several piles in various states of soiled-ness and grab from the pile that I need.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
SAAB Secret, CD Track & Play Modes
You can toggle between "CD Track" and "CD Play" on the stock SAAB 9-5 stereo by pressing the center of the <<Seek>> button. The stereo display changes between Track and Play. A CD can "fast-forward" or "rewind" in both modes by pressing and holding down an arrow button, but you can jump forwards and backwards by entire tracks when you press and release the arrow buttons in "Track" mode.
Switching to "Play" mode to prevent the CD from jumping tracks is useful when you are listening to an audio book and you want to fast forward or rewind a little bit but don't want to risk skipping all the way to a different chapter by mistake.
Pressing the center part of the <<Seek>> button doesn't do anything in tape or radio mode.
Monday, October 22, 2007
SAAB 9-5 Light Bulbs
Press Ctrl+F in windows, Command+F in apple, type what you are searching for and the computer will highlight it.
Low beam headlamp
High beam headlamp
Front side marker
License plate
High mount stop light
1157 (amber)
Front turn signal
7507A (amber)
Rear turn signal
Stop light/ Brake light
Tail light
Rear side marker
Fog/Driving light
Back up light
Rear fog light
6418 (5 watt 35mm x 11mm)
Glove box
Map light
Dome light
Step/Courtesy light
6411 (10 watt 41mm x 11mm)
Map light
Dome light
Step/Courtesy light
Trunk light
Under hood light
2721 (LED code: 74)
Ash tray
Seat belt indicator (3 bulbs)
Instrument panel, including:
Check engine
Hi-beam indicator
Brake warning
Automatic transmission (!) indicator
Turn signal indicator
Friday, October 19, 2007
SAAB 9-5 Crash Test Ratings
SAAB 9-5 Crash Test Results
Frontal offset results
Side impact results
Head restraint results
Thursday, October 18, 2007
SAAB 9-5 Fog Light Removal and Installation
I then thought back to earlier that morning on the highway when I had heard a rock hit the car with such force that I searched my windshield for a bulls eye. My windshield was fine and I continued to work. Little did I know that it was my fog light that I had heard break.
I ordered my replacement fog light from thesaabsite.com . I had ordered from them before (for the hood emblem) and was pleased with their service, plus they had a low price for my model year of fog light.
Fog Light Removal
The fog lights are held in place by two bolts under the light and a plastic brace on the outside edge of the light. There are two light bulbs. One bulb is on the bottom and the other is on the back side of the light. Disconnect the wiring on these two lights with the help of a small flathead screwdriver between the body of the harness and the red side of the harness. Prying the red side away releases the harness from the lights. The bulbs can be removed by twisting them anti-clockwise. Remove the two bolts on the bottom of the light and pull the light down and back to clear the plastic bracket from its slot in the bumper. The light is now removed.
I had to transfer the old plastic bracket to my replacement light. The replacement already had bulbs in place, which was good because the old ones didn't fair well after the lens broke out.
Fog Light Installation:
Slide the replacement light into place and make sure the plastic bracket is seated in its slot again. Install the two bolts on the bottom of the light. Reconnect the wiring to the bulbs and press the red slides back into place on the harnesses. I also took time to secure the various wiring with some electrical tape and zip ties.
That is all there is to the fog lights. I think to took me about 20 minutes to remove and install the one light, but I was learning as I went and dealing with broken glass. I think I could do it even quicker today.
Be careful if your glass breaks like mine. The glass in these lights shatters into a mixture of large chunks and tiny little slivers. I had to tweeze glass out of my palm and fingers when I was done with the removal. I'm still finding glass on the floor in the garage.
Open Air Intake, Week 1 Review
Noise wise? I have to admit that after a week of driving to and from work, the sound of the turbo sucking air (even when the windows are up) is losing its novelty. Don't get me wrong, it is still a lot of fun to hit the gas and hear the turbo spool.
You had problems in the rain? I think it has rained every day this past week, but no problems with water in the engine and I haven't check since that one night to see if the filter even gets wet in smaller rain storms. I'm still devising an elegant and easy way to keeping water out. I will post when I come up with something perfect.
Power increase? I can't tell. My "butt dyno" notices a change when the car downshifts on the highway, but I'm not willing to point at the new intake and say "this added +5 ATK, +3 DEF, with protection from 'bolt' attacks" just yet.
Two big things are keeping me from declaring the air filter the culprit for any perceived power increases. First, the weather changed the same night I installed the new intake (hence the rain). So the air temperature got a lot cooler. And second, I don't have the equipment to measure changes in performance.
In a perfect world I would have waited until I could measure the stock levels with a dynojet and then, on the same day, install the new air filter and run the dynojet again. That way I could post images of the results and say, "It changed by exactly this amount and here is the proof".
What about heat soak / hot air? I will have to wait until late spring before I will know if replacing the stock box with an open filter causes problems with material heat soak and the incoming air temperature. I'm doubting the area where the filter sits gets very hot, but keep in mind I thought the filter would stay dry in the rain too. It is separated in a space between the fender and engine bay and it is very open to the outside air. Some warm day I will drive around with the remote thermometer down there and post what I find.
So? So... I'm happy with the results. It was a fun and easy project. The change is sound is great. Plus it will pave the way for a stage I upgrade.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
SAAB 9-5, How to Clear the Check Engine Light or "CEL"
There are two easy ways to turn off the amber check engine and ! lights on the 9-5. Neither of these techniques will fix whatever caused the code in the first place. You will want to check out the codes in the "on board diagnostics" (OBD-II) and fix anything that is causing you trouble.
The quick and dirty way is to pull fuse 17 out of the fuse box, drink a glass of iced tea, and then put the fuse back. This will reset the engine management system and cause the CEL to go off. That's it. The fuse box is behind a panel at the end of the dash on the driver's side. The back of the panel has a diagram of which fuse is which.
A OBD-II code scanner will read the codes and then you can erase them, turning off the CEL in the process.
When the check engine lights come on the car might also go into "limp mode" where it starts in 2nd gear and doesn't shift into 4th. This is really annoying when you know the reason for the check engine light isn't really that important and/or you have people in the car with you.
EDITED to add a comment from dplatonoff: "There are indeed different limp home modes associated with various components. The throttle body limp home mode is activated when there are problems in the throttle control (like bad throttle position sensor signals and so on). The ECU fires the limp home solenoid, which locks the butterfly to the accelerator cable and cuts the power on the throttle motor. After this, the drive by wire is gone, and you control the throttle directly with your right foot. It also continues to fire the solenoid every time you start the car if the condition and the codes are still present. So the only way to clear it is to kill the codes and unhook the arm on the throttle body (a pair of needle-nose pliers gets the job done)."
The way I get out of limp mode (ETA: when it doesn't fire the limp home solenoid) is by putting the car in park, turning the car off and removing the key. I then put the key back and start the car again. The amber engine and ! lights will still be on but the car will operate in normal mode.
Keep in mind that the car goes into limp mode to protect itself, so you shouldn't take it lightly.
There is also a red triangle check engine light. I don't have much to say about it because, knock on wood, I have never had to deal with it. It is the serious check engine light. The red triangle means "pull over right now and call a tow truck".
There is a video on youtube that does an excellent job of explaining how to get the throttle body reset.
Basically the amber engine light is like a child saying "I need to go to the restroom" and the red triangle is like the same kid saying "never mind the restroom, I need some clean pants".
SAAB 9-5 on Top Gear
Accidental Valve Stem Electroplating
I drove around all winter with those chrome caps, I even checked my tire pressure several times with no problems. Then one day in early spring I went to check the tire pressure and none of the caps would come off. I got one cap off with pliers, two came off with the help of two pliers working in opposite directions, the fourth cap wouldn't come off no matter what I did. I chewed up the valves stem trying everything I could think of to get that last cap off.
I ended up taking the car to the local Kansasland Tire to have a new valve stem put on that wheel. I don't know if they had to cut the old one off or what they did. I also had them rotate the tires while it was in the air.
What I noticed was the threads on the old valve stems were no longer brass colored, they were chrome. It appears that the chrome caps electroplated onto the brass stems. They all electroplated some, but that last stem & cap really bonded together. My best guess is the road salt and moisture next to the two types of metal was to blame.
So my advice is to avoid the cheap chrome valve stem caps.
SAAB 9-5 spark plug replacement
Every car I've owned between the Granada and the 9-5 had at least one spark plug in such an awkward spot that seemed the engineers must have drawn a spark plug in space and then built the car around it.
The 9-5, on the other hand, has all four plugs right on top. No need to find a socket wrench capable of bending like a Calabi-Yau manifold to remove any of the plugs.
I'm not experienced with the V6 SAAB 9-5 and can't speak to its spark plugs.
Tools you need:
Socket wrench and extender
5/8 spark plug socket
27T torx screwdriver
Spark plug gap tool
Dielectric grease (not pictured)
Small flathead screwdriver (not pictured)
Before lifting the hood, take time to gap the new sparkplugs. The plugs I purchased came pre-gapped to the correct size, but always check for yourself with the gap tool.
The stock plugs for my 9-5 are NGK BCPR6ES-11 ( the hotter NGK BCPR7ES-11 also fit), the gap is 0.039 inches or 1mm. The aero 9-5 can also use these or it can use the hotter plug.
The removal and installation of the spark plugs starts as most automotive work does, by setting the parking brake and disconnecting the battery. First you remove the direct ignition cassette. It sits in the center of the valve cover and is held in place by four 27T torx screws.
Lift the cassette straight up to remove it, a little rocking motion might help get it started as you pull up. Disconnect the wiring harness by sticking the flathead screwdriver between the red side and the main part of the connector. Pry the red side away and the harness should pull the rest of the way out with no difficulty. Set the direct ignition cassette out of the way.
I read online that the cassette should generally be kept upright, that way you don't have to wait for the oil inside to ooze back into its normal nooks once the cassette is reinstalled. They said it saves time and helps protect the cassette.
The spark plugs are now exposed. Use the socket wrench with extender and 5/8 socket to remove the plugs. Check the condition of the old plugs; there is a whole science to spark plug wear. Websites with typical wear pattern descriptions can help you.
The new plugs can now be installed. Smear some dielectric grease on the insulator of each plug before setting in the 5/8 socket, then use the socket and extender to carefully get the plug threaded. Once the plug is most of the way in, the socket wrench can be added to secure it. Use a torque wrench set at 21 ft-lb or just use your socket wrench to turn the plugs a quarter turn past snug. This will seat the spark plugs without over tightening. Too tight and you can break the plugs, or worse, damage your engine.
The direct ignition cassette can now be reinstalled by setting it straight down, connecting and locking the wiring harness, and then pressing the cassette the rest of the way down. A small amount of wiggling might be needed to line up the holes for the four torx screws. Tighten the four screws in an X pattern, give each screw two passes to make sure all of them are hand tight. That is all there is to the process, you are now ready to start the car and admire your work.
Don't forget to clean up and put away all of your tools.
Indexing: I've never done this myself (on any car), but some people take time to index the spark plugs by adding special washers to make sure the tip of the plug points in the optimal direction. This technique might be of interest to folks with a highly staged SAAB. NGK says that indexing is only necessary for "racers" and any gain will be around 1% (so about +2bhp on a stock 9-5). I have nothing but the most basic idea of how the process works, obviously there are better sources than me on the topic of indexing.
I have a confession to make to my readers that have made it this far. Despite the strong warnings all over the internet, everything from "your car will blow up" to "non-NGK-plug users smell of elderberry", I have installed Autolite platinum spark plugs in my SAAB 9-5 instead of the stock NGK brand. So far I have 3k miles on these plugs and I haven't had any problems with them. My ignition cassette is functioning, no misfire OBD-II codes, everything is fine so far.
I will post an update if I ever do run into problems, but I really don't expect any. I'm willing to eat crow if I'm wrong. I'm also willing to risk my cassette to help prove that a different brand of plug won't cause any problems. In the mean time, no flaming please.
No issues with the Autolite plugs for the entire Autolite plug experiment. I would not hesitate to use the Autolite plugs again, but my test is done and I'm back with the NGK plugs. I purchased the NGK spark plugs from TheSAABSite; they were the same price as the Autolite plugs were from the local store. There is no cost savings for me at least, only the convenience of picking up the Autolite plugs from the corner auto parts supplier.
Monday, October 15, 2007
SAAB 9-5 Grill Rattle Fix
Photo of the secured grill
Silicone is also great for holding the little plastic squares under the car that anchor the screws for the plastic splash guard. It seems one of those pops out every other time I go to remove the guard.
It is sticky enough to rescue small items in tight places. Just put a little on the end of a screwdriver or dowel rod and fish out that lost washer.
I use it just about any place I need to securely hold something that I might want to remove some day.
Radioactive SAAB, part 1
Graphic of radon decay
Last week, being inspired by Armstrong, I decided to put my Geiger counter on the air filter of my 9-5 to see what would happen. I had just returned home from work when I did this experiment.
The Geiger counter on the stone fireplace mantle after running for five minutes.
The Geiger counter on top of the old filter after running for five minutes.
The Geiger counter on top of some Uranium ore (just for fun).
Visit Dean Armstrong's blog for the real information about what is going on. I was hoping for something a little more dramatic than five additional μRem/hour. I can get 17 μRem/h with the counter sitting on our kitchen table, but usually it is around 8-10 μRem/h in the house. The Uranium ore photo was right after I placed the counter on the sample, no real need to wait five minutes.
I previously tried the coffee filter experiment in our basement near the sump pump. Sadly (or luckily), I didn't see any noticeable jump in radiation.
My next experiment will be with the cabin air filter on the SAAB 9-5 when it needs replacement. I will also try testing the used oil filter at the next oil change.
NanoSense has some background information on radioactivity.
How Stuff Works article on Radon.
SAAB 9-5 Turbo Rebuild Information
I'm getting the occasional, but becoming more frequent, cloud of gray smoke when I start the car. Sometimes it is on the first start in the morning, sometimes after a quick jaunt to the corner store. At 83k miles the turbo is wearing out and oil is getting into places it doesn't belong.
I don't have it as bad as some people... yet. I've read stories online about thick clouds of smoke trailing the car as it scoots down the road. My clouds only last a few seconds, but it's still embarrassing to back out of the smoke as I leave my parking space. It is such a beautiful car; I'm sure people think I can't take care of it when they see the smoke.
With 83k miles on the turbo I wanted to make sure that it was wearing out because of use and not as the first symptom of an oil sludge problem. I took the 9-5 to the local dealership for a sludge check. They did it as part of an oil change.
I also had them install the PCV upgrade kit on the car. I could have installed it myself, but they were going to be digging around that area and they had the kit in stock anyway. Shame, it would have made for a good how-to post.
Anyway, they checked for sludge and luckily found none. That Sunday I ordered my turbo rebuild kit from Swedish Dynamics. It arrived the following Thursday. A very smooth transaction.
If sludge had been found I would have cleaned it out before working on the turbo or I would just be asking for trouble. The sludge blocks oil from flowing and a bad turbo can be one of the first signs of that blockage. Any symptom of sludge should be check out. The cost of a checkup and, if needed, cleaning will be a lot less than a new engine.
Some cars are even covered on an extended oil sludge warranty. I thought it only covered turbo/engine replacement until I was told by the local dealer that the cost of cleaning the sludge before a major breakdown might also be covered by the warranty in some cases. Check with your dealer, there are some hoops to jump through and I'm not an expert on this extended warranty. Even if the cleaning isn't covered, it is still a lot better than engine replacement.
My plan was to do a how-to for this turbo rebuild project, but I have found a website that looks like a great photo explanation and I don't see a need to reinvent the wheel. What I will do is follow the instructions from Swedish Dynamics and I will be ready to take photos of anything I find interesting as I do the work.
The rebuild kit costs about $125, a rebuild turbo is around $400 after the core exchange, I asked the local dealership and they gave me a ballpark price of $800 for a new turbo (uninstalled). So this project will be a good way to save some money. Plus you will be able to tell folks you rebuilt the turbo in your 9-5. That should impress people.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
SAAB 9-5 Gear Selector Position Sensor
The gear selector position sensor on the SAAB 9-5 is attached to the top of the transmission and can be reached by removing the battery and battery tray.
eeuroparts.com seems to have the sensor listed as the Neutral Safety Switch (NPN Switch).
You will need:
A socket wrench and extender
10mm socket
13mm socket
17mm socket
13mm wrench
Disconnect the positive and negative battery cables with the 13mm wrench. Remove the nut and brace behind the battery with the 13mm socket. Lift out the battery. Remove the four 10mm screws and remove the battery tray.
You should be able to reach the 17mm bolt and other connectors on the gear selector position sensor from here.
I cleaned everything I could, sprayed a little WD-40, and once everything was back in place I sat in the car and pulled the gear selector from park all the way down to 1st and back up to park. I did this several times fairly rapidly. This gives me a month or two of relief from the issue.
Here is a great write up about the gear selector position sensor.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
How To Remove, Modify, and Install the Air Intake on a SAAB 9-5
Small Flathead screwdriver
Medium Phillips screwdriver
Medium Torx screwdriver
13mm socket and wrench
I used the K&N RB-0900 in my SAAB 9-5. I purchased it from (of all places) Amazon.com and it cost less than $30 with free shipping. Any similar universal air filter with a 3 inch flange should fit. There is plenty of room behind the fender, so the size of the filter element is up to you as long as it has a 3 inch flange.
This took me less than one hour to complete.
The stock air box is located between the passenger side wheel well and the bumper. There is a plastic tube that goes from the side of the air box, across the back of the bumper and up behind the grill. There is a rubber tube on top of the air box that runs inside the fender and through a hole under the hood to the mass airflow sensor (MAF).
These instructions will remove the box and both tubes. The rubber tube is then reinstalled with the new filter attached.
Under the car: Remove the two nuts that attach the air box to the car and loosen the hose clamp on the side of the air box. A photo of this area
Under the car: Remove the screw on the under side edge of the bumper near the wheel well and the two screws that connect the plastic wheel well to the edge of the front bumper. Remove the four 13mm screws and four Phillips screws on the large plastic engine guard panel under the car and set it aside.
Under the hood: Remove the two plastic pressure screws that hold the grill in place and then remove the grill by lifting up and out.
Set the grill aside. Remove the 13mm screw holding the air intake tube to the bumper. The intake tube is already removed in the photo below, but the screw location is marked, along with the other half of the mounting bracket.
Wiggle the hard plastic tube to detach it from the air filter box. Store it someplace because it won't be reinstalled on this modification.
Under the hood: Unscrew and pull out the passenger side corner lamp (I didn't do this and ended up breaking the light clips as I pulled the air box out).
Loosen the hose clamp on the MAF that is closest to the fender and remove the rubber tube from the MAF with the help of the flathead screwdriver.
Under the car: Push the stock air filter box up and over to clear the bracket. Push the front bumper and wheel well to the side and pull the box down. It should come out with a little pressure.
Once out, loosen the hose clamp and remove the rubber tube. Put the box away because it isn't reinstalled in the modification.
The rubber tube and your new universal air filter with 3 inch diameter flange will connect together and the hose clamp is then tighten.
The tube and filter can then be routed back through the fender and reconnected to the MAF. I used silicone adhesive and a small square of stiff foam rubber between the tube and the inside fender wall to keep down wear and rattling.
Reinstall the three fender well screws, the plastic under-engine panel with eight screws, and the grill with plastic pressure screws. Clean up the area and put away your tools.
Start the car and check out your work. Enjoy the test drive. Idle and low speed driving sounded the same on my SAAB, but the turbo can really be heard now when you give it some gas. I can hear the turbo with the windows up, but the most fun is with the windows down.
Some people will have concerns about rain water getting pass the filter and into the engine. You will want to install some sort of splash guard if you are worried. I'm running around without a guard and will report back if I end up having any problems. See update below.
UPDATE: I just drove in what we Kansans call a "toad choker" of a rain storm. The roads were flooded. It was more than the average rain storm, so I got home quickly and checked my new filter. It was soaked. No problems with how the car was running, but I will be finding some sort of splash guard to keep the bulk of the water from getting up there again.
Getting a performance diverted valve, like the one made by Forge, and installing it in the reverse configuration will further enhance the sound of the turbo.
SAAB Secret: Turbo Edition
A detailed "how-to" for the removal and replacement of the air filter.
Getting a performance diverted valve, like the one made by Forge, and installing it in the reverse configuration will further enhance the sound of the turbo.
Friday, October 12, 2007
SAAB Secret: Trunk Edition
My 2000 SAAB 9-5 has a hinged plastic handle set into the trunk floorboard. This strange plastic setup had confused me, it has an indentation for a hand but it also has a hinge that flips up the plastic part and exposes a hole that is also shaped for a hand.
Why is it designed like that?
SAAB does everything with a purpose. The plastic part that flips up will rest perfectly on the upper lip of the trunk. That way you can prop the floorboard up while you mess with the jack and spare tire.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
SAAB Secret: Crayon Smell Edition
It is not your imagination; SAAB interiors smell like crayons.
I have read, but never smelled to be sure, that 2003 and newer SAABs don't smell like crayons. I'm guessing many people reading this post searched for "SAAB" and "crayons" because they have recently been inside a SAAB and were wondering why it smelled that way and if that SAAB was the only one with the crayon smell.
I can't smell the crayons in my SAAB 9-5 anymore. I ask everyone who rides with me if they can smell crayons and they all say the smell is still there. I've just become accustomed to it.
I figured it was a leather treatment that CarMax (where I purchased my SAAB 9-5) happened to use. My other thought was that the previous owner had children and some crayons were hidden down a crack somewhere... melting. It took a search of Facebook to find a group called "my Saab smells like crayons" before I realized that this is a normal feature of SAABs and not something done by the car dealership.
I don't have any real information about what causes the smell, but one message board post I read said it was the insulation under the carpet that smells like crayons. They went on to say that the type of insulation was changed in 2003, causing SAABs to lose the crayon smell. Sounds reasonable to me.
OBD II and SAAB
Photo of the OBD-II Scanner
The reason they are great when you own a SAAB is because you then have the ability to erase any error codes and turn off the amber check engine light on the dash.
Currently my gear selector position sensor is giving me problems. A few times each month the car goes into limp mode and the two amber check engine lights come on. I get out of limp mode quickly by turning the car off, removing the key for a moment and then restarting the car. The CEL stays on, but the car will be out of limp mode. I can check the code when I get home and confirm the problem is still the same sensor. I then clear the code.
Yes, it would be easier to replace the faulty sensor, but the sensor is almost $300 and it really doesn't seem to be hurting anything. Plus I know that the sensor is made up of a multi-position switch and the car is upset because the connectors inside are dirty.
So this code scanner saves me money because I can read and clear my own codes without a trip to the shop. Plus I can go into the shop knowing what the most likely repair will be for my problem. This gives me an idea of how much the visit will cost me. It also makes it easier to repair my own car.
I don't know if this service is nationwide, but the AutoZone stores around here will read your OBD codes for free if you ask them. The socket for the OBD-II is located below the steering wheel and towards the bottom of the dash. There is a small plastic door covering the port.
SAAB uses the ISO format to transmit OBD-II data. This is a very common format used by lots of different cars and most OBD-II scan tools come ready to read codes from a SAAB. This does not necessarily include the ability to read codes that are specific to SAAB. I've never ran into any of these proprietary codes but I would imagine that the Tech II tool might be required. The SAAB dealer or a shop that specializes in SAAB will have the Tech II.
By the way, the "gear selector position sensor", sometimes listed as the "neutral safety switch", is attached to the top of the transmission and can be easily reached by removing the car battery. It's the rectangular-ish thing with the metal rod and the thick bundle of cables coming out of it. I used WD-40 and some elbow grease to clean the sensor and keep it going for a little while longer. I would also slide gear select lever from park all the way down to 3 and back, quickly and repeatedly. It's similar to the technique used by TV engineers to clean a dirty audio potentiometer or "pot" as it is known in the biz.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
My Experience With BG 44K Power Enhancer
I have been familiar with BG and their "44K Power Enhancer" a lot longer than I have had my SAAB 9-5. BG Products is a hometown company for me. I remember my father using a fender guard with a huge BG logo on it when he would work on his 1970 Datsun 240z. He won it at some local SCCA event (the BG fender guard, not the Z-car).
I had used 44k one previous time in my Ford Explorer and I know of at least one local fleet that puts 44k in every vehicle they own. My experience and that of the fleet supervisor were the same. 44k really did make a difference.
When I purchased my 9-5 it had 60,000 miles on it and ran great. I decided at 65,000 miles I would add a can of BG 44K to the gas tank. I purchased the can from a local shop. I walked in, but they sell it online too. The people are friendly the two times I've been in to visit.
Anyway, back to the 44K. It comes in a metal can about the size of a regular soda can. It even opens like soda. The label says that it is safe for cars with a turbo; I'm always worried about that sort of thing but I trust BG. I added the can to a fairly empty tank and then filled up with gas. I can't remember if that is what the directions say or if I just did it that way because I needed gas. Be sure to check the label and do what it says. It is also important to use a funnel when adding it to a 9-5. The can is very full and will spill otherwise. I picked up a small long-necked funnel at the auto parts store for under a buck that seems made for this sort of thing. I would do this so nothing drips on the car or garage floor as you put it in the tank because, just from the smell and the fact that it cleans the crud in your fuel system, I have a feeling it could do nasty things to the paint.
I included the garage floor warning because I actually did drip a little on the floor and the liquid is very slick and oily. Even after cleaning it up there was a slick spot on the floor. Oh well, it's on the wife's side of the garage.
So I drove around until the tank+44K was almost empty. The car never misbehaved while the 44K was being consumed. I could feel and hear a difference by half a tank. The most obvious end result was a much quieter idle. Well worth the $20, it made a great running SAAB 9-5 run even better.
I'd been dinking around with my mpg gauge at the time (why, I can't recall), so I can't give any hard numbers on improved fuel economy, but the car sure seemed happier.
Changeable Settings on a SAAB 9-5
The list I used to plan out my changes came from a very informative website. Roth has done a great job explaining these options, so I will point you to his site for all the details. I printed off his page and highlighted the changes I wanted made. I then handed the printout to the mechanic when I dropped my car off for service. He looked over the list, asked a few questions, and went to work.
The options I had set on my 9-5 were:
Doors lock automatically once car is put into gear and moving forward
Driver's door unlocks when key is removed from ignition
No chirps for alarm arm and disarm (this alone was worth the $84 in labor)
"Euro" settings on parking light behavior as explained in the above link
"Euro" settings on high beams and fog lights as explained in the above link
Water temperature gauge adjustments as explained in the above link
Your local SAAB dealer or a shop that specializes in SAAB will have one of these Tech II tools and for the cost of labor they will make adjustments to your car with it. I had my changes made during a visit to the dealer for routine maintenance. I don't know how much labor would be for computer changes alone, but I paid for a total of two hours labor for everything that was done on my car (oil change, sludge inspection, PCV upgrade and these Tech II changes).
So look over the options at this website and have your local SAAB pro make the changes you want. It is an easy way to improve the comfort and usability of your car.
This isn't a Stage-1 ECM upgrade we are talking about. Sorry, no performance improvements here. None of the settings that can be changed are spectacular; these are things like door lock and parking light behavior. ECM upgrades can be done with other equipment (and I read the results are amazing), but that is totally separate from the topic of this post.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Rear Fog Lights Modification on the SAAB 9-5
Personally I think it looks like I have a tail light out. I want symmetry. There was a simple answer and it is about a five minute job.
The wiring and bulb socket were already in place behind the passenger side lens. All it took was a screwdriver and a small set of pliers. Open the trunk and remove the plastic fasteners and handle holding the right side of the carpet lining in place.
You don't have to remove all of the lining, just enough to expose the back of the lens. The back of the fog light lens will then be exposed.
Detach the light sockets. Use the pliers and screwdriver to remove a plastic plug in the back of the lens setting in the trunk lid.
It is designed to keep you from easily putting a bulb in there (it came out in chunks for me). Then install a bulb and you now have two rear fog lights. The bulb is a 7506LL
I guess they could be mistaken for brake lights, but it would become obvious as soon as the rear brakes are pressed. Plus wouldn't mistaking the fog lights for brake lights get the other driver's attention. That is the goal of rear fog lights.
I use my rear fog lights in, well, fog obviously... and snow and very heavy rain. I run them any time the conditions could help an inattentive driver mistake my rear end for the wide open road.
Photo of the rear fog lights off
Photo of the rear fog lights on
Check local laws before driving with rear fog lights and such. In some places people will expect the single rear fog light. And all other disclaimers, past, present and yet to be realized. Searching the tubes it seems that rear fog light opinions are up there with religion and politics. I have seen civil message boards break down to anarchy when the "one v. two rear fog lights" debate comes up.
To clarify some frequent questions about rear fog lights that seem to come up again and again about when and where rear fog lights can be used in the United States-
From the State of California:
"A vehicle may be equipped with not more than two red tail lamps mounted on the rear which may be lighted, in addition to the required tail lamps, only when atmospheric conditions, such as fog, rain, snow, smoke, or dust, reduce the daytime or nighttime visibility of other vehicles to less than 500 feet."
Scroll down to section 24602 on this page to see my source:
You still want to check your local laws about rear fog lights, but this gives a good general guideline for rear fog light use in this country.


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Dungeon Defenders developer Trendy Entertainment wants more people to use the free level editor they released. To get people interested, they're holding a contest to see who can make the best level: The winning designer will get $1,000 bucks for the winning design, which will be added to the game's matchmaking options, making it an official level in the game,
Participants have just under a month to perfect their designs - All submissions have to be in by June 21st. The winner will be chosen by combination of a public vote and judge's vote by Trendy.
For more information, you can check out the rules and disclaimers on the Dungeon Defenders forums. Good luck everybody!
[Via Trendy Entertainment]
Also Watch

subset: commoncrawl


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New Website for ncbfstore.org!
Posted by Chase Jennings on 15th Nov 2017
It's official! The National Cherry Blossom Festival's official store has a new official website, brought to you by Planet Cotton, the new merchandiser of the NCBF. To learn more, be sure to check out our next blog post here: http://www.ncbfstore.org/blog/new-official-merchandiser-of-the-ncbf/


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By: Dr. Pankaj G. Shah
While every patient is unique, about 80 to 85 percent of people who wear prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses are candidates for LASIK surgery. Your surgeon will follow some general guidelines to determine if your eyes are suitable for the procedure.
First of all, your prescription lenses must fall within FDA-approved treatment parameters:
- up to +6.00 diopters of hyperopia,
- up to 6 diopters of cylinder/astigmatism
- up to -12.00 diopters of nearsightedness
Patients must be age 18 or older and have achieved ocular maturity. While most eyes stop growing by the age of 13, for some people it is closer to 20. Your prescription must be stable, meaning it hasn't changed for at least two consecutive years. It is also important for eyes to be generally healthy, free of diseases, injuries, and infections.
Certain health issues and medications may interfere with the healing process, making LASIK vision correction a poor choice. It is important that you share your complete medical history with your surgeon to ensure a recommendation for candidacy based upon all available facts.
You are not a candidate if you are pregnant or breast feeding. Three months after breast feeding you may be a candidate.
You must have suitable corneal shape and thickness. If your cornea is too thin or misshapen, you may not get the results you are seeking. During your initial consultation, Shah Eye Center will measure the thickness of the cornea to make sure there is enough tissue for the reshaping required to achieve the desired amount of correction and the expected outcome.
It's important to understand there are certain limitations to laser vision correction, which your doctor will discuss with you.
The best way to determine if you are a candidate for LASIK is to work with a highly-qualified surgeon and support staff such as those found at Shah Eye Center. We will conduct a complete evaluation of your eyes and vision. Only then will you and your surgeon have the information needed to make the best recommendation for you. To learn more about what to expect from a LASIK consultation, schedule an appointment today with Shah Eye Center.
About Dr. Pankaj G. Shah: Dr. Shah is one of the only Cornea Specialists in the Rio Grande Valley. He is Fellowship-trained in Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a General Ophthalmologist with a Cornea and Refractive Surgery Subspecialty. LASIK is a procedure that reshapes the cornea of the eye.


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BTWT Exclusive
Wojchiech Balczun, Chairman PKP Cargo in April,
Photo Railway Market Forum
(Click to see photo in its original context (Polish) on the pages of Railway Market Forum.)
PKP Cargo has advised railway trade unions that it is heading for a loss of nearly 200 million PLN in 2008 and that, unless drastic economy measures are taken, the losses will rise to some 500 million PLN in 2009. As recently as April this year, PKP Cargo Chairman, Wojchiech Balczun was telling delegates at a conference organised by Railway Market Forum, that he intended to turn PKP Cargo into a modern logistics company. He set himself the task of writing a strategic plan which would take Cargo forward for the next 10-15 years and prepare it for a floatation on the Warsaw Stock Market in a couple years time.
The problem was that while Balczun and his board were thinking about writing a plan, Cargo's 'open access' competitors, companies such as CTL, PCC, Lotus and PTK, had creamed of 22% of the most lucrative freight traffic on Poland's Railways. As oil, gas and petrochemicals freight were lost to the new operators, PKP retrenched to the markets it knew best: coal and iron ore. Enter the world financial crisis stage in October and ArcelorMittal are telegramming Cargo that they have closed down their giant coke oven in Nowa Huta, Cracow and that are in no position to accept the iron ore trains that are beginning to stack on the Polish border. PKP Cargo's management board see the only way forward as abandoning their investment plans and introducing a drastic cost-cutting exercise involving the cutting of benefits to railway workers and sacking 5,000 staff.
BTWT have an alternative plan which would involve sacking the entire PKP Cargo management board, selling 33% of Cargo to a modern railway freight operator, giving 33% to Cargo's employees and keeping 33% in the state treasury. Then encouraging all three parties to hammer out the best way forward, bearing in mind the collapse of the global economy. Such a solution would be anathma to all advocates of minimum government intervention, maximum deregulation and leaving everything to market forces. However, as governments around the world try a range of interventionist measures in an attempt to stave off the global financial collapse, the remaining disciples of Milton Freidman are going the way of the dodo.


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This topic describes the dial plan components of the Cisco TelePresence Video Communication Server (VCS).
The figure illustrates the search flow when a call is made from an endpoint that is registered to Cisco VCS Control (VCS-C).
When a call is established from the endpoint that is registered to Cisco VCS, the search will first try to match the pattern in the transforms. If the pattern is found in a transform, it will be translated based on the rules that are configured in the transform.
Then Cisco VCS searches for a match in the admin policies. When an admin policy is found, the call can be rejected or allowed, based on the admin policy configurations.
If the call is not rejected by an admin policy, Cisco VCS tries to find a match in FindMe.
If no matching FindMe pattern is found, Cisco VCS tries to find a match in the search rules.
If a match is found in a search rule, the call is forwarded based on the configuration of the search rule. If no match is found in a search rule, the call fails.
This section describes how transforms work.
What is a called-number transform?
- A transform changes an alias that matches certain criteria into another alias.
When are transforms used?
- Presearch transforms are applied before searching for the destination of a call.
- Transforms can be configured as an exact match, prefix, suffix, or regular expression.
- Transforms are configured with a unique priority (range is 1–65534) and are searched in order. Once a match is made, no further transforms are searched.
As described, presearch transforms are applied to an alias before a search is conducted. Transforms can be compared to translation patterns in Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Admin Policy
This section describes how admin policies work.
What is an admin policy (also called a call policy)?
- It is a set of rules that can be entered into Cisco VCS to allow or deny calls from certain endpoints to others.
- External call policy servers can be used.
When is a call policy used?
- Call policies are applied after transforms before searching for the destination of a call.
- Complex policies can be uploaded if they are written in native CPL.
- Only one CPL script can be used.
Admin policies are also called call policies and are a set of rules that can be entered into Cisco VCS to allow or deny calls from certain endpoints to others. Call policy rules can be created by configuring allow or deny lists on Cisco VCS, or they can be applied from an external policy server. Complex policies can be used if they are written in CPL.
This section describes how FindMe works.
What is FindMe?
- FindMe can specify which endpoints should ring when someone calls the FindMe ID of a user.
- On outbound calls, FindMe allows multiple endpoints of a user to share the same caller ID (the FindMe ID).
The FindMe feature provides the ability to specify which endpoints (video and audio-only) should ring when someone calls the FindMe ID of a user. FindMe also allows a user to specify fallback devices that are called if any of the primary devices are busy, and a user can specify fallback devices that will be called if none of the primary devices are answered.
An important feature of FindMe is that the administrator can configure the caller ID that is displayed on the endpoint of a called party as the FindMe ID of the caller, rather than the ID of the endpoint of the caller. This approach allows a user to appear with the same ID, regardless from which device the user placed the call.
Always using the same ID as the caller ID ensures that when a call is returned, the return call will be placed to the FindMe ID of the user. As a result, all active FindMe destinations of the called user will ring rather than ringing only the endpoint that was used for the original call.
FindMe is similar to Cisco Unified Mobility in Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
The example in the figure shows a FindMe ID of email@example.com. Calls that are placed to this FindMe ID are first sent to endpoints 2 and 4. If the call is not answered on one of these two endpoints, then the call is sent to endpoint 3.
Search Rules
This section describes how search rules work.
What is a search rule?
- Search rules define how Cisco VCS routes calls (to destination zones) in specific call scenarios.
- When a search rule is matched, the destination can be modified according to the conditions defined in the search rule.
When is a search rule used?
- Search rules are applied when no FindMe ID is found.
- A search rule is similar to a route pattern in Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Search rules are searched at the end, after presearches have been checked and no match is found.


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Coach Avram Grant has named Captain Asamoah Gyan in Black Stars' final match against Ivory Coast at AFCON 2015.
Gyan recovered from injury to make Ghana's squad. He suffered from abdominal injury after Guinea goalie Naby Yattara clashed with kicked him in the Quarter finals.
The Al Ain striker will partner Kwesi Appiah in attack.
Coach Avram Grant has maintained his defensive quartet of Harrison Afful and Baba Rahman as fullbacks with John Boye and Jonathan Mensah in the central positions.
Andre Ayew and Christian Atsu will start on the flanks for Ghana with Mubarak Wakaso and Afriyie Acquah once again playing in central midfield.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 7pm GMT.
Black Stars XI:
Razak Brimah, Harrison Afful, Baba Rahman, Jonathan Mensah, John Boye, Mubarak Wakaso, Afriyie Acquah, Andre Ayew, Christian Atsu, Asamoah Gyan, Kwesi Appiah


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The reviews are beginning to come in for the John Dory (85 Tenth Avenue), the hotly anticipated fishy collaboration between April Bloomfield, she of Spotted Pig acclaim, and restaurateur Ken Friedman. Between New York, NY Daily News, and Bloomberg, the restaurant averages a disappointing two and two-thirds stars. Everyone notes the kitschy, over-the-top decor, and some say the cuisines tend towards the same. More fishy business below:
Two Stars
"Is the John Dory a new-millennium, category-busting kind of seafood restaurant? Not really. The menu, at this early date, is limited and slightly uneven, and the room is overamped by an octave or two. But like the Spotted Pig, there's a vibrant sense of fun in the air, an infectious feeling that you should be having a good time even if, quite possibly, you're not."
— Adam Platt, New York
"The John Dory adheres to the Momofuku style of dining: It's open late (till 2 a.m.) and serves messy, quirky gourmet fare that's often excellent, but in a laid-back environment that's occasionally downright annoying…There's a fine line between casual and careless. The John Dory can veer toward the latter."
— Ryan Sutton, Bloomberg.com
Four Stars
"It looks like a scene from a Jimmy Buffett hangover. At the heart of the room, there's a diner-ish open kitchen packed with line cooks feverishly at work. It's tight quarters – for them, for the servers, and for customers trying to edge their way into the bathroom… the John Dory is the complete antithesis of Le Bernardin, the consummate and highly formal fish restaurant in midtown…The complete antithesis, that is, except for the quality of the cooking."
— Danyelle Freeman, NY Daily News
This article from the Village Voice Archive was posted on January 14, 2009


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Major colleges are starting to offer cryptocurrency courses to their MBA students
Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Pennsylvania are now starting to offer full time blockchain and cryptocurrency courses and degrees. This is mainly due to an overwhelming student movement and the interest digital coins like Bitcoin have attracted. These courses will be taught at some of the best business schools in the world to properly prepare their students for the new realities of business and tech. Is this the new reality for tech education going forward.
A new generation of business
The new generation of business students know the value and importance of blockchain technology.They know that in the future, they'll be tasked with understanding and working with this technology. Blockchain technology has applications far beyond just cryptocurrency. The distributed ledger technology can and will change the way we store and record information forever. Everything from the medical field, to the banking industry can benefit from it. It truly is one of the most important technological breakthroughs of the 21st century. Even major tech companies like IBM and Microsoft have departments dedicated to blockchain technology.
Cryptocurrency courses
The Stanford Graduate School of Business , which Forbes ranked as the best in the world in 2017, is now offering a full-time cryptocurrency course called "cryptocurrency." This shows a monumental shift in the establishments willingness to accept cryptocurrencies and the technology surrounding them. Their students have realized that the future of business is digital which is why they lobbied the school to start providing cryptocurrency and blockchain courses. MBA programs are all about giving students the competitive advantage in the real working world. A world that is beginning to fully grasp the importance of blockchain technology, and the impact blockchain has on the world as well as the change it is going to have. Many other colleges have followed this lead, either offering lectures or online courses on bitcoin and cryptocurrency. It seems that cryptocurrency courses may become an essential part of most high level MBA programs in the future.
Cryptocurrency jobs are flourishing
This shows the demand for blockchain and cryptocurrency based jobs. Demand for these types of jobs has soared in recent years, with new blockchain startups popping up everyday. There are jobs going in all types of blockchain related ventures. In fact, studies show that there has been a 30% year-on-year increase in blockchain related job postings on LinkedIn. Today more people than ever are getting involved in cryptocurrencies, whether buying and selling them, investing in or trading them, or even creating them they have taken off in the last few years.
Having a basic understanding of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology is going to be essential for the business people of tomorrow. Universities have recognized this and are making moves to ensure that future students will be fully equipped to meet the demands of the new world cryptocurrency has created.
For more on the blockchain and everything cryptocurrency, visit Crypto 101


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Those who are known for their nautical nuances will be flocking to London for The London Boat Show in a ten day tribute event that shows a whole variety of ocean and river transport. A huge exhibition showing the latest top boats and brands, suppliers and clothing brands as well as showcasing the latest features available on classic motor boats, The London Boat Show is great for boat lovers all around.
The 4D Experience is a great way of getting a real feel for life on the seas as you walk through a variety of different nautical environments. The 4D Experience includes sample sounds, sea breezes making good use of computerised fans as well as scented features brought together to make you really feel as if you're going on an adventure.
Fancy a bit of hands on interaction? The Watersports Pool offers free taster sessions in an indoor pool at the event, giving helpful information about various activities such as kayaking and canoeing. The taster session includes a short safety demonstration and participants will be provided with a life jacket and suitable clothing. Why not try it out?
The London Boat Show is on from the 9th to the 18th January 2015 at the ExCel Centre in London. Coach Transport Group provides first class coach and minibus hire services which are perfect for small group outings or larger outings with clubs and societies. Simply fill out our Quotation form for a free quote or get in contact with us today to find out more.


text: 'Big Brother' Winner Adam Jasinski Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison 3:12 PM PST 1/22/2011 by Annie Yuan FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME The reality TV star pleads guilty to drug trafficking and tax evasion. Big Brother contestant Adam Jasinski has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for drug and tax charges, the Associated Press reports. Jasinski was arrested in October 2009 for trying to sell 2,000 oxycodone pills to a Drug Enforcement Administration witness. He was charged with possession of oxycodone with attempt to distribute. Following his arrest, Jasinski allegedly confessed to using the $500,000 he won from Big Brother to kickstart a drug operation and bragged about selling thousands of pills to East Coast customers. However, he later retracted the statement and expressed regret at his trial, blaming drug addiction and bipolar disease for his mistakes. "I'm sick. I won $500,000 and I blew it all," Jasinski reportedly told the judge. "I apologize. I'm a mess... Give me a chance to get out and find out who I really am." In addition to the drug charges, Jasinski also pleaded guilty to failure to file a tax return in 2008. The misdemeanor occurred the same year Jasinski beat out 16 others to win season nine of Big Brother, a reality TV show in which hidden cameras document the lives of a group of contestants living in one house. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Annie Yuan email@example.com @thr


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About Us
The Columbia Life Network is a community service organization based in Lancaster County. Pa. The purpose of the organization is to promote a shared vision of ways in which organizations throughout the region can work together to foster positive outcomes for members of the communities they serve. We are a non-profit agency that provides a variety a social services to the residents of Columbia.


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SugarCRM contains a wealth of data, but what good is the data if you cannot use it within marketing automation? The ability to leverage custom data fields not only increases our already deep integration with Sugar, but expands the flexibility when creating automated workflows and lead scoring to account for a larger amount of variables in your CRM. Leverage SugarCRM secondary modules Opportunities, Calls, Meetings, Quotes, Tasks, Cases and Contracts.
Leveraging custom data fields with secondary modules begins with either turning on the perspective module on your SymSyc Dashboard, or running a manual sync on the already active secondary module. Manual sync will pull in any custom data fields associated with that module to INBOX25. The image below displays the manual sync icons under each secondary module. The blue icon denotes a module that is in the process of a manual update.
Once the custom data fields have been synced over to INBOX25, you can now dive head first into leveraging them within the context of automation. In the below image I have created a common use case for leveraging a custom data field within my Calls module. Inside of SugarCRM I created a custom data field called "Call Temperature which will denote the effectiveness of the call. Selecting the Calls condition on the automated campaign wizard allows me to choose my custom data field "Call Temperature".
Once my custom data field is selected, I can then go about adding more specific metrics to the condition. In this example I am selecting that this condition pull from my custom data field "Call Temperature" and have an equals value of "Hot". Anyone who has a registered hot call would denote a successful call and I want to proceed with a follow up phone call.
This is just one common use case utilizing custom data fields in a SugarCRM secondary module. It of course comes down to how you specifically utilize these custom data fields within your CRM. The major benefit with leveraging custom data fields within these secondary modules is the ability to create automated workflows to specifically target custom set-ups within your CRM system.


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Half of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet missed the vote his majority government almost lost Monday, including the minister who tabled the bill in the first place, a study of the vote by iPolitics has found.
Trudeau's government was left red-faced after it was caught by surprise by the opposition parties who turned out in force for a vote the Liberals had not expected. Despite its majority of 184 seats to 153 seats for all opposition parties combined, the vote on its Air Canada bill ended in a stunning 139-139 tie. The bill was saved after Speaker Geoff Regan followed precedent and voted with the government to keep Bill C-10 alive.
Bill C-10 would change the act governing Air Canada to give the airline more flexibility in where it has its maintenance carried out. Critics of the bill have argued that the legislation would cost well-paid aviation jobs in Canada.
The bill, which was tabled by Transport Minister Marc Garneau on March 24, had made it out of committee unamended and was at report stage when the opposition caught the government by surprise Monday by triggering a vote on it.
A review of the vote shows that a contributing factor in the Liberals' close call was the large number of cabinet ministers jetting around the world or outside the range of the House of Commons' 30-minute notice for the vote. Sixteen of the 44 Liberal MPs who missed the vote are members of Trudeau's cabinet – meaning half of cabinet missed the vote.
Among them was Trudeau, who was in Cape Breton with fellow Liberal MPs Marc Miller and Seamus O'Regan for the funeral for the mother of their friend Gerald Butts, Trudeau's principal secretary.
Garneau was in Germany for an international transportation forum. Cabinet colleague Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion wasn't far away, in Vienna for a meeting on Syria.
Patty Hajdu and Marie-Claude Bibeau were in Copenhagen with NDP MP Christine Moore – the only New Democrat to miss the vote – at the Women Deliver conference.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale was returning from the United Kingdom where he had participated in last week's anti-corruption summit and represented Canada at ceremonies marking the Queen's 90th birthday, said spokesman Dan Brien.
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna was en route from Japan, where she had attended a G7 meeting, while Science Minister Kirsty Duncan was still in Japan, touring the KEK High Energy Accelerator Research Organization.
Closer to home, the choice of Meech Lake for a meeting of an economic advisory group provided a scenic venue but stopped five ministers from being able to make it back to Ottawa in time for the vote: Finance Minister Bill Morneau, International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk, Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi and Navdeep Bains, minister of innovation, science and economic development.
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr was en route to Ottawa. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan's office says he was at a diplomatic lunch but wouldn't give any further details.
Among the Liberal MPs who also missed the vote was Mauril Bélanger, MP for Ottawa-Vanier, who is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – a debilitating disease that is rapidly taking its toll. Last week, Bélanger was brought to the House of Commons from hospital to speak to his private member's bill to change the words of the Canadian anthem.
Conservative MP James Bezan said there generally weren't as many cabinet ministers out of the country at one time when the Conservatives were in power.
"There's a responsibility to be here unless they have an agenda. Obviously the whip let this slip through the cracks. It's unfortunate that we only tied the vote. It would have been great to have actually won that one. But it's up to the Liberals to show up for work."
How they voted – or didn't. Click on the header for each column to sort the table according to that column.


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Back to Journals » Orthopedic Research and Reviews » Volume 7
Michigan Arthroplasty Registry Collaborative Quality Initiative (MARCQI) as a model for regional registries in the United States
Authors Hughes R, Hallstrom B, Cowen M, Igrisan R, Singal B, Share D
Received 12 February 2015
Accepted for publication 7 April 2015
Published 8 June 2015 Volume 2015:7 Pages 47—56
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/ORR.S82732
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 4
Editor who approved publication: Professor Clark Hung
Richard E Hughes,1,2 Brian R Hallstrom,1,2 Mark E Cowen,1,3 Rochelle M Igrisan,1,2 Bonita M Singal,1,3 David A Share,2,4
1Michigan Arthroplasty Registry Collaborative Quality Initiative (MARCQI), Ann Arbor, MI, USA; 2Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; 3Quality Institute, St Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; 4Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA
Background: The United States has been a difficult environment in which to develop arthroplasty registries, largely because of the absence of a national health system. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a statewide registry-based quality improvement collaborative in Michigan.
Methods: The Michigan Arthroplasty Registry Collaborative Quality Initiative (MARCQI) was started in 2011 to improve the quality of care for total hip and knee replacement patients in Michigan. It is funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan/Blue Care Network as part of their Collaborative Quality Initiative (CQI) program. The CQI concept depends on capturing high-quality data (clinical status, process, and outcome), rigorously developing risk-adjustment models, and presenting risk-adjusted data to collaborative members at four face-to-face meetings a year.
Results: MARCQI has grown to include 44 hospitals and 377 orthopedic surgeons. The registry contains 54,848 cases (18,421 hips and 36,427 knees). Four collaborative-wide quality improvement activities have been initiated: 1) transfusion reduction, 2) deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli prevention, 3) infection prevention, and 4) readmission prevention.
Conclusion: The CQI model developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan/Blue Care Network can be adapted to hip and knee arthroplasty, which demonstrates that private payers can play a role in the development and promotion of arthroplasty registries in the United States.
Keywords: registry, arthroplasty, hip, knee, quality, collaboration
This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.Download Article [PDF] View Full Text [HTML][Machine readable]


text: Hi everyone, I've been receiving an increasing number of emails asking if I do custom tracks. The answer is yes...and at very low cost...(people are usually surprised when they find out how affordable it is.) One of my goals with this project is to make good-sounding music available to anyone who needs it, so if you need some custom tracks created, feel free to email me...(my email address is at the bottom of my homepage.) In the meantime, here are this week's new free tracks: "Deep Space"_Looping http://soundimage.org/naturescience-2/ "Post Op"_Looping "The Streets"_Looping "Going Different Ways"_Looping "Packing"_Looping "Alone Again"_Looping http://soundimage.org/drama/ "Confusion and Clarity"_Looping http://soundimage.org/drama-2/ I hope they are helpful! Eric


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It's a little cloth patch that you can patch stuff with! Or sew on a hat, if you are so inclined. For bed or for the ride, it's the perfect accessory for the fashion conscious.
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"I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this—who will count the votes, and how." ~ Joseph Stalin
'Logged and Ordered': TV Court Dramas and Public Perceptions of the Justice System
"The reality is modern criminal courts have devolved into little more than plea mills, but presentations of the process in the popular media pretend that Atticus-Finch style courtroom drama is the norm instead of the rare exception. From the perspective of dramatic presentation, I understand completely. But an unintended consequence of over-reliance on that dramatic trope is to mis-educate the public on how the system really works." Media warps perceptions of reality in many areas of life, including sexuality, what it is to be a woman, a man, a child, and our basic understandings about such things as happiness and love. Thus, that the media contributes to a false, idealized picture of our legal system holds no surprise to me.
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Review of City sculptures in Amsterdam.
- Fondation
- Constant
- Work
- Documentation
- Period
- Current
- Search
Ruimte voor kunst en cultuur
De poort van Constant, 1963
Review of City sculptures in Amsterdam.
Review group exposition in Het Huis met de Pilaren in 1948 organised by Kunstenaars-centrum Bergen.
De slaapkamer in het Nederlandse paviljoen: een replica van de kamer in het Amsterdamse Hilton Hotel waar John Lennon en Yoko Ono in 1969 verbleven. In bed: architect Winy Maas (l) en Beatriz Colomina. © DARIA SCAGLIOLA
Interview with architect Winy Maas about the Dutch Pavillion at the Architect Biennale 2018.
Het Nederlands paviljoen op de architectuurbiënnale in Venetië. Photo: Daria Scagliola
Review of the Dutch Pavillion at the Architecure Biennale in Venice, 2018.
This interview is part of the Oral History Project of Fondation Constant. The Oral History Project is financially supported by Stichting Jaap Harten Fonds and Gifted Art.
In this interview for the Oral History Project of Fondation Constant art historian, Willemijn Stokvis talks about her encounters with Constant in the seventies and eighties, his influence within the CoBrA group, their first exhibition in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the encounters with the artists that led to her thesis and her personal memories of him.
Interviewer: Karel Ankerman
Article on Hans Sonnenberg (1928-2017), gallerist of Gallery Delta, who died September 29, 2017 by Peter de Waard in De Volkskrant.
Sixty years after Guy Debord, joined by a group of artists, thinkers and revolutionaries, established the Situationist International, the forms of advanced capitalism they critiqued - commodity fetishism, social alienation and the replacement of significance by spectacle - have become the bedrock of twenty-first-century society. So what is their legacy today? McKenzie Wark weighs things up.
An interview with Constant by Mark Rappolt, 2003.


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Motivation is very important for every sport. You must be motivated if you want better and better results. We are trying to motivate you with the quotes and by Kevin Durant's speech hard work beats talents.
The motivational Kevin Durant speech hard work beats talent bellow is very powerful, but you must feel it with your heart, not just listening with your ears!
Kevin Durant speech hard work beats talent:
Kevin Durant's speech hard work beats talent was so powerful and motivational. We have also another speech (of course, both speeches we don't own) about hard work. Follow them, listen to them and feel them.
Then you will see results on you. If you work hard, you can beat anyone, but the most important is to beat the old you. Make some change, start from today, don't wait the perfect time. Create the perfect time, right NOW! Here is few Kevin Durant quotes:
- I know that hard work got me here. And the day I stop working hard, this can all go away
- It's hard to play well, but it's easy to work hard.
- So many people doubted me. They motivated me every single day, to be who I am!
- It's not whether you get knocked down. It's whether you get up.
- I've learned what it feels like to lose, believe me. But I think in the end, that's just going to make winning that much better.
Fitness motivation: Hard work beats talent
At the end of the fillings is nothing, but at the end of the principle is a promise. Behind you look, it might not be absolutely nothing at the end of your filling, but behind every principle is a promise. As some of you in your life, the reason why you not achieve your goal right not, because you are just all about your fillings.
You want it, and you are going to go all out to have it! It's not going to be easy. When you want to change, it's not easy, but if it was easy, everybody would do it. But if you are serious, you'll go out.
I'm in control here, I'm not going to let me down. I'm not gonna let this destroy me, I'm coming back and I'll be stronger and better because of it!
- Remember your goal and why you started.
- Once you see results, it becomes an addiction.
- If you want something you've never had, then you've got to do something you've never done.
- Laziness fuels more laziness. Activity fuels more activity.
- Don't focus on the skinny, focus on the healthy.
- Strength: Anyone can workout for an hour, but to control what goes on your plate the other 23 hours… that's hard work!
- Train like an athlete, eat like a nutritionist, sleep like a baby, win like a champion.
- I already know what giving up feels like. I want to see what happens if I don't!
- If you want to get fit, you have to give away only one thing – your excuses!
- Your fitness is 100% mental. Your body won't go where your mind doesn't push it.
From Kevin Durant speech, hard work and the Fitness Motivation I've learned that: this year I will make my goals become a reality! I won't talk about them anymore. I CAN, I CAN, I CAN! Check out this book Fitness & Exercise Motivation for more motivation and bigger success.


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How to Dream Big
Do you have the ability to dream big?
A very wise lady once told me:
You will never live your life beyond your wildest expectations until you first have some wild expectations!
When we are children we do have an amazing ability to dream, and think about this for a minute. When you are ask a child what they are going to be when they grow up: 'What do they say?' Do they say, "I'm going to try to be a millionaire?" Do they say, "I'm going to try to be an astronaut?" Do they say, "I'm going to try to be a professional athlete?"
No, they have their dream, and that is what they are going to become, period!
Now, unfortunately, as we grow a little older, people begin to tell us that we are being unrealistic, that we should aspire to be something that can be accomplished easier. For many children, society steals their dream, and just like a child lowers their level of thinking because of practicality, most people lower their level of thinking, because they've given up.
A dream is the fuel that fires desire! I can't stress the importance of dreams enough…..
A dream is the fuel that gets you back on your feet when you've been knocked down. A dream is the fuel that gives you the motivation you need to put that extra mile in. A dream is the fuel that provides the shear willpower that allows you to say, "I can, I will, and I must." Dreams give us power. they all ow us to stand out above the crowd.
Dreams are an essential element in Leadership! A dream provides inspiration to yourself and others when they are shared with enthusiasm. Dream BIG DREAMS!
Now, living the lifestyle of your dreams, and contributing to society in a massive way is nothing more than a choice, so begin to believe that every man, woman, and child was created equal, and when you stand firm with that belief, you develop the mindset that you possess everything that it takes to live the life of your dreams.
What is your DREAM?
You need a dream that will take your breath away, and if your dream doesn't scare you , it is probably not big enough!
To Your Success,
Power Packed Mentoring
Hughie Bagnell
Personal Development Life Coach
Internet Marketing Entrepreneur
Hughie Bagnell Motivation Quotes
P.S. Turn Your Dreams Into Reality with World Class Mentoring!


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Revisiting a Seasonal Favorite and Some Fun NEW stuff from The Crochet Crowd!
I am hustling to get some more templates released to you all this week. I have a mug template, a boot cuff wrap and more! I'm working with another designer to include some free just for you patterns! While you wait, here's a little something to work on!
I revisited my elf hat this year and put it into PDF format for you all. I have had a few requests for this hat already this year. I'm doing one in fat red and white stripes and another in the santa suit look. (All red with a black stripe that looks like a belt with gold buckle.) Striped Elf Hat Pattern Pattern EDITED to reflect corrections on Rows 50, 52, 54 and 56.
When I released this pattern last year, I was amazed at all the fun variations everyone came up with. Shades of purples and pinks, rainbows and more! When I took these to my craft show last year I had someone waiting for me to finish the one on my hook so she could take it home. I could not make them fast enough.
The original hat was made for my son to wear for a special hat day at school. About 20 minutes before he walked out the door he decided he wanted me to add ears to his hat! Unfortunately, I didn't write down how I made them. I might have to dig the hat out and try to figure it out! I'll let you know when I do.
I can't help but share these as well! The Crochet Crowd has once again gone above and beyond and added some fun new holiday items to their list this year. Mikey does a tutorial on the Red Heart Dog Paw Print Stocking.
Do you have a go to holiday pattern? How early do you start hooking for the holidays? I'd love to know!
Casting off until the next time we hook up!