What has happened to Quadratec?

[Westtown Willy]

Whatever floats your boat, dude. My point is simple: They're not particularly good at anything, and I don't want to subject myself to the sub-optimal experience - they're just inconvenient for anything compared to a dedicated device. I don't know what Garmin you used, but you just plug the thing in and it works. No monthly service fee required - I pay $15/mo for my dumb phone, what's your point?

my point is you're living in a fantasy world, one in which (for my adventures yesterday) instead of a simple iphone I should have brought a regular cell phone to make/receive my business calls, a camcorder to videotape the wedding, perhaps a digital camera to take the photos, an ipod to drown out the Costanza-esque chatter of my parents for the 2 hour round-trip, a laptop to receive/send the emails, and finally a Garmin gps unit to plug into my dad’s car to get us all to the blessed event? The more I think about it you're right, that does sound a lot easier

And your insistence that an iphone somehow accomplishes these tasks on a 'sub-par' basis is nothing short of laughable. But since you 'won't own one, never will & probably develop hives if you touch one' you wouldn't know that. I had all those 'dedicated devices' back when we had no choice, it's all the same bullshit wrapped in larger individual plastic packages.

That fact that you believe you can do the multitude of functions an iphone can accomplish with a pile of 'dedicated devices' and do them more conveniently for less money and therefore better is great for you, delusional, but great.

I'm really curious so may I ask are there special over-sized cargo pants with pockets big enough to carry all of this crap or do you opt for some sort of hipster over the shoulder carry bag?

 

[TheGanzman]

Let's get this thread back on track; to wit: "MY Dad can beat up YOUR Dad!"

 

[Apparition]

Let's get this thread back on track; to wit: "MY Dad can beat up YOUR Dad!"

My dad is deceased

 

[defenderu]

I hate QT using their size to steal (!) business from smaller companies by lowering their normally obscene prices to match the smaller shop's lower price. It's very predatory. Buy from the smaller shop if their price was cheaper up front.

Don't just give it to QT when the smaller shop has risked offering a lower price up front only to lose the sale because QT lowered their price to match it. The smaller shop deserve the sale IMHO.

that’s fair.

 

[mrblaine]

my point is you're living in a fantasy world,

Not really. Some folks are able to construct their life so a simple flip phone works just fine. Everything else is fluff.

 

[Apparition]

my point is you're living in a fantasy world, one in which (for my adventures yesterday) instead of a simple iphone I should have brought a regular cell phone to make/receive my business calls, a camcorder to videotape the wedding, perhaps a digital camera to take the photos, an ipod to drown out the Costanza-esque chatter of my parents for the 2 hour round-trip, a laptop to receive/send the emails, and finally a Garmin gps unit to plug into my dad’s car to get us all to the blessed event? The more I think about it you're right, that does sound a lot easier

And your insistence that an iphone somehow accomplishes these tasks on a 'sub-par' basis is nothing short of laughable. But since you 'won't own one, never will & probably develop hives if you touch one' you wouldn't know that. I had all those 'dedicated devices' back when we had no choice, it's all the same bullshit wrapped in larger individual plastic packages.

That fact that you believe you can do the multitude of functions an iphone can accomplish with a pile of 'dedicated devices' and do them more conveniently for less money and therefore better is great for you, delusional, but great.

I'm really curious so may I ask are there special over-sized cargo pants with pockets big enough to carry all of this crap or do you opt for some sort of hipster over the shoulder carry bag?

I had a guy that worked for me who would constantly complain about the Mall of America, he despised it.

One day I asked, how many times have you been there.

His answer - zero

 

[Zorba]

my point is you're living in a fantasy world, one in which (for my adventures yesterday) instead of a simple iphone I should have brought a regular cell phone to make/receive my business calls, a camcorder to videotape the wedding, perhaps a digital camera to take the photos, an ipod to drown out the Costanza-esque chatter of my parents for the 2 hour round-trip, a laptop to receive/send the emails, and finally a Garmin gps unit to plug into my dad’s car to get us all to the blessed event? The more I think about it you're right, that does sound a lot easier

And your insistence that an iphone somehow accomplishes these tasks on a 'sub-par' basis is nothing short of laughable. But since you 'won't own one, never will & probably develop hives if you touch one' you wouldn't know that. I had all those 'dedicated devices' back when we had no choice, it's all the same bullshit wrapped in larger individual plastic packages.

That fact that you believe you can do the multitude of functions an iphone can accomplish with a pile of 'dedicated devices' and do them more conveniently for less money and therefore better is great for you, delusional, but great.

I'm really curious so may I ask are there special over-sized cargo pants with pockets big enough to carry all of this crap or do you opt for some sort of hipster over the shoulder carry bag?

Why do I need to carry "all this crap"? The cameras are the only thing I lug around when needed. And if you think a smartphone is really as good or better than a dedicated device, you're not in a fantasy world, you're deluded. Again, I bought a tablet to find out what the whole experience was all about - and it sucks - even though a tablet is marginally better than a phone as it has a larger screen. How many computers have YOU designed? How much software have YOU written? A smartphone ain't it. Crippled, a pain in the ass to deal with, and expensive. A luxury status symbol gadget. You want to subject yourself to this, and pay for it - that's OK by me, I don't care. Not my problem as long as you don't subject me to it.

What gets my goat is the entire planet is now catering to these fucking things, to the detriment of everyone. You can't buy an automobile without the exact same sub-par experience grafted into the middle of the dashboard; I get stuck behind smartphone idiots in line with "digital tickets" that take 3X the time to scan rather than just handing in a paper ticket and going on, idiots with "Apple Pay" screwing around with their precious device rather than simply sticking a card into a slot and going on, and we certainly won't discuss the idiots texting (another sub-par technology) or otherwise fooling with their device while driving, walking, etc. Nor the "expectation" that everyone has one to start with, which has caused problems for a lot of people of late. But let's definitely not forget not being able to see anything at events or scenic areas because all you can see is a sea of smartphones being held up - because their cameras don't have viewfinders so blocking everyone's view is the only way to see what you're taking a picture of. Riiiiiight. I've taken enough pix with other people's phones - another pain in the ass as far as I'm concerned. When you're used to a good tool, a jack of all trades/master of none doesn't cut it.

How many threads do we have right here on this very forum regarding how to mount or otherwise deal with these things that might as well be grafted to people's heads? You want to run Gaia? Get a cheap tablet for $60, and mount that. You'll never forget it, it'll always be there, its battery will never run down if you connect a power cord, it'll be larger thus more viewable/usable, it'll last you more than 2 years, it has no monthly subscription costs, and it didn't cost you $1,200. Easy and cheap to replace if it dies, or gets broken/stolen. Its even a good use case for a touch screen (as is the Garmin)! This is something I may even end up doing if/when the Garmin that's already in my Jeep proves to be sub-par for offroading. Dedicating it to a single purpose and leaving it there.

Smartphones are a plague on society, heartfelt curses on Steve Jobs for ever inventing the damn thing. I wish I had a nickel for every time I've been held up or otherwise inconvenienced by somebody else's smartphone...

Thank you for the opportunity to really crystalize my thoughts on the subject.

 

[Zorba]

Not really. Some folks are able to construct their life so a simple flip phone works just fine. Everything else is fluff.

Yep - or a better word than fluff would be "bullshit".

 

[Zorba]

Hmm, carry one item that can do phone calls, text messages, pictures and video, email, internet browsing, navigation, calculator, calendar organizer, alarm clock, music player, and in a pinch a flashlight.

Or carry around all that crap separately. Is a real computer better for internet browsing, sure, when I'm at home. Is a real flashlight better for looking around in the dark, sure, if I've got one around. Does a DSLR take better pictures, sure, if it's an important event such as family pictures or holiday gatherings. But for everyday mundane tasks where good enough is all you need then a modern smartphone is a handy convenient tool while on the go.

This is at least a more balanced viewpoint. Point is, I don't need all that crap "on the go" (and most people really don't, they just think they do) - and even if I did, I wouldn't want to pay for it nor deal with the pain in the ass experience of using the thing. Lots of people on this forum carry lots of tools when they go wheeling - it'd be like suggesting carrying a Gerber or a Swiss Army Knife to replace them. Sub par at best, but at least a Gerber doesn't cost $1,200 or carry a monthly subscription cost.

Hell, even my flip will do much of the above - other than the camera, I've never even bothered with it. I have much better tools for those jobs.

 

[L J]

 

[Westtown Willy]

Why do I need to carry "all this crap"? The cameras are the only thing I lug around when needed. And if you think a smartphone is really as good or better than a dedicated device, you're not in a fantasy world, you're deluded. Again, I bought a tablet to find out what the whole experience was all about - and it sucks - even though a tablet is marginally better than a phone as it has a larger screen. How many computers have YOU designed? How much software have YOU written? A smartphone ain't it. Crippled, a pain in the ass to deal with, and expensive. A luxury status symbol gadget. You want to subject yourself to this, and pay for it - that's OK by me, I don't care. Not my problem as long as you don't subject me to it.

What gets my goat is the entire planet is now catering to these fucking things, to the detriment of everyone. You can't buy an automobile without the exact same sub-par experience grafted into the middle of the dashboard; I get stuck behind smartphone idiots in line with "digital tickets" that take 3X the time to scan rather than just handing in a paper ticket and going on, idiots with "Apple Pay" screwing around with their precious device rather than simply sticking a card into a slot and going on, and we certainly won't discuss the idiots texting (another sub-par technology) or otherwise fooling with their device while driving, walking, etc. Nor the "expectation" that everyone has one to start with, which has caused problems for a lot of people of late. But let's definitely not forget not being able to see anything at events or scenic areas because all you can see is a sea of smartphones being held up - because their cameras don't have viewfinders so blocking everyone's view is the only way to see what you're taking a picture of. Riiiiiight. I've taken enough pix with other people's phones - another pain in the ass as far as I'm concerned. When you're used to a good tool, a jack of all trades/master of none doesn't cut it.

How many threads do we have right here on this very forum regarding how to mount or otherwise deal with these things that might as well be grafted to people's heads? You want to run Gaia? Get a cheap tablet for $60, and mount that. You'll never forget it, it'll always be there, its battery will never run down if you connect a power cord, it'll be larger thus more viewable/usable, it'll last you more than 2 years, it has no monthly subscription costs, and it didn't cost you $1,200. Easy and cheap to replace if it dies, or gets broken/stolen. Its even a good use case for a touch screen (as is the Garmin)! This is something I may even end up doing if/when the Garmin that's already in my Jeep proves to be sub-par for offroading. Dedicating it to a single purpose and leaving it there.

Smartphones are a plague on society, heartfelt curses on Steve Jobs for ever inventing the damn thing. I wish I had a nickel for every time I've been held up or otherwise inconvenienced by somebody else's smartphone...

Thank you for the opportunity to really crystalize my thoughts on the subject.

Zorba I have no idea what you do for a living but I run a paperless office & due to HIPPA & many other legal constraints can only communicate with courts, providers & other offices I deal with (and transfer secure protected data) electronically, also integral for investigation purposes are cameras, videos, emails & internet access which are a non-stop necessity, often when I’m not expecting it, as they are for a great many folks out there. Perhaps when I retire I’ll become a cobbler & I can then retire my iphone at the same time, but until then…

You keep talking about how you don’t want to endure a ‘sub optimal’ ‘experience’ performing any of these functions on an iPhone because it does them so poorly. Yesterday I received an email from opposing counsel about a case I’ve been trying to settle before an imminent statutory filing deadline. I touched the ‘reply’ button, then typed in “name, if you can get me X dollars more we have a deal”, then I touched ‘send’. About a half hour later I received a confirming email and that case was put to rest. Now had my brother gotten married on a Saturday like a normal person it wouldn’t have been an issue I dealt with at this blessed event, but this was in the middle of a work day so I had to juggle both. This transaction took my attention away from the festivities for maybe 30 seconds. Please explain to me just exactly how that was a ‘sub-optimal’ email experience poorly performed by a useless iphone? Using your methods I suppose I would have had to intuitively know I received this email, excused myself to the parking lot to retrieve my laptop out of the trunk, logged on, drove around for 10 minutes to snag a Wifi signal, then sent the same email to (name). Granted that method would have worked also, but on what planet would that have been a ‘more optimal’ email experience for me?

Some folks are able to construct their life so a simple flip phone works just fine.

for some folks that is absolutely true but I, and a great many other folks in the 21st century, aren’t in that group. Could I squeeze myself into that life, I'm sure I could, but it would make things orders of magnitude more difficult for me. And more expensive. If you read the entire exchange between myself & Zorba I’m merely addressing the assertion that all of the functions a smart phone can perform can be done better and cheaper with a pile of dedicated devices, a very specific and silly assertion that has nothing to do with using, needing, not needing or the general frivolity of these functions.

View attachment 276053

Not until @Zorba gives us the final verdict on these most important issues

 

[mrblaine]

Zorba I have no idea what you do for a living but I run a paperless office & due to HIPPA & many other legal constraints can only communicate with courts, providers & other offices I deal with (and transfer secure protected data) electronically, also integral for investigation purposes are cameras, videos, emails & internet access which are a non-stop necessity, often when I’m not expecting it, as they are for a great many folks out there. Perhaps when I retire I’ll become a cobbler & I can then retire my iphone at the same time, but until then…

You keep talking about how you don’t want to endure a ‘sub optimal’ ‘experience’ performing any of these functions on an iPhone because it does them so poorly. Yesterday I received an email from opposing counsel about a case I’ve been trying to settle before an imminent statutory filing deadline. I touched the ‘reply’ button, then typed in “name, if you can get me X dollars more we have a deal”, then I touched ‘send’. About a half hour later I received a confirming email and that case was put to rest. Now had my brother gotten married on a Saturday like a normal person it wouldn’t have been an issue I dealt with at this blessed event, but this was in the middle of a work day so I had to juggle both. This transaction took my attention away from the festivities for maybe 30 seconds. Please explain to me just exactly how that was a ‘sub-optimal’ email experience poorly performed by a useless iphone? Using your methods I suppose I would have had to intuitively know I received this email, excused myself to the parking lot to retrieve my laptop out of the trunk, logged on, drove around for 10 minutes to snag a Wifi signal, then sent the same email to (name). Granted that method would have worked also, but on what planet would that have been a ‘more optimal’ email experience for me?


for some folks that is absolutely true but I, and a great many other folks in the 21st century, aren’t in that group. Could I squeeze myself into that life, I'm sure I could, but it would make things orders of magnitude more difficult for me. And more expensive. If you read the entire exchange between myself & Zorba I’m merely addressing the assertion that all of the functions a smart phone can perform can be done better and cheaper with a pile of dedicated devices, a very specific and silly assertion that has nothing to do with using, needing, not needing or the general frivolity of these functions.


Not until @Zorba gives us the final verdict on these most important issues

Because no high powered litigation happened before smart phones.

 

[Zorba]

Zorba I have no idea what you do for a living ...

I'm retired now, but I was a computer and electronics technician and sometime engineer, I wrote software for my living for over a decade, and I worked IT for the last 9 years of my career. I do know a bit about computers, software, and what works and what doesn't. Have you ever sat in on a product usability meeting? They're quite enlightening. As bad as IBM's PC was at its introduction (it was laughed at) and as much damage as IBM - and much later Apple - caused the PC industry, this wasn't a drop in the bucket compared to the disaster the smartphone has brought to IT, the WWW, and the computing field.

Again, I'm not saying you can't do all this stuff on a smartphone, I'm saying they're a pain in the ass compared to a 'real' tool/device. I wouldn't even want to surf this forum with one, much less respond here or certainly not to an email. Damn things suck - the Emperor has no clothes. Yet somehow, people managed to get by without them prior to 2007...

 

[SoCalGlide]

I'm retired now, but I was a computer and electronics technician and sometime engineer, I wrote software for my living for over a decade, and I worked IT for the last 9 years of my career. I do know a bit about computers, software, and what works and what doesn't. Have you ever sat in on a product usability meeting? They're quite enlightening. As bad as IBM's PC was at its introduction (it was laughed at) and as much damage as IBM - and much later Apple - caused the PC industry, this wasn't a drop in the bucket compared to the disaster the smartphone has brought to IT, the WWW, and the computing field.

Again, I'm not saying you can't do all this stuff on a smartphone, I'm saying they're a pain in the ass compared to a 'real' tool/device. I wouldn't even want to surf this forum with one, much less respond here or certainly not to an email. Damn things suck - the Emperor has no clothes. Yet somehow, people managed to get by without them prior to 2007...

I can't help but notice you don't ride a horse.

 

[TJ Jim]

Just got one of my orders from Quadratec. Talked to the fedex driver that was actually a manager of the drivers. He’s on salary working seven days a week because the route drivers won’t come to work. They make more money staying at home than driving their routes. One of two things wrong with this story. The government is paying real good and fedex is paying too little. And we wonder why our stuff doesn’t ship?

 

[Trevlaw]

Just got one of my orders from Quadratec. Talked to the fedex driver that was actually a manager of the drivers. He’s on salary working seven days a week because the route drivers won’t come to work. They make more money staying at home than driving their routes. One of two things wrong with this story. The government is paying real good and fedex is paying too little. And we wonder why our stuff doesn’t ship?

FedEx mainly just contracts out their deliveries to other companies to pass the buck on responsibility of getting stuff from point A to B. A lot of those contractors treat their employees like shit. My friend worked for one over the summer, complete bait and switch from offering a 40 a week job for a flat rate pay per day. They overload them with way too many deliveries, drivers are responsible for loading hundreds of packages onto their truck in the morning, and if you mange to get your 12 hours worth of work done in 8-10 hours for your $150 day, they then want you to go help the other drivers that aren't done for the day instead of going home. There's many reasons why FedEx is one of the worst shipping options.

Amazon at least pays hourly but they have a camera watching you in the truck, if you yawn twice within a certain time period you get sent home for the day.

 

[Rubisohoe]

QT drop ships orders they don’t have a clue if the manufacturer has in stock or not.

 

[Fishtaco]

QT drop ships orders they don’t have a clue if the manufacturer has in stock or not.

Are you sure about that? I get stuff from QT and the international shipping to australia is from one of two US east coast distributor centres even the Chinese junk they sell comes to me via USA which doesn't make sense if they drop ship because China is a lot closer to australia but anything is possible since Covid with distribution and import delays.

 

[Rubisohoe]

Are you sure about that? I get stuff from QT and the international shipping to australia is from one of two US east coast distributor centres even the Chinese junk they sell comes to me via USA which doesn't make sense if they drop ship because China is a lot closer to australia but anything is possible since Covid with distribution and import delays.

Im not saying they drop ship everything, my recent order from them had two out of the three items shipped directly from them. The advance adapter SYE in the order was drop shipped from advanced adapter and wasn’t in stock. I knew this because I originally was going to order directly, but they didn’t have any available at the time. I checked around online and found that QT had them “in stock” so I ordered from them.

I was sent an email from QT saying my order was running behind, when I emailed and asked why and if I could cancel, they said it was a drop ship order and they would check to make sure the manufacturer hadn’t shipped yet before the cancellation.

 

[DuPont]

I no longer use QT as my go to...now I shop everybody, regardless of price, if I need the item. Have gotten product from Extreme Terrain that was in stock with them and not QT. In fact QT kept changing the available ship dates when ET had the item in stock, same price, free shipping. Recently got my LED tailights from Morris 4x4 at a big discount over both QT and ET. Summitt Racing has had a lot of parts in stock, and many at the same price as others. QT has great pricing, but that is easy to do when you don't have to ship at that price because it is not in stock.