The Zoom H4

So after pondering, discussing, reading reviews, and asking a friend with lots of audio-engineering friends, I decided to buy this unit. Froogle turned up a price of $250, although most places were charging $300. I decided to call J&R who are one of my favorite sources of electronic equipment and see if they'd price match.

The very nice fellow on the phone asked me where I'd seen the better price, entered their URL into his browser, and told me that it was showing $300. So I fired up a second browser tab, went to their site and did a search, and sure enough, it was $300. Obviously they were reporting a lower price to Froogle and tracking the click-through.

So the J&R rep told me to email him the URL I was using, which had my session ID in it. Sure enough, when he tried that link, it showed him $250, and he was able to price-match it.

Kudos to J&R for having people savvy enough to understand what was going on and being able to do the right thing. Did I mention that they're one of my favorite retailers?

The Zoom H4

So after pondering, discussing, reading reviews, and asking a friend with lots of audio-engineering friends, I decided to buy this unit. Froogle turned up a price of $250, although most places were charging $300. I decided to call J&R who are one of my favorite sources of electronic equipment and see if they'd price match.

The very nice fellow on the phone asked me where I'd seen the better price, entered their URL into his browser, and told me that it was showing $300. So I fired up a second browser tab, went to their site and did a search, and sure enough, it was $300. Obviously they were reporting a lower price to Froogle and tracking the click-through.

So the J&R rep told me to email him the URL I was using, which had my session ID in it. Sure enough, when he tried that link, it showed him $250, and he was able to price-match it.

Kudos to J&R for having people savvy enough to understand what was going on and being able to do the right thing. Did I mention that they're one of my favorite retailers?

(no subject)

Time Magazine, of all people, writes this about the efforts to repair the ramp leading up to the Temple Mount:

Muslims also say that the excavations will also be destroying chunks of their religious heritage, but Israeli archeologists and Palestinian workers on the site are clearing away every stone and pottery fragment with the precision of surgeons. Not that it matters. Throughout the Muslim world, the Israeli excavations adjacent to al-Aqsa are being portrayed as sacrilege, as another blow by Israel and, indirectly, by its ally America, against Islam. For the last three days, the story has topped headlines and news broadcasts throughout the Muslim world.

Given the well-documented efforts by the Waqf to destroy any archaeological evidence on the Temple Mount that links the site to Jewish history, ya gotta admire the chutzpah even as one fears for the future.

(no subject)

Time Magazine, of all people, writes this about the efforts to repair the ramp leading up to the Temple Mount:

Muslims also say that the excavations will also be destroying chunks of their religious heritage, but Israeli archeologists and Palestinian workers on the site are clearing away every stone and pottery fragment with the precision of surgeons. Not that it matters. Throughout the Muslim world, the Israeli excavations adjacent to al-Aqsa are being portrayed as sacrilege, as another blow by Israel and, indirectly, by its ally America, against Islam. For the last three days, the story has topped headlines and news broadcasts throughout the Muslim world.

Given the well-documented efforts by the Waqf to destroy any archaeological evidence on the Temple Mount that links the site to Jewish history, ya gotta admire the chutzpah even as one fears for the future.