Well, I called in the experts and finally found out what’s wrong with my dishwasher. The problem is it’s a Samsung. And it looks like it’s going to cost me about $500 to fix. That’s the ballpark cost of a new dishwasher. In the meantime, the repairman suggested I might (emphasis on the “might”) be able to address the hellfire level interior temperatures and leakage by running it on “delicate” instead of “heavy”. Silly me. Of course the “heavy” setting is just for show. If running it on “delicate” yields middling results (ie. doesn’t clean my dishes), he suggests we could replace the temperature gauge (?) at a cost of $200ish – but that’s not guaranteed to solve the problem. It could be an electronics issue which could run upwards of $400. I’m thinking I could probably save money – and plenty of headaches – in the long run by just switching to plastic utensils and paper plates.
So, thumbs down on Samsung. But thumbs up for Navis Pack & Ship (Go Navis | Professional Packing, Custom Crating, Domestic …) that delivered my stuff from Toronto today, including ten fragile supervillain statues that arrived intact and ready for display.
The other day I received an email from a former colleague. Turns out Remi Aubuchon is in town working on his new show, Falling Skies, and suggested we get together for dinner. Sushi dinner to be more precise. Thus, last night, we got together for sushi at the relatively new Ki Restaurant…
It was a terrific evening. Great company, great conversation, great atmosphere, and okay food. We discussed Stargate, life after Stargate, projects past and present, and professional and personal developments.
We called it an early night as Remi had a morning location scout scheduled and wanted to be at his best for the field trip.
Hope he remembers to bring snacks for the ride.
Looks like Remi will be commuting back and forth between Vancouver and L.A. once he’s in production, so here’s hoping we get to catch up again in a couple of months. At which point I’ll try to convince him to swing by for a Falling Skies-related Q&A. Who’s in?
As was suggested in a response to yesterday’s post, I would consider a Bosch or Miele dishwasher.
I’ve had two Bosch machines before. Loved the first. The second was a little bit chintzier than the first, but was still a decent machine.
The Miele we have now is fantastic. It just works. And the interior design (how the racks are designed) is pretty great, too.
A big “whew” on the statues…that is always a scary set of boxes to open.
I have found that subscribing to ConsumerReports.org is well worth it. One of my local TV stations has shown how they go about testing vacuum cleaners, for example, and their methods are actually pretty impressive. Won’t buy any product until I first check out CR’s ratings/reliability on the various brands out there. 🙂
A Q&A would be super.
I, too, and having dishwasher woes. The door spring broke and now the door just falls open when you open it. It was about time to get a new one anyway. A good Kitchenaid dishwasher is $1300 American. You want it to get to 160 degrees to sanitize, not just 140.
That’s what prompted me to get a new dishwasher in the first place. It was gonna cost me just as much to get it fixed as it was just to get a new one. Good luck!!
I’m in for a “Falling Skies” entry with Remi and Colin Cunningham. Joe, I can pass an invite to Colin if needed.
Love falling skies but wish there was a longer season looking forward to a q&a just in case you go shopping for a new dishwasher ge is also a big piece of s#%& so don’t go there underneath all that shiny stainless is a poorly built machine.
Sweet – Remi Q&A on Falling skies…raises hand!!!
It is cool that Falling Skies switched their filiming center to Vancouver.
The food may have been ok…but it does look good.
And, we have to have “waves” to Akemi and the puppies…and Lawren if he is still “house guesting” due to your early return.
gotta find food again and do not have anything great other than oyster crackers …oh, and some drinky poo alcohol beverages…hmmm, that works.
“I’m thinking I could probably save money – and plenty of headaches – in the long run by just switching to plastic utensils and paper plates.”
Bingo! That or put your dogs to use. I’m sure they would love to lick clean every dish you got.
Hi Remi!!! He looks good! He must be glad to see you. He is not giving you stern looks for taking his picture. Nice fly catch, btw.
@ Lou Zucaro – maybe you would be interested in my 22 year old washer? It is very clean, loves to spin in circles, and vibrate. It will go fast, or very slow if you prefer… 🙂
From the Consumer Reports July 2011 Issue for Dishwashers
Ratings for Top 10 Recommendations:
1. Bosch Evolution 500 SHE55M1[2]UC $850
2. KitchenAid KUDE70CV[SS] $1,250
3. Kenmore Pro HE 1317[3] $1,390
4. KitchenAid KUDE60FV[WH] $1,200
5. Whirlpool Gold GU2300XTV[Q] (also a Best Buy) $500
6. Bosch SHX43P1[2]UC $800
7. Whirlpool Gold GU3600XTV[Q] $850
8. Bosch SHE6APO[2]UC $600
9. Whirlpool DU1055XTV[Q] (also a Best Buy) $380
10. Whirlpool Gold GU2800XTV[Q] $650
That is the top 10 recommended models. Samsung had one model waaaay down on the list.
Oooh. Thanks for this. Will go shopping armed with this list next time out.
Love Falling Skies so naturally would love a Q & A with Remi. Nice to see him again. I was very excited to hear he was working on Season 2 because I’m looking forward to seeing what further depth Remi can take the characters, having already appreciated his work on other shows. I tweet with the actor who plays Anthony and he is very excited as well as Remi talked to him about the character’s development.
That sucks about the dishwasher, but I hope Ponytail’s list helps. I’ve always found that I’ll go to the local stores and they won’t have ANY of these. I have a Whirlpool and love mine. I’ve even put my china in it.
Well it’s 12:15 a.m. and I have to be up at 5:00 to shower, finish packing, get to the airport, etc. I’ll likely forget something important. I always do. The good news is my sister goes to bed early (comparatively speaking), and she has a computer, so I’ll still be able to at least check your blog and go on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Anybody else on Google+ yet?
And I’m looking over at my boarding pass still on my printer. I think I’ll put it in my purse right now before I forget it.
Later alligators!
For just being okay, that sushi looks pretty good to me! Yum…
Although eating it right now would be a problem. My mouth is still in misery from dental surgery last Friday. Anytime the bone gets disturbed, Ai Yi-Yi, Yi-Yi! 😥 Heavy-duty horse pills are not stopping the pain, so am off for a follow-up appointment tomorrow a.m. My teeth have given me grief since I was 18 mos. old, so that makes me a poster child for dental hygiene.
“Brush! Floss! Rinse! — Or It’s the CHAIR!” 😕
And sadly, No, it’s not one of the Ancients’ chairs from Stargate Atlantis, either.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Was saddened to hear that Steve Jobs passed away. Have really liked Macs. Loved using them where I worked. Techonology’s landscape, and the way we communicate, changed because Mr. Jobs kept running into hard breaks. Ironically, those trials were the very things that led to the birth of Apple computers, the NeXT company, Pixar Animation, and bundling phone, TV, and internet into one telephone.
In his 2005 Stanford Commencement address, Jobs told stories about how 1) dropping out of college, 2) getting fired from Apple, and 3) receiving a cancer diagnosis were some of the best things that ever happened to him.
In one, he said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life…Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
How much of the world could each of us change….if we followed our hearts and didn’t look back?
~ ~ ~
Here are the 3 stories:
Steve Jobs’ Stanford Commencement address, June 12, 2005
text
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html
video
@ForTheLoveofBeckett I was wondering how you are doing. Sad to hear you are doing not well at all. I hope they can help you tomorrow.
@Paloosa — And where are you? I know you had surgery Friday, too. Are you okay?
@Ponytail thanks for the offer, but although your 22 year old washer sounds fun, it also sounds a bit crazy (the spinning part) which reminds me why I don’t, in actuality, like 22 year olds.
I say just go buy a new one. cause there will be a part to go out next and then you are already in with this repair and still an old dishwasher. and no guarantee to get it fixed. if it doesn’t work right, what’s the point of having it? Which is what I did with my washing machine. It was working ok, but it made all kinds of noise and I found strange spots on my clothes that weren’t there when I put the clothes in, so when I found a model I liked and good price, I asked about availability of parts and repair service and even called some repair people and asked if they repair this model just to see what it would be like if I owned it. good news is that I have owned it for 6 years and no need for service so far. good luck in your search. You need something to keep you busy. JK
Falling skies!!! Love that show. At first I was going to have nothing to do with it as I am not that fond of CG monster shows. But I am a big fan of Noah Wylie so I gave it a try and I loved it immediately. the cast is great, the writing is good, and love all the outdoor shoots. I think Vancouver will be even better for outdoor locations. I am looking forward to the next season.
I also can’t wait for Sanctuary on Friday. As far as new shows this season, I really haven’t found one I really am thrilled about. Pan Am looks interesting. A gifted man has my interest, but I am still not sure how the writing is going to go. so far it has potential, as long as it doesn’t go cheesy. I like Prime Suspect so far, but the smart woman, dumb men thing gets old quick. I am loyal to returning shows that I love and thrilled are coming back. My favs are NCIS, Mentalist, blue bloods, the good wife, Big Bang theory, House, Criminal Minds. Yes, I like procedurals. these shows focus on relationships within the team which makes the shows enjoyable for me. Hubby’s favoriate show is Suits on USA network. I liked it too as it was perfectly cast and the writing was great. You have time now, joe, to flip through the channels and take a look at these shows. what’s your take on the new season?
See Joe? I had no idea about the consumer reports ratings and there’s a Bosch at the top of the list. I know mine is an SHE65 something or rather. It’s been a couple years and I’m sure model numbers/designations have changed since then. As far as I remember, the main differences between the 55, 65, 75, and so on numbers is the amount of sound deadening and different types of interior features(stemware holders, sterling silver racks, etc.). If your good about doing some leg work, you might get lucky like I did and find a store that’s discontinuing the model you want. Could be because they’re no longer carrying that brand or because that model is changing for next year, or whatever. Either way, you’ll save big bucks. My Bosch was regularly $950US, and I walked out the door with it for $670US. It was a win/win if you ask me!
Tip of the day: do the research on the differences between the models, find out what’s available in your area, and shop the stores against each other and the Internet. Most of the big box stores will match the bigger online establishments.
-Mike
I agree with Lou Zucaro; Miele is the best there is…I got a Miele dishwasher and it’s working noe for about 5 years without a problem. My parents owned a Miele washing machine…It survived 20+ years without a problem.
Bosch is number 2 so all good 🙂
But if you want security above all…Take a brand that will provide service nearby 🙂
So he’s working on Falling Skies hey?
Can you ask him to have the writers make the show a little less schmaltzy next season. The show is shockingly sentimental, to the point where it becomes painful to watch. There are whole scenes (and characters… Lourdes… uggh!) that just make you cringe.
We need a disaster show when the protagonists are genre savvy for a change. Falling Skies appears to be set in an alternate universe where no one has ever written, filmed or even considered the prospect of an alien invasion, so all the characters wander around looking doe-eyed and acting completely ignorant of the situation that they’re in (all the while stopping every 10 minutes to have a conversation about their feelings or have a baby-shower or play a friggin’ piano went they’re meant to be hiding from some friggin’ gunmen in a house… please someone kill of Lourdes!).
More jeopardy and less extras wandering in the background looking for something to do and/or looking like extras in a completely different show where their survival isn’t a daily battle. More emphasis that they are fighting for their lives, less family heart-to-hearts when they’re meant to be in a combat situation. More Pope (Colin Cunningham) and less people making idiotic decisions.
Falling Skies is not a good show…
BYE
Big fan of Consumer Reports too, glad someone posted the list!
Also, I’m in on the Q&A.
I have the #1 Dishwasher that Ponytail posted, the Bosch. That model rocks. I was even able to install it myself (after my son helped to unload it from his pickup truck). I found it on sale for a little over $700 plus tax. Well worth it, in my opinion, especially after suffering 12 years with a builder-installed “bottom of the line” model.
Hi Joe!
A bit random question but are u fammiliar with the deus ex games? Since the end of SGU there isn’t a great and dark sci-fi TV-series, and while I do watch Falling Skies and Terra nove they are too family oriented, and I think the story and mythology of Deus Ex would make a great Sci-fi show a lot of people would watch especialy since the last game is so great and. Do you agree? And would that be something the ex SGU staff(Cooper, Wright, Yu ;)) would be interested in doing at some point? ( hypothetical of course)
Best of luck !
I’m in! LOVE Falling Skies.
Oooh Falling Skies Q&A, I’m in. I love that show. Sorry, I can’t give you any dishwasher suggestions. Hope you find something though.
Have a great day!!!
Hello Joe,
thanks for the reference about your transporter because I have two bronzes sculptures to ship to a gallery in Beijing and I ‘m searching for a professionnal transporter !
Tell us more about yours projects
Have a nice day
I have a Frigidaire. It works, hubby is handy enough that replacing the failed door latch wasn’t too big of a chore, and he got the piece of plastic out of the fan recently (!?!?!?). And the screws holding the door together keep coming loose. I don’t use the power dry, it does get too hot. I’m quite familiar with that burny plasticky aroma. Oh yeah, it doesn’t clean heavy baked on food very well. And the racks are weird. First dishwasher we ever purchased as opposed to the pushbutton POS which came with the house. Next time we’ll get something good.
First place we lived in the US that had a dishwasher, I used it to store my pans.
Joe – I looked around a bit and the Bosch dishwashers are rated pretty highly. I think you should next think about where you buy it from due to your issues finding a repairman in your area after the warranty expired. My suggestion is to go to Sears. Perhaps you could call ahead and find out who the most experienced dishwasher sales person is and when they work. Then go in when they are working and grill them about which models can be serviced post-warranty. I have a feeling that the Kenmore models might be your best bet. Perhaps you could also ask them if any models don’t have energy saving features. I’ve seen some on various websites and interestingly they are among the least expensive. Due to the price variances it may be worth considering spending $250 on a low end dishwasher every 2 years instead of $750 every 6 years.
One other thing, I was checking out Consumer Reports and there was a footnote that the ratings might be different from previous ratings on a particular model because they had switched to an active enzyme detergent. If you didn’t have the overheating issue, I would have recommended trying that to see if it made a difference.
Had a wonderful time Joe, and agree about the company and the food. Looking forward to another dinner soon!
I know nothing about “Falling Skies”…hope its not about airplane crashes, but I’ll have to check it out.
@Ponytail:
We’ve had the $500 Whirlpool (#5 on your list) for about 2 years; no complaints…it just works.
I bought it for my wife on our anniversary (it was what she wanted!!!) Barb has done this to me most of our married life; requesting major appliances for our annivesaries and for Christmas. I usually buy her jewelry or clothes as well, but somehow that never gets mentioned.
Among the gifts she has requested and received:
– A carpet cleaning machine
– A new vacuum
– A new dsihwasher
– A new microwave rangehood
– A new treadmill
A conversation we had at a Christmas party:
(Friend of Barb): “What did your husband get you for your anniversary?”
(Barb): “A dishwasher!”
I then get the evil eye from all the wives present. “I bought her jewelry too!” Silence and I’m still getting the evil eye. I start muttering and go off in search of egg-nog.
It’s all part of some master plan, I’m sure, but I haven’t figured out what the goal is yet…
Hey Joe
you should try and get on the team of writters for falling skys would be great thats such a great show!!!! Besides SG of course
Woo hoo, love Falling Skies Q&A! We did the marathon leading up to the big finale at my bro’s, and now my little nephew thinks aliens are real. Apparently his folks have used that instead of the boogeyman and it’s darn effective. Yay for Remi, that is one bitchin’ show.
I’ll be if you check out the comments and reviews for your dishwashers you’ll find many other unhappy owners. I don’t know if I’ll ever own one, I do my best thinking when I’m washing by hand.
Excuse my venting. Long story short, I was given a choice to change shifts yesterday and would get more information today. Today I’m told after work by personnel that I have to choose NOW, and if I don’t change shifts I’m fired…….
All this despite the fact my manager told me I had a choice. On top of that, I would make about 2 dollars less……And be locked into it for 6 months… I might be able to stay where I am, but I won’t really know until I go to work tonight. Believe it or not, that was the shortest possible version I could write.
@ Joe: Looks like it’s time for a new dishwasher. Do your research and read reviews, you should be able to get a decent one.
Dishwasher woes… I remember I was really excited the first time I got a dishwasher. Yes, no more dish washing by hand! Um.. er.. it was more headache than it was worth. For the last few years my dishwasher has been my kids at a soapy sink. Sadly, they are growing up and flying the nest….
Ah, well, think of all that ‘me time’ you could have to come up with story ideas and plots twists as you enjoy the feeling of warm sudsy water, the scent of lemon or lavender or what have you, and the mindless task of cleaning the dishes by hand each night!
Or afternoon. ‘Need to go set a pot to soak and tackle the dishes left from yesterday now. ((waves bye!))
I’m in, just as long as the suits don’t cancel falling skys like they did SGU
You know, this is probably going to be an unpopular comment, but I have to say that I rarely put stock in Consumer Reports. First off, it seems like they almost automatically love anything that Sears does.
My father swears by CR and so a few years back we bought a vaccum cleaner from Sears. It’s pretty terrible. Super-heavy. Just cleans so-so. Doesn’t work great on various carpet pile and hardwood. Yet it was rated highest by CR that year.
Plus, they seem to arbitrarily decide how much money is “too much” for a given product category (outside of the reviews where they segment products by price) and then either rate something poorly if it’s above that (just because it’s above that price) or don’t even consider it.
This is not to say that CR’s findings don’t sometimes mesh with the real world, but I definitely don’t think they’re unbiased or right-on all the time. Often, they’re not even close.
Yay for Falling Skies!
for the love of Beckett: I hope you feel better soon.
It was very sad to hear about Steve Jobs passing away. Even hubby’s company (Microsoft) had a little memorial for him online. Hats off to a man that can start a company in his parent’s garage and change the world.
@ for the love of Beckett – {{{hugs}}} Get better soon! Sounds like a real ouchie!
Dishwashers… – …are EXPENSIVE! 😯 I have a really cheap one for the last 21+ years…it’s a HubbyAid. 🙂
Remi – Is a really cool guy name. Is it too late to name Trevor’s baby?
das
I found this video on YouTube that sums up my opinion on the cancelation of Sci-Fi shows. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpP2Vp786l0
Ponytail beat me to the punch with the dishwasher listings.
hope the next one you get works better.
the cheesecake trio looks good.
I sympathize with your dishwasher troubles Joe. My husband and I almost bought a Samsung unit about two years ago and a worker at Lowes, of all places, enlightened us about the fact that Samsung makes wonderful refrigerators but their dishwashers are real crap. We bought a Bosch and have great results with it. It is slower to run than our old one, though.
Just for you Joe! Disneyland but made by Samsung:
http://www.samsungeverland.com
“Samsung Everland was the first theme park in South Korea and in 2002 was the fifth most visited theme park in the world. “
Just imagine… Everything around you is Samsung! Everything!!
You got to go there 😉
P.S: no its not a joke, its a real place for real:
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Samsung_Everland
I have to agree with the fact that Miele makes a fantastic product. They’re a great company and make some really pretty stuff, too. I’m sure it’s a different situation in Vancouver, but here, they’re hard to find a dealer for their stuff. The place I’m helping out part-time is the only place I know of that sells Miele within quite a large area. The only other dealers I’ve heard of are in SF or LA areas, or at least closer to those urban areas.
Miele has the quality and reliability, but they also have the price. The high price. They’re a touch expensive. But, they also have a dishwasher they installed 20 years ago that they continually run cycles on and it has yet to break. That’s pretty impressive….
Oh, and I have to agree with the comment about CR. Sometimes they’re right on, sometimes they’re off their gord. Sometimes it’s a clear case of bias because they’re not Joe Everyman out there, they’re journalists who work at consumer reports. Not a true sampling base, scientifically speaking.
I especially enjoy when they do the new car stuff and all their “findings” contradict all the car magazines “test results”. Shows how everyone has their own spin on stuff and they all show their true bias.
Joe, just in case you are wondering where Lou Zucaro and Squishy’s Miele Dishwasher was…Consumer Reports tested and rated 55 machines. Miele was:
54. Miele G2143SC[SS] $1,450
55. Miele Optima G2472SCSF $1,900
They wrote,
“Our tough tests using 113 pieces of heavily soiled dinnerware also show that you can spend big on a premium name or pay far less for a bargain store brand and still get soaked.
Two Mieles hit bottom. Dismal washing put the Miele G2143SC, $1,450, and Optima G2472SCSF, $1,900, dead last in our Ratings due in part to clogged spray arms. Miele is replacing those models with redesigned units that include a revised spray arm, which the company says will fix the clogging we experienced in our demanding tests. We’ll report on the new models when we test them.”
Maybe its like when they got mad at Toyota and stopped recommending some of their models until the company addressed some serious safety issues (sudden excelleration). Maybe they want them to realize they are not too big to need improvement.
Ponytail like I said, that’s one reason I don’t put a lot of stock in what CR says…sometimes they get it right, lots of time they don’t.
I don’t have either of those models btw.
All I know is it’s the quietest dishwasher I’ve ever owned, and the dishes come out clean, which is kind what I’m looking for.