How Much Time Did That Take?

Part of my job as National Sales Manager for Autopartstomorrow.com is to continuously find and post relevent data to our blogs, Facebook and Twitter accounts. It works sort of like a programming director at a network who needs to place (sell) advertising space for shows that will highlight the programming but not conflict with it (Think feminine hygiene products on an MMA title bout broadcast?).

I have shared a few techniques for how I manage this task as quickly and efficiently as possible, but I still get a hard time from the guys around here for "surfing the internet" all day. When I run across videos such as this one, or some of the infamous world record dominoes stacking videos, I feel it is my duty to point out how inefficient the world really is. If you want dynamic, noteworthy, exciting, new and different... it is just going to take some time.

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P.S. You didn't really buy that did you? My boss certainly didn't ... HA!

Car Restoration Culture

This past weekend I attended a drive in car show at a local Home Depot and then the next day went to a Memorial Day parade that also included dozens of older classic vehicles, starting with a Wells Fargo horse drawn wagon! I find myself more drawn to the one of a kind modified vehicles. The imagination and art that goes into those cars, even the Rat Rods, continues to amaze me. At some point you run out of the specialty big block, numbers matching meticulous restorations and you begin with the "put it together with what you can get" cars. I for one am thankful for the retromod and Rat Rod movements because they are saving some of the amazing metal sculptures of the past. There is no telling what you may see next!!

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How Does a Car Differential Work?

Commonly called the "Rear End" in cars with rear wheel drive, this video does a great job of explaining the basics of how this complicated mechanism works.

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Custom Lamborghini

Do yourself a favor and visit this unbelievable website about a crazy man who custom fabricated this entire Vehicle from scratch! It is not a kit car or a restoration, it is a hand built, from the ground up, masterpiece. The most amazing part is that he built it in his basement, which had no outside entrance. I won't tell the whole story here, but I think you will enjoy his story.

The Bull in the Basement

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P.S. This is a Lamborghini that we actually have auto parts for! It might even pass my total cost of ownership algorithm...

Does Beauty Automatically Mean More $

I was having a discussion the other day with a fellow car guy and we brought up the obvious correlation between beautiful style and a high price tag. Case in point, check out the new Bugatti 16C Galibier in the pictures. I don't know the price tag, but I expect it will be out of most of our range. While I somewhat understand the why, I also believe that there is a huge opportunity there for someone who could set aside their greed for the pursuit of volume. Ford figured out how to do it in the 60's when they released the Pony sized Mustang. I might add here that their success has carried that company now for decades.

I see the Korean manufacturers are now utilizing that same formula with the new offerings from KIA and Hyundai. Their new base model vehicles do not look basic at all. Combine that concept with the 40 MPG number that they seem to be hitting with many of their cars and I think we are seeing the groundwork being laid for a long and successful future. Domestic manufacturers are doing a good job, but they need to take notice of this trend and show us an econo-box that elicits the kind of love and loyalty that the Mustang did in the 60's.

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"I Didn't Get My Confirmation Number?"

We get this question a few times a day from confused auto parts customers that call in to check on their order. We certainly understand that it could be a concern, especially if your vehicle is broken down. Although we don't want to claim 100% up time, it is very rare that our system has an issue that might cause a problem with the confirmation e-mail. In almost every case that we have researched, we have been able to track down our e-mail in the customers e-mail spam filter.

Many security software systems are set to filter out any unknown e-mail addresses that send mail with an embedded link. Since our message is trying to give you a research tool automatically after you place your order, it contains a link and may be caught by the process. Please check your Junk E-mail folder first, then feel free to call us and we will be glad to research it with you. We want to make your auto parts buying experience as smooth as possible.

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Why we don't carry EVERYTHING?!

I posted a few days ago about why we don't do special orders for auto parts here at Autopartstomorrow.com. Along that same line of thinking is the process by which we select the parts that we offer for wholesale purchases online.

When a customer is in need of auto parts (GM parts, Ford parts, Mercedes parts, etc.) they would love to be able to log in and immediately find all of the parts they need, at wholesale pricing and delivered next day. That is actually the experience we would like to offer at Autopartstomorrow.com, but it gets a little complicated when you begin to consider the scale of what it would take to stock all of those parts. So what happens most of the time with auto parts stores is they do tons of research on which parts need to be replaced the most, on which vehicles, in what areas... and then put as many of those parts as possible into stock in the areas as close to the customer with that car as possible.

So, as an example, we are much more likely to have brake pads for a 2003 Chevy Malibu than the glove compartment latch for this Lamborghini. Even on that 2003 Chevy Malibu we need to make decisions; we carry 4 different brake manufacturers and most pieces will be available, but we do not carry any of the body pieces or window glass. When you step back and really begin to think of the 10's of thousands of auto parts on every vehicle year, make and model still on the road it would take a parts warehouse the size of Texas.

So, companies specialize to a degree. What we do at Autopartstomorrow.com is focus on late model (1990-2010) service parts (tune-up, brake job, electrical repair, high failure rate wear items, etc.) for the most prevalent cars on the road in the Eastern United States. We stock those parts in warehouses from Southern GA to Northern PA, so that we can get them to you the very next day. Then we make sure our prices are the lowest that can be found so you can repair your vehicle with the very least out of pocket expense possible. We may not have every part for every car, but we will probably have almost everything you need for your car and get it to you fast and cheap every time. It seems to be working as we continue to double in size every few months. We pledge to continue to increase our inventory and keep our price low, so that you will keep coming back and tell ALL of your friends!!

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Morgan Handcrafted Vehicles

Morgan is not a name badge that gets brought up all that often but they are still around, still hand building extraordinarily beautiful vehicles. Click through to their home page for more photos of their amazing vehicles. http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/

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Supercar Overkill

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Great News for the Big 3

It seems that the good news items for the big 3 auto makers in Detroit just continues to roll in. Ford was able to avoid the Federal stimulus money by just squeaking through the worst automotive downturn in decades, and now they are setting new profit records. Dodge repaid over 5 Billion in fed money just yesterday. General Motors emerged from bankruptcy a few months ago and is doing very well. This press release today from GM highlights a major uptick in hiring and production, all in Detroit (and they really need it).

It seems the unexpected windfall being reaped by the Japan Earthquake induced production halt is causing shortages of vehicles of all makes. On my ride into work the expressway passes by several new car dealership lots. One of the fixtures for the last few years was an over the road trailer parked against the back fence facing the road with a painted ad "$10,000 off new F-150 trucks!". This morning there was a banner covering up the "$10,000 off" that now says "We Have / IN STOCK". It is a great thing for the economy and great for us because the more domestic vehicles they are able to sell, the more OE auto parts we will be moving in a few years.

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Thrill and Sophistication

I wrote in a recent post about making car buying decisions based on total cost of ownership, including price and availability of auto parts. You must understand however that my rules don't always apply to my spouse (anyone else understand this?). She has been leaning on me lately to get some sort of BMW. Not a new one obviously (those who know me will snicker here) but some form of BMW that will give the aura of sophistication while also providing the thrill of a true sports car. I mentioned that she could get most of that from the ex-police interceptor I bought recently (there is that snicker again). She said I don't think so...

So I came across this today and I need your help; Which one of these two cars do you think I should get her? (Feel free to do the entire ROFL now)



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P.S. What's with the headlights on the second one. I know in the old days the cartoonist would use that to signify someone was drunk. It seems a little strange to me.

The Automotive Battery

Autopartstomorrow is an internet based wholesale auto parts company. We are publishing this video for information purposes because we feel an educated consumer will be more able to make wise decisions about their automotive repair budget. A well informed customer typically researches many places before they make purchasing decisions. In that environment we find that these customers (you) will choose to buy from us any time we have the auto parts they are looking for.

Although we do not sell automotive batteries because they cannot be shipped via FedEx or UPS, it is still good to be informed about this very important auto parts component. Click this link to go to discoverymedia.com and watch the rest of their automotive repair how-to videos.

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Mad Max Remake?

I was in Decatur, Georgia the other day and saw one of the best accessory automotive upgrades I have seen in a while. The car was a Dodge Challenger SRT that was all black. The windows had been tinted as black as I have ever seen (probably illegal) and all of the emblems had been removed. It had black wheels without any hint of chrome. On the back was a wide but low profile spoiler and on the front was a truck style brush guard, also black. In all it gave the appearance of a driverless, evil, artificial intelligence, vigilante, enforcer car. It pulled in behind me and as hard as I looked, I could not see a driver.

You would have a very hard time not thinking back to the heavily modified Australian 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon Coupe from the movie Mad Max. Then the next thing any red blooded American Male Gearhead like myself would think is "Hey, They need to remake that movie here in America". If you listen to the news we are basically on the edge of social breakdown... Mad Max would make a great movie. I even have a title, Max and Furious 6. I could see a pushed over the edge Vin Diesel, with an eye twitch and a sawed off shotgun. What do you think?

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Can You Special Order That For Me?

One of the questions we get all of the time is, "Can you order that?". Another question is... "How long until you get it back in?". Each of these are normal questions that make sense if they are asked of a normal retail parts department. At Autopartstomorrow.com however we don't do many things in the normal way. Being a pure wholesale auto parts to the public website, we have to remain vigilant to underlying costs. Anything we can do to help automate our process or at least streamline the auto parts look-up and sales procedure helps us become more efficient, and thus less expensive at the bottom line.

What we are is a very large wholesale distribution company spread across several states East of the Mississippi who can sell in stock auto parts out of it's vast inventory at prices that just cannot be touched by our competition. By keeping processes simple we keep them cheaper, and then give that difference back to you in lower prices.

Special orders are great. Who can blame someone for wanting to get that really hard to find AC Delco part for their Corvette at the extremely low price we sell our auto parts for? The reality is that our prices are based on efficiency and velocity and if we accepted special order parts we would need to hire more people and then add those additional costs to our everyday pricing. We would prefer to spend that money on hiring the absolute best parts experts to help you find the right auto part the first time... and then allow you to buy it at the bottom line best price; online, and online only (because that is the most efficient way).

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Auto Parts for an Opel GT

One of my first learning experiences pertaining to auto parts was during High School when I worked at a full service Chevron gas station in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Back then, service stations not only pumped your gas but would also perform oil changes, tire balancing and rotation, and many other full service auto mechanic car repairs. My job was mainly the light service work, oil changes, pump the gas, collect the money and beginning service writer duties. When someone would drop off their car for repair, I would write their information on the ticket and ask as many related questions as possible so the mechanic could trouble shoot their auto repair as quickly as possible. (Remember- No Cell Phones for quick contact) After the mechanic determined what the issue was, he would give me a list of parts needed and I would call around to try to find them and get the auto parts prices.

A local customer had a really cool 1970 Opel GT, baby blue, with a "When I grow up I want to be a Corvette" bumper sticker. The downside was that it was constantly broken down, parked on the curb and waiting for special order parts that might, or might not, help get it back on the road for another week or two. Although it was a beautiful car, I learned that there are just some cars where the repair cost and availability of auto parts make them fall into my "Cost too much to own" category.

It is funny how certain aspects of our jobs make their way into our everyday life. Since that time I have always considered repair cost and availability of auto parts as a factor in which vehicle to buy. It is probably why I now consider a car to be a functional item rather than a vanity purchase. I suppose I would look at it differently if I had gobs of disposable cash, but for now I will continue to buy used cars that are inexpensive to repair... and drive them until it is time to call the wrecker to pull it to the local "Pull a Part" location.

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Can't We All Just Get Along?

I came across this cool picture on crankandpiston.com and thought it would be a good one to highlight our performance friction brake rotors. Unfortunately the "discussion" following the photo as to whether or not it was photoshopped became quite distracting. Then it actually became kind of funny reading these guys get all torqued up about technical specs and heat abatement properties of brake rotors. So I figured I would share it anyway.

All that being said, our performance friction rotors are actually built with several high performance features that allow them to disperse heat quickly, and then the alloy is high enough grade that if they do get to the glow point like in the picture (and they absolutely can and will in racing situations) they will not warp in most cases. That is why Nascar has chosen to use Performance Friction Rotors in their vehicles. They are not the cheapest brand available, but if you want the best, our price is much lower than the competition because we are DIRECT distributors, not resellers. For quality auto parts at a very low price, delivered quick...

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Now That's a Deal!!

If you have a spare 3.2 Million Dollars burning a hole in your pocket you might want to consider this... Or you could buy 100 new 2013 Dodge Challengers. I am not sure they are doing white as a standard color now though... and the new ones probably haven't been ragged out on the race track, but that would be your decision.



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Catalogs for Auto Parts

Many of our parts experts at Autopartstomorrow.com have been in the auto parts industry for over 20 years. I will have been doing it for 15 years next Friday, May 27th. During that time there has been a HUGE transition in how our business is processed and also how parts are looked up. When I hit the call center as a newbie, the first thing I needed was a massive two-level catalog rack to hold all of the paper catalogs so that I could help when a customer needed to find the right part. Today, we have a system that allows us to look up any part we need on the internet. The transition has been a long and sometimes painful one.

The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association is made up of businesses in the market to help service vehicles after they have been sold. One of those facets is the auto parts industry. Many years ago it became obvious that if a standard format for the information needed on an auto part were not developed, it would be nearly impossible to have a quick and inexpensive process for assisting customers. Imagine if every time someone needed parts, the counter man needed to look at different web sites, in different formats, and not tied into their inventory... it would be chaos.

The A.A.I.A., working with leaders in the auto parts field, developed a standardized format and lobbied manufacturers to adopt the standard so that ALL parts could be loaded into one central cataloging system and then easily uploaded onto customers internal operating systems. It has been a long road, and is by no means complete, but we are now very close to having very robust information... long details part descriptions, multiple photos and drawings, application information, associated parts needed, installation notes, etc. All available in the same format for every part. What that does is cut down on costs and look-up mistakes for everyone. It is good for the industry and in the end good for the customer.

The process actually was broken into two different ones to try to get everything a little less complicated. They are now the A.C.E.S and P.I.E.S. programs. Aftermarket Catalog Enhanced Standard and the Product Information Exchange Standard. Behing the scenes it is pretty complex, but believe me... it will make thing so much better for everyone. It is well worth the effort.

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They Still Need Help... OneForYall.com

Need from redpepper on Vimeo.

The tornado victims in Alabama are still dealing with the aftereffects of the devastation. Here is a great opportunity for us all to give a helping hand to our neighbors.

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Are You Sure This is the Right One?

Hopefully when all manufacturers adopt the AAIA catalog standards, look-ups like this one will quit happening...

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Why Didn't I Think of That?

The jack that comes standard in most vehicles is barely high enough to change a tire even if you are on a perfectly smooth and level surface, not to mention it can be confusing to some who have never used one. I myself have jacked up a car, removed the flat, and then discovered that there is not enough lift to replace it with a full size repaired tire... I can see the merits in this design for regular vehicles, as well as many uses for off-roading. Great idea!!

Cheap Classics?!

I am not sure what the reasoning may be but I seem to be seeing a trend towards affordable "classic" cars now available from locations around the U.S.. It probably is a combination of factors; bad economy, the emergence of resto-mod vehicles and newly available restoration parts from overseas, but I am happy to see it. I fall into the category of aging baby boomers wanting a piece of their history (on the very youngest end that is) and we seem to be driving this market. It may even be just a function of the internet making cars that were once a regional phenomenon, now available for purchase worldwide.

Either way, there are sites like this one in Texas that have regional cars at reasonable costs... and they seem to be pretty good deals. I am certainly no expert on what each vehicle should go for based on pedigree, etc.... I just know that I would probably rather have a classic vehicle that is unique for less than $20K than a run of the mill new sedan for $30K. Maybe we need to consider hanging on to those obsolete auto parts for a while longer. We probably do a pretty good job with the older AC Delco parts but I am not sure on the Ford parts. Just call us and we will check the inventory. That's what our auto parts specialists are here for!

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Pause for Classic Cars

Sometimes it's just good to sit back and look at a beautiful car... Plus I'll throw in a link to a place in Texas that has a few more, for sale!

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Solar Powered Marines

This article from WSJ.com highlights some great technological improvements that will translate directly to saved lives and costs for our troops in the field. Click through to the article for the entire story but here are some of the quotes I have lifted...

* Batteries make up as much as 20% of the weight of the 100 pounds of gear a Marine infantryman typically carries.
* Some 30% of all fuel trucked into Afghanistan—at great risk—goes to power personal electricity generators.
* One U.S. service member is wounded or killed for every 24 fuel convoys.
* For some platoons at remote outposts, solar power is all there is.

Thanks to those commanders who have pushed this through as a top priority issue. Keep them safe and bring them home when they are done!

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Jaguar C x75 Will Make Production!

One of the most exciting concept cars from last years car show circuit was the gorgeous Jaguar C x75 Twin Turbine Hybrid. This article from Car and Driver magazine highlights some of the modifications that will be required to bring it to market. The most disappointing will be that the twin turbine piece will be dropped on their initial entry, but Jaguar executives promise they are dedicated to the technology and that it will be reintroduced as soon as they perfect the production version.

One of the things most desirable about the concept was the myriad of propulsion options available. The turbines are actually able to run on many different types of fuel and can be used to power the wheels or boost the charging and electric motors that will be positioned at each of the four drive wheels. It is exciting to watch new technology come on line... it is more exciting to see it wrapped in such a luxurious package.

The one down side may be this quote from Carl-Peter Forster, the CEO of Jaguar parent Tata Motors. "Figure on a seven-figure window sticker when the car arrives here". However, if it were within reach of everyone it wouldn't be so special would it. Sometimes it is good to still have stretch dreams like this one...

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I'm not sure I'd have done that?

There are not many people who would take a new Camaro and power sand off the perfectly good paint job, then drop a very expensive 1000HP engine into it (discarding the newly built 650HP engine it had). But the saying "Money makes people crazy" has been fully represented here in this blog posting from Jalopnik.com. Really, click through to read about it...


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I'm not Stig, but I was here last year and he wasn't...

Now you know where I was last year when I had to go on that "unexpected emergency" vacation week. Do you blame me?

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A Real Car Guy road trip, with a Dodge Super Bee in 3rd gear...

Car guy quotes...

"The tranny seems to be broke..."
"We're getting terrible gas mileage so we rejetted the carb..."
"Honey I just bought a car from a junk yard behind an abandoned hotel..."
"Well, we finally made it."

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Sweetwater Tennessee Car Show

A friend of mine was in Sweetwater, Tennessee this past weekend and stubled upon this car show downtown. While there are certainly bigger shows, with more impressive cars in places like New York, LA and Las Vegas, it remains a part of Americana for the regional car builders to bring out their personal show pieces and "share the wealth" so to speak, so that people on the fringes of the industry can get inspired to find and build their own. The car knowledge and resources that can be built just by talking to these guys about their passion is enormous. Not to mention you might be lucky enough to find one of them needing to move something to free up cash for that next project they have been eying. It never hurts to ask...

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Auto Repair Initiator

So, my last post was about how loud a direct exhaust Mustang race car might be. Then comes along this picture of an urban defense vehicle (Guns don't kill people, road rage rednecks with fully auto machine guns kill people). While I must admit there are times I would like to jump in the back and let loose a torrent of shell casings and maniacal laughter, it might not be good to actually have that ability within reach. It brings to mind one of the basics of gun safety; Don't point at anything you do not intend to shoot. It also invokes that never understood rule where the biggest, baddest guy in any bar will invariably be confronted by a drunk pipsqueak... don't know why, it just happens.

Now let's speak to potential. We don't sell sheet metal, but it appears that the bullets unleashed by this machine gun would penetrate the outer skin of almost any car and damage the underlying auto parts therein. So, if you find yourself in a situation where you confronted this guy for changing lanes incorrectly and find you suddenly have a need for a new radiator, alternator, battery, belts, wires, hoses, etc., give us a call. We have auto parts for sale and I would love to hear the story.

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Isn't there a sound ordinance around here?

Subtle and elegant it's not... In fact I can feel my eardrums being shredded just by looking at those stacks. Still, I bet you would have no shortage of people that would come by just to ogle and talk, and beg you to crank it up. If you are looking for a vintage Mustang race car, check this one out through the link to bringatrailer.com.

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2013 Chevy Malibu

This video from Car and Driver highlights the great steps that GM is making across the board with their new models. While in the past GM may have hit on a good combination and stayed there for eight years or so, it is obvious they have listened and are continuing to refine their popular models each year. Congratulations and keep them coming!!

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Hemi Cuda

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New Car Story Ideas...

One of the interesting parts of being a "Blogger" is the process of researching stories. While some people may find this tedious, I enjoy learning about differing aspects of our industry. While Google is a fabulous tool, sometimes just searching keywords or visiting favorite sites that I have bookmarked can become a bit boring. There are only so many interesting stories that can be gleaned by typing "Auto Parts" into the search bar.

Many of you I am sure already know about this service, but I have just found "stumbleupon.com". While Google is constantly monitoring your internet search habits behind the scenes, it really just uses those to enhance the keyword searches you manually enter. StumbleUpon allows you to enter your favorite categories and then suggests sites that you may find interesting. Click the button, view the site, and then rate it a "like" if it is indeed something you enjoyed. By continuing to use this approval process you will fine tune the data so that hopefully soon you will get a high percentage of "hits".

One note of caution... you may find yourself sucked into the process and waste more time than is prudent. Try it out, let's see how much self control you have.

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Internal Combustion Replacements

Life as we know it will continue to change at ever faster increments as computing power combines with new materials to produce breakthrough technologies. The internal combustion engine has had about a 100 year reign, but this article from Popular Mechanics highlights 6 prototype engine designs that may just begin to encroach into it's near stranglehold on the auto industry. I envision a future with super strong, very lightweight car shells over a computer operated multi-technology drive train. We will be sitting in the back multi-tasking (or sleeping) while we travel from point to point. Are you ready for the change? We may as well embrace the change because it is coming...

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