snowblower

Let it snow! This episode finds Tim and guest cohost Mike Velasco talking about the customer experience of snowblowers. Or snowthrowers. Tim relates his newbie snowblower customer experience with the Toro SnowMaster 724 QXE while Mike relates his long history with snowblowers in general and his Craftsman 881730.

In a world where the word "innovation" is all too often misused by advertisers and Silicon Valley snake oil salespeople, the Toro is truly innovative. The light weight, the joystick for controlling the chute, the new design for moving the snow, the nimble handling, and the accelerator in its handle are unlike anything Tim found in other brands and models. Its speed is also impressive.

As mentioned in the outro, the website movingsnow.com is a terrific resource for learning about snowblowers, and thewirecutter.com also had a good review of the Toro.
https://movingsnow.com/2015/2015-toro-snowmaster-724-qxe-824-qxe-picture-review/

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-snow-blowers/

https://movingsnow.com/2017/2017-craftsman-snow-blowers-whats-new-one-best/

We got a bunch of snow.

Neither of our snowblowers would start.

Earl's snowblower ran fine.

North Dakota pipeline.

Tepees and wigwams.

Fact or Crap: One right and one wrong for both of us.

 

Mail Bag:

Two from Char:

1) The good, the bad and the greedy.

2) Signs of the time.

One from Peter:

1) Early results from Wisconsin recount increase Donald Trump’s margin of victory.

One from Joe:

1) Cruel winter could be another blow to pipeline protesters' hopes.

The Rest of the Show:

All email and rambling this week.

The TWiM team explores microbes in snowblower vents on the ocean floor, and cleavage of antibody molecules by a Mycoplasma protease.

Image (right): Photograph of the ‘Subway’ snowblower vent on the sea floor at Axial Seamount, Juan de Fuca Ridge. Visible are white ‘snow’ in the vent and orange floc on the seafloor. Credit: Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility and the University of Washington

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Elio Schaechter, Michele Swanson, and Michael Schmidt.

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, or by email. You can also listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode

• Happy Birthday, Elio!
• In the Company of Microbes
• Snowblower vents (Front Micro)
• Deep-sea snowblower vents video (YouTube)
• Visions 11 cruise photos
• Mycoplasma capture and cleave IgG (PNAS)
• Snowblower image (large)
• Letters read on TWiM 127

This episode is sponsored by ASM Agar Art Contest and ASM Grant Writing Course

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twim@microbe.tv