Julianna Yau’s blog

Disclaimer: this isn’t a paid post, although I am happy to be reimbursed by after the fact…

For the past year, I have been trying to sell my first-generation Nomad Jukebox Zen. Because it uses a hard drive (instead of flash memory) and is considered humongous by today’s standards (it’s about the size of a Walkman), no one would take it from me.

Through one of the 20+ blogs to which I’m subscribed, I discovered SecondRotation. I must admit I was skeptical about it at first, mainly because it seemed too good to be true. It was offering me $50US for the Zen, which was more than I expected to get from it (after posting it with no responses on Kijiji and Craigslist over several months). Subtract the$13 I paid for shipping, and it’s still a good deal.

After going through their price estimate system (which was very straightforward) and selecting my payment option (cheque or PayPal; I opted for PayPal), I printed a shipping label and received an auto-confirmation by email.

The confirmation email had a very puzzling “Expires On” date, which was five calendar days from the issue date.  I didn’t expect the package to be delivered to them by the expiration date, but sent it anyway. I also contacted SecondRotation through their website to ask about the expiration date, but have yet to hear anything back from them. That was the only blip in the communication process.

I received an email about a-week-and-a-half later, indicating that they had received the Zen and would be inspecting it to ensure it matches the description I provided. Oddly enough, the tracking number from Canada Post still doesn’t reflect that the package has been delivered.

Twenty minutes later, I received an email from SecondRotation saying that they had completed the inspection and would be issuing my money in 5-10 business days. That was on a Friday.

The following Thursday, I received two emais from SecondRotation, notifying me that they had sent the money to my PayPal account. I logged into PayPal, and confirmed the money was received.

Total time elapsed: 2-and-a-half weeks, including a 1-and-a-half week shipment time across the border.

Aside from the absence of free shipping for Canada, their main caveat is they aren’t accepting everything yet. I have a basic Creative webcam I want to unload, and although they accept Creative webcams, they don’t accept the model I have. They also accept many cell phone models, but seemingly only models sold in the US.

Now if only they would take my laserdisc player.

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There are merely two days left to send letters and emails of concern regarding the proposed drilling near The Spiral Jetty. If you don’t have time to draft a letter or email, you can use the standard letter from The Spiral Jetty website (PDF warning).

Here’s the email I sent:

RE: Application #8853

I am writing in opposition to the exploratory drilling in Utah’s Great Salt Lake which is being proposed by Pearl Montana Exploration & Production.

This proposed drilling is not merely an environmental concern, but one of preserving a work of land art. A drilling operation in such close vicinity to Robert Smithson’s The Spiral Jetty threatens it physical and artistic integrity. I thoroughly support the concerns of the Dia Art Foundation on this matter (http://www.diaart.org/dia/press/spiraljetty_drilling.html).

The Spiral Jetty has found its home in the Great Salt Lake, but is a work of art to be enjoyed by all. I urge the state to give serious consideration to the detrimental effects that drilling will have on Smithson’s work and on the environment, and to deny this and any future filings in the North Arm of Great Salt Lake that similarly constitute a threat to the artwork and the surrounding environment. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Julianna Yau

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This came through my email today. I’ll be writing a separate post on the preservation of public art. The Spiral Jetty is an earthwork sculpture by Robert Smithson, and is an important work of modern art. You can read more about The Spiral Jetty on the Spiral Jetty website or on Wikipedia. You can also read the news coverage here or view the Facebook group here.

On 11 January 2008, Pearl Montana Exploration and Production, LTD., requested a permit to drill exploratory wells in the north arm of the Great Salt Lake just five miles from Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty. Although the permit was earmarked to be fast-tracked, FRIENDS and others requested an extension for comments from the public until 13 February 2008. Please see below for email addresses for comments and additional resources on the history of this important issue.

PLEASE take a moment to send an email to the addresses below. Comments are due by February 13.

johnharja@utah.gov
mikemower@utah.gov
jjemming@utah.gov

This permit is the first of many possible permit applications for oil drilling near Rozel Point. In 2006, FRIENDS and other conservation organizations successfully halted further development of oil and gas leases on 116,000 acres of the North Arm. Unfortunately, 50,000 acres already had open leases and have the potential for oil exploration and development.

If you would like to read some background information on the issue, additional resources are available by visiting:
http://www.fogsl.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=105&Itemid=1

See also:
http://www.artsjournal.com/man/2008/01/spiral_jetty_threatened_by_ene.html

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