Much to Do About - Everything - Transportation

From: Brett <danjo_at_xnet.com>
Date: Wed Jul 23 18:12:36 1997

On Tue, 22 Jul 1997, Sam Ismail wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Jul 1997, Brett wrote:
> > days. It might take months to sort it all out. If the first guy spends
> > $200 on a truck and $100 on gas - so what - if he comes back with 30
> > boxes thats what $10 each? We got it as far as Washington or Oregon! The
> > next guy spends $60 bucks on gas in his station wagon - ok - he gets 6
> > boxes and it comes to another $10. We would be in Idaho, Utah or
> > California! The #1 guy gets to meet Tim - an honor in itself - but only
>
> So what happens to the guy in Maine? Does he get to pick up the
> accumulated $600 in transportation charges that the others before him
> incurred?

I am suprised every time I put (what I thought was) simple math on the
Internet 8-) 10 hours of driving at about 50mph gives you 500 miles.
This is a two way trip so you get 250 8-) Now there are two trips. One to
get and one to get rid of. That's a total of 500 miles and $20 bucks (as
an average) Ten total trips gives you about 5000 miles and gee $200
dollars AT MOST. Last time I looked at a map 8-) 5000 miles gets you from
Alaska to Florida - am I confused? If you do NOT wnat to do it - DON'T -
that's simple. But if I was driving thru on Thursday night and had the
last known working Cray - I don't think I stop by your house either 8-)
I'd go straight home 8-) The trips don't have to be done until it is
economically feasible and the intermediate has suffucient storage. Why
drive from Chicago to Minneapolis for ONE box - make it worth your while!

> > really spent a weekend of time - he also gets some hardware of doc or
> > boards or whatever - if he wants any - and if you set it up so the next
> > crew is there to unload him - even better! In one weekend we could be
> > almost a quarter across the US with some of it already delivered. The next
> > weekend or even a month later (depending on storage 8-) the next leg goes.
>
> Does everyone here have the time to retrieve, sort, re-package and
> transport equipment in this manner? I hate to speak for everyone, but I
> doubt it.

If you don't have the time or the inclination - DON'T! And no Sam, I don't
think you talk for everyone here 8-)

> > Finally, everything gets delivered. Maybe the East Coast pays $10 for 10
> > trips - it's still only $100 for a personally delivered/pickup computer
> > within 8-10 hour drive. So what if it took 2 months to get there?
>
> You're forgetting the fact that the equipment still had to make its way
> to Maine, accumulating the transportation charges the entire way. I
> wouldn't expect anyone to extend me that charity.

No Sam I guess you don't. Others however think it nice to have an excuse
to fire up that old Army Duece and a half and go on a wild weekend of
cruising at the speed limit to save something for someone else, meet new
people, draw looks of amazement as wierd boxes and books get exchanged at
the local K-Mart parking lot.

> > Isaac and I have had a vision 8-) of a group of pickups and trailers all
> > meeting in a cornfield in Nebraska with the associated "Chinese Fire
> > Drill" of people running around sorting out shipments and maybe having a
> > campfire or pot-luck dinner! God what a life it could be! You get to do
> > a nice weekend drive - meet friends with the SAME interests as you - have
> > a nice talk - do some drinking maybe and then back to the real world by
> > Monday! Who could ask for more out of life? During the week set up to do
> > it all over again, sort some shipments - meet people closer to you who can
> > make it as a evening trip or even an overnighter. Poor over the docs you
> > *said* you didn't want but - damn - that looks interesting.
>
> This would be nice, but again, its a matter of time and money. I and I
> would expect others in this busy world have plenty to do on weekends as
> it is. This hobby is not my life. It is a hobby.

Well, some of us don't have a life 8-) And then some of us USE our hobby
to do something that we normally wouldn't do in the first place.

BC
Received on Wed Jul 23 1997 - 18:12:36 BST