Why? And Dumpster Diving

From: Brett <danjo_at_xnet.com>
Date: Sat Jun 21 22:07:20 1997

On Sat, 21 Jun 1997, J. Maynard Gelinas wrote:
>
> OK folks, I'm a lurker. I've never posted, and I feel ashamed that this
> message will be my first impression for the rest of this lists members.
> Enrico, will you please stop whining and say something relevant to this
> list? I'm a busy man, responsible for an elderly parent and lotsa lotsa
> expensive Sun hardware... my bosses give me little time to play.

Let me know the next time you guys *clean out the stockroom!!!!*
I am sure you can have some of that *expensive* Sun stuff end up
as *worhtless to repair* items after I get done looking it over 8-)

> I'm here to read about Sym's & Kim's, ELF-II's, Altairs, LSI-11's,
> TRS-80's... in short, all the computers I grew up with as a kid and have
> lost because of foolish youth and multiple cross country moves. Can we
> *please* get back to the fun stuff?

Well, if you want, I could tell you all about my KIM-1 and SYM-1, but
ya know, it's not like having one 8-)

> PS - when I was fifteen I built a PDP-11 from scrap parts out of DEC
> dumpsters... I'm sure you can do the same. I've seen this junk at flea
> markets, in commercial basements left by tennants long forgotten, at
> garage sales, in open dumps, on the sidewalk on trash day, and still find
> myself washing coffee grinds off my tee shirts, after a bit of dumpster
> diving, holding some neat piece of old junk I remember.

Ahhh, the joys of diving! We could probably get a pretty long thread out
of this subject! However, most stories will end up being about the
leavings of bodily functions than about neat things we have found 8-(
On that topic tho - I got several radios that way, and all my CGA screens
where arrived at thru various *scrounging runs* in the dead of night.
I can always find some little hunk of an IBM PC that way. And 8" disks.
And broken printers - one of my other hobbies is robotics, and you can't
beat a printer that got tossed for parts 8-) You should also try to stay
informed of regional repair centers. I used to live near a Radio Shack
repair center. If they got something repaired but the person never came
back for it or didn't want to pay that much for the repair - it went on
auction for the repair cost. Most other repair centers do that too.

Also keep an eye peeled for companies that are going under. Like J. says,
check the closets and basements. Just wait until they move out and then
search the dumpster, then afterward, call the landlord and ask to see the
office space *for rent* and see if they left anything behind. Don't get
excited but say you have a friend/relative who might be able to use
*that thing* and pick it up for free right then and there. The guy/gal
thinks they are *bonding* the client/sales connection - HA!

One problem around here is - if it has a waste sticker on it - it is
property of the local government 8-( (So I use the *Midnight Run*)
Better than having to landfill it - right?

BC
Received on Sat Jun 21 1997 - 22:07:20 BST