Progress report

From: Charles E. Fox <foxvideo_at_wincom.net>
Date: Sun Nov 23 10:12:52 1997

        Early in the summer I got involved with a fellow who is attempting to
start a science museum in Windsor, Ont. and undertook to work on the
computer collection. Following Sam's suggestion I inserted a small ad in
our local weekly shopping guide: "Old computers wanted, working or not, for
museum collection." with my name and phone number. This has been in three
times at about three week intervals, and so far has resulted in turning up
over fifty computers.
        Apparently word is spreading, for I have had calls as much as two weeks
after the ad ran. Also I feel having my name in it is important for it lets
people know who they are dealing with. Also on two occasions folks who I
knew years ago in other organizations have brought me their unwanted machines.
        How one answers the phone can be important. What seems to work best, when
some one asks if I am the fellow collecting old computers, and what kind,
or how old, is to ask "What do you have, and how much are you asking for
it?" In a lot of cases they will say they don't want anything for it, they
just want it out of the basement, and even an XT or an Apple clone might
have a lot of useful parts.
        So far we have turned up lots of XT and Apple clones along with an
assortment of TRS-80s, T.I.s Commodores, Ataris and Timex Sinclairs, but an
Osborne and a DEC Rainbow have come along as well as the fragments of a
Basic 4, a Philips Micom, and a Wang wordprocesser. Also about a dozen
assorted calculators have made an appearence.
        While I keep dreaming of a PDP11, or a VAX, we have to realize that
Windsor, (pop 200,000) is not as fertile a field as you folks have in the
western states.

                                                        Cheers
                                                        Charlie Fox
Received on Sun Nov 23 1997 - 10:12:52 GMT