My Retirement...

From: Wirehead Prime <wirehead_at_retrocomputing.com>
Date: Sat Aug 8 09:54:18 1998

A few people have asked what's the deal? Didn't I retire from collecting
antique computers?

Well, I did part with some Tandy and Commodore equipment. Had some
offers for some other equipment. There was one piece of equipment I got
paid for and only just got around to sending out (variety of reasons, not
JUST laziness).

But some of my ham buddies got me involved in some packet radio
projects. So that got me back into the mindset of electronic equipment.

So, my wife catches me out in the garage one day sitting on a folding
chair staring at the PDP-8is (it's an environmentally controlled garage
attached to the house so don't worry) and the 11/84 and the 11/34.
She asks me, "How are you going to get them downstairs?" and without
thinking I say, "I'm not sure...I think I'll have to disassemble them and
have you help me take them down in pieces." She knows me pretty well.

So I guess I'm unretired. Sometimes everyone needs a break to get some
perspective or something. My new job isn't NEARLY as time-consuming of
my personal time and the business I started requires only 15 hours per month.

On other, more relevant notes, I saw an AT&T 3B2/400 with full manuals
and disks at PHDARA (Kansas City Hamfest) a couple weeks back for $40.
But I'd already spent my alottment of cash on a 2 meter rig and
associated hardware I required. I was going to get the guys number but
someone finally bought it. :-/

My boss used, until about a month ago, an Apple IIgs for his accounting
system. He said it was more powerful, flexiable and reliable than any of
the various PC or Mac accounting software he'd tried. It's still running
but the book-keeper is doing double entry into the old system and the new
system (SickBooks...er...QuickSand...er...Quickbooks! =)

At any rate, he has PILES of Apple II stuff in his backroom that he said
he'd give me as I demonstrated SOME use for it. He's also going to give
me some sort of HP LaserJet (4P perhaps?) that he says just gives an
error and won't even try to print anything. Interesting... =-)

Tomorrow I'm going to the hamfest where I almost ALWAYS go home with
interesting old antique computer bits and pieces. 3 or 4 years ago it
was S-100 boards, last year it was 8" diskettes (lots of them some new).

At any rate, I've been able to clean out my basement and make space for
the PDPs down here and have had an opportunity to install 10baseT
EVERYWHERE. This is one wired-up house!

Anthony Clifton, KC0CUE
Received on Sat Aug 08 1998 - 09:54:18 BST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Fri Oct 10 2014 - 23:30:43 BST