Dumpster stories!

From: Geoff Roberts <geoffrob_at_stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au>
Date: Thu Feb 10 21:52:09 2000

----- Original Message -----
From: John Wilson <wilson_at_dbit.dbit.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2000 8:29 AM
Subject: Re: Dumpster stories!

One of the big auction houses that handle a LOT of ex-govt stuff in Adelaide
S.A. is
Evans & Clarke. After their computer/office eqpt auctions, they ENCOURAGE
people to
take stuff from the dumpsters they provide for patrons to ditch stuff they
don't want out of a batch.
(sometimes you buy a pallet of cruft to get a single item you really want,
usually for minimal money)
I got a Webster Multiport to let my Macs talk to my Netware server and the
internet because it was
in a batch of junk that went for $5 along with a printer that was all the
buyer really wanted.
(He gave me the Multiport - he didn't know what it was and had no use for it
when I told him)
I got a big shock when I found it was worth serious money.
E&C have no problem with people snatching whatever they like out of the
dumpsters afterwards,
as they are paying money to get it taken to a landfill/scrapper otherwise.
Sensible. I have some monitors
(Sampo 19" hires mono) that the Multiport guy saw them in the bin, asked E&C
if he could
take one, and was told to go for it and take all he wanted. So he grabbed
half a dozen, and I wound up
with a few. The big lead smelter here are a bit tougher, you need a
business name, (I have one)
and you needed a s/h dealers license (until the govt scrapped them) and have
to go through
their salvage section to find stuff you want. But you can get it very
cheap, I picked up some useful
DEC stuff that way. (my first Vaxen - a 6310/8530 HSC based cluster came
from this mob)

> The reporters present these incidents as
> if they're tragedies but ya just gotta laugh, Darwin would be so proud.
> Yet people always want to find someone else to blame.

(One of) Heinleins Laws :- Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.

Verbum Sap.

Cheers
Geoff Roberts
Computer Systems Manager
Saint Mark's College
Received on Thu Feb 10 2000 - 21:52:09 GMT