9 May
2023
9 May
'23
7:01 p.m.
On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 1:03 PM steve shumaker via
cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
> A mostly similar variation has it that they shipped the unit via Railway
> Express Agency (remember REA??) and as the story goes, it was in
> transit when REA closed their doors unexpectedly and with no warning,
> went bankrupt.
On Tue, 9 May 2023, Sellam Abraham via cctalk wrote:
I don't believe I ever heard that story. Then
again, I'm not sure where I
got "UPS" from. Perhaps just an assumption on my part.
I'm too young to remember REA, let alone having ever even heard of it.
Interestingly, there is a tidbit in the REA Stupidpedia article about the
Altair 8800 prototype:
*In November 1975, REA Express terminated operations and filed for
bankruptcy. During the railroad strike of October 1974, the first Altair
8800 microcomputer was lost. It had been shipped from Albuquerque to
Popular Electronics magazine in New York via REA and never arrived.*
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Express_Agency
Very interesting. So it's now more plausible that a former REA employee
might have the prototype stuffed away in their garage somewhere.
Think of a big brown UPS step-van, but GREEN.
One more hypothesis: :-)
It's still awaiting dellivery, but REA's deliveries are running a little
late. They sent an email just last year, asking for delivery address
confirmation, but the recipient assumed that it was phishing. :-)
I don't know REA's late package algorithm.
Back when REA was active (early 1970s),
If UPS was unable to deliver a package on time, they would do it next,
risking making all subsequent packages alsobe a day late.
If Fedex was unable to deliver a package on time, they would put it at the
END of the queue! That way, all of the subsequent packages would be on
time, with just one package being horribly late. Their advertising was
what PERCENTAGE OF THEIR packages were on time. I had something that
really had to be on time, so I had it shipped to me Fedex. It was a WEEK
late! (so that only one package was late)
Both UPS and Fedex will sometimes falsely claim that they had made a
delivery attempt. Does REA claim to have delivered the Altair?
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred