Tony and museums (was Xerox Alto..)

On 10/16/2010 02:06 PM, MikeS wrote: [[ At first, I thought this would be one of my very rare "Include the whole gosh darned reply" emails instead of trimming out just the relevant parts, but then, I guess I do need to put a few comments interspersed throughout... see where appropriate... ]] Ah... no, only where their track record seems to be known that said individuals were not capable of dealing with (let alone preserving) historical data & hardware... even I saw that! Admittedly, those that aren't capable, he does highlight (on occasion "to the extreme") but this is *good* information if others were looking to donate their equipment and wanted to avoid individuals or organizations that didn't take good care of donations. Wot? OMG! Say it ain't so!?! I thought the US had a lock on rude induhviduals.... 'course, at times (more times, recently...), I think I happen to be one of them as well.... I'm tired of the pussyfooting & mollycoddling (I hope these terms translate OK to folks who don't speak American) around instead of "saying what is meant" -- If you don't like what I (or ARD by extension) have to say - here's a thought: *don't listen.* The delete key was invented a long time ago for people who don't want to listen... it's your right not to... use it. ;-) In the US we (still.... barely...) have freedom of speech. Some places don't have that. I get that, and I'm OK with that. AFAIK, everybody, no matter where they live, have at least the freedom to *not listen.* [[ snippage of ad nauseum... whatever... ]] He didn't generalise. He did, however, state that after enough bad interactions with clueless individuals that worked for/with museums (and as most in the US are non-profit, they usually take what free / volunteer help they can get, even if said help is clueless and nearly useless) that no museum would have access to his items. In the US at least, that would be his right. As far as I can tell (and IANAS) what chunks of the Magna Carta that haven't been repealed/rewritten yet also say he can do what he wants with his stuff, at least until the Queen changes her mind... ;-) And I've been called an idiot by ARD on at least one occasion (probably much more than that ;-)... why? Because in his eyes, I am. There are a lot of machines I own that I can't do chip-level repair on... On said machines, I'm a board-swapper. I do own machines that he would be reduced to the same level - he chooses not to own those machines. I do. Guess what. As far as electronics repair... and you can quote me on this: "I am an idiot." If I won the lottery tomorrow and could retire & play with hobbies 24x7, I probably wouldn't be able to learn enough about electronics troubleshooting & repair to hold a candle to ARD. (Not to mention chemistry, metalwork or quantum physics...) I'm OK with that. I do better than most, worse than some others. Sterling to doughnuts (Hell, I'd take farthings to doughnuts... yes, I have some, yes, you'd get the better deal!) tho, I probably know a lot more about driving lorry (despite our steering wheels being on the wrong side... ;-) heavy equipment[1], routing protocols, homebrewing and candlemaking... so on those subjects, he's the idiot. ;-) Suffice to say, I doubt he's offended. If he is, he can reply & say so. ;-) Wot? OMG! Say it ain't so!?! We agree on something? ;-) And, for those who say that ARD "keeps all the info instead of sharing" --> he shares with the list everything he can, as often as he can, and as well as he can with the equipment he owns. Yes, he doesn't own a current scanner (partly because he can't fix it at the discrete component level, which I may not agree with but is his right) and may not have high-speed Internet access (again - still his right - I have relatives that just recently got *electricity*), just because his form of help "works around" these limitations, doesn't mean it's not help. He's extremely helpful, even if it's calling someone an idiot. Myself, I've been "helped" in the past by ARD in such manner, and even helped a couple others in a similar manner. ;-) Right. I'd never even heard of a "crowbar" that wasn't used for construction demolition before "meeting" ARD. (I've known him for almost 15 years[2], but never met him face-to-face, hence the quotes) And yes, in those "almost 15 years" I must admit... there has been some repetition. ;-) Amen, bruddah! I must say, that: 1) if you need help, ARD will always take time to help. It may not be the help you "expect," but in the end you should *learn* from it. If you don't, it's not ARD's fault. ;-) 2) This email was typed more & more increasingly under the influence of a magical brew called "beer." Things at the top may seem slightly more logical than things near the bottom, depending on your level of sobriety. ;-) Laterz, "Merch" =-=-= [1] Yes, the backhoe I owned was built in England (JCB) & the owner's manual _was_ in the Queen's English -- first time I'd seen "Anti-clockwise" (versus - 'counter-') and "Dazzled" (when your high-beams / bright headlights are on) in print... ;-) [2] Raise your hands -- who on this list are still part of the "Top 20?" (/me...) ARD is right there... Sellam as well, but he's been quite silent on the list lately[3]... It would be interesting to see Bill's original records to see who were the first to sign up... Is that info even available anymore? [3] As was I in the recent past... much to everyone's pleasure. I ain't dead yet, tho! ;-)