27 May
2013
27 May
'13
1:16 p.m.
On Mon, 27 May 2013, Liam Proven wrote:
On 27 May 2013 16:33, Dave McGuire <mcguire at
neurotica.com> wrote:
To split hairs, adjusted for inflation $666.66 in 1976 would be roughly
$2,724.41 in 2013, which means $40,000 would be roughly 14.68 times what
he originally paid for it. $40k is still a good bit more than what he
originally paid for it, but not anywhere near a 60x return on his original
investment. That's also not figuring in any upgrades he made to the board
(memory?) or anything else he bought for it (cassette interface? software?
user group fees and dues?). He made money, sure, but it was far less than
a 60x return on his original investment. I think it is probably safer to
say Mr. Hatfield made closer to an 8-10x return on his original
investment, which after dragging the thing around all these years, really
isn't all that spectacular.
What I personally would've done is said,
"Hey look, this is worth a LOT
more than you think it is...I know how to get that money, howabout you let me
do that and we'll split it?" ...THAT is capitalism. Screwing anyone in any
way possible to make a buck is not. That's called "Sleazy".
This is not some "new definition of capitalism". Hadfield made /forty
thousand dollars/ for an old, dead computer that he paid under $700
for. He made SIXTY TIMES what he paid for it.
There is *no* possible definition of being "bilked" for this. That is
like a decent lottery win or something.