flea markets & hamfests (was: When did double-shot keytops disappear? )

On Wednesday 21 December 2005 16:24, Jim Leonard wrote: Fort wayne is probaby just as close for you as for me - it's a 2-2.5hr drive from here. Going there once a year is *definately* worthwhile, there's always something interesting and worth the time to drive there, though it may not be what you went to get. I've spent $150 in gas to pick up a $10 computer and not regretted it... of course, that was a computer I paid $10 for, not something that was worth $10 to me. (IBM ES/9000 9121-191, 9343 disk array, and 3270 terminal muxes. Also ended up getting ST fiber junction boxes, and 24 port CAT5e patch panels for $5 each, or less.) I guess. I'm just pointing out there's cheaper places to get them, and it's silly... well idiotic in my opinion... to pay significantly more than than you need to for something (unless it's otherwise special or unique, like a prototype or something). Model M's aren't all that uncommon either, I see them go through Purdue's salvage OP, probably a few per month. Most of those get tossed in the dumpster, partly because I have a few times more Model M's than I have computers to use them on at this point. :) Would you pay 15 times the going used rate to get a new (or NOS) version of anything else that is as indestructible as a model M? :) Pat -- Purdue University Research Computing --- http://www.rcac.purdue.edu/ The Computer Refuge --- http://computer-refuge.org