Dumpster Diving was Re: Washington DC area vintage sour - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

29 Oct 1998

...
 >> Seams to be an attitude of all management -
bann whatever
>> you don't undestand
> I think the attitude of many companies in the UK is "if we wanted to give
> it away we would do so, once we have decided to throw it away it stays
> thrown away". 
...
  Say you ran a company, and being a good collector and
occasional dumpster
 diver, you had a policy that anything broken could be taken home by
 employees if the company decided they didn't want to fix it.  So the
 hacker employees are happy because they get some nice stuff they can fix
 and use in their spare time.  But what happens when employees start
 intentionally breaking things, or worse, pulling small parts out of
 equipment to make it look broke, so they can then take it home and replace
 the missing fuse or chip?  I think that is why you have the rather
 seemingly unreasonable policies about discard equipment. 
Thats the simple way of avoiding any possibility, as far away
it might be. An empolyee like you described could even in 
Germany, where we have very strict laws agains random kickin
of employees, be fired winthin some days. AND will be responsible
for any possible financial loss - Thats a bit like your cracy
pruduct cases. So taking of parts is ok at most companies (with
permission) but using them for profit (no, a single sale at a 
flea market is also not considered profit) could harm you more
than being charged with murder.

...
 > I think with the modern ideas about
environmentally friendly disposal of
> waste it would be appropriate for the local authorities to  turn a blind
> eye to 'scavengers' like ourselves and thus reduce the amount of useful
> stuff which ends up in landfill ;-)   
Of courese - extending the usage of any thing is the best
environmental protection strategy (maybe without suizide),
especialy with wares that used a lot of energy and other
recources to produce - often a lot more in construction then
at any time later - like cars or computers :)

...
  Until one loathesome scavenger cuts a finger off on
some particularly
 sharp piece of metal and sues the owner, the trash company, the maker of
 the trash container for not making it so they could get inside in the
 first place, etc. (at least in the U.S.) 
Yes, and only in the US. Ok, our European product laws
are maybe sometimes a bit week, but the combination of
better rights for the customer and a very junky law system
isn't helpful either.

And worse, if we would bothe get hurt (in the US) I have
to be lucky to get 1/20th of your payment ... American
Courts are somewhat picky about the victims ...

Gruss
Hans

P.S.: A surplus store has some PC-234 printers on sale.
      These are Printers for the TI-74 Basic handheld.
      They seem to be new or at least in very good shape
      in the original box.
      The price is some 85 Mark, so any interest ?

--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK