The desk has arrived - WAS: Somewhat OT: Freighting Items

[Fred Cisin]

On Tue, 22 Sep 2015, Ali wrote:
> http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/878/retro-scan-of-the-week-the-official-ibm-pc-desk

I likde those.

I gave three of those to the college for use as classroom machines.

I had gotten them for next to nothing, because they were sized for 5150, 
not 5170.  I made spacers to raise the top panel to fit a thicker machine, 
and put much larger casters on them, for door thresholds, a tiled hallway, 
and the inevitability that they would be rolled over cords.

With a relatively small monitor on top, it provided a comfortaqble podium 
and computer table for teachers to use while lecturing.


A few years later, our department chair at the time (PhD from UCBerkeley) 
came running into the lab, squealing, "WE'RE GETTING SUNS!" WE'RE GETTING 
SUNS!"  She had been informed that at the loading dock, there were three 
"Multimedia Workstations" for us.  NO, we never got any Suns.  The 
"multimedia workstations" turned out to be open 3x6 foot computer desks on 
casters.  THOSE were to be our new classroom computer tables!  too deep, 
too wide, not tall enough to use while standing, . . .  They chucked the 
IBM workstations that I had given them (three just like yours) into 
dumpsters.  Why did I even bother?

One of their new classroom/demo machine tables had big rubber wheels, that 
wouldn't turn easily.  They were almost ready to junk it, because their 
"support staff" didn't know that pneumatic wheels needed to be inflated. 
I pumped them up.


--
Grumpy Ol' Fred     		cisin at xenosoft.com