Appraisals, value, the "Market" was Re: And $500 gets you...

[Computer Collector Newsletter]

>>>>> people prop up insecurity with the alleged monetary value of their
toys. ... I don't need to have monetary value attached to artifacts I like
to convince others they are worthwhile.

Wow, even though you said "no offense", that's still a heck of an
accusation.  I wouldn't object if it was somehow grounded in evidence.  I
was simply doubting Sellam's definition of "the market" by reminding us all
that we on classiccmp alone are hardly "the market" in question.  I'm
baffled how you translated that into "Evan and anyone else concerned about
the value of their collections must be an insecure doofus."

>>>> do what I can to undermine that... horrible capitalist tendency...

You must be hanging around Michael Sokolov again.  :)

-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org]
On Behalf Of Tom Jennings
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 1:05 PM
Cc: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'
Subject: RE: Appraisals, value, the "Market" was Re: And $500 gets you...

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005, Computer Collector Newsletter wrote:

> I think a bigger problem, and one that needs to be solved first, is 
> determining the size and scope of our hobby.  How can even experts 
> like Sellam say "this hobby, as a whole, is so un/mis-informed..." 
> when we're not sure what that "whole" is in the first place?

No offense meant Evan, or any other proponents of this thread, but I
disagree that we need taxonomic analysis of what's essentially a hobby. To
what end this finely dividing us into categories?

While I recognize that the occasional artifact has intrinsic value, most
artifacts do not, no matter how old, and people prop up insecurity with the
alleged monetary value of their toys. I like and use old computers, but I
don't fool myself that they all have any value to anyone but me and
occasionally a tiny minority of fellow fans.

I don't need to have monetary value attached to artifacts I like to convince
others they are worthwhile.

I fully engage and am comfortable with the need, and simple desire, to buy,
sell and even profit from "fun" artifacts, but I intensely dislike the
commodification of the culture itself and will do what I can to undermine
that.

Commodication of culture is a horrible capitalist tendency. I hope this
stops here.