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

[Patrick Finnegan]

On Wednesday 21 December 2005 16:24, Jim Leonard wrote:
> Patrick Finnegan wrote:
> > Like the Dayton, OH "hamvention", or the Fort Wayne, Indiana
> > hamfest, where the keyboards came from.  Oh wait you didn't say
> > "midwest".  :)
>
> Actually, I'm in SW Chicagoland, but Fort Wayne isn't close (meaning,
> if I have to burn $20 in gas to get a $10 keyboard, something's not
> right ;-)

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.)

> > Or, you could ask the list if anyone has some for sale, and I'm
> > sure you could find "someone" willing to sell you one for $10 or
> > so.
>
> I have plenty; I was just lamenting that there aren't any hamfests
> (or other swap meets of this nature) within an hour of me, and
> because of that, I see no problem paying $150 for something I'd use
> for 20 years.

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
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