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MOP
12-27-2005, 02:09 PM
I have been doing an annual thing for many years of going around after Xmas and picking up all the decent looking computers, I clean them up reformat them and put a system on and then donate them to the local charities. I normally find about 12-15 very close by, this years I expanded my search to two adjoining towns. I am totally amazed, I did not find one computer! Did see a couple of monitors but that was it.

Phil

gold-n-rod
12-27-2005, 05:12 PM
Let's see..... most folks aren't buying new computers, cars, boats, bikes, or houses.....

Despite what our government would like us to think, the economy is in the ****ing crapper. Yes, folks spent for xmas, but they always do. Most working folks are worried to death about their January heat bills. Interest rates are going up, wages aren't. Jobs are headed overseas.

I won't hijack this and make it a political thread, but I am fearful for our country right now. :(

chappy
12-27-2005, 07:27 PM
Too late:smile:
Go Spartans
Happy Holidays,
Rich

mrfixxall
12-27-2005, 07:33 PM
Let's see..... most folks aren't buying new computers, cars, boats, bikes, or houses.....
Despite what our government would like us to think, the economy is in the ****ing crapper. Yes, folks spent for xmas, but they always do. Most working folks are worried to death about their January heat bills. Interest rates are going up, wages aren't. Jobs are headed overseas.
I won't hijack this and make it a political thread, but I am fearful for our country right now. :(


A driver is stuck in a traffic jam on the highway. Nothing is moving.
Suddenly a man knocks on the window.

The driver rolls down his window and
asks, "What happened?"
"Terrorists kidnapped President Bush and are asking for a $10 million
ransom. Otherwise they are going to douse him with gasoline and set him
on fire. We are going from car to car taking up a collection."

The driver asks, "How much is everyone giving on average?"

"About a gallon."

gold-n-rod
12-27-2005, 07:52 PM
Too late:smile:
Go Spartans
Happy Holidays,
Rich

Yes, mine was quite a dark reply. Thanks for injecting some humor, Rich! :smile:

All the best to you and yours...... and go Green!

RedDog
12-27-2005, 10:16 PM
Regarding computer sales, the post below from the Vodkapundit (http://www.vodkapundit.com) summarizes the state of the situation very well. With regard to the comment on the crappy economy, maybe some people need to work on their marketable skills - the economy is booming for most people.

Techie Talk
Posted by Stephen Green · 19 December 2005 ·
Has buying a new computer every two or three years become passé? Or worse – pointless?
Used to be, I bought a new desktop PC every 30 months like clockwork. A 486/50 gave way to a Pentium Pro 200, obsoleted by a P3/500, replaced by my workhorse P4/2.2ghz.
NOTE: That Pentium Pro was the best computer I ever owned. Blazing fast by the standards of the time, I sometimes long for it and Windows/Office 95.
After two years, whatever computer I owned became overwhelmed by some new OS or game or something I just needed to own. Six months later, I just had to scratch that itch and buy a new PC. The one I have now I've owned for almost four years. I added a new graphics card last month, and replaced the hard drive – but it's otherwise the same system it was 46 months ago.
When the P4 debuted almost four years ago, Intel made a promise. They claimed the P4 architecture would allow them to "quickly ramp up" to 10 gigahertz. I was salivating for my next computer even before my first-gen P4 arrived. Well, that promised fizzled. By Moore's Law, I should have replaced my 2.2ghz computer with a 4 or 5ghz model – around the middle of 2004. Instead, processor speed topped out at 3.8ghz, a year later than Moore dictated.
And you know what else? I don't miss the speed Intel never delivered.
NOTE: Here's where well-meaning people will tell me to switch to Apple or AMD or Linux or whatever robust OS they used for the Apollo missions. Someday I might still make the move to Mac – but it won't happen soon, and it won't happen because of some comment left here by some stranger.
I think I know what went wrong.
Back before the Internet, all you could get out of your computer was what you put into it. If you wanted something new, you had to go buy it. Now if you want something new, you load up a web page and read it or download it or install it. And for most anything you find on the web, a first-gen P4 has power to spare.
And yet, all that new stuff is still… new.
I don't need a faster PC, because some dual-core P4 won't let me read any faster or listen to any extra songs each day. A faster computer won't make me a better blogger or a more talented digital photographer. A fast computer would let me kill Ewoks with more anti-aliasing – but nice as killing Ewoks is, doing so in sharper detail is hardly worth three thousand dollars. (Although if George Lucas had killed the Ewoks entirely back in 1983, that would have been priceless.)
Anyway, there's a new version of Windows coming out in 2006. Or maybe in 2007. I'll probably need a new computer to take advantage of all the new features I'll probably never use. Same goes for Mac OS/Manx, or whatever it is. By then, my computer will be pushing five years old. Maybe by then I'll want to replace it. Just five years ago, I would have been through two new machines already.
Computers made the internet, but has the internet killed computers?

Carl C
12-28-2005, 07:39 AM
Hang in there Randy. I've had a decent year considering I was the victim of some serious crime recently. I'm a retailer and sales this Christmas were triple last year. Here's a sobering thought; next election we may have to choose between Hillary or Dick Cheney. A lose, lose situation IMO. Mop, keep up the good work, there must be a source for castoff computers besides finding them on the curb.:wavey: (PS Randy, I plan to bring the 22C up your way next spring, we can get together. We are both over 50)

p729lws
12-28-2005, 08:47 AM
I think allot more people are using lap top computers now as the prices have come down through the years. I know I replace my lap tops more often than I do my desk tops. There may be just as many computers in the trash but they’re not as obvious? :confused:

Dan

Marlin275
12-28-2005, 09:37 AM
I give my computers to charity, tax deduction.

mattyboy
12-28-2005, 10:09 AM
Man I haven't laughed so hard in my life, we got it all going for us
from dumpster diving for old technology, to the finacial armegeddon,to setting the head of the free world a blaze like the yule log.

Thanks I needed that

:rlol: :jestera:

sorry I can't get this picture out of my head, mop popping up thru the trash in a dumpster with an old 486 dos pc victorious like blutarksy emerging from the dumpster with the physc final in hand . :rlol:

SORRY I KNOW IT IS FOR CHARITY

joel3078
12-28-2005, 03:12 PM
Phil,

I've been redoing, fixing, repairing, etc. computers for 20+ years. The old ones I redo go to kids typically. What I am experiencing now is electronics have become a throw away item. They are sooooo cheap that consumers trash them. Ink jet printers are 35bucks with ink and Dell sells basic pc with a monitor and the printer for 400 bucks. Free shipping is thrown in many times also. This is now considered throw away stuff! Lots of it not being recycled either. As it is hazardous trash, consumers hide it in their trash barrell to avoid having to pay a recycle fee. This could be a major reason why the old computers are not as plentiful to you anymore.

There is another side to throw away computers. Check out the new Windows XP Media Center edition. Magically the price of this kind of pc is now around 1500 bucks. They come with a remote control and are actually pretty cool.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/evaluation/hardware.mspx
This is cutting edge stuff and not throw away as it costs some jing to get into it. Your computer can now control all of your entertainment. In fact, the computer is now the center of the entertainment center. Shortly down the road, if you want, computers will control your house also..... HVAC, security, automation, etc.

MOP
12-28-2005, 05:30 PM
Joel I have to agree with the spit cheap prices, I did get lucky today grabbed a 1.2 off the curb. I give the ones that are decent to CAST or the old age center, no matter how cheap those people just can't afford to buy one. For many I have gone to their homes and got them set up on the free library ISP, I get a kick out of them whether they are old or young they just beam. I like you started fooling with this junk way back, I remember when the 8080 came out. 20 meg RFM drive boy what a screamer. These days I don't bother with anything under 700 except for salvaging parts, for the net the ones I give to don't need much more.

Phil

rustnrot
12-29-2005, 08:06 AM
To distill this conversation in my way of thinking....the computer speeds are now in the muscle car eras of the '60s. Fast enough to travel the information highway unlike the Model T's of yesteryear. Since I am just looking for straight line speed (internet usage, etc) and not into fine handling (not a gamer), my classic serves me just fine!

gold-n-rod
12-29-2005, 06:20 PM
(PS Randy, I plan to bring the 22C up your way next spring, we can get together. We are both over 50)

I am looking forward to that, Carl. We can have an over fifty Donzifest on Crystal Lake. There's a guy with a Hornet III up there, too. We can show the locals what kind of noise a trio of Donzis can make! He and I ran gunwhale to gunwhale last summer. What fun!

Have a great winter.

Carl C
12-29-2005, 08:00 PM
Have a great winter.Winter's half over. The boat will be out in 3 months! Crystal lake sounds cool. I'd also like to check out Grand Traverse Bay and get a taste of the open water on Lake Michigan.

Tony
12-29-2005, 08:39 PM
We can have an over fifty Donzifest on Crystal Lake. There's a guy with a Hornet III up there, too. We can show the locals what kind of noise a trio of Donzis can make! What fun!
Have a great winter.

Don't forget me...52 years young at the end of January!

gold-n-rod
12-31-2005, 08:34 AM
Don't forget me...52 years young at the end of January!

Of course you are invited, you old fart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :party:

Let me know what night you are up in EL for hockey and we'll get together for a birthday beer and dream about liquid waters. :boat:

Brad Lyon
01-03-2006, 08:26 PM
Sounds like fun. Too bad I am only 49. Then again, I could lie about my age....

Brad