Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 18:37:25 -0800 From: Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au> To: tom@geotec.net (Tom Jackson) Cc: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Have PDP Message-ID: <199903060237.SAA79157@dingo.cdrom.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Thu, 04 Mar 1999 09:25:50 CST." <19990304092550.A5702@peeper.TOJ.org>
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> Hi all, > > Was going to do some research before posting this but business > startup has been taking a lot of time. Maybe Mike Smith or other > ex-spurts can give me a simple answer. > > I picked up a PDP 11/83 at a American Airlines garage sale. It has > the tape backup (and 2 boxes of tapes) but is missing the hard drives. > Is there any hope/use or have I acquired a big boat anchor? You have an ideal entry to the sport of PDP tipping, the direct ancestor to the more popular VAX tipping series. You will need: - Your new (!) PDP. - A building, preferably of 3 or more stories. Avoid serious highrise buildings as they tend to attract pedestrians. Obtain lift access to the roof of your building, and check that you can muster enough help to swing your PDP over the parapet. Find a location where there are no windows at ground level, as well as a firm pavement. Windows are a big no-no, as shrapnel can be an issue. Borrow or otherwise acquire a number of orange marker cones, and mark off the target area. Station a volunteer some distance from ground zero with a video camera, protective goggles and suitable cover. Return to the roof with your ammunition. If you have tapes, they can be thrown as streamers with some success. Save a few to spool out the window as you drive (rapidly) away after the event. It is a major mark of achievement to have an entire 1400' tape trail behind your vehicle without snagging it on anything. Marshal your help and hoist the PDP onto the parapet. Be extremely careful that you do not become entangled in it as you send it over (remove your tie, for example). Ensure that all participants can access the parapet in a safe fashion to witness the descent and termination. You may not be able to stand casually around the remains and hoist a beverage in its memory; a rapid exit may be indicated depending on the humour level demonstrated by building security (perhaps consider bringing some surplus libation for just this eventuality...). Make sure you obtain a few of the more attractively deformed components for posterity; mark them discreetly with their origin and date of shaping and your collection is off to a fine start. -- \\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith \\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au \\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org \\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hardware" in the body of the message
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