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- 2006.01.18
About a month-and-a-half ago, I got a job at a movie theatre here in Denver. I was shocked to find that there was nothing in the break room for the employees, not even a clock!
I asked why they didn't put anything in there, and they said that they just never got around to it. So I asked the General Manager if I could bring in a few old compact Macs and set up a mini computer lab.
She was ecstatic - apparently the room had been empty since the theatre had opened about a year-and-a-half ago, and the crew had been complaining about it.
So I went home that night and got to work setting up my old Mac SE with a bunch of old games, including Brickles (Breakout), Hangman, Shufflepuck Café, Risk, MacMan (Pac Man), and Missile Command. I even installed At Ease on it so it would be easier for the crew to access the programs.
I went in the next day, and the General Manager had one of the other managers (who has a new PowerBook G4) help me rearrange the break room so the SE would fit.
Is Everybody Happy?
Most of the
people I work with liked the little SE, but a few were rude,
basically telling me that only a fool would ever want to use such a
slow machine that can't even go online. But the overall response to
it was good. A few people were actually fighting over who would use
it, so I decided to set up my old Classic II the same way as the
SE and take it in.
At this point almost everyone was really happy to have something to do on break - but there were still a few people who would look at the two machines and criticize them, without even trying them.
I explained to those people that I was just testing the waters, seeing how good the reaction was before I brought in newer machines. I went on to explain that even newer machines couldn't go online in that room because there isn't an ethernet port or even a phone line.
For the next few weeks things seemed to be going fine.
Some people couldn't stop thanking me for bringing these old Macs in, others couldn't seem to tear themselves from them, and some complained that they were too slow and they couldn't play the game on albinoblacksheep.com.
Vandalism
But then something bad happened. One day I went to sign in, and I noticed that someone had signed in as "James Bond" on the lab sign in sheet - and then went onto say, "This computer is very slow and has less technology than a calculator."
At this point I was starting to get a bit frustrated. I thought I had made it fairly clear that these machines are not the bleeding edge of technology. Oh well, I'll just print out a new log sheet.
So I sat down at the SE (which has a StyleWriter II hooked up to it). I moved the mouse, and it seemed like it was stuck.
I opened it up, and low and behold, someone put gum inside it. I tried to clean it out, but it got in the rollers and just screwed things up to the point that it couldn't be fixed.
At this point was mad, really mad. I went to my manager and told her what I found, and she was shocked. Who would do a thing like this? she asked.
I don't know, but I did know one thing: My computers were in danger, and I couldn't let them spend a second longer in the break room than they had to.
I explained to her that I knew that even if I brought in a new mouse, either it or something else would get broken, and I just couldn't afford to keep them there.
I called my dad and explained to him what happened. Then asked him to come and get them. He understood and showed up to get them up 20 minutes after I called.
Some people think I jumped the gun by taking them out so quickly, but I disagree. If I kept them in there, they would just get vandalized more, and that's something I will not put up with.
It's too bad, because I was just about to bring in a Beige G3 for them to use - but that isn't going to happen now. Someone ruined it for everyone by breaking one of my mice, and I just won't risk anything else.
There is an ongoing investigation to find the person who did this, but I doubt we'll find that person.
I think I'm going to look for some people who could really use a computer. I'm sure there is someone out there who doesn't have a computer and would appreciate getting one for free, be it a Mac SE or a Power Mac G3.
Lisa Coming
It looks like I'm going to be getting a Lisa 2/10 as a birthday present in the
next few weeks, so stay tuned. My next article will be about it.
Recent Vintage Mac Living articles
- If a Mac Plus can run System 7.5.5, why can't an 800 MHz G4 run Leopard?, 10.19. Apple supported the Mac Plus for over 10 years after its introduction. Why should Leopard cut off support for Macs released 4-6 years ago?
- 60 Mac models left behind: The ridiculously high cost of Leopard, 10.17. Mac OS X 10.5 officially doesn't support any G3 Macs, most G4 Power Macs, most titanium PowerBooks, half the G4 iMacs, early eMacs, or the first 12" G4 iBook.
- What a waste! Some schools would rather store old computers than put them to use, 09.12. Denver Public Schools is one example of a school district so ready to buy new computers that it has tens of thousands of old, usable computers sitting in storage.
- Why I don't want an iPhone - and really want an iPod touch, 09.06. The iPhone offers a lot of capabilities, but at too high a cost for someone who doesn't need a mobile phone or doesn't want to change carriers. The iPod touch is nearly perfect.
- More in the Vintage Mac Living index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: iMac Core2, Sep. 2006 - Apple introduced the biggest screen ever in an iMac with a 24" Core2 Duo model at 2.16 GHz.
- List of the Day: Old Mac MP covers 604-based multiprocessor Macs and clones.
- September 6 in LEM history: 99: G4 vs. Pentium III - 00: Setting up a server - 02: Norton Utilities warning - 10 greatest computer annoyances - 06: iMac Core2 Duo - Mac mini Core Duo - The iMac Core2 value equation - 07: Apple seduction - Why I really want an iPod touch - iPod history, 2005 to present - Upgrading a Power Mac G - Apple intros iPod touch, classic, and video nano
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Anticipation: New iPods Now, New Macs Later, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 09.05. The season of new iPods is at hand, but new Macs may wait until 2009.
- Buy a MacBook Now or Wait?, MacBook touch Patents, Samsung X360 Takes on MBA, and More, The 'Book Review, 09.05. Also 20 years of portable Macs, data backup and preservation, universal U-Charge battery charger for Mac 'Books, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- Listen to Just the Music with the V-Moda Vibe Earbuds, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 09.05. Well built, the noise canceling earbuds will let you hear all the nuances of your music without letting through background noise.
- Source of iPhone 3G Problems, Army Uses iPods as Field Translators, Gains with Business, and More, iNews Review, 09.05. Also UK bans iPhone ad as 'misleading', iPhone password easy to bypass, GM to offer radios with USB in 2009 models, weather tracking software, and more.
- Macs Gain Ground in August, Consumers Most Likely to Buy Macs, LaCie USB Speakers, and More, Mac News Review, 09.05. Also migrating Time Machine to a new drive and two new keyboards from Logitech.
- Best iPod touch Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05. Refurb 8 GB, $199; new, $284; refurb 16 GB, $299; new, $370; refurb 32 GB, $399; new, $453.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05. Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $999; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,450 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6 Santa Rosa, $1,849; rebates on new.
- Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $279; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz $390; 17" 800 MHz SD, $439; 1.25 GHz, $449; 20", $569.
- Overclocking a Mac mini Got Me Hooked on Souping Up Macs, Adam Geller, My First Mac, 09.04. Stories of hot rodding iBooks, G3 iMacs, and PCI Power Macs on the cheap.
- Apple Will Not Abandon Optical Drives, the Mac Drought, Purposeful Mac Acquisition, and More, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 09.04. Also Mac OS X 10.5 on a G4-upgraded Blue & White G3 and problems using a flat panel display with a Quadra 700.
- Only Leopard Runs Routine Maintenance Tasks after Startup or Waking from Sleep, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 09.04. Mac OS X 10.5 runs routine system maintenance scripts as soon as possible after starting up or waking up your Mac. Earlier versions of OS X do not do this.
- Tomorrow's Solid State Drives and Notebooks, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 09.04. Flash drives are great but have some shortcomings. Some thoughts on building better SSDs and notebooks to use them.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04. Used 867 MHz Combo, no APX, $490; 1 GHz, $550; SuperDrive, $625; 1.5 GHz w/o APX, $660; w/APX, $675.
- Best Mac mini Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04. Used 1.25 GHz G4 SD, $549; 1.42 Combo, $409; new 1.83 Core2 Combo, $569 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $769 after rebate.
- Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04. Used 1 GHz, $779; 1.33 GHz, $799; 1.5 GHz, $859; 1.67 GHz, $910.
- 11 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 09.03. The latest versions of Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Radon, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, SeaMonkey, Flock, and Camino tested in Leopard.
- Save Internet Radio, USB and Hard Drives, Hardware Manufacturers vs. Linux, and More, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 09.03. Also Mac won't book after cleaning, newer versions of OS X improve wake from sleep, downgrading to OS 8.6, unreadable pages on Low End Mac, and more.
- Another Free POP3 Provider, Recharging a Dead PRAM Battery, Current Kanga Value, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 09.03. GMX email now available in US, Panasonic UJ-841S drive won't burn discs, restoring a dead PRAM battery in a Pismo, and thoughts on Kanga value today.
- Best eMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03. Used 700 MHz Combo, $120; 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $150; 1.42 GHz, $349.
- Best Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03. Mac OS X 10.5, single user, $99; 5 users, $140; 10.5 Server, 10 users, $395; unlimited, $850.
- Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03. Refurb 1.6 HD, $1,499; new, $1,690 after rebate; refurb 1.8, $1,699; new, $1,919 a/r; refurb 1.6 SSD, $2,099; new, $2,294 a/r; refurb 1.8, $2,299; new, $2,400 a/r.
- Psystar Strikes Back, Countersues Apple, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 09.03. Psystar is trying to paint Apple as a monopoly and force it to license the Mac OS.
- More links in our archive.
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