On Wed, Jul 19, 2023 at 1:58 PM Ethan O'Toole via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> > I'll be there. Hello Ethan. Bring some good stuff for me to buy. jk. > > -andy > > Years ago there was an auction of an Internet Kiosk company in Newport > News Virginia. I decided to go. It was well advertised and run by a big > company (probably Rasmus but I don't remember.) > > I get there. The crowd seemed to be a random bunch but it was well > attended. Crowd was a mix of the flipper types, estate sales types maybe > and a few geeks. > > I run into some people I knew from the BBS scene in my childhood. They > could be troublemakers, but they tended to be funny. You know the type. We > had separated ways years before and ran in different geek circles, but > here they were. Kind of good seeing them again, but also obvious not much > had changed. > > They were running a computer repair store, and purchased things like the > filing cabinet full of customer records so they could market to them. They > left test copies on all the copiers of ads for their adult website(s). I > remember the auctioneer picking up the face down full coverage 8x11 paper > ads in the output tray a little shocked on the mic "Looks like it works > well..." > > Well one guy bids on this maxwell house can of screws. The hex head things > that hold on the covers to your standard beige PC and the smaller ones > that hold in the CD-ROMs and floppies. But not the hard drives, those use > the case sized ones. > > Sold for $20 or whatever it was. I mean, it was pretty full but I thought > it was a strange purchase. > > Some loud lady proclaims "Who on earth would pay $20 for a can of screws?" > Everyone is watching, Geoff just shrugs. Doesn't say anything. > > She bids on this beige tower PC. Wins. Goes to pick it up and the cover > slides right off. A lot of people see this. Kind of mortified she looks > over at Geoff who is sitting on some furniture running his fingers > through his $20 can of screws. He loudly says "Hey, I've got screws > for sale a dollar each" once she looks over. Some are amused some > confused. The auctioneer chuckles. > I, too, chuckle. Sellam
