Computing - The Way We Were...

I needed some steel wool today, so I dug into my workshop drawer and came up with a few pads that I'd wrapped in newspaper. This particular newspaper features an ad (no dates on the half-page, unfortunately) for computers from a company that no longer exists (Wang) being sold by a retailer that no longer exists (Lechmere).

For the low, LOW price of $1999.98 (normally 2199.99) you can get a 16MHz 386SX system with an amazing 2 megabytes of RAM, 124Mb hard drive, 3.5" and 5.25" floppy drives, 16-bit VGA graphics (640x480) and a 14-inch color monitor. It also comes with MS-DOS 5.0 and Microsoft Windows 3.0

A little detective work reveals that the ad must've run in August of 1991. The ad says "Sale Prices In Effect August 18 Thru August 31". MS-DOS 5.0 was released in June of 1991, while Windows 3.1 was released in April, 1992.

A little playing with an online inflation calculator shows that $1999.98 in 1991 is worth $2641.70 today. What kind of system can you get with that kind of money?

Is that shuttle debris or a hubcap?

The other day I was taking a walk when I stepped over a fragment of a car bumper on the side of the road. As I did so I thought "Down in Texas someone might call that in as shuttle debris". Looks like I'm not that far off.

Then there's the folks who're getting prosecuted for stealing debris... I wonder what would get me in more trouble: stealing real debris, or shooting up an old sprocket from a Columbia bicycle and selling that as Columbia debris...