Computers
I have too much old computer detritus (or “collectibles,” depending on how you see it) that for some reason I just can’t bring myself to get rid of. I’ve never been a pack rat. I like the occasional purge. I do hold onto things that have personal, sentimental value for me – the stuff that doesn’t necessarily have monetary value, but can’t be replaced if lost. Why do I hold onto these last remains of my former pretty-big computer collection? I haven’t *used* them in any way in years. I simply tote the boxes around w/ me whenever I move, and shove them in another closet. But do I really need an entire box of Localtalk connectors? This stuff is taking up space, and while we have more of it at the house than at the apartment, we don’t have a ton of it to waste.
I guess part of me thinks maybe one day this stuff will be even rarer than it is now, and… then what? I don’t know. Old stuff is cool. Scarcity makes for interestingness. Plus, I believe it’s important not to erase all traces of where we’ve been – and esp. w/ technology, since it changes so fast.
And yet the fact remains, I *don’t* have space for this stuff.
[Originally posted on my Tumblr, and then I realized, hey, I ended up writing enough to constitute a real blog post! So I'm cross-posting it here - and shortly the RSS feed will be imported to my Tumblr, to complete the infinite loop.]
I was recently able to get rid of a lot of old stuff that I would never use, and here’s how: I took a video of myself going through the various objects, telling stories about their history. My reason for holding on to the objects was not a need for the things themselves, but the memories that they evoked when I looked at them. This way, I still have those memories but I can free up some closet space!
Matt,
That’s a great idea! Rusty has a video camera and is always up for a reason to use it, so I think I might just do that! Then I’ll post the video here on my blog. Thanks for the suggestion, it’s really neat!
Anything less than 6 years old can go to http://www.itschoolsafrica.org – you get more space in your house and that warm fuzzy feeling.
Win-Win :).
If you tell me how old the stuff is I can see if other charities might have a use for the parts :)
Less than 6 years old – ha! Well, here’s some reference for you…
Apple IIe
Apple IIgs – linking to the Woz edition bc that’s what I have
Mac Plus
ANd most of the hardware, software, networking equipment, owner’s manuals, etc. in the boxes is late 70s-early 80s vintage.
Probably I’ll sell the stuff on Ebay to collectors just like me once upon a time. That’s where I got most of it to begin with.
At one time in college I had an original 128k Mac (the one that just said “Macintosh”) and I had to sell it when I was short on rent one month. :( Now *that* is something I would’ve liked to keep, for real.
[...] has been happening as I’ve been unpacking. The computers are one piece of it, and with any luck I will start making those videos next week. But there are [...]
[...] while back, I mentioned that I have too much old computer crap taking up space in the house, and I wondered aloud what I should do about it. A commenter floated [...]