Geek cred?

I took part in a telephone survey about technology and computers earlier tonight (courtesy check for AU$10 comin' at me!), and I realized we have a **lot** of computers around the house!

I don't know as much about computers as Old Roommate, or my Guitar Cousin, but I'm interested in them. Apprently, woodworking, recording music, computers, and martial arts are my main hobbies. (They overlap, of course: the woodworking is largely so I can make storage cabinets, etc. for my musical instruments, and exercise equipment for martial arts.)


Our computers:

1. The Lady has a laptop computer, from work. Very new; the most powerful out of any of the ones we own.

2. My main computer, that I use for typing. Had it since about 1998 -- still works fine!

3. A new (used) computer that I bought from work. It's only two or three years old, but they upgraded all the computers, so they were selling the old computers for cheap. I use this one for extracting pics from our digital camera, and for the scanner.

4. A computer that I bought used through the classified ads. Except for The Lady's laptop, it's the most powerful out of all our computers. But -- it worked for a few months, then pooped out. I fixed it, then it pooped out again. Then I fixed it again. Some of the jacks on the back don't work correctly, so I've had to use other jacks instead. At the moment it works, but we don't use it for anything specific. When The Kid's old enough to type and make drawings on the computer, we'll probably have her use that one. Or, I might use it for music recording.

5. A funny computer that was really powerful when it first came out (three years ago?), but now is behind the times. (New desktop computers are four times as powerful as this one.) Because it was a high-end computer, it had lots of room for optional extras inside the case; thus, it's almost twice as tall as "normal" desktop computers. I use this one for playing: when I get a computer magazine that comes with free computer programs, I try them out on this machine. If it messes something up, it's not a problem, because I don't keep any of my family photos, old letters, old homework, etc., on it. So, if things get messed up, I can just erase everything and start over.

6. An older computer that I bought (inexpensive) for doing my statistical analyses for my Dissertation. (The data I'm using is confidential -- so the requirements for its use are that I use a separate computer, and that the computer has to be padlocked shut, and the computer case has to be chained to the desk!) It's the oldest and slowest out of any of the computers I've listed (computer #2 -- the one I'm typing on -- is the next-oldest).

7. An Apple Macintosh Classic, from 1990 (I think). My first computer -- my parents bought it for me, for when I went to The Evergreen State College in Olympia. At the moment, it's in a box; no room for it.

8. An Apple II-GS, that used to be my parents'. It was the first home computer that they owned. This one, too, is in a box.


Saw a "blue Macintosh" in the classifieds for fifty bucks Australian (about thirty-eight bucks U.S.); and last week saw a Commodore 128, including printer, etc., for a hundred bucks (about US$75). Both tempting -- but no room, no room. Sadness -- but gotta wait 'til the new house is built.

Dunno what I'd do with them: Probably just turn 'em on, poke around, and go "Hey -- how about that!" ...and then not ever really use 'em again. But still: such coolness, to have them.

A geek at heart, I suppose. If I wasn't into music recording, I suppose I'd do computer stuff as a passtime.


Eight workin' computers. That's a lot of computers. But then, I also have a lot of chisels, and handplanes. And a lot of guitars. So...


--GG