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Offline jooks1184

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Sad Story
« on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 01:20:16 »
So, I went by a thrift shop on the way home from the gym to see if I could find any old keyboards. I looked around and only found some old membrane ones. Curious, I asked if he had any more in the back. He said that he had a box of some real old keyboards, but he cut the cords off'em and threw them away. When I heard that, my heart broke. It was like watching Mufasa die in Lion King all over again  :'(. What if those keyboards were Model M's or some other rare keyboard.
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Offline Sifo

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #1 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 01:24:14 »
Oh man -_- that sucks. The potential :(
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Offline hashbaz

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #2 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 01:24:46 »
NOOOOOOOOO-O-O-OOO

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Offline jooks1184

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #3 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 01:33:05 »
Wish I could've been there the day he threw the keyboards out. I would've jumped in front of him and done Gandalf proud: YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!

 Also, he had a BOX of keyboards.
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Offline Sifo

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #4 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 01:34:55 »
I've still never seen a Model M or any decent vintage style board in my life at any of the thrift stores I go to.
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Offline Krogenar

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 07:07:46 »
See, now this is why business is good for the hobby -- if people realized how valuable those old keyboard could be, they would save them! Hopefully the banished keyboards were membranes.
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Quote from: Samuel Adams
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."

Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 08:17:38 »
Yes, the cords from old keyboards are the most valuable part.
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"However, even though I was born in the Mesozoic, I do know what anyone who wants to reach out to young people should say: Billionaires took your money. They took your chance to buy a home. They took your chance at a good education. They stole your opportunities. Billionaires took the things you want in life. If you really want those things, you have to take them back.
That's the message. That's the whole message. Say that every day, not just to reach America's frustrated young white men, but people of every age, race, and gender.
Late-stage capitalism is a wealth-concentration engine, focused on vacuuming up every dollar and putting it in as few hands as possible. Republicans are helping that vacuum suck.
How does a tiny fraction of the population get away with this? They do it by dividing the other 99% of Americans against themselves."
- Marc Sumner 2025-05-30

Offline absyrd

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #7 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 08:27:36 »
I have two e-cycling places I visit. Despite them being nice overall and holding keyboards in a box an extra few days for me, most of the time they still cut the cables the second they get them to be processed. The rest of it is really worth nothing to them, so I've scored some cordless boards for nothing (ie a stack of g81-1800LUMUS for $5). Then again, I haven't had a major score from either place yet... seem to be a few years late as they mostly have piles of rubber domes.
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My wife I a also push her button . But now she have her button push by a different men. So I buy a keyboard a mechanicale, she a reliable like a Fiat.

Offline ValerieV

  • Posts: 389
  • Location: Detroit Rock City, MI
Re: Sad Story
« Reply #8 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 08:46:25 »
I am ashamed to admit what i did but i must get it off my chest: I had a brand new Apple II keyboard that i found at Micro Center about 5 years ago. It had orange alps. It clicked perfectly and it was a joy to type on. However, the adapter to make it USB compatible kept falling off. I got a replacement but alas the same problem. I was young and stupid (tears are in my eyes now). I threw it out! I didn't mean to, honest i didn't. It was before i knew that you could solder keyboards and even by a different make USB adapter. I feel shame and i ask for forgiveness from this board. I still lose sleep over what i did. It was the size of the old Model M but it was better....so much better. It is now in a landfill polluting our environment when it should be home with me. I didn't even bother to sell the keyboard. It was before i was familiar with ebay. It's not an excuse, just an explanation. I'm sorry.  :mad:
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Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #9 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 09:04:05 »
I like where this thread is going. It's like an AA meeting for GH members where we talk about our keyboard regrets.

Mine? I walked by a random lady at work who was typing on a Model M and didn't know enough to ask her to try it out. I've still never typed on a Model M and I can't find her now.  :(
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Offline reverkiller

  • Posts: 186
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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #10 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 10:27:14 »

Hi, my name is Patrick and I have a keyboard problem
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Offline lazerpointer

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #11 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 10:29:42 »
Just dropped the money for a RF board. I would call that addiction.
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Offline ValerieV

  • Posts: 389
  • Location: Detroit Rock City, MI
Re: Sad Story
« Reply #12 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 11:26:16 »
Quote from: reverkiller on Fri, 08 February 2013, 10:27:14

Hi, my name is Patrick and I have a keyboard problem

Hi Patrick!
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #13 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 11:41:02 »
Quote from: ValerieV on Fri, 08 February 2013, 08:46:25
I am ashamed to admit what i did but i must get it off my chest: I had a brand new Apple II keyboard that i found at Micro Center about 5 years ago. It had orange alps. It clicked perfectly and it was a joy to type on. However, the adapter to make it USB compatible kept falling off. I got a replacement but alas the same problem. I was young and stupid (tears are in my eyes now). I threw it out! I didn't mean to, honest i didn't. It was before i knew that you could solder keyboards and even by a different make USB adapter. I feel shame and i ask for forgiveness from this board. I still lose sleep over what i did. It was the size of the old Model M but it was better....so much better. It is now in a landfill polluting our environment when it should be home with me. I didn't even bother to sell the keyboard. It was before i was familiar with ebay. It's not an excuse, just an explanation. I'm sorry.  :mad:

Before I found this forum I bought a Cherry POS keyboard with a credit card reader, for a couple of dollars at a thrift store. I had never heard of Cherry but it sounded nice.

It didn't work, so I threw it away. I don't even know what switches or caps it had, but it had to be a few years old, at least.
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"However, even though I was born in the Mesozoic, I do know what anyone who wants to reach out to young people should say: Billionaires took your money. They took your chance to buy a home. They took your chance at a good education. They stole your opportunities. Billionaires took the things you want in life. If you really want those things, you have to take them back.
That's the message. That's the whole message. Say that every day, not just to reach America's frustrated young white men, but people of every age, race, and gender.
Late-stage capitalism is a wealth-concentration engine, focused on vacuuming up every dollar and putting it in as few hands as possible. Republicans are helping that vacuum suck.
How does a tiny fraction of the population get away with this? They do it by dividing the other 99% of Americans against themselves."
- Marc Sumner 2025-05-30

Offline jooks1184

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 118
Re: Sad Story
« Reply #14 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 12:44:39 »
It's okay everyone, hopefully, someday we'll stumble upon a great find and be able to post it here. :)
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Offline ValerieV

  • Posts: 389
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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #15 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 13:33:51 »
My great find is in a landfill.  :mad:
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Offline hlehmann

  • Posts: 26
Re: Sad Story
« Reply #16 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 16:40:27 »
I've only just come to remember what good keyboards mean, theres a converted house near where I live that sells house clearance stuff - picked up a white alps keyboard from a bucket out front.  Old geezer clueless and i'll be going back every now and then.

Soon the winter will be over and it will be car boot (UK for outdoorsy get rid of your old tat in a field) season.  I'll be looking out for the keyboards now I realise that a) I want them b) so do others.

My old M keyboard from when I was a teenager was binned before I realised that it was something worth keeping - why wouldnt they keep making decent keyboards forever for general use?
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Offline sth

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #17 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 17:06:30 »
wat

lern 2 soldering ?!
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Offline ValerieV

  • Posts: 389
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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #18 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 17:24:46 »
Quote from: hlehmann on Fri, 08 February 2013, 16:40:27
I've only just come to remember what good keyboards mean, theres a converted house near where I live that sells house clearance stuff - picked up a white alps keyboard from a bucket out front.  Old geezer clueless and i'll be going back every now and then.

Soon the winter will be over and it will be car boot (UK for outdoorsy get rid of your old tat in a field) season.  I'll be looking out for the keyboards now I realise that a) I want them b) so do others.

My old M keyboard from when I was a teenager was binned before I realised that it was something worth keeping - why wouldnt they keep making decent keyboards forever for general use?

Because people don't need to type as much now. The mouse and touch screen have taken away some of that. Writers type but a lot of professions out there don't need to type a lot. At work i don't type as much as i left click on the mouse. That's my theory for why they don't make nice keyboards. Also the cost is a lot higher as well.
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Offline poxeclipse

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #19 on: Fri, 08 February 2013, 18:25:30 »
Those nice vintage keyboards don't land in garbage, all the time. I know a recycling shop where they use to have piles of model m's. Last time I paid them a visit, all were gone. Garbage ? No. Pakistan ! A guy from Pakistan bought two skids with those model m's. They must do something with them in Pakistan, I guess. I don't think they were for GH members.
« Last Edit: Fri, 08 February 2013, 18:36:56 by poxeclipse »
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Offline DeadLamb

  • Posts: 4
Re: Sad Story
« Reply #20 on: Sat, 09 February 2013, 01:54:46 »
Quote from: jooks1184 on Fri, 08 February 2013, 01:20:16
So, I went by a thrift shop on the way home from the gym

found a Northgate Omnikey at a Goodwill early in the week, it was 2bucks but it was pretty beat up and did not have it's cord.. Plus I'm mostly looking for Cherry stuff for the key caps so I "leave it for someone else to find".  Happen to be back in the area a few days later, stop in and it's gone. GREAT.. maybe someone from here found it, nice. Live on with the person who wanted you..

stop at the goodwill outlet a few miles away, a place where they sell everything by the pound at $1.39 per out of huge 4x8 bins and there was the same keyboard, smashed to hell and busted up like someone had pried the top off for some reason. sigh  I mean I had the whole kiddy like "...and your dog lived out the rest of it's life in at the farm!!" sort of story going in my head for that poor keyboard..

oh well, for those of you hunting thrift stores for old stuff ya just need to keep checking all the time. Same day as my poor dead keyboard story here I found a Unicomp Ultra Classic for less then $5. I've also found a handful of other boards. Everything from a compact cherry board to a new modern Microsoft Arc for cheap.. Just need to keep checking all the time if you want to -save- some old tech.
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Sad Story
« Reply #21 on: Sat, 09 February 2013, 05:51:01 »
Welcome to Geekhack!

You should have bought it!  And sold it for a profit here ;)
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

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Offline hlehmann

  • Posts: 26
Re: Sad Story
« Reply #22 on: Tue, 12 February 2013, 15:26:18 »
Quote from: ValerieV on Fri, 08 February 2013, 17:24:46
Quote from: hlehmann on Fri, 08 February 2013, 16:40:27
I've only just come to remember what good keyboards mean, theres a converted house near where I live that sells house clearance stuff - picked up a white alps keyboard from a bucket out front.  Old geezer clueless and i'll be going back every now and then.

Soon the winter will be over and it will be car boot (UK for outdoorsy get rid of your old tat in a field) season.  I'll be looking out for the keyboards now I realise that a) I want them b) so do others.

My old M keyboard from when I was a teenager was binned before I realised that it was something worth keeping - why wouldnt they keep making decent keyboards forever for general use?

I dont know, I type a whole lot, the world is driven still by email - at work this is how we communicate, I find in my job I spend most of my time typing and responding and typing, 14yrs at work on laptop keyboards is a lot to take (especially with the stoopid position of the Fn key on lenovo's - does no-one ctrl shift tab anymore, what sort of hand do you need to be able to do that with a f'n function key in the bottom left hand corner??!?

Because people don't need to type as much now. The mouse and touch screen have taken away some of that. Writers type but a lot of professions out there don't need to type a lot. At work i don't type as much as i left click on the mouse. That's my theory for why they don't make nice keyboards. Also the cost is a lot higher as well.
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