I received a very pleasant email today:

Bruce,

I am still in the ‘stone’ age operating a Mac IIci offline (since 1989) and a Mac 7300 online (since 2002). I am writing not because I am interested in what you have to sell but to inform you of how appreciative I am to at last read writing from someone who has at least a modicum of style in writing for such a prosaic task as selling used computer equipment.

My day is made.

Thanks.

Mel

PS: I wish you well in being able to sell your equipment.

This has made my day too – thanks Mel.

In case you’re wondering, here’s my original

To: lem-swap@mail.maclaunch.com
From: Bruce Ryan <apba32@dsl.pipex.com>
Subject: clearing out
Cc:
Bcc:
X-Attachments:

Hi folks

The following are taking up too much space in St Andrews, Scotland (KY16 8YW) and are yours for shipping plus a few pounds towards my retirement fund or some of my desirables listed below. If you live in Edinburgh, Dundee or Fife, I can deliver.

• 8600/250. 288 MB RAM and 4GB hard disk with built-in 100MB zip drive and Asantefast 690 10/100 ethernet card, Apple extended keyboard and ADB mouse II (the teardrop shape) and adaptor from old-style mac monitor port to sVGA monitors
• CoStar LabelWriter: runs under Classic OS, plugs into printer/modem port
• D2 external 2X SCSI CR-RW drive, complete with caddy
• SyQuest EZ Flyer 230 MB drive and 13 230 MB disks
• two ADB extended keyboards. (one is branded PowerUser, the other isn’t branded at all). I only have one keyboard to mac cable and a two-button black mini-mouse to go with these
• Wacom A5 ADB graphics tablet complete with stylus and Griffin iMate to attach it to USB macs
• Wacom A3 ADB graphics tablet (no stylus but I do have the mouse) and Griffin iMate to attach it to USB macs
• belkin 2 x1 USB peripheral switch. Allows you to connect a USB device to 2 computers rather than all that tedious swapping of cables. (It’s brand-new but I don’t have the original packaging). Claims to work under any flavour of Windows and Mac OS up to 10·. (I didn’t see this small print until after I’d opened the packaging and the Panther-unfriendliness wasn’t mentioned on belkin’s website – GRRR)
• 5·-inch USB 2 enclosure. (will also take 3.5-inch devices)
• 5·-inch Firewire/USB 2 enclosure. (will also take 3.5-inch devices)
• SONY CD-RW drive model CRX170E (pulled from 800MHZ Quicksilver)
• 3 ten-metre cat5 ethernet cables
• 1 twenty-metre cat5 ethernet cable

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I’d like some real money for the following which have been used and loved since 1999.

• Powermac G4/400 (sawtooth). Original (but far from pristine) packaging, original 10GB HD and DVD-ROM drive, Original OS 9.02 installer CDs, 384 MB PC100 RAM. I have an Apple no-button mouse for this but no keyboard. Also Belkin SurgeCube surge protector and “slave power cable” (takes power from the back of the mac to another device so you only need one socket for both mac and monitor.

The following are currently in the G4/400 but can be parted out

• 4-port USB2 PCI card
• Adaptec 2906 SCSI card
• Mitsubishi DiamondPro91TXM 21-inch CRT monitor in original (but not pristine) packaging.

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Instead of money, send me toys:

• PC133 RAM or a speed-bump for my quicksilver (800MHZ is so pedestrian!)
• a palm with colour screen and more than 2MB RAM. My ideal is a Treo 650 (cellphone, camera and pal all in one!)
• a life

thanks for wading through this

Bruce