That's a lotta disk

HP6000-660S disk system I bought at Weird Stuff in Sunnyvalle, CA. I hooked it up to my laptop with a PCMCIA SCSI controller card and it saw three HP 2212A disks. I had to open it up to see what was inside - while it's very heavy I didn't expect these beasts. If there is any data on them, Windows wouldn't know what to do with it.

Each disk is covered with a heavy metal shield that is screwed onto the drive both on top and on the front face. I'm not sure how it is removed, so I can't find the real drive manufacturer or model number. The shield is labeled with model number 97548-60061, which appears to be an HP part number for a 660mb disk. 1.8gb of SCSI disk from ~1990!

Ugh

This is what a Honda full of terminals, CP/M machines and software boxes looks like.

This is what a barn full of terminals and boxes (and hay) looks like.

CHM Pics

Here are the decent-for-a-camera-phone pics I took at the Computer History Museum. I'm off tomorrow on another computer rescue mission. Adventure awaits...

Time to go

Back to camp

After a couple wonderful hours on the cliffs and beach in Santa Cruz, a shoe full of the Pacific and an aborted trip up CA-1 I am back on CA-17 climbing the hills that mark the southern edge of the Valley.

Next to me is a gray Lotus Elise with nowhere to go with all the beach-leaving traffic around us.

At last I'm here

Up against the clock

Stopping for much-needed gas in Scott's Valley, CA. Racing on through the hills toward Santa Cruz. Got to see the ocean before the light is gone...

Down the Mountain

CA-17 south/west

Still more to do

Back at the hotel, aching feet, blown away by the CHM exhibits and staff. Stopped at UPS (took three tries to find one open) and shipped by heavy boat anchor (HP 6000 hard drive) and some other stuff from Weird Stuff. Didn't have time to check out Apple's HQ in Cupertino because I still want to drive down to Santa Cruz and see the sun set over the current from Japan. But I've got to eat the rest of my sammich first. I've spread my bags and junk all over the bed to prevent lying down and thinking about sleeping my last night here away.

I took lots of pics at the museum; I'll put them up on a Picasa or Flickr link later.

Wow

CHM. You should go. More later.

Uh oh

I bought something *really* heavy at Weird Stuff. I'm going to have to find a UPS store. But as of right now, it's time for a Quizno's sandwich across from CHM, then it's museum time.

weirdstuff.com

Rows and rows and racks and racks of this stuff. Nothing *awesome*, but more and better than anything I've seen in any retail outlet.

Techno-tourism

I just stumbled upon them and Lockheed Martin while looking for places to shop.

HSC Electronics

www.halted.com

Which way to go?

Unfortunately I won't see either on this trip.

Friday night

Yesterday was a slow work day but everything that needed to be done got done. I had planned after work to stop by a couple surplus stores along 101 and then head down to Santa Cruz to see the sea, but like most things those plans didn't work out. I did drive quite a bit, however. I was looking for a way to get near the bay shore and ended up quite accidentally at the Googleplex, where a sampling of the parking lot traffic led me to conclude that Google's primary hiring criteria is "attractive East Asian under 25." (Note: update resume when I get home.)

I drove further up 101, still looking for water. I passed Moffet Field and its enormous hangars. Moving toward San Francisco I spotted a sign for Half Moon Bay, down CA-92. I had been there in 2003 and figured it couldn't be far, and it definitely had water. I hopped on that and withing a few minutes figured out I had gone the wrong way, and was about to cross the Bay on the giant San Mateo bridge (which is more of a causeway, really.) I managed one picture from the car (posted below) and watched the water and waves as I crossed the big blue area on the GPS map. That landed me in Hayward, where I decided I was tired of driving (and driving the wrong way) and it was time to head home. There was a toll to go back the other way on the bridge, but fortunately I-880 was right there, and it took me directly back to SJC (after some rush-hour traffic fun.)

I spent the rest of the evening not eating enough, watching Stargate Atlantis and catching up on web reading. Eventually I got so hungry I had to go out in search of the chows. The hotel restaurant across the road was closed, so it was back in the car toward the only food I've seen around here - Wienerschnitzel. I detoured into downtown San Jose and got caught in the weekend nightclub traffic, turned away by a roadblock near the HP Pavilion, and for the first time here got chilly enough to put on a jacket (it's only 63 right now.) Back at the hotel with a chicken corn dog and a cheeseburger I was finally ready for sleep around 2am local time.

So that wasn't a good way to start a long day of driving and tours, but here I am. I've visited the free breakfast bar downstairs and put down a hearty pile of blueberry muffin, cream of wheat, sausage, toast and orange juice, which is more food before noon than I've had in months. I'd really like to just go back to bed now (woke up around 7am here, too hungry to go back to sleep) but this is my last day to see anything, the weather is perfect, and I've got a full list in front of me. First stop is the CHM, which should provide plenty of photos. Some shopping, landmark-spotting and better eating is also on the plan, with Santa Cruz being the optional late-afternoon goal.

Toward Hayward

Crossing the San Mateo Bridge, heading east on CA-92.

First day down

Today went better than expected, given the hellride of yesterday and little sleep that followed. Made it to work around 9:15, got most everything done in the first day, and was able to leave by 5:30 or so, lunch leftovers in hand. I headed back up the 101 and decided that if I stopped back at the hotel I'd lie down and sleep away the evening, so I kept on moving toward San this and El that, finally finding the mythical Fry's Electronics in Sunnyvale. Well, it's just another Fry's. Maybe a bit bigger than the one at home. Eh. But - while in line (I needed an audio cable to use my mp3 player in the CD player-less rental car) I found they have licorice Altoids, which I had assumed were now extinct. I bought two cans.

After that non-adventure I got back on 101 and headed south toward more Sans and Els. Scenery started to get slightly hillier and greener, but I started to get sleepier, so I turned off [somewhere I can neither recall nor find on the map] and toured around a more-or-less scenic road. It wasn't long until I was lost, so I engaged the GPS and eventually found my back to the area of the airport and the below-pictured hot dog stand.

And that was enough for today. Bedtime is soon, lest I repeat today's stamina-free performance.

Dinner

Two chicken(?) corn dogs, $2.50. A lot better deal than the $9 Subway sandwich I got for lunch.

The view from work

There are cows up there.

Hotel room with kitchen.

Still more to go wrong

Missed my 3pm flight by minutes. Had to kill five hours at ORD waiting for next available. That flight delayed an hour. Just landed at SJC. Got my bags. Waiting in giant line for shuttle bus to rental cars. Starving. Weather was reported as 89deg earlier but it doesn't feel more than 75 now.

Hittin' The Road

Tomorrow I fly out to San Jose, CA for my first work-related travel. Of course I've allocated some time for personal adventuring in the Valley of Silicon. CHM will be my first destination, but there were surely be many other sights to see and photos to upload. Stay tuned...

Thrift Score

This probably won't be the last time I use that headline. I got me one of these over the weekend. Unfortunately no power supply, and I'll probably never seen one. They used the same dumb system the Atari 5200 did years afterwards, with the power integrated into the video cable. I did find a page with schematics to build your own, though.

I also got a boxed Mountain King for the 5200 at the same store. I used to play that on the C64 all the time.