When You've Done Something Stupid II: The Return of the Ludicrous

OK, you know something really good is going on when...

Let me just start this by saying that, yes, I am a die-hard Mac user.  (You've picked that up, haven't you?)

Well, years and years ago, i was a die-hard DOS/Windows user.  I had a whole string of Win systems, both laptops and desktops.  One of the systems I had was a low-end IBM ThinkPad.

I can't remember for the life of me what model it was.  I believe it was a 300-series model.  I bought it at Radio Shack back in the late 90s, and as I remember, it came with a 500 MB hard drive loaded with Windows 95.  And I loved it.  The ThinkPads were some of the finest laptops of their day, and this one lived up to that.  I remember toting it on the road with me, adding a 56K modem card that had a little pop-up phone jack...

After using this computer for ages, I decided I was going to experiment with this new thing called "Linux" which had just started its climb to popularity.

Stupid idea.

I don't remember all the particulars, but there was something about partitioning the hard disk, and a bunch of other stuff.  And then the hard drive decided to...  Well, something about it being unreadable...

Of course, I had never done the "create system disks" for my Win95 install (it was set up to use floppy disks, and I didn't feel like "wasting" around 20+ disks to create a backup).  I didn't have a copy of Win95 to my name, and I'm surprised the Linux CD survived the event intact.  (I actually tripped across them not too long ago, and was even after all this time, just seeing them gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.)

The little ThinkPad got packed away somewhere, replaced by a a string of generic desktops.  And many, many years later, I made the jump to Macintosh, and all that ancient WinBox history went by the wayside.  Until a few days ago...

I won't go into the silliness that caused me to remember the little IBM.  Needless to say, I got to thinking about trying to find it, and fix it up.  I have a good idea where it was entombed, and I even thought about excavating it...

But...  That would require effort.  If I really want to play with an old ThinkPad, why not find one already refurbished..?

(Now, why the blazes would I want to fool with an obsolete Win Laptop?  Well...  I read things like this...   And my eyes glaze...)

Mom always used to tell me that I get interested in something and promptly go overboard, so...  Without further ado...

My THREE new ThinkPads...

IBM ThinkPad 380XD, the oldest

IBM ThinkPad A31, which just looks cool.  Sort of James Bond-ish....

IBM ThinkPad R40, which is the latest model, and probably still somewhat usable in the "Modern" world.

Granted, I didn't pay much for these individually.  But, it adds up, as acts of stupidity usually do.  (It could've been worse.  I found myself looking at a Panasonic ToughBook CF-29 that was going fairly cheap, as these machines go.  It ended up going for more than I paid for all three of the ThinkPads combined.)

I have no bleeding idea what I'm going to do with these.  The R40 might be loaded up and used in situations I don't want to put my MacBooks in.  (Like in various courthouse record rooms when I'm working.)  The A31 might be a cool thing to take to the local coffee house and write with occasionally...  Maybe I can dig out some of the old games, etc., I have, and run them on the 380XD...

Oh, when stupidity strikes..........