It seems like I'm going to want to have a laptop with me at boot camp, for doing homework and whatnot, so I've started doing some shopping for one. Except, it's just not worth $1000+ (minimum) to me to have a new one, so I started poking around looking for used, refurbished, or second-hand machines. Which led me to ebay and onsale.com.
Spent all last evening and too much of today reading machine stats and looking at auction results, trying to get a sense of how much laptop a few hundred dollars should be able to buy. It looks like, with luck, I may be able to get something workable (meaning at least 32 MB RAM, with CD and modem) for $600. I've started placing bids on things.
I can see how people can get addicted to this.
<% cr_cdots %> Update (8:30 pm): I find myself somewhat unexpectedly the new owner of a laptop. I'm kind of bemused. I mean, I knew that making bids carried the risk that one might sometime actually win, but still. Somehow I guess I didn't really expect to be the one who still had a chair when the music stopped.
It also occurs to me that this must be about the geekiest possible way to have an exciting day. Not only did I do it at my desk, staring at my computer, by repeatedly reloading my web browser, but the most interesting property of the thing I bought is 80 MB of RAM.
The description of the modem I bought doesn't include a modem, but I only paid $540 for it, so with continuing good fortune I may be able to bring the whole package in for (not much more than) $600.
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