Operation Crimson has ended. Bounty collected is as follows:

– SGI Crimson Elan/Server (it’s got both labels – maybe upgraded from Server to Elan gfx option?)
– SGI Indigo2 (teal) with xZ gfx option
– SGI Indigo2 (teal) with unknown gfx option
– SGI Indigo2 (purple) with xL graphics and FDDI card

There was supposed to be an SGI O2 as well, but it went missing, so in its place was:
– HP 88780B 9-Track open-reel tape drive!

I think that’s a fair trade-up from the O2. It’s monstrously heavy, but, assuming it works, I have now been mired another step deeper into the pit of vintage computing. Now to get it hooked up to something that can read those old tapes I’ve been storing for years. Wonder if there is any Windows software that will support it?

I don’t go back to work for another two weeks, so sometime soon I’ll be sorting these machines out and figuring out what I have. The I2s will likely be traded off if they’re of lesser spec than the ones already in the collection.

I’m going to need to clear some space.

Currently heading north on I-94 towards the great land of Mil-wau-kee. Due to slip beyond the Cheddar Curtain in moments. The steam of the Zion nuke station is on the horizon.

Really friendly squirrel

Pier 39, San Francisco, CA

They’ve been showing up there since 1989. No, you’re not allowed to feed them.

An $8 tour turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. This is the aft 6″ gun. There is a 5″ gun at the bow which you can sit in and spin around the platform using the hand cranks.

Doing tourist stuff

Stuff for sale, some really great stuff on display. More pics in the Picasa gallery after I get back.

I missed breakfast this morning after being wiped out by that early flight. Spent the whole day in the CHM, watching the talks, checking out the exhibits and shopping the marketplace. The need to fly back with whatever I buy is limiting my purchases, probably for the better. So far I’ve picked up only a limited-run Atari cart and an HP calculator power supply. Jason Scott showed clips from his upcoming documentary and spoke for nearly three hours on a variety of entertaining subjects, with the conversations following him out into the hall as the CHM shut down for the night.

Dinner was a two-part affair consisting of two stops at two different In-n-Out Burger locations. The first one wasn’t enough. We drove up and down Hwy 101, took a quick tour of downtown San Jose, and returned to the hotel early. After having only one real meal today, I’m going to make that breakfast in the morning.