Some of this is stolen. Some of this I made up.
Why a Spitfire is like a computer?
1. Your Spitfire, no matter how well maintained, will stop inexplicably at
some point. You will be forced to restart and then continue on as if
nothing happened.
2. If it will not restart, you must get help from the nearest Guru. For us
on the list, that would be people like Joe Curry, Dan Masters, and Andrew
Mace.
3. New software is incredibly expensive. (See current thread involving seat
covers.) It is much cheaper to get the shareware (used parts) at the shows.
4. Rust has forced me to "reboot" my Spit.
5. Starting after installation of new parts is always a harrowing
experience.
6. Joysticks need frequent calibration.
7. No matter how much electrical theory you can learn, you will never
*REALLY* understand how the darn thing works.
8. They can be exasperating and/or incredibly fun, depending on how much
time and effort you expend while learning about them.
9. Hard drives. No need to say more.
10. Gotta have one!!
Ways in which a Spitfire will never be like a computer:
1. Speed will never double, much less in six months.
2. I can crash my computer without fear of injury and/or a long bout of
clinical depression.
3. I don't care if my computer gets dented.
4. When buying a used computer, I will never spend a minimum of 4X the
original purchase price to restore it to a "Vintage 286" original condition.
5. When playing on the computer, it is not nearly as much fun to put the top
down.
As a final note, the fabled "Triumph Lucas Computer" has gone out of
production. The awe inspiring 286 powered computer did not make the cut
with the average consumer. Despite features like 640K of RAM and floppy
disk boot up, most consumers opted to buy a different brand when testing
revealed that the power supply was too weak to support the soundboard and
monitor running simultaneously. They were darn sexy looking though.......
Jeffrey B. Williams
1973 Spitfire FM1694UO
Soon to be white with black interior
jeffrey.williams@cwix.com
It is rumored that Nigel's secret weapon is a clock doubling Hamster.
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