Free computer: committed to gentleman

[James McIntosh]

I cannot take time to answer all the people who sent me e-mails, so here is
a detailed general answer.

The couple working in my apartment building as assistant superintendents
have an old PC.

I think that it belongs to the wife, (Vanessa ?), who used to work for
Microsoft Canada in the Atlantic provinces.

She tried to sell the old PC by a flyer on the laundry room's bulletin board.

She failed. I forget the price she asked.

She took down the flyer, and said that they would just toss it into the
garbage bin behind the building.

I said that it was a shame, and that I would mention it on a couple of
e-mail groups.

I chose to announce it in the monthly meeting of:
   - TLUG: Toronto Linux User Group
     meeting at University of Toronto,
     Tuesday night (June 13th) at 7 pm.

No one was interested, but they suggested posting to their entire e-mail
group.

The husband was not at all impatient.

I interpreted the wife (Vanessa ?) as becoming impatient. I may have been
wrong. I am weak at interpreting emotions.

I decided to post it on two e-mail groups:
   - PCCT: Personal Computer Club of Toronto
   - TLUG: Toronto Linux User Group
and, as an afterthought, on:
   - HAPPEN: Halton and Peel Professionals and Executives Network.

I handled _-=ALL=-_ telephone calls before receiving e-mail.

I got a lot of telephone calls:
   - 00:10 12:10 am Ms. C C.
                    She was not home the first two times when I tried to call.
                    I did not leave a message the first time.
                    I left a message the second time.
                    When I called a third time, she denied making any such
call,
                    emphasized that she would NEVER call anyone
                    at ten minutes after midnight,
                    and stated that Bell Canada's Caller ID
                    must have malfunctioned.
   - 08:45  8:45 am Mrs. L. J. J.
                    She expressed interest, but said
                    that without a monitor it would be useless,
                    and that it was a long drive across Toronto,
                    and that it should go to someone desperate enough
                    to call after midnight.
                    She was extremely kind, helpful and generous
                    in giving advice on job search.
   - 10:13 10:13 am Mr. S. S.
                    He was not home when I tried to call.
                    I did not leave a message.
   - 10:51 10:51 am An anonymous woman at Parkwood Association.
                    I left a message with the man receptionist
                    that the PC was already committed.
   - 11:31 11:31 am Mr. B. M.
                    This was probably not about the PC.
                    He was not home when I tried to call.
                    I left a message that I was returning his call,
                    which was returning my two calls.
   - 12:18 12:18 pm Mr. C. M-S
                    As I was looking at the long list of callers
                    to plan the order to contact them,
                    this gentleman called, and I committed it to him.
   - 13:54  1:54 pm Mr. D. G.
                    I mentioned that I had already
                    committed it to someone else.
------------------------------------------------------------------
After I handled all the telephone calls detected by Bell Canada
Caller ID, I received my e-mail and found even more responses.

In total, possibly nearly two dozen people responded.

I do not have time to give individual e-mail answers to everyone.

I have already spent hours giving individual answers to everyone
who telephoned.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: I originally stated: "Pick up as soon as possible:".

Case and contents:
   - Intel Pentium II, 350 MHz

   - 128 MB RAM

   - 6 GB hard drive

   - CD burner

   - NIC (network interface card)

Note:
   - This is the CASE and CONTENTS ONLY.
   - This DEFINITELY DOES NOT INCLUDE MONITOR,
     and almost certainly DOES NOT INCLUDE KEYBOARD or MOUSE.
   - I think that she will keep the MONITOR, KEYBOARD and MOUSE.

Note: I originally stated:
   - "Pick up from the area near 401 and Kennedy Road, Scarborough.
     Contact me for exact address. Give me your name and telephone number.".

Note:
   - At 5 pm, I gave to Vanessa the name and telephone numbers
     of Mr. C. M-S., who called at 12:18 pm.
   - At 8 pm, Vanessa still had not called him, so he called me.
   - At 10 pm, Vanessa and her husband did not answer my knocking on their
door.
   - I decided to try tomorrow.

If I had realized that this would take so much of my time, I might have
asked for some money.


James E. McIntosh   416-292-8126   <jemcinto-cpI+UMyWUv+w5LPnMra/2Q at public.gmane.org>


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