[geeks] OLPCs for sale...

[wa2egp at att.net]

> I was required to buy a DEC Pro 350 for $1,600 when I entered Stevens 
> Institute of Technology in Hoboken, it was a true fiasco. Kids got to take a 
> half-credit class in FORTRAN, did their drafting homework with pencils, and 
> they had to rewire the freshman dorms to have something like 15-20 amps per 
> dorm room, in case all the students decided to turn on both computers while 
> their dorm fridge was on. That was some very thick wire (the copper core was 
> as thick as a #2 pencil...
> 
> Oh, and for output we got to sneaker net floppies to the library and use one 
> of their dot matrix printers - it was real fun when the library computers died 
> the day before a major homework assignment was due - the teachers showed no 
> mercy "you waited to the last minute and didn't have a contingency plan"...
> 
> Oh, and the "Women in Engineering" initiative, that got over 100 freshmen 
> girls on campus... I think the next year there were 20 sophomore girls - I 
> wonder if the 80 smart girls that failed out decided to stick with 
> engineering???

I heard those stories from former students.  Pretty funny.

My wife once took graduate courses there and was worried that she would have
to buy a Dec Rainbow.  Luckily, graduate students didn't have to.
Unfortunately, one course was taught by someone who worked for a competator.
Most students that worked for some one else failed the course.  Very 
mysterious. :)

Bob