old databooks

[zappedagain]

Well I hauled my data-book collection from the last 20+ years out next to the trash today. They give an interesting glimpse at history, with companies that have long dissolved in multiple mergers, and technology well along on the end-of-life curve. Other than that, they were just taking up space with everything available on the web today. Heaven forbid we lose the web (is that in the prophecies? 'www' is kinda/sort of '666' in Hebrew ya know (

http://www.av1611.org/666/

http://www_666.html

to clear your mind)).

Anyway, does anybody see any value in this old hard copy that I'm missing? I plan to keep a few favorites around; the rest are getting trashed (unless I can get the recycler to take bound books).

Z

 

[MacGyverS2000]

I had a fairly extensive collection, but when my moving bills starting adding up because of the weight, I had to start trimming it back (so far moved 11 times in 7 years, I believe). I had well over 1.5 tons in books alone!

Now I try to collect pdf versions... such as Linear Tech's App Note 67, which is #3 in their LT Magazine Circuit Collection. Lots of great circuits, one small file. I can't imagine, though, I'll be finding too many complete books in pdf format :-(

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[Skogsgurra]

Well over 1,5 tons! That's my idea of a fine library.

I have stayed in one big house the last thirty years. I will probably stay here with my books for quite a while.

Now - where's that scale??

Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

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100 % recycled posting: Electrons, ideas, finger-tips have been used over and over again...

 

[itsmoked]

You guys with big libraries... Take note. They can kill you.

Example: My office 4 seconds after the '89' Loma Prieta earthquake started. The arrow denotes my office chair. The back of my chair punched the back out of the book case. I was very lucky to have been standing directly beneath my chair but on the next floor down.

I don't know of any injuries meted out by USB-Stick based PDFs.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[Skogsgurra]

Keith. Your picture illustrates that litterature is mightier than the sword. Both can kill, but death-by-book looks messier.

We haven't had a big one for several thousand years. But your picture makes me wonder. Where IS that scale??

Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

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100 % recycled posting: Electrons, ideas, finger-tips have been used over and over again...

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Don't you earthquake-prone guys strap heavy stuff like bookcases to the wall? An errant set of books falling form the shelf may hurt like hell, but the case itself has some serious power behind it.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[geekEE]

Even without an earthquake, my office looks like that.

 

[itsmoked]

geekEE; LOL!

Notice the quake even opened my heavy file drawer. The first thing anybody noticed was what sounded like a 4 engine freight train closing in on the building. Where you look at each other, wondering 'what's that?' 'But there are no tracks around here...' Then the big j-e-r-k.
I was standing in the stock room and decided to leave. I left so fast I was almost hit by a car out on the main thoroughfare. It was right out of the movies, four black skid marks up to about three feet from me. They were even wavy because the car was weaving lanes due to the shaking. The building was new but in my opinion sub par, built by a cheapskate, on a hill edge, covered with terracotta tiles, (The falling death).

Dan; In that place it probably would've pulled the wall down followed by the rafters, roof, etc.

I've anchored every bookcase to the walls in my home. Never figured out a solution to my 160gal aquarium though as it would respond poorly to large lag bolts.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[richs]

Hiya-

Well, I got off early that day. Matter of fact, I'm sitting in the EXACT same spot I was during that '89 quake. I was going to watch the baseball game.

Our piano moved about 6 inches. The unsecured bookshelf in the front room decided to tip over and squashed a TV camera for the home video. On the other bookcase, the fishbowl thought it would be a good idea to come crashing down. There were various things like that.

The tech that was working for me at the time had a very nice house up on Hwy 35 (right near the epicenter). The dishwasher came out of the counter and was chasing his daughter around (his daughter was/is older).

Funny thing. Right now they are replaying Bonds home run. Same stadium as I was watching when the TV decided it would be a good idea to fall off the stand and be held on by the
antenna cable......

Yep. Data books on CDs would be a lot more fun to have fall on you.

Cheers,

Rich S.

 

[itsmoked]

After surviving my near road kill, I bailed instantly out of work to rush home to check on my better-half and our baby before the roads got clogged. I had to slam on the brakes as I came to curb sized ground displacements crossing the freeway perpendicularly. I still can picture the rising black smoke from town caused by burning homes,(water heaters on rampage).

The the back hallway was ankle deep in broken glass food stores. Our huge 8ft x 4ft brick chimney was sheared at knee level and displaced about 6 inches. Scary. When I pulled it over onto the front lawn the neighbors came running out thinking it was an aftershock. When it hit the lawn in an 8ft x 20ft area it cratered into the lawn 6 inches.

My (then) 50 gal saltwater tank slopped a gallon onto our brand new digital phone/answering machine. Over the next few days it started independently, randomly, speed dialling people. It was ultimately a total loss.

What town are you in Rich?

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[richs]

Hiya-

I'm in Cupertino. In Sunnyvale, my boss at the time was out having a cigarette (he later died of lung cancer, good object lesson.). He saw the pavement in the driveway of the site ripple up and down in waves. That was in North Sunnyvale.

We still have a few sidewalks who are displaced a bit from the jolt.

Sorry to hear about the sea water tank. Our little goldfish (in the bowl on the bookcase) was found about 15 minutes later in a wet spot on the carpet. We plopped him into a bowl of water and he survived for a few years after that.

I was glad that I was at home for the family (at that time I had some young kids).

One thing that I think that I would do differently is to leave a flashlight (not candle) on during the night. Feeling an aftershock in pitch black wasn't funny for me. And it was certianly was worse for the kids. So, damn the battery usage, leave on a small light for the little ones.

The funniest one around here was our next door neighbor coming over to borrow (?) a toothbrush as hers had fallen into the toilet bowl.....

Well, at least we don't have to deal with too many tornadoes around here. There was one a few years ago, but usually not. I've seen one of those twisters once. It was one of the most evil looking things that I've ever seen.

All kidding aside, it *IS* a good thing to prepare for natural disasters. A little water, a radio, flashlight, first aid kit, all make the aftermath quite a bit easier.
Food, sleeping bags a cookstove all add to the comfort of those that you are responsible for. The American Red Cross has a very good list for those interested.

Cheers,

Rich S.

 

[zeitghost]

I calculated that I had 3 tonnes (or tons) of books in my databook library...

I then started distributing the load around before the cracks in the office ceiling below got any worse... )

 

[itsmoked]

richs; Cupertino. We'll have to have lunch some time!

Yeah baby! Those after shocks were pretty fun.(wake up in a cold sweat multiple times a night) My kids didn't give a rip as they were out on a walk when it hit and thought the telephone poles dancing around were great fun...

To this day certain complex noises with just the right harmonics and frequencies can still trigger an adrenalin rush.

Yeah they can have their tornadoes... Course all those folks say the exact same thing about our E-quakes. Pretty funny really.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[richs]

Hiya-

Yep. We oughta do lunch. Normally I would say this is off topic, but not on this thread! All comers welcome. It would be interesting to hear about some data books that went flying around in one of those twisters!

3 tons of books. Wow. I typically go through a purge cycle on them, however, the other day I did throw out an old homebrew computer club newsletter from the 70's. Data sheet for a Borough's electroluminesent display and some Motorola floppy disk controller chips.......

Cheers,

Rich S.

 

[danw2]

Interesting how electronics obsoletes itself so quickly. Other fields' have resource material that never dies - see the mechanical engineering post where someone's pining for a vintage ladish fitting handbook . . .

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=194585&page=1

Dan

 

[itsmoked]

Indeed. Most of the parts in people's 10 year old data books are not even purchasable now.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com