f13.net

Today I just retired my now failing Hewlett Packard laser printer.  Purchased in 1993, I never had a single problem with it until now when it gave up the ghost.

It got me thinking (I note when this happens).  That printer has been through hell with me, through every major project I have done (published papers ranging from drug abuse to brain trauma), degrees (you name it - msc phd mba), positions (teaching, investments, pharma).  Really, my entire adult professional life has been put through this wonderous s printer that has been a remarkable ally.

I know this post is fucked up.  It's a printer.  But the memories.

For the first time in 6 years, as a result of this new position I have, I had to run some statistics.  In 6 years since leaving public research life I have not turned on my Power PC mac (purchased in 1997).  And it worked (of course, finding a moniter was tricky).  I have some very cool shit on that Mac - despite its age I produced 3-D images from my research that would put most home systems to shame even today (more of a product of VERY expensive software).

This is not trivial for me.  I staked a lot on my home system.  My Mac system cost about 10K at the time -  followed by another 3K for software (3D modelers, Adobe stuff, CAD, stats programs etc.)

I have lived and died by my home computer system.  It cut a full year off my Phd (the Mac then) - and has availed me countless times in projects.

It's nostalgia I guess. That simple ?  I dunno - I just have depended SOO much  on my own hardware to get to where I am now.  I guess that is my attachment.

I thought for sure that this was going to be about teledildonics.

* Leaps for his dictionary * :)

Do not feel sad for this printer. It has no feelings. The new printer is much better.

You forgot the accent.

You are feeling zorry for zee printer. It iz a printer, it hass no feelings. Zee new printer is mooch batter.

WINNAR!

This sentence made me wonder (oh and Fabricated's post did not help), are you german ? :evil:

(http://images.tkramer.com/pc-load-letter.jpg)

"PC Load Letter"? What the fuck does that mean?

Anyone have that link to the picture where the same printer screen is exclaiming "I CRAVE BLOOD".

I have it on my hard drive and it always makes me giggle.

Noooooooo!

We just retired an old Apple 16/600 printer from our network, it was one of the first printers put on the network, long before I started here. The librarian who used to do the tech stuff was very sad, I was happy to ditch the localtalk bridge that always crashed and install something that seamlessly works with the network via Rendezvous. Printers are better now.

Speaking of printers, we replaced a clunky old HP Laserjet 4500n with a Xerox Phaser 8550dp. Ink tech is SO MUCH NICER than toner, cheaper and faster. If you have medium-capacity laser printers, think about ink. Got it for less than half the price and no need to change out so many consumables (which is HP's thing anyway).

(http://printer.cubalan.net.nz/history/19ecb3ad5ea118df6d7646179c92489c.jpeg)

(http://printer.cubalan.net.nz/gameover.jpeg)

Yeah, but just wait until you have to service that fucking Phaser,  then you'll be wishing you had an HP back.  And I'm not saying that because I work for HP either.  I'm saying it because I've had to service those crappy Phasers.  Talk about a nightmare of construction and expenses.  Nothing like telling a customer that their year-old printer (which is conveniently out of warranty now) that the printhead is bad and needs to be replaced.  Price?  Oh, it's only about $1300 or so.   I hate it when a break/fix call for a Phaser comes in on the project I'm on now.

And ink might make nicer prints (I'll admit the prints look very nice) but a half-hour wait/calibration for the ink to warm up to printing temperature versus toner which is ready to go much, much more quickly.  Well, actually, that's the wax ink that I'm talking about, the model you got could be different now.

Bah, have fun and make yer own:

(http://www.its2.uidaho.edu/video/music/pc-load-letter-rev.jpg)

http://wtfispcloadletter.ytmnd.com/

Well, the reason we went with Xerox is our satisfaction with their onsite techs for our other equipment. The HP techs have been abysmally stupid. Even for front-line onsite techs.

We've got 3 year warranties on them, but even so, replacing a Phaser is cheaper than maintaining a big Laserjet. The Phaser cost us less than half the up-front cost of the HP, without getting into all the replaceable shit in the HPs. I actually expect it to die sooner, and budgeted for that. We paid $900 for ours, the HP was $2100. We can replace the Phaser and still be ahead, after a year of replacing supplies.

The half-hour wait? We don't shut it down, besides, that wastes expensive ink.

I'll give you they are poorly engineered. Had to clean a couple jets and the thing repeatedly overheated and shut down, which shut down the fans, I'm almost motivated enough to install a seperate circuit for the fans so they run for a while after shutdown...big engineering oversight. But they're cheap and fast, clean and easy. I can't say any of that about those goddamned HPs which always needed service and expensive replaceable parts.

I'll grant you the idiotic techs.  We don't always use badged employees on the front lines anymore (everybody's doing the outsourcing/sub-contracting thing these days) and even I've been driven stabby by talking to our phone support (even the internal company support.. argh!). 

The older color laserjets aren't too much better for internal engineering though.  We had to change the carousel (sp?) on a color 4500, and that was a freaking nightmare.  The newer color laserjets are somewhat better though, although I ran into one that didn't have a manual tray installed for some obscure reason.  That would be why the end-user couldn't use tray 1.  Still, I'd consider the expected life of the printer and cost of consumables over time versus straight up cost. 

The experience that I've had with Xerox certified techs (sub-contractors, of course) has been good as well.  We've had to call them in several times to work on some of the Phasers, but they don't usually go onsite unless being able to charge a minimum of $500, which puts the repair over the end-user approval amount and means we need their manager's approval for repairs.  The whole break/fix arena is a bit crazy, and pricing for replacement parts just kills me. 

Still, I think I'd rather deal with a Phaser than try to repair anything related to IBM.  I've developed a serious loathing for any of their equipment from trying to repair it over the years.  Nothing like ordering a screwkit for a ThinkPad and having to spend 20 minutes digging through it trying to find just the right size of screw in the tiniest size to fit the missing slot.  Abso-fucking-ridiculous!

Sounds like Apple. Paperclip as a part of the toolbox was silly enough, now we have putty knives! (To open mac minis) They also like to use odd sized stardrivers and hex wrenches. I can work on all my pcs with a single screwdriver and pliers. Silly. But opening a new mac (or a printer) is like doing a puzzle, it's fun in a way.

You have to admit that opening a PowerMac 9600 was a joy. Nice though the G5 case is, no enclosure Apple has made has come close to the 9600.

When we moved the last time, the movers who were nice enough to haul off our trash, accidentally tossed our 9600 in the dumpster.   :cry:

You let them live ? ;)

One of my favourite ads. Surreal yet...touching.

MOOOOOLLLLEEEE!

CURSES! Foiled again!

schild is german for shield.

Oh. Really ? :-D

I now hear non-ending quotes of Ben Jabituya.

"I am standing here beside myself."