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Saturday, June 19, 2010

Dig Report 6/13/10 - Lost GPS device finds me!

Why was I carrying 4 "AA" batteries with me this day?  I have to thank my co-pilot who has her own collection of battery eating toys. The tag sale trail is not meticulously mapped.  There is no "war room" with back-lit maps and croupier sticks moving assets while strategists plot a course under the haze of numerous smoldering cigars. Nope, it's not even the "probability & outcome" scenario.  Tag sale-ing, for me anyway, is pure luck.  Yes, I know what I like, and sometimes I am on a mission, but with no guarantee, the hunt has to be left up to chance.

I have already confessed that I am an incurable gadget-ologist. (read this post) All it takes is a black box, several buttons, some sort of display and I am hooked. Thankfully, my thriftiness precedes me, otherwise I might well be a broke pack-rat, or a hopeless eccentric with a basement laboratory in search of a "B" Science Fiction film plot. AVA and I had drifted to Wilton after disappointment in Ridgefield among the threatening rain clouds. Wilton, like the other far-off places we have been has to have something to entice us or it isn't worth the trip. In this case it was a moving sale, which means a good quantity of items and people motivated to sell.

This sale was deep in the heart of Wilton, and it was nearly a bust. The tables were full of household items and nothing seemed original to the house. Maybe the good stuff had gone earlier in the day?  It was maybe out of desperation that I took interest in this box:
I knew what it was, and I recognized the manufacturer, but immediately wondered how old it was.  Anything portraying itself as a GPS these days better have a color screen or at least a high resolution display. I was curious enough to paw through the box and see.  The manual told me it was possibly from 1997,  the idea of GPS units has always intrigued me, especially the idea of holding something in your hand that is communicating with one or more satellites.  Then I see all the distracted drivers these days and notice that this is one of the evil triad of distraction: Cel Phones, Ipod/media players, and GPS units, which has steered me clear of them. (I already have the first 2 distractions). Thinking that I may have another dry weekend (no good "finds") I begin to wonder if this might be a fun project, even if I am spending 5 dollars on something I plan to dissect.  And then I remember, I have 4 "AA" batteries in my pocket. Why not see if it works? 

Coming soon!  Lost GPS finds me! Part 2

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