Wayne and Erika Pfeiler

This was fun. We went to the NC State Surplus Property sale this morning around 8:30. Apparently, we should have been there by 8:00 to get the really good deals, but we still did alright.
Erika's been trying to put togther a Linux machine from one of my old computers. Unfortunately, the computer she was going to use is so old that several parts are dying. Enter NCSU Surplus. It's basically a warehouse where all the equipment (good and junk) go after faculty and staff decided they don't need it anymore. There's lots of computers and office equipment, laboratory things like microscopes etc, and then furniture too. Imagine large wooden desks, all for $1 a piecce, office chairs from $1 to $3, computers from $1 to $100, large photocopiers for $50. I don't think they price anything over $100, and it's all cash and carry. I think some people are able to make a living from this, by carefully buying things and selling them on e-Bay or somewhere.
We however, just needed a few random computer parts to replace the worn-out ones. So what do we do? We bought two $1.00 computers (sans hard disk) that should collectively have everything we need. I don't think we could have found a better deal.
So if you're interested, the NCSU Surplus sale is only held 8-11 am on Fridays on Ligon St. in Raleigh. We learned the best deals go quickly. Some people even camp out the night before to be the first one in line. They hold a pre-sale viewing on Thursday mornings too, so you can make a list of what you want to buy. The whole thing's a little crazy, but it can be lots of fun.