Date   : Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:51:12 +0100
From   : afra@... (Phill Harvey-Smith)
Subject: Borked network

Alex Taylor wrote:
> This is all very interesting!
> 
> I work in a school as an IT technician, and not long ago I pinched 13
> SJ Research double Econet sockets from the original maths block, when
> I was supposed to be wiring in a couple of extra ethernet sockets. In
> fact I got incredibly excited when I traced some cable and found the
> SJ terminators in the ceiling, plugged into hidden socket boxes that
> probably hadn't been seen for years. I took those too, and a bunch of

Nice find, I'm in a similar situation, work for a university 
department's IT group, I do turn up some old stuff from time to time, 
most recent was an RM Nimbus AX, but I have had a couple of beebs and a 
RiscPC 233MHz one at that! in the past.

> the cabling. I got into quite a bit of trouble with the senior
> management for leaving the holes in the walls where the boxes had
> been, as some of the rooms had just been painted. Plus, something to
> do with potentially exposing asbestos in the walls.

You should perhaps point out to them that if they really suspect that 
there is asbestos in the walls, that they should probably be getting it 
checked and if present removed. Yes that could cost the school, but 
prolly not as much as the bad publicity / law suite when someone's 
little Johnny gets exposed to it.

> All in a day's work for a retro computer nutcase :D

Indeed.

Phill.

-- 
Phill Harvey-Smith, Programmer, Hardware hacker, and general eccentric !

"You can twist perceptions, but reality won't budge" -- Rush.