SGI Onyx2 Reality Monster - slips through my fingers

[Industry]

Someone please kill me. I have a passion (problem?) with collecting old computers. However since I now live in Alaska the shipping costs now usually far exceed the cost of the machines. There was however a Government Auction here last week where the Air Force was auctioning off a possibly functioning 8 processor SGI Onyx2 Reality Monster. This is one of the full rack supercomputers that SGI makes for things like oh, real time combat flight simulators, and Reality Centers which are the closest thing to a Star Trek holodeck currently available. Starting bid was $50.00. I should have stopped when the price reached what I was prepared to pay. Then I should have stopped when the price reached what would cause my wife to divorce me. I stopped when the price reached what would have caused my wife to kill me before we got to the court house. The auction went into a kind of internet sudden death, where even though the official auction time was over, if a new bid was received they would add 10 minutes to it. Only after the auction was over did I realize that I could have sold some parts and kept the rest and possibly still won. And I have been kicking myself ever since. Somebody please kill me.

[William Wallet]

"possibly functioning"

[Welly]

Heya man we all have our "holy grails". Some men (Hinckley) have women (like Jodie Foster) as their grails, and decide the best way to attain that goal is to try to shoot Reagan. Other guys want a mansion in rio vista, world peace, global domination, whatever.

You wanted hardware worth tens of thousands of dollars, but it would have been financially ruinous. I usually stick to small shit: nothing would make me happier than to find out who made this 4-armed fetch unit and where I could download the other units it came with. I may never find it but at least it is attainable. Sure I want 2 of those not-too-gigantic mansions in Mahwah, one to live in, and the other to rent out at hilariously extravagant prices, but it won't happen anytime soon. If a holy grail will break you in any way, it isn't worth the trouble. In a way, aren't you glad you don't have it?

[carlinho]

nothing is more desired that what you can't have.
But probably once you have it the grass would be greener on the other side...
dude, lucky you didn't get it, you can always buy it another time, but once you have it and you're screwed, well it sucks...hehehe

[William Wallet]

Heya man we all have our "holy grails". Some men (William Wallet) have women (like Natalie Portman or Angelina Jolie) as their grails, and decide the best way to attain that goal is to try to shoot Blades. Other guys want a little house in Ayrshire, world peace, global domination, whatever.

Welly you scoundrel! You've been talking about me again!