Everything Else

Went into my local store the other day about two weeks ago for some DB9 connectors and a new wifi AP for the office. This is all they had left:

Which I suppose is how they will be remembered, cheap radio cars and bluetooth speakers. I remember as a child my parents would buy those little kits, build a lemon battery, water-powered clock, etc. I had one of those 150-circuits-in-one cardboard things with the spring terminals which was a lot of fun I guess all the normal kids got legos and a sega :/

I got my DB9s and a new phone case for $0.99 but had to go up to meijers for the airport. I also stocked up on soldering supplies and etc, since I guess from now on I'll have to get that sort of stuff online.

The lady said there would only be one store left in all of north KY (and it would *only* be about 30 mins away from me whereas this one is about 3 mins away from my house and 5 mins away from work) but based on recent news stories I'm guessing not even that one will remain.

Kinda sad. I liked looking at the little kits and toys but their prices on that stuff were always astronomical. Tho they tended to put official arduinos and shields on clearance for $3-$5 fairly often.

Coincidently, this article:
The Pro Dumpster Diver Who’s Making Thousands Off America’s Biggest Retailers
http://www.wired.com/2015/02/high-end-d ... tt-malone/

guardian452 wrote: Kinda sad.

I'm still grieving over Lafayette Electronics

Radio Shack was the shet as a kid. Ironically, I actually had need to get an audio cable over the weekend, and Fry's is 45 minutes each way even in good traffic, so I went to the nearest Rat Schlock and they had it. But they were closing too: http://www.floodgap.com/iv/2459

Back in their salad days there were four Radio Shacks within my normal stomping radius but all four are gone now and I've been crying myself to sleep every night since.

Forrest M. Mims will always be one of my childhood heroes.

I've still got my 30 year old copy of Forrest Mims' book "Getting Started in Electronics"...

Yeah, I know, I'm one of those old dudes...

Radioshack never kept up with the times. I say good riddance.

vishnu wrote: I've still got my 30 year old copy of Forrest Mims' book "Getting Started in Electronics"...

Yeah, I know, I'm one of those old dudes...

Crikey, I've got one of those kicking around as well somewhere. Good fun to read when I was a lot smaller than I am now!

TeamBlackFox wrote: Radioshack never kept up with the times. I say good riddance.

I disagree. It was pretty much the only game in town for getting electronics tools and small parts e.g. passives without having to wait for overnight shipping. Because sometimes you need something *now* and not tomorrow by 10:30am.

We can hope a department store like home depot or meijers maybe will fill in this gap.

Radioshack's problem was that they kept a whole store full of useless junk that nobody* ever cared about when all the good stuff was in the back aisle.

* and I mean nobody. Of all the times I went in there I've never seen anybody even glance at it. Off brand cell phones, a couple small TVs, overpriced toys. It's all either electrical types like me who need more solder or whatever, or the people who are looking for a new steeereo cable or phone charger etc.

vishnu wrote: I've still got my 30 year old copy of Forrest Mims' book "Getting Started in Electronics"...

Yeah, I know, I'm one of those old dudes...

I've got a 160-in-one and a 30-in-one and a crystal radio kit around here somewhere.

I learned a lot from those things.

Well Guardian452, I had many dealings with a few local Radioshacks, they got wrapped up in the smartphone wars and as a result, customers like me looking to buy electronics parts, cleaner etc. were left to browse alone with not help. They dug their own grave.

vishnu wrote: I've still got my 30 year old copy of Forrest Mims' book "Getting Started in Electronics"...

Yeah, I know, I'm one of those old dudes...

Hi, Grandpa Quite OT now - but as I have this unfortunate habit of not to get rid of any books I ever purchased, I still have quite a few from the *early 60's* around...

Oskar45 wrote: Hi, Grandpa Quite OT now - but as I have this unfortunate habit of not to get rid of any books I ever purchased, I still have quite a few from the *early 60's* around...

Well, I've got a lot of books from the early 60s too, but they weren't my books in the early 60s...