A Snake Beanie Baby on a computer keyboard

Things have been quiet in TBB land. We’ve all had a busy holiday season, spending time with friends and families. Most government meetings were on a hiatus as well. Things are getting back up to speed, and we will shortly have some pieces on what is happening at various town councils. However, until then, John Rees encountered this entertaing post from the Southern Village list serve that he wanted to share (with the blessing of the original poster) . If you share Andrew’s dream from 1999, this could all be yours!

Free to a good home: APC Floor-mounted 2post Rack Frame (7′)

The plan was bold. Revolutionary. There were spreadsheets. There was a Hotmail address. A revolutionary myspace page.  This APC rack was to be the beating heart of an empire: web servers humming, modems blinking and inventory Access databases tracking rare plush animals whose value only ever went up. The future was bandwidth, banners, and sock puppets.

A Business man shakes hands at a beanie e baby booth at a trade show
Not the Winston Ridge guy, just a business man smiling all the way to the bank during the Beanie Baby craze of the 90’s

Then reality arrived. The Beanie Baby market collapsed. Pets.com imploded. WorldCom followed shortly thereafter, disappearing even faster than UNC’s football magic. The servers were powered down, the keyboard tray slid in for the last time, and the rack entered a long, quiet retirement, waiting patiently while Web 2.0, cloud computing, smartphones, crypto, and AI all happened without it.

And now, history offers a second act.  Today, this same APC rack can finally fulfill its destiny — whether as a:

  • home AI or GPU lab
  • crypto rig
  • homelab / NAS / media server stack
  • hydroponics growing system
  • conversation piece/plant stand

Unlike Beanie Babies, some of these ideas might actually work.

The rack is solid. The dream is optional. 

A Classic computer rack from the 90's
This could be YOURS!

Components:

  • APC Floormounted 2post Rack Frame (7′)
  • 6 Rack Shelves
  • Keyboard Drawer / Console Tray
  • Rack PDU / Surge Protector

Let me know if you are interested.  

A child holds an armful of beanie babies in a toy store
02 September 1999- Brentwood, Missouri, Usa: Little Five-Year-Old Adam Kalina, Has An Arms Full Of Beanie Babys While Shopping With His Mother At The Zany Brainy Toy Store,

John Rees lives in Chapel Hill. He was, until recently, a member of the Chapel Hill Planning Commission and former chair. He has served on the board of the Bicycle Alliance of Chapel Hill, and is also...