Perhaps I Shouldn't...

Peruse the internet ads... specifically the ones for computer stuff. But I like stuff. Especially the little doodads and thingamajingies we can attach to (or put into) our computers.

I used to put computers together for a hobby of sorts. Mostly, I decided at one point that I could put a computer together from purchased parts for a lower price than buying one from a store or online. Did you know that, at one time, there was no internet and no place online to buy parts? Back in those "bad old days" we relied on what were called "computer stores."

Even so, there were companies that operated as mail order that served much the same purpose as online stores do today. Bulk mail delivery of catalogs showed up often in my physical mailbox. Possibly operating out of their garages, these entrepreneurs offered all sorts of things at prices much lower than you could find in retail stores locally... Even when you factored in shipping costs.

Today, of course, I get numerous emails that are mini-catalogs. These often remind me of the phenomenon of electronics pricing. Not only are TVs and stereos cheaper (and have more features and look and sound better) but so are those parts I used to buy for my computers. I once paid $500 for a hard drive which had a grand total of 512 megabytes of storage! It was, then, a cheap price. Today, I got an e-catalog that offered a 512 gigabyte solid state drive (these are really fast) for just over $200 and a 3 terabyte hard drive (the ones with spinning disks) for $115.

I can no longer, however, put together a computer for cheaper than I can buy one.