On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 12:59 PM, Robert Jarratt <[email protected] > wrote:
> > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: cctalk [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of william > > degnan > > Sent: 02 March 2016 03:30 > > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > > <[email protected]> > > Subject: Re: Algorithmic pricing gone critical - Re: PDP-10 programming > [was > > RE: Dumb Terminal games (was Re: Looking for a small fast VAX development > > machine)] > > > > On Mar 1, 2016 8:19 PM, "Toby Thain" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > On 2016-03-01 7:36 PM, Sean Conner wrote: > > >> > > >> It was thus said that the Great Rich Alderson once stated: > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> For most hobbyists, even $100 is too much. I was simply astounded > > >>> at > > the > > >>> chutzpah of the seller--right there on the Amazon list--who was > > >>> asking nearly $1500 for a copy. > > >> > > >> > > >> I think that comes from an unchecked computer algorithm, not > > >> simple > > greed. > > >> I think what's happening here is someone (some Amazon third party) > > offered > > >> the book for, say, $5. Another third party scans Amazon for such > > >> books, > > and > > >> offers it for say, $6, with the hope that you (the potential buyer) > > >> will only see their their offer for $6 and buy from them, at which > > >> point they will buy it for $5 from the original seller, sell it to > > >> you for $6 and pocket the $1 profit. The problem comes when a third > > >> third-party seller sees the offer for $6 and does the same thing as > > >> the second one, only now they're offering it for $7, will pay $6 for > it and > > pocket $1 profit. > > >> > > >> Keep repeating that process and you end up with books selling for > > $1500. > > > > > > > > > Or more: > > > http://www.michaeleisen.org/blog/?p=358 > > > etc. > > > > > > Remind me why HFT is a great idea... > > > > > >> > > >> -spc (Who knows? If you keep searching, you might find the > original > > >> seller selling it for $5 ... ) > > >> > > > > > > > I would think pdp 10 original books / manuals are hard to find. > > I still have my copy of the book by Michael Singer: > http://www.amazon.co.uk/Introduction-DECsystem-10-assembler-language-programming/dp/B0007AJF54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456948533&sr=8-1&keywords=singer+decsystem. > This is the book I used to program a DECSYSTEM20 in assembler, although I > must have used other resources to help me along that I no longer recall. > The book is available at a much more reasonable price than the Gorin book > (which I don't have). > There's at least two others available from Amazon US for < US$15. Warner
