The search for ET

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The search for ET

Postby acsi on Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:30 pm

This could be interesting.

rumoured 5 million cartridges. I wonder if they reused the cases and just dumped the pcb's etc?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/9910492/Unearthing-millions-of-1980s-video-game-cartridges
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Re: The search for ET

Postby tezza on Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:48 pm

yes, I read this. It will be interesting. Kind of computer archaeology.

Next thing is to uncover that site where Apple buried all those Lisas for a tax writeoff :)
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Re: The search for ET

Postby SpidersWeb on Tue Apr 08, 2014 5:12 pm

I can't wait to see what they find.

But I noticed on Wikipedia they said the items were crushed and then buried? I sort of hoped it was more of a 'drop it in the hole' kind of affair.
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Re: The search for ET

Postby Gibsaw on Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:36 pm

SpidersWeb wrote:I can't wait to see what they find.

But I noticed on Wikipedia they said the items were crushed and then buried? I sort of hoped it was more of a 'drop it in the hole' kind of affair.

Don't landfills charge by the cubic metre? That would raise the probability of compacting. (at least to my judgement.)
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Re: The search for ET

Postby mrad01 on Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:31 pm

I have this cart. It is bad alright. My 2600 screams in terror everytime I (try to) play it.
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Re: The search for ET

Postby RonTurner on Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:40 pm

mrad01 wrote:I have this cart. It is bad alright. My 2600 screams in terror everytime I (try to) play it.


It cant be worse than "freeway" can it ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPpPWE_vNA8

Gibsaw wrote:Don't landfills charge by the cubic metre? That would raise the probability of compacting. (at least to my judgement.)

I would have thought compactors are standard landfill equipment, but back in the early 80's I used to see tonnes of punch cards by the box
load at the local dump, and im pretty sure they didnt even have a compactor at that dump, just a bull dozer.
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Re: The search for ET

Postby SpidersWeb on Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:29 am

The other thing that might give hope to finding something not completely wrecked - is the reports say the trucks ran at night.
If you're dumping that much stuff in to a landfill, at night, and quickly - there might not have been time to compact everything and bury it afterwards.
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Re: The search for ET

Postby acsi on Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:35 pm

Well they exist and are in very good condition considering the length of time underground.

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/26/e-t-atari-cartridge-landfill-excavation-uncovers-fabled-cache.aspx
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Re: The search for ET

Postby tezza on Sun Apr 27, 2014 9:16 pm

Yes, I've been following this story. A great bit of American video game (crash) history!
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Re: The search for ET

Postby Carcenomy on Wed Apr 30, 2014 7:16 pm

Thanks Microsoft ;)

I love it when urban legends come true.
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