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To justify spending $300,000, which puts $290,000+ in his pocket Wish I was joking about the price. This ebay powerseller sells large (man-sized) R/C helicopters for $1,500-$2,000 with motor, batteries, radio, etc http://www.ebay.com/itm/200660268060 http://www.ebay.com/itm/200657942941 I understand that the helicopter from Vanguard has a remote camera and screen which I'm sure increases the price but $298,000 for a remote camera seems high.

Service or support? Someone has to train the deputies how to fly it as well as fix it when it breaks. Not to say that that justifies the cost either.

To justify spending $300,000, which puts $290,000+ in his pocket

Wish I was joking about the price. This ebay powerseller sells large (man-sized) R/C helicopters for $1,500-$2,000 with motor, batteries, radio, etc
http://www.ebay.com/itm/200660268060
http://www.ebay.com/itm/200657942941

I understand that the helicopter from Vanguard has a remote camera and screen which I'm sure increases the price but $298,000 for a remote camera seems high.

To justify spending $300,000, which puts $290,000+ in his pocket

Wish I was joking about the price. This ebay powerseller sells large (man-sized) R/C helicopters for $1,500-$2,000 with motor, batteries, radio, etc
http://www.ebay.com/itm/200660268060
http://www.ebay.com/itm/200657942941

I understand that the helicopter from Vanguard has a remote camera and screen which I'm sure increases the price but $298,000 for a remote camera seems high.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v122/smadurski/toons/?action=view&current=farside-nuclr-boom-paperbag.gif&newest=1

And in color (on a mug):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-Far-Side-1983-mug-Larson-bomb-paper-bag-popping-/320716382907

I didn't buy it for mine, because $379 seems a bit egregious. If a manufacturing defect doesn't manifest in the first year, I don't see the point in paying for 2 more years of coverage. I use my laptop every day on the go, if something's screwy on it, it's gonna die young.

Because Apple's bad cooling designs cause normal failure in 2-3 years even without manufacturing defects.

Ah... then why are all these Core Duos from 2005/6 still selling at these prices if they suffered normal failure in 2007/8? Let me answer that for you: because you're either wrong, attempting to mislead others, or both. Apple's hardware has a fantastic reputation for lasting far far beyond the warranty.

For your edification, the cooling defects which you refer to as bad cooling designs were always confined to the initial hw runs of the models that suffered from it, and in laptops always had to do with over-application of thermal paste, not design, and these issues are always somehow mitigated by Apple, either by adjustments in the manufacturing, and/or by replacing your hardware. Apple's customer service year in and year out beats every other hw manufacturer in customer satisfaction.

Might help to see those used sale prices if I had linked to the completed auctions.

even the entry-level MBP is what, 1200 or so ? It costs as much as two similar-spec PC laptops

Here are the specs of that $1200 13" MBP.
Take a look. Now... show us all this $600 laptop with similar specs.

This notion that Apple's hardware is outrageously overpriced has been shown to be false time and again. Yes, there are $600 laptops, and they may match proc and RAM of Apple's hw, maybe even more RAM or more HD... but the specifications will not even be close. As with other hw manufacturers, so it is even with Apple: the margins are pretty thin. Once you actually match the specifications (and not just ignore the ones you don't like as though they were worthless), the difference in price will be less than $100.

You also may want to factor in resell value, as Apple laptops are famous (notorious) for retaining obscene value many years later. You want to tell me why a 12" 1-1.5Ghz PowerPC Powerbook Apple stopped making in 2006 still sees average sales around $200? In this case, you can match the specs and maybe get 3 or 4 used PC laptops from 2003-6 for $200. You can... but you know as well as I they're going to be junk (unless they're a tank of a Thinkpad).

I'm pretty sure that outside the US still has eBay. The world is shifting to a global market thanks to places like eBay where localized products can be arbitraged for a nominal fee. That's how we in the US get access to the thousands of Android tablets built and marketed for third world markets when we don't live there.

It's one world now. If you have the cash and Internet access you can have anything sold anywhere in the world delivered reliably and quickly to you in any place that has delivery services. The world is turning in to one huge bazaar. To steal a quote from R.A.H., "anything in the explored universe can be had by a man with cash, from a starship to ten grains of stardust, from the ruin of a reputation to the robes of a senator with the senator inside."

I'm pretty sure that outside the US still has eBay. The world is shifting to a global market thanks to places like eBay where localized products can be arbitraged for a nominal fee. That's how we in the US get access to the thousands of Android tablets built and marketed for third world markets when we don't live there.

It's one world now. If you have the cash and Internet access you can have anything sold anywhere in the world delivered reliably and quickly to you in any place that has delivery services. The world is turning in to one huge bazaar. To steal a quote from R.A.H., "anything in the explored universe can be had by a man with cash, from a starship to ten grains of stardust, from the ruin of a reputation to the robes of a senator with the senator inside."

This may help to sell my MC Hammer LP on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160668765594 I will get rich !!!!.. uhm... not.

Mac Mini [...] iPod Touch [...] iOS developer account that can publish to the iTunes store [...] Total: $897

$897 seems to be less than $1250.

Now add the cable adapter to use your existing monitor on your Mac mini, and add the $297 renewals to keep your certificate from expiring three years before your Mac and device become obsolete. Total: a lot closer to $1250.

Also, you can just use the iOS simulator in Xcode if you're really scraping by

I've read that the speed of the iOS simulator is nowhere near accurate. Some things are much faster on the simulator than on the device. It would be unwise to attempt to publish an application that has been tested exclusively on a simulator because its slowness on a device would draw harsh negative reviews.

used Macs at a discount

I was under the impression that used Macs were more likely to be more than five years old, meaning they have a PowerPC CPU, which is incompatible with recent Xcode. I did notice that some of the eBay listings were for used Intel Macs. But are used Macs eligible for, say, AppleCare so that the buyer is covered if the thing breaks in a week?

Mac Mini: $599
iPod Touch: $199
iOS developer account that can publish to the iTunes store: $99

Total: $897

$897 seems to be less than $1250. Also, you can just use the iOS simulator in Xcode if you're really scraping by, and cut the iPod Touch out, for a total entry cost of less than $700.

It's also a travesty that there is nowhere to buy refurbished Macs, or used Macs at a discount that work perfectly.

Thanks for playing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matsushita-Panasonic-Model-JA-751-8-Floppy-Drive-/370528490698?pt=PCC_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item56453814ca
I imagine that movie cameras as welll will be available though ebay or similar for a long ling time to come.

Here ya go: http://www.ebay.com/itm/4axis-cnc-router-engraver-DRILLING-MILLING-mahcine-/220835081127?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336acbeba7 OK, so it's an actual machine and it doesn't have a cutesy-pie PT Barnum vibe to it. Sorry, you'll have to actually learn something. But isn't Slashdot the place of the DYI open source geek? Make everytihng yourself?

For what it's worth, I've never seen a laptop dock with dual video outlets. All the laptop users I know who do multiple-monitor use the laptop screen as one of the monitors, and the dock-connected one as the second.

Dell PR02X - for some reason I can't find it on the Dell site, but ebay has them and they have dual DVI out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Clean-Dell-PR02X-Docking-Station-/180733204077?pt=Laptop_Docking_Stations&hash=item2a1489d66d

Here's one on eBay from August 28th with link to video.

Didn't sell because seller thought it was worth $1,800 (LOL), but seller does have reasonable feedback and has been a member since 2002, it would be foolish to sell a fake Android running Touchpad on eBay and risk losing their account, but people do dumb things for $1800 so who knows, but I would trust a eBay auction from a long time seller with good feedback far more than I would a random Youtube video.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Radio-Shack-Realistic-44-232-Bulk-Tape-Eraser-Fedx-Ground-/380373076967?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item5890008be7

And, break the PCB.

"ou could have dropped it to $199 and sold all your inventory, made twice as much money and not piss off customers. " based on what? WTF do you base 199 would sell out? hmm? fucking nothing, that's what. Idiot.

When I look at their sales, their sales channel, I can see exactly why they chose 99 dollars. No other 99 dollar table sells that fast, and 199 tables are even worse. But no, you don't look at the industry, and your hubris doesn't let you think "hmmm, I wonder why they chose 99 dollars?" no, you just go to 'stupid'.

Are you kidding? There is no other tablet even close to the Touchpad's specs for under $200. Dual core 1.2ghz, 9.7" multi-touch capacitive screen, 16gb, webcam, 802.11a/b/g/n, bluetooth. Closest thing with those specs is a $500 iPad 2.

They're still selling for over $200 on Ebay now even though everyone knows people bought them for $99

$99 was so low that HP is being sued by stockholders for misleading them.

ah you're AC! dammit i shouldn't even respond to you trolls

Let's see, significant holes, wood products, moving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgmubPdH_vA

And oh hey here's another for good measure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqEQEDKkzX4

Funny I don't see any trailers or straw bales on those. Certainly not any "compressed" straw bales, since almost everyone knows that straw bales are only compressed when they are used to carry a load, like a roof. Compressing your insulation isn't really standard practice. But since you seem to be the structural engineer here perhaps you know something we don't?

It looks like the price of a container is about $2000. Maybe that's the going rate for "abandoned" junk. I dunno.

Obviously improving the design would make it more expensive. Somehow you seem to have missed the part of my post where I point out that it might also increase the value. Like other collapsible containers. Like in the OP. Of the story we are all commenting on.

Thanks for trying, though, I guess.

You're off by a "k"....

Don't you dare outbid me!

most hybrids like the Transformer still seem tablets with some laptop features.

The only way you can detach the keyboard is if the CPU, RAM, and mass storage are in the monitor half of the clamshell. This means you're building a tablet.

most of the time I need a laptop running Debian [...] I want a 12" - I'm not comfortable with working for extended periods of time on anything smaller.

Then you might want to consider something like this 12" ASUS Eee Slate with a keyboard dock. Yes, I agree that it's overpriced compared to budget 12" laptops, but apparently there aren't enough people like you to make high-volume production of such a product profitable.

I would have to raise the cost by $29, plus add a disclaimer that if paying with PayPal please add 3% to the total price to account for PayPay (owned by eBay) fees.

And you'd get your account suspended for doing so!

eBay's payment surcharges policy

you can purchase legit arcade ROM boards or chips at these sites:
have to sell body parts to afford
decent prices
on ebay <-- sometimes super deals! however, if super cheap and it's a chinese seller, it's pirated. (sad but true)

after purchasing them, you will either need to dump the chips or download them predumped from the net. it's not piracy if you own the chips. it's going to cost you a boat load of money, so you have been warned.

if you buy just the ROM (not on chips) from someone then it's guaranteed pirated.

but seriously, LRN2GOOGLE!

It's all a scam. Just search for Hearing Aids in ebay and you'll many for less than $100 from China and they are just as good as the $3000 scam ones. You can buy a lot of batteries for the difference.

Put together? Hell, I have bought equipment at flea markets that was actually an old heathkit someone put together. In fact, just the other day I was rearranging stuff in my basement and found the old HeathKit capacitance meter that I got at the MIT Flea like 15 years ago. It was probably older than I am now, back when I bought it, but, last time I pulled needed it.... it worked just fine (once it warmed up....ahhh....tubes)

Actually.... just found one on EBAY.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heathkit-IT-22-Antique-Capacitance-Meter-/150647200398

They call it antique but.. the one I have makes this one look like the new updated model (it probably is)

See, for example, this eBay listing (I've got nothing to do with the seller) -- cheap at $700. I think that it does require some TLC to get running, but not much. One guy had retrofitted this machine with motor driver board from a Roland DXY plotter. His quality experience was poor, but it's unclear whether he got it from the same seller or not. It certainly is the same machine. A friend got this machine off the eBay listing above and it came, at least, with all screws still in their right places and nothing loose. He also used his own driver board.

For $700 + some TLC + $300 in parts you can have a beautiful engraver, even if you were to design your own driver board and order it in qty 1. You can of course use the included driver board (it works), but it's not documented and I don't think it's trivial to get your own software to talk to it. It may well be, but I just don't know anyone who got it done.

The Microsoft Trackball Explorer sold new for $59 in 2001 and is (as far as I'm concerned) the best trackball ever made. It was discontinued in 2004, but people will pay upwards of $400 to buy a new one today.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-0-PS2-USB-MICROSOFT-EXPLORER-TRACKBALL-BOXED-/220842337857?pt=UK_Collectables_InputDevices_RL&hash=item336b3aa641

They sell used for sometimes around $200
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-0-PS2-USB-COMPATIBLE-GWO-MICROSOFT-EXPLORER-TRACKBALL-/250877849444?pt=UK_Collectables_InputDevices_RL&hash=item3a697c2f64

Even used ones with buttons falling off sell for prices well above the original MSRP.

The ball itself goes regularly for almost $100.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Trackball-Explorer-1-0-OEM-REPLACEMENT-BALL-/290599386203?pt=Mice&hash=item43a912bc5b#ht_679wt_1396

Apparently, the optical trackball tech is subject to some patent owned by logitech basically refuses to let Microsoft make them.

The Microsoft Trackball Explorer sold new for $59 in 2001 and is (as far as I'm concerned) the best trackball ever made. It was discontinued in 2004, but people will pay upwards of $400 to buy a new one today.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-0-PS2-USB-MICROSOFT-EXPLORER-TRACKBALL-BOXED-/220842337857?pt=UK_Collectables_InputDevices_RL&hash=item336b3aa641

They sell used for sometimes around $200
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-0-PS2-USB-COMPATIBLE-GWO-MICROSOFT-EXPLORER-TRACKBALL-/250877849444?pt=UK_Collectables_InputDevices_RL&hash=item3a697c2f64

Even used ones with buttons falling off sell for prices well above the original MSRP.

The ball itself goes regularly for almost $100.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Trackball-Explorer-1-0-OEM-REPLACEMENT-BALL-/290599386203?pt=Mice&hash=item43a912bc5b#ht_679wt_1396

Apparently, the optical trackball tech is subject to some patent owned by logitech basically refuses to let Microsoft make them.

The Microsoft Trackball Explorer sold new for $59 in 2001 and is (as far as I'm concerned) the best trackball ever made. It was discontinued in 2004, but people will pay upwards of $400 to buy a new one today.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-0-PS2-USB-MICROSOFT-EXPLORER-TRACKBALL-BOXED-/220842337857?pt=UK_Collectables_InputDevices_RL&hash=item336b3aa641

They sell used for sometimes around $200
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-0-PS2-USB-COMPATIBLE-GWO-MICROSOFT-EXPLORER-TRACKBALL-/250877849444?pt=UK_Collectables_InputDevices_RL&hash=item3a697c2f64

Even used ones with buttons falling off sell for prices well above the original MSRP.

The ball itself goes regularly for almost $100.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Trackball-Explorer-1-0-OEM-REPLACEMENT-BALL-/290599386203?pt=Mice&hash=item43a912bc5b#ht_679wt_1396

Apparently, the optical trackball tech is subject to some patent owned by logitech basically refuses to let Microsoft make them.

On the bright side, you can still snatch a drawing of a Touchpad for as low as 1 cent (though it goes up to 1 dollar for higher-spec versions), with many supplier choices.

Look at all these people:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=touchpad&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Poor suckers.

Intel chips overheat? I don't think so

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSGcnRanYMM

So many of these comments are outright lies. Intel sells OEM chips without a heatsink and retail kits with a pretty decent stock heatsink. Here is a stock intel heatsink for a P3 cpu.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Intel-1U-Socket-370-P3-Heatsink-Fan-Sanyo-Denki-/310132647048

You Americans have had OBDII since 1996, and us EUians have had EOBD2 since 2001 (2004 for diesels) a standardised data port. You can buy a cheap code reader, plug it in the OBD socket and it'll pop up the code on the reader, and it works on any car that has OBDII or EOBD2.

I've got a ScangaugeE which goes further and shows me a wealth of information from my car's computer - and yes it works in any car with OBDII or EOBD2.

Hey, look! You can buy an OBDII reader for $23 inc postage.

So this is expensive?

Bandpass filters exist for a reason. Basic cable is channels 2-23 where I'm at, Extended basic is 2-66. If you have an HDTV, then you can get all of the digital feeds of local channels, plus all of TWC's music chennel lineup. If you are only subscribed to the internet, they will install a bandpass filter so you only get channels 76 and 78, (modem frequencies). You will get no TV.

You CAN always just go downstairs with your cable box key, and hook yourself up, but that's not exactly legal, and you have to know how to do it to specs or otherwise you will get caught. But it is easily doable as long as you know where your residential cable head is located.

Bandpass filters exist for a reason. Basic cable is channels 2-23 where I'm at, Extended basic is 2-66. If you have an HDTV, then you can get all of the digital feeds of local channels, plus all of TWC's music chennel lineup. If you are only subscribed to the internet, they will install a bandpass filter so you only get channels 76 and 78, (modem frequencies). You will get no TV.

You CAN always just go downstairs with your cable box key, and hook yourself up, but that's not exactly legal, and you have to know how to do it to specs or otherwise you will get caught. But it is easily doable as long as you know where your residential cable head is located.

The only payment methods accepted for most eBay US categories are PayPal, Moneybookers, ProPay, Moneybookers, and Internet merchant accounts with the credit card companies. Google Checkout is not on the whitelist. PayPal and Moneybookers have blocked payments to WikiLeaks, and all the rest charge sellers a monthly or annual fee.

http://patapata.sourceforge.net/WhyEducationalTechnologyHasFailedSchools.html

This essay could be considered supporting Alan Kay's suggestion that
"the computer revolution hasn't happened yet".
http://squeakland.org/school/HTML/essays/face_to_face.html

Why Educational Technology Has Failed Schools
by Paul D. Fernhout
January, 2007

Educational technology has been a big success at homes, in libraries, in
museums, and in business.

Let's say you have an interest in, say, Aardvarks. At home and want to
know the weight of a typical aardvark right now? Google it:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=aardvark+weight
Want to buy one? :-) Try Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Safari-Aardvark/dp/B000H6H4VK
Want to sell one you no longer need? Try ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Aardvark-Direct-Pro-Q10-PCI-Audio-Interface-w-CubaseLE_W0QQitemZ270076288454QQihZ017QQcategoryZ64446QQcmdZViewItem
Want to collaborate with others on making one better? Try sourceforge:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/aardvark
Want a 3D simulation written by an aardvark?
http://flyawaysimulation.com/article746.html
Want to make your own educational simulation about aardvarks? Try one of
the tools linked here:
http://www.ambrosine.com/resource.html
An endless variety of information related to just one arbitrary topic,
easily accessible using Google or another search engine.

At the library, want to find a good book on, say, Zebras? Use an online
library catalog system:
http://leopac.nypl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?menu=search&aspect=basic&npp=10&ipp=20&ri=&index=GW&term=zebras

Want to make a museum kiosk showing protein folding in action in 3D? Write
a simulation with Python:
https://simtk.org/search/?type_of_search=soft&words=&topics=18+307

Does your business need to know more about "quality control" to prevent
customer complaints? Lots of online resources:
http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search=quality+control
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_control

So, at home, library, museum, or business, technology is delivering the
goods (physical or digital) and making these places all a lot better.

With all that technological success in other areas, why are schools still
considered a problem area, see:
"To fix US schools, [bipartisan] panel says, start over"
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1215/p01s01-ussc.html
Or in other words, why has technology failed in compulsory schools?
Clearly something is wrong here -- technology is helping make these other
places more productive and more flexible -- but in schools, there is not
much change, despite a huge expenditure in technology and training.

Ultimately, educational technology's greatest value is in supporting
"learning on d

These are complete core2duo computers for $100. I'm sorry but p4 and Pentium D are ancient and not suitable for modern gaming.

..."why waste your juice on something you need for calls, when there are those ultra cheap emulator portables"

Yet another device to carry around. Thanks but I'll stick with my iPhone, and yes it does have Final Fantasy specifically designed for the touchscreen, or what many call WoW for iPhone (I've played it, it really is WoW)

"Maybe its just me, but I'd rather save my phone for making calls."

Shhh, otherwise we'll have to pull your geek card because you sound like my baby-boomer parents.

These are complete core2duo computers for $100. I'm sorry but p4 and Pentium D are ancient and not suitable for modern gaming.

..."why waste your juice on something you need for calls, when there are those ultra cheap emulator portables"

Yet another device to carry around. Thanks but I'll stick with my iPhone, and yes it does have Final Fantasy specifically designed for the touchscreen, or what many call WoW for iPhone (I've played it, it really is WoW)

"Maybe its just me, but I'd rather save my phone for making calls."

Shhh, otherwise we'll have to pull your geek card because you sound like my baby-boomer parents.

These are complete core2duo computers for $100. I'm sorry but p4 and Pentium D are ancient and not suitable for modern gaming.

..."why waste your juice on something you need for calls, when there are those ultra cheap emulator portables"

Yet another device to carry around. Thanks but I'll stick with my iPhone, and yes it does have Final Fantasy specifically designed for the touchscreen, or what many call WoW for iPhone (I've played it, it really is WoW)

"Maybe its just me, but I'd rather save my phone for making calls."

Shhh, otherwise we'll have to pull your geek card because you sound like my baby-boomer parents.

Yes. There's lots of them on eBay. This one has both 3.5 and 5.25 drives: http://cgi.ebay.com/Zenith-Data-Systems-ZBV-3829-KR-Computer-CPU-Z-386-33E-/320718188218?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aac4b2eba

The iPhone 3Gs still goes for over $300 on eBay.

It looks like market support is about $250 right now. I wonder, when Apple starts selling the no-contract ones for $350, what the market will prefer.

No other phone holds that type of value over 2 years after its introduction. Thus the original claim holds true: Apple hardware is amazingly ahead of any competitor at resale value.

How are you figuring the original value? It's not what you paid to AT&T for it - they subsidized Apple about $300 per phone for those (or so I read). Something like a Nokia n900 started out at $649, and now sells used for $250, but that's a real, unsubsidized price.

*It's interesting how so many on /. only talked about iphone costs in terms of the cost of the phone + plans, but no one on slashdot ever mentions Apple's high resale value when doing comparing prices of other brands vs. Apple.

You sure? I see the $599 iPhone selling for $50.

Shenanigans. The iPhone 3Gs still goes for over $300 on eBay. No other phone holds that type of value over 2 years after its introduction. Thus the original claim holds true: Apple hardware is amazingly ahead of any competitor at resale value.

You sure? I see the $599 iPhone selling for $50. I guess it depends on how long you hold onto your gear.

That's a first generation iPhone you've linked to. I'd bet money that other hardware companies can't even give away, brand new, the phones they made that were contemporaneous with the iPhone 1st Gen.

The surprise with Apple gear isn't that it has a higher resale value than the competition; it's that unlike the competition, Apple products have a resale value at all.

*It's interesting how so many on /. only talked about iphone costs in terms of the cost of the phone + plans, but no one on slashdot ever mentions Apple's high resale value when doing comparing prices of other brands vs. Apple.

You sure? I see the $599 iPhone selling for $50. I guess it depends on how long you hold onto your gear.

Hrm, that's a reasonable price for an iPod.

Macs are different because you can't go get a Mac for $50 down with a $2800 ISP contract obligation.

I went on EBay to look for a tool to write DNA code that would fight the virus, and the Singaporeans want too much for such a synthesizer. Keepin the mans down.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BECKMAN-OLIGO-1000M-DNA-SYNTHESIZER-POWER-UP-1000-M-/280475408029?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item414da3169d

Peltier elements are not only expensive, but not very effective at cooling areas.

Not that expensive (certainly lot less expensive than the PV - I reckon these are the bottleneck).
It is going to be expensive anyway - you are fighting 1kW/sqm incoming flux, with an outdoor temperature that makes a heat transfer against entropy a pain - with water not quite easily spared.

Plenty of people, apparently. He sold everything he stole. A random 30 year old Floridian working at the TSA booth stealing people's stuff probably isn't exactly a shrewd electronics aficionado, such as yourself.

A good digital scope costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars

Sometimes you can get lucky and grab one for free or nearly free. I got a Tektronix 2440 this way. It wasn't completely working, mind you, but it's something one can fix... if not then probably you don't need the scope anyway :-) There is a lot of old, well used and maybe a bit broken equipment around that nobody in a business wants. You just need to make contacts, look around, visit your neighborhood Weird Stuff - and dive into a dumpster sometimes.

But there is something else you can do. Build your own high speed oscilloscope. Today it's not that difficult. Take AD9601, for example - it's a 300 MSPS A/D with dual (interleaved) parallel bus. You need also an FPGA to capture the data - some Spartan probably will do. Then you need a simple USB MCU to fetch the data from the FPGA and slowly ship it into the PC. Total three ICs, not counting the analog front end which is not a rocket science anymore. You can generate the sample clock with a DCM in the FPGA. Build such a thing and it will be a great exercise. Such a scope will be not a toy, it will be a very useful, small device. Logic Shrimp is a logic analyzer, but this is a real scope - in all its 10-bit glory. You actually can measure analog signals with it. You can use even a lower resolution A/D, like AD9484. (Bits are necessary when you are doing DSP, not when you are just looking at things.)

A good digital scope costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars

Sometimes you can get lucky and grab one for free or nearly free. I got a Tektronix 2440 this way. It wasn't completely working, mind you, but it's something one can fix... if not then probably you don't need the scope anyway :-) There is a lot of old, well used and maybe a bit broken equipment around that nobody in a business wants. You just need to make contacts, look around, visit your neighborhood Weird Stuff.

But there is something else you can do. Build your own high speed oscilloscope. Today it's not that difficult. Take AD9601, for example - it's a 300 MSPS A/D with dual (interleaved) parallel bus. You need also an FPGA to capture the data - some Spartan probably will do. Then you need a simple USB MCU to fetch the data from the FPGA and slowly ship it into the PC. Total three ICs, not counting the analog front end which is not a rocket science. You can generate the sample clock with a DCM in the FPGA. Build such a thing and it will be a great exercise. Such a scope will be not a toy, it will be a very useful, small device. Logic Shrimp is a logic analyzer, but this is a real scope - in all its 10-bit glory. You actually can measure analog signals with it. You can use even a lower resolution A/D, like AD9484. (Bits are necessary when you are doing DSP, not when you are just looking at things.)