John reminded me:

> How about Keven Miller's idea that the money (with HP
> shamed into at least matching it) go to education - introducing
> the HP3000 into schools. I realize the money won't go far,
> and the logistics would be tough, but I still like it.

after I commented:

> What we do NOT want:  Some enterprising headline writer
> coming up with something like:
>
>          "WAKE UP CALL, or JUST a WAKE ??"

oops....   sorry.... too many hundred emails multiplexed with
doing NEWMIRRSET, NEWMIRRVOL, etc., etc....  Let me
revise and extend my previous remarks:

I like the "education option" a lot too;  for several reasons:

(1)  It's effectively charity, but it doesn't *feel* that way.

(2)  It *might* give at least a handful of kids in school early
exposure to HP 3000's (in the long run this could be important
(remember similar smart move Apple made:  Free (or next to
free) computers for kids in school;  then soak 'em retail when
they get out (not so smart, it turned out in the long run) ) ).

(3)   It is probably one of the few things (maybe the *only*
thing) we could come up with where there is at least a little
more than a snowball's chance HP (or maybe Client / Phoenix
Systems ????    :-)   ) might indeed cough up some matching
funds (expect main-line companies like HP like to be seen
helping educational institutions;  great PR for them).

(4)   For the most part it should be hard to come up with any
negative interpretation in the trade rags;  *PROVIDING* the
whole effort comes across as "expanding the use of an actively
promoted platform", and not "swan song for a fading legacy
system".


BUT:  Having said all that:  Getting even a few small HP 3000's
out to a few colleges and universities is I expect at best a
months-long project.  Like John said:  logistics, logistics,
logistics;  i.e.:  This might be a very good LONG term idea;  it
does little in the short run (except provide a good PR release
that we / HP are *planning* to do it (not minimizing the good
PR from that, BTW) ).


Sooo....:   Off-the-top, on balance (if I can still call myself
"balanced" after today) I still come down for some pretty good-
sized (at least a half-page or so if at all possible), immediate
impact in the WSJ.....  If that was combined with an "education
option", then think I would try and come up a *few* words to
add to my variant of Wirt's  http://aics-research.com/wsjad.html
;  that briefly mentions the "education component"...   I just
can't think of a good way to work that in right now;  without
losing focus in the proposed WSJ ad....

Good idea all by itself, though...

Ken Sletten