Slashdot 10-Year Anniversary Charity Auction for the EFF

As part of our 10-Year anniversary, we've decided to have a little charity auction, with the cash going to the EFF. The items currently up for bidding are 'Triton' (the big old tower case from the first x86 used to host Slashdot from Feb 11 1998 through much of 1999... picture is attached to the story if you're curious). A low numbered UID (3 or maybe 2 digits!) so you can win those stupid low UID pissing match threads. Your URL plugged in the story where we announce the auction winners. Oh the fame! The Slashdot Grab Bag: We're putting stuff around the office in a box- random t-shirts, hats, even an old Nokia NGage. The mystery box could contain anything that we stuff in the box before the contest ends... there's a picture of what we have so far attached. A copy of the watchmen trade paperback singed in Hemos's 1999 house fire. An @slashdot.org email alias (tasteful names only ;) The auctions will be running for like 10 days, and we'll post the results when they come up.

Triton currently has a couple of P2s in it that may or may not work, as well as a number of SCSI controllers that may or may not work. It also has a 300W power supply that may or may not work. Remember, you are donating to charity here... but these guts have been sitting in a closet for probably 5 years now. We don't have any idea what works.... the machine was originally hosted in our Holland office, but eventually was shipped to California for colocation. While there it got its guts replaced from dual P133s to dual P2s. After that, it flew back to Holland where it was a file server for a few years until we retired it

The grab box will at least contain some shirts. We have a crate of shirts- some given to us by random companies, others are mis-prints of various corporate things... I think we have some static stickers and hats... but there's no promises here... again... you're making a donation to a worthy charity here! The picture shows you some things that will probably be in the box including Nate's Nokia ngage, a collection of hats... we'll throw in a few of the 10-year anniversary t-shirts as well...

We're willing to sign the things if you think that makes it worth donating more. Or more likely not, if you think it's worth more without our childish scribblings on it. And bid high folks! This is for the EFF after all...

Paying for slashvertisements?

[IBBoard]

Your URL plugged in the story where we announce the auction winners.

Why not save your money and just do what others do - post a pure slashvertisement or an article that uses your blog (or similar website) that's filled with adverts and a link to the real news source as "TFA"?

Alternatively, why pay to see your server go down in flames when someone can post an article on Slashdot, Digg or one of the others and you can have it done for free?

Re:Low UID?

[eln]

I'm sure that's why they're making it secret. There's already been at least one slashdot UID auctioned on eBay, and the buyer was mocked mercilessly for it for quite a while as I recall.

Of course, even if this one is secret, given that very few 2 and 3 digit UIDs still post regularly, if the winner posts regularly at all (and what would be the point otherwise?) they'll be found out in fairly short order.

How 'bout selling the 10-year t-shirts?

[macklin01]

How about selling 10-year t-shirts for $15-$20 each, with $10-$15 to EFF? I know I'd buy one, and I'm sure the demand would result in a much larger contribution to EFF than a single grab box, etc. -- Paul

Low uid..

[Improv]

I am amused at the thought that low UIDs are valuable.. It's not like one can buy being an old-timer...

Whats so special in low uids?

[kju]

Really, i don't get it. I was reading slashdot someday in the morning when user registration was announced. I created an account and now i have a fairly low uid. So, wow, but still, whats so special about it? It does not make me any wiser or more important than any other user of slashdot. While, yes, it feels cool to have been with something like slashdot for such a long time, but past is past. Buying in on a low uid is just faking oneselfs identity.

Re:Whats so special in low uids?

[Rob T Firefly]

Like anything in the world ever, it's only "worth" what someone somewhere is willing to trade for it.

Primeness?

[Kandenshi]

Ah, but will the 2/3 digit UID be prime? That'd add a bit more value to it for me. I suppose a UID like 380 would be nice enough, but I'd probably prefer one like 389(even with its *slightly* lower "stupid low UID pissing match thread" winning potential)

Really, with incomplete information about the number I can't make an informed decision on how much money to try and waste.

Re:Low UID?

[elrous0]

As poor as I am, I'll just have to hope I can live long enough to be able to brag about having a six figure UID.

Re:Low UID?

[Stamen]

I'm with ya. We should form some sort of 6 digit UID group. Then actively ridicule anyone who posts with either less than or more than 6 digits. If you do something long enough, people will actually start to think there is something to it.

vi or emacs? Who cares, are you a 6 digiter? That's the question.