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0 pointsStratoscope7y ago0 comments

These were rugged little machines.

Back in the '80s I had a dog named Ben. A lab-afghan-shepherd mix, truly a great dog. Whenever he took a nap, my cat Petunia would climb on top of him and take a nap with him. They were best friends.

Ben had only one bad habit. He liked to find my wallet or checkbook and bury it in the back yard!

One day he found my HP-16C in its "leatherette" case. Yes, it was just like a checkbook or wallet. So he buried it for me. Thanks, Ben.

And then he dug it back up and when I found it, it had major tooth marks in it!

I was pretty upset. This was not a cheap calculator. So I swatted him on the nose with it. [1] And then I was so angry I threw the calculator across the street!

Well, I felt pretty stupid after that. So I went across the street, picked up the calculator, and it still worked! And it still works to this day. (Lucky for me, Ben's tooth marks just missed the display.)

[1] Animal rights lovers, please do not get too upset. Ben and I had our disagreements from time to time, but we were best of friends, just like all the dogs and cats I've had the privilege of sharing a home with.

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jasomill7y ago

On a related note, in high school, my dog got hold of my nearly new HP-48GX; I wasn't so fortunate as you, as she bit right through the display, shattering it.

Figuring dog bites weren't covered under warranty, I sent the calculator — which had obvious "puncture wounds" through the display — off to HP Corvallis, with a note explaining the cause of the damage, and requesting a repair estimate for the damage.

A week or so later, I received a response — in the form of a brand new 48GX in retail packaging, provided at no charge.

Which, as expected, still works today (though these days, I rarely use any of my [embarrassingly many, including two revisions of HP-35] HP calculators other than my pair of 15Cs; though I do also have a 16C at my desk which I use on a semi-regular basis).

jloughry7y ago

Casio calculator watch—the black plastic kind—went all the way through a black Lab named Brando. Came out the other end of the dog minus half of its wristband, with teeth marks in the keyboard and a cracked display but it still worked. Cleaned it thoroughly, replaced the band and wore that watch for many more years.

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