Calculators STOLEN today...



#6

Alas, I am sad today as I had three of my most prized calculators stolen.

My favorite calculator, a 27S, along with a 17BII and a 12C, were all in a backpack which I mistakenly left behind the driver's seat of my Durango due to my being frustrated and in a hurry. I parked at the corner of North 21st & Cuthbert Streets, between North 21st and North 22nd, in Philadelphia, PA this morning at about 10:25am. I had never parked in that lot before, but a co-worker told me the lot is free on the weekends, since there is no attendant. He has parked there many times before.

Today, I got a call from him at 11:43am to tell me the rear driver's side window in my truck had been smashed out. I was parked at the Northeast most parking spot right on the corner, parallel and right next to North 21st Street and directly opposite Cuthbert Street with the passenger side facing Cuthbert Street. This break-in happened within a time-frame of only 1 hour and 13 minutes.

I had been frustrated by the traffic this morning which made me over 1/2 hour late, due to some dim bulb for a brain that decided Saturday morning, on one of the first days in a while with bright sunshine and moderate temperatures, was a good day to shut down the right lane of a two-lane road (I-76 East from I-476 North to City Line Avenue for those who know the area) which is VERY heavily traveled, bringing traffic into Philadelphia. It was a good day for people to go to the Zoo, or the Art Museum, to take in some Theater, or to stroll the stores and shop.

The closing of that right lane turned what Google Maps says should have taken 10 minutes, into a 45 minute to 1 hour backlog on the road, no doubt costing many thousands of dollars in wasted fossil fuels for the tens of thousands of cars and trucks which were forced to crawl for over an 8 mile stretch of this 2-lane road. The estimated fuel cost for 4mpg (assuming an average of about 6 MPH) for this run is $4.08 in gasoline, multiplied by several thousand cars (not to mention the DIESEL FUEL COSTS), means it easily cost us all many thousands. What did it save in pay for the workers to do it at 10:00am instead of perhaps 2:00am? Maybe a few hundred dollars?

This frustration caused me to be off my game and I completely forgot to grab my backpack from the car before walking to the office.

Anyway, if anyone knows anything, PLEASE respond.

I lost many other electronic items in that same backpack, including headphones, 2 RIO Karmas, a portable notebook scanner, Compact Flash cards, telephone headsets, a digital dictation recorder...all told, probably several thousand dollars in "retail" pricing, though many of those items were 10+ years old. I will be submitting a claim to the insurance company, but I would rather have the items back.

Please be on the lookout for the calculators if they are coming from the Philadelphia area. The 17BII and 27S both have solver formulas in them that I could use to identify them.

Thanks.
Phil


#7

I feel your pain. That part of Philly is always under siege.


#8

I have had my car broken into perhaps 6 times in my entire life, and some of that life I was living immediately off campus at the Widener College in Chester, PA (also not a real nice place to visit), but I have never had my car broken into anywhere else other than Philadelphia.

Each time, they destroy a side window and take things, but this time the perp. tried to break the laminated glass for the electric window on the rear door, left about a dozen nicks in the glass, and cracked it pretty well before giving up and punching out the non-laminated rear side glass.

I did a quick spreadsheet of items in the backpack and it is really depressing. I know I am to blame for leaving the bag in the car, but this was the one time I totally forgot to grab it. I have NEVER left it in the car before, and wouldn't you know, it happened today of all days.

The repairs will cost me $400 on Monday. Just what I need during such an economically unforgiving time. Here I am trying to help people save their homes and eek out a meager while I am struggling to pay my own, and this happens.


#9

My car has been broken into also a few times. What sucks too is when they don't end up taking anything and just leave damage. Police explain that they are looking for guns, which I don't have in my cars.

I am so sorry. I empathize.

#10

Phil,

I feel sorry with you. Once you (an myself too) spent so much time in developing the basics of one's day-to-day formulas for these calculators, one becomes (say) paranoic at some point in time not to loose his precious work ;-)

I always keep formulas as a written copy (or now with the 200LX on CF Cards) as a secondary backup.

Although I doubt, that someone will return your belongings to you - given the circumstances of the theft - I hope for you, that you will be able to find proper replacements on auctions to come.

Best regards,

Peter A. Gebhardt

PS: Feel free to email me to get eventual support conc. rebuilding your required formulas.


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