Pi please

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The Raspberry Pi launch has happened. Sort of.

The Pi is selling from from Farnell and RS Components. Except both sites have crashed, due to the demand.

There will be a lot of impatient people today, and for now I suspect that the main mood among RasPi supporters is frustration.

That will pass.

Somehow this tiny $35 computer has captured the minds of people in the same way as the Apollo moon landings did. (Yes, I was watching as the Eagle landed). At a time when we're all feeling the pinch of austerity,  and uncertain about the future, the Pi is a ray of hope - a sigh that bad times may be here, but better times will come.

I spent last evening in the company of geekish friends at the Extreme Tuesday Club. Just about everyone had heard of Raspberry Pi, and there was a warm glow about it. Best of all, I met an old friend who knows someone who might buy my vintage Acorn microcomputer. I offered it in exchange for a donation to the Pi foundation a while back, and was met by a deafening silence, but it seems that there is a collector who may be interested. The money will go to the Foundation.

And soon, Farnell and RS will be back on the air and we will be able to order this miracle. I'm happy to wait.

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