Care in the Community!

Last week I was browsing Twitter like any other normal user does of a morning. As I was scrolling through the genuinely interesting comments, retweets and adverts, I noticed a picture of what was clearly an Atari Jaguar atop a Sega Mega CD, along with a bouquet of flowers and the text "RIP. Going in the bin." Understandably intrigued, I sent a message to the poster and asked what it was about. They explained that the system didn't work and that it was going in the bin (because, y'know, the Tweet wasn't clear enough for my brain to interpret). After a few exchanges, I managed to speak to the owner of the deceased hardware via email and arranged to purchase the dead system for a grand total of nothing plus postage & packing costs. From the image uploaded to Twitter, the console's case looked in good condition and I figured that I could get it sprayed some exotic colour and then replace my other Jag's case with it.

A few days passed and eventually I received a rather large package in the post. Odd, I thought...I gathered my benefactor was just sending the broken Jaguar in a plastic bag or something. Imagine my shock and delight when I opened the package to find a fully-boxed Jaguar complete with cables and joypad! The system was very dusty and looked like it hadn't been used for a while, but that was nothing a quick dust off couldn't rectify. I was about to open the console's case and discard the dead circuit board inside when I had a thought - maybe I should try the console first to see if the owner had simply been unable to test the system with a cartridge plugged in. I slapped Super Burnout into the slot and pressed the button...the Jag roared to life immediately and I spent a good 20 minutes playing on it. I tried it with a few other carts and also the Jag CD...all of which worked perfectly. I contacted the sender of the console to explain that it worked fine, but he seemed happy just to have sent the system to someone who would appreciate and use it. I have since decided not the have the system sprayed white or any other colour as I think it actually looks just great as it was intended. The Twitter user who sent me the Jag goes by the handle @iamnormal0 - and to him I extend my utmost gratitude - please be sure to give him a follow if you're ever in that neck of the internet!

In a somewhat similar turn of events, I also acquired an imacculate box (complete with foam inserts and instruction booklet) for my Jaguar CD unit after a listener of the RetroCollect.com podcast recognised that I was a bit of a Jaguar fan and contacted the administrator of the site. Again, after several emails, the owner of the unwanted box posted it to me all the way from the USA at his own expense. All I can say is: massive, massive thanks to Bobby in CA!

These acts of kindness and charity have left me slightly exasperated - especially when we are constantly told that the internet has made people less caring and unable to exhibit acts of generosity. As this post shows, it's not all about trolling, bullying and being most un-excellent to each other. Let this show anyone who thinks otherwise - the internet is just as likely a place to find decent folk who I - for one - would be happy to shake hands with.