Anyone in Italy? Go rescue those beams man!

Mr.Nobody · 29 Dec 2018, 03:10

The lastest urbex video from a Youtube channel called "the proper people" tells that they found a room full of beamspring keyboards in an abandoned Italian textile factory.

Here is the Video:

Muirium · 29 Dec 2018, 03:24

Ah, the old trespassing vs. stealing question. Urbex is semi-noble, if illegal, as the whole point of it is to trespass uninvited on secret abandoned spaces. But taking shit back out with you isn’t urbex. The word for that is looting.

OldIsNew · 29 Dec 2018, 04:04

Alright I'll volunteer - just PayPal me $3500 or so for proper plane fare, maybe $2500 for an at least decent place to stay, and also whatever a tolerable sedan costs to rent for a few days in Italy (I figure $1500 or so should be good) - and I'll check it out and see if I can rescue any of those boards. Oh, I forgot to mention - please include $1250, or so , so I can at least have a decent meal or two while I'm doing your bidding. No need to thank me - I'm just trying to help out. I promise I will send pictures!

JP! · 29 Dec 2018, 04:11

Muirium wrote: ↑Ah, the old trespassing vs. stealing question. Urbex is semi-noble, if illegal, as the whole point of it is to trespass uninvited on secret abandoned spaces. But taking shit back out with you isn’t urbex. The word for that is looting.

Grand Theft Beamspring. Load up a van with beamers. The pigeon poo might have preserved some of them.

JP! · 29 Dec 2018, 04:16

OldIsNew wrote: ↑Alright I'll volunteer - just PayPal me $3500 or so for proper plane fare, maybe $2500 for an at least decent place to stay, and also whatever a tolerable sedan costs to rent for a few days in Italy (I figure $1500 or so should be good) - and I'll check it out and see if I can rescue any of those boards. Oh, I forgot to mention - please include $1250, or so , so I can at least have a decent meal or two while I'm doing your bidding. No need to thank me - I'm just trying to help out. I promise I will send pictures!

To save costs I know a guy who can get you there far cheaper but hopefully you are not claustrophobic. You stay in the room with the beamers and kill pigeons to survive.

Mr.Nobody · 29 Dec 2018, 04:26

OldIsNew wrote: ↑Alright I'll volunteer - just PayPal me $3500 or so for proper plane fare, maybe $2500 for an at least decent place to stay, and also whatever a tolerable sedan costs to rent for a few days in Italy (I figure $1500 or so should be good) - and I'll check it out and see if I can rescue any of those boards. Oh, I forgot to mention - please include $1250, or so , so I can at least have a decent meal or two while I'm doing your bidding. No need to thank me - I'm just trying to help out. I promise I will send pictures!

And another 5 grand so you can have an Italian super model escort.

John Doe · 29 Dec 2018, 04:29

JP! wrote: ↑
OldIsNew wrote: ↑Alright I'll volunteer - just PayPal me $3500 or so for proper plane fare, maybe $2500 for an at least decent place to stay, and also whatever a tolerable sedan costs to rent for a few days in Italy (I figure $1500 or so should be good) - and I'll check it out and see if I can rescue any of those boards. Oh, I forgot to mention - please include $1250, or so , so I can at least have a decent meal or two while I'm doing your bidding. No need to thank me - I'm just trying to help out. I promise I will send pictures!
To save costs I know a guy who can get you there far cheaper but hopefully you are not claustrophobic. You stay in the room with the beamers and kill pigeons to survive.

Maybe could get water from the public park, or some food from the relief center, of course, with the beamsprings.

mike52787 · 29 Dec 2018, 04:39

I love the idea of saving these keyboards, but realistically they are completely trashed. In that condition they are just scrap metal.

OldIsNew · 29 Dec 2018, 04:54

Mr.Nobody wrote: ↑
And another 5 grand so you can have an Italian super model escort.

mike52787 wrote: ↑I love the idea of saving these keyboards, but realistically they are completely trashed. In that condition they are just scrap metal.

No mike5787! Keep your eyes on the prize! Mr. Nobody is right! With just that little extra money for a supermodel I can make it happen for sure! Trust me!

JP! · 29 Dec 2018, 04:58

mike52787 wrote: ↑I love the idea of saving these keyboards, but realistically they are completely trashed. In that condition they are just scrap metal.

I would gladly restore this scrap metal if someone were to anonymously donate them to me and I'd even pay for shipping.

You would need to sandblast all the metal and repaint. The worst ones (most of them) will need all new reproduction springs and stems though.

JP! · 29 Dec 2018, 05:00

OldIsNew wrote: ↑
Mr.Nobody wrote: ↑ No mike5787! Keep your eyes on the prize! Mr. Nobody is right! With just that little extra money for a supermodel I can make it happen for sure! Trust me!

You get the supermodel(s) after the beamsprings are rescued. Deal?

digital_matthew · 29 Dec 2018, 05:02

JP! wrote: ↑
OldIsNew wrote: ↑
Mr.Nobody wrote: ↑ No mike5787! Keep your eyes on the prize! Mr. Nobody is right! With just that little extra money for a supermodel I can make it happen for sure! Trust me!
You get the supermodel(s) after the beamsprings are rescued. Deal?

If you can restore those beamers to working condition those supermodels will be bashing down your door (that's how it works in my mind anyway.)

JP! · 29 Dec 2018, 05:06

digital_matthew wrote: ↑ If you can restore those beamers to working condition those supermodels will be bashing down your door (that's how it works in my mind anyway.)

Great, now I'm going to lose sleep pondering these possibilities...

y11971alex · 29 Dec 2018, 05:44

I wouldn't call taking abandoned keyboards looting. If there's a way to make certain they're abandoned, then it's for the best; if not, being in that state and location, I'd call it a good guess.

OldIsNew · 29 Dec 2018, 07:11

digital_matthew wrote: ↑
JP! wrote: ↑
You get the supermodel(s) after the beamsprings are rescued. Deal?
If you can restore those beamers to working condition those supermodels will be bashing down your door (that's how it works in my mind anyway.)

Fine. I was just trying to help but I can see it's not appreciated! So don't fly me to Italy , put me up in a nice hotel , rent me a cool car and set me up with a supermodel - see what I care!

Ok - well guess the supermodel could wait kind of. I'm still willing to make the effort.

matt3o · 29 Dec 2018, 08:52

unfortunately there seems to be very little to rescue (the factory is near Treviso).

Topdiff · 29 Dec 2018, 16:19

matt3o wrote: ↑unfortunately there seems to be very little to rescue (the factory is near Treviso).

Nope, you got the wrong one

Believe it or not I've recently been there (I can provide proof; DM me if you're intrested), as I had a friend who invited me to stay over near said factory, and while she was at work I did some urbex photography, after knowing where the factory is from OP's video.

I've seen that room, and can give you pointers if you really want, but I'm afraid that most of those beam keyboards are indeed pretty toast. The older terminal stuff was more exposed to the elements, and they have therefore seen a lot of moisture and started to rust.
However, there are at least a couple pretty good condition F122s

I couldn't take one, as bad as I wanted to, because I was traveling light. But if you do organize some sort of expedition please ship me one

Also, I would advise you to hurry. Not onlythat video's been out for a while Broken Window Theory's video on the same factory has been out for a while, that place is pretty well known to locals and not locals alike, but mostly I think work on the demolition of most if not all of the factory has already started (I almost got spotted a couple times...). So it won't be long until there's nothing but rubble left.

matt3o · 29 Dec 2018, 17:00

I have no intention of trespassing and looting

but thanks for your report! Post pictures if you want

where is it, btw?

abrahamstechnology · 29 Dec 2018, 17:12

I don't care if they're rusted, let's take them!

Topdiff · 29 Dec 2018, 17:17

matt3o wrote: ↑I have no intention of trespassing and looting but thanks for your report! Post pictures if you want

where is it, btw?

I'm a little weary to give out coords; it's against urbex etiquette, I would if someone seriously came to me with the intention of saving those keyboards however. It's not near Treviso though, but still way too northern for me to consider going back any time soon.
Here's what I've posted on my IG so far; haven't edited the others yet:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Br5k9gIAQ8b/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Br24tKAgMiB/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BriooyUAumz/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Br0RxwdA9Kw/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrvbGWMgcax/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Brn3LdLFuIS/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Brk8NwSAgIs/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrVl_XAgpCP/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrAyjj0gk3B/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq-NucXgwCq/

Totally understand that you don't want to touch anything, let alone take something that is still of some value btw.

matt3o · 29 Dec 2018, 17:24

while I condone entering and taking pictures for the sake of urban exploration, taking stuff away is something completely different. That being said one could always ask for permission to the actual owners, but I'd need more info. I knew about the factory in Treviso and it looked like it, which is way too North for me too. But I would be down if it were around my area and I could contact the owner.

Excelso · 29 Dec 2018, 17:44

Those Magnetic Tape Units are wet dreams for me.

abrahamstechnology · 29 Dec 2018, 18:36

I'd say the best course of action may be to contact the owners and offer to take them away for a reasonable price.

Techno Trousers · 29 Dec 2018, 18:47

Crazy that everything was just abandoned like that. Computer equipment in those days was incredibly expensive. Why didn't they sell it? Makes me think the building owner just locked the company out and it got stuck in some kind of stalemate.

Muirium · 29 Dec 2018, 19:31

When you get into urbex videos, you get the feeling there’s an awful lot of needless abandonment out there. Private property is a powerful thing, and humans are far from always rational.

Topdiff · 29 Dec 2018, 20:47

Muirium wrote: ↑When you get into urbex videos, you get the feeling there’s an awful lot of needless abandonment out there. Private property is a powerful thing, and humans are far from always rational.

If only you'd seen what I saw, in a relatively small area too. Italy is unfortunately incredibly wasteful, and the stuff that's documented on the internet and on video is but a tiny fraction of what's gone to rot, or as food for copper thieves and fun for vandals.

Anyway if anybody is actually interested in doing this legally, and you have a contact in the North of Italy that's willing to do the talking to the authorities and the retreiving, shoot me a DM. I now have a couple of ideas of who the proprietor of the factory may be; I doubt you'll get far, but hey, worth a shot. I'm actually going to shoot an email to the Museum of Working Informatics to see if they can do anything about this, although I doubt it - and they would also end up as museum pieces, and not as boards for you to use.

matt3o · 29 Dec 2018, 23:59

if the company bankrupted, the owner could be the State, they might even tried to auction it but being such a huge facility they got no bids and it will stay like that forever. Mere speculation, but plausible. If that is the case it would be almost impossible to get hold on that stuff due to the amount of red tape involved.

If it's still a private property it would be rather simple to find the owner. The land register is public.

tentator · 30 Dec 2018, 00:28

Fukc it's very close to me.. I suspect.. But I'm also doing urban photography but never heard of this place before.. Can that be possible??
Anyway a critical eye says they are really rusted to death.. .

lucar · 30 Dec 2018, 10:22

I alerted our Italian mech group, we have a couple of people in the area but probably scared of the place conditions and local laws that would'nt permit stealing the parts from there and getting in to a private property.

Contact me if someone wants try to go there.

For sure it's a pity to see all that equipment wasted that way.

Luca

matt3o · 30 Dec 2018, 10:27

what Italian mech group?