Boring, or fruitcake?
Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:25 pm
When Leila Johnston was growing up she knew she was different from her friends.
While their bedroom walls were plastered with the latest popstars, hers was covered with a giant picture of the nearby IBM building. While they played with dolls and Lego, she played with IBM computer components brought home from the nearby Inverclyde plant by friends and family. Yes, Leila, 33, is a self-confessed IBM addict. And proud.
Her obsession with the American technology company is such that she has spent the last year tracking down IBM tills in shops, cafes and pharmacists and posting them online. She was even given the chance to bring her strange obsession to a live audience when she was asked to speak at the annual Boring Festival in London earlier this month. She opened her address with: 'I know I’ll never be able to get them all, but I’ve found I can’t stop.
'It’s as though the logo sings out to me. IBM tills are a beacon of research and intelligence hidden in the plain sight of consumerism' When she spots an IBM till she takes a picture, plots its location and uploads it to her blog, for other IBM fanatics out there who appreciate the technology's beauty.
Leila is quite aware of the randomness of her hobby, but defends it to the hilt.'It sounds… unusual, I realise, but I believe it’s no stranger than bird watching or trainspotting. I’ve found an elusive thin-client series 300 and the almost-unheard-of series 700.'
.Why Leila simply loves IBM
'They have the most patents generated by any company in 19 consecutive years'
'They’re consistently voted most respected, admired and innovative company'
'They are the inventor of ATMs, hard disks, magnetic stripes, various programming languages......... and the PC.'
For those reading this and interested in joining Leila in capturing on camera IBM tills across Britain, it's not as simple as it sounds. On her blog she lists 'The Golden Rules of IBM Spotting' ('because the public can’t really be relied upon for these kinds of projects, I came up with some rules') she outlines the process to which 'spotters' must adhere. 'IBM logo must be clearly visible in the photo and you must photograph exactly as you find it. Do not interfere with the scene', she writes.
If an IBM spotter ever has the rare fortune of stumbling across more than one piece of IBM equipment in the one shot, they are advised 'to email me immediately' because 'it's quite rare to find a full set in the wild', she says.
