Getting rid of technology
Aug. 21st, 2010 03:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amethyst73I am currently using a Dual 1.8GHz PowerPC G5 named Corin. Like many of the computers I've owned, it's a hand-me-down from Huz. On the floor, we have Fred, an eMac (big hunk of CRT monitor plus innards), who is currently committing seppuku thirty-five times over in a valiant attempt to really completely overwrite his hard drive. Also on the floor, we have Milo, a Power Mac G3 who will also need to be plugged in one last time (also Tock, his external hard drive, who I think was an astonishing-at-the-time 500MB disk).
These computers have sat on the floor for a very long time, making it difficult to navigate to the bookshelf and the phone without clambering over some combination of plastic, metal, and silicon. All of them served their purpose reasonably well, for a while.
The floor now also having, in addition to the usual mess of outdated tech and file boxes, the contents of the closet (taken out so that the work people could get up into the attic to install our new furnace), it's become just about impassable in here, period. I think it's that fact that's finally stimulated us (me) to prepare our old computers for disposal - I just can't imagine anyone would want them as donations.
But even so, it's a little sad to say farewell to these electronic companions. Farewell Fred, who I hauled in the passenger seat of my car to the local computer store for repairs more than once. Farewell Milo, who was very good with letters and numbers and spent a great deal of time wondering what to do with himself. And while we're at it, raise a glass to Sophocles, Huz's college computer, and Mr. Compatibility, the first computer that was really mine.
Thanks. You served well.
But I'll be glad to have that floor space back.
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UPDATE: I got back from work last night (Friday) to find a flier on my door advertising a free recycling day: one could put out any of a number of things (including TVs and computers) and they'd be picked up the next morning by the recycling company for free. Bonus, I thought, I don't have to take Fred any farther than the sidewalk! So I merrily ported Fred and his keyboard to the sidewalk with the recycling flier taped to it before going off and meeting friends for dinner.
When Huz and I got back several hours later, I was astonished to see that Fred was gone! (We live in a decent neighborhood which is bordered by lots of inexpensive apartments, and it's fairly common practice to leave out, say, a microwave that you don't want any more with a 'Free' sign on it, and find it gone within 24 hours.) I hope that whoever took Fred wasn't disappointed by the lack of power cord, mouse, and, um, boot disk...
These computers have sat on the floor for a very long time, making it difficult to navigate to the bookshelf and the phone without clambering over some combination of plastic, metal, and silicon. All of them served their purpose reasonably well, for a while.
The floor now also having, in addition to the usual mess of outdated tech and file boxes, the contents of the closet (taken out so that the work people could get up into the attic to install our new furnace), it's become just about impassable in here, period. I think it's that fact that's finally stimulated us (me) to prepare our old computers for disposal - I just can't imagine anyone would want them as donations.
But even so, it's a little sad to say farewell to these electronic companions. Farewell Fred, who I hauled in the passenger seat of my car to the local computer store for repairs more than once. Farewell Milo, who was very good with letters and numbers and spent a great deal of time wondering what to do with himself. And while we're at it, raise a glass to Sophocles, Huz's college computer, and Mr. Compatibility, the first computer that was really mine.
Thanks. You served well.
But I'll be glad to have that floor space back.
----------------------
UPDATE: I got back from work last night (Friday) to find a flier on my door advertising a free recycling day: one could put out any of a number of things (including TVs and computers) and they'd be picked up the next morning by the recycling company for free. Bonus, I thought, I don't have to take Fred any farther than the sidewalk! So I merrily ported Fred and his keyboard to the sidewalk with the recycling flier taped to it before going off and meeting friends for dinner.
When Huz and I got back several hours later, I was astonished to see that Fred was gone! (We live in a decent neighborhood which is bordered by lots of inexpensive apartments, and it's fairly common practice to leave out, say, a microwave that you don't want any more with a 'Free' sign on it, and find it gone within 24 hours.) I hope that whoever took Fred wasn't disappointed by the lack of power cord, mouse, and, um, boot disk...
