Recycled Computing

Recycle Old Computers by Repurposing Them, Not Retiring Them

- 2008.02.15

del.icio.us Bookmark in del.icio.us

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $154 / 2GB kit $94, New 2008 iMac 2GB $46. MacBook Pro / MacMini / iMac Intel Core2 DUO 2GB $44 / 1GB $23--Free shipping available.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

MacBook/MacBook Pro / MacMini / iMac Intel Core2 DUO DDR2 667Mhz 4GB Kit $84, 3GB Kit $60, 2GB Kit $40 1GB $20. Click to Maximize your Macs...

In many, many ways I am preaching to the choir here. If you are an avid reader of Low End Mac (and who isn't?), I can't help but think that you are predisposed to hang on to your old computer until the last possible moment and even then pass it on to a family member or friend in need.

Now I don't know why Mac users are more sentimental than PC owners, but I will note that there doesn't seem to be a site called Low End PC on the web. [Editor's note: We tried, but nobody cared. dk] Perhaps it is just the huge number of hardware manufacturers on the PC side.

Mac ClassicI don't really know why this is so, but I know most of this site's readership will get a little misty eyed when I mention that my student aide just dusted off one of our Mac Classics (in our little Mac museum on campus) and started it up. Yep, it worked. And no, you can't buy it from me - it's not mine.

Technology no longer marches on - at this point it's a sprint. Today's cutting edge computer becomes tomorrow's landfill.

If you're like me, you can't help but think that the old and not so old should be useful in some fashion. Most of our developed countries in this world have up to date hardware and software, but the third world lags behind us in this field as well as many others.

Does a third world classroom need the latest Dell, Apple, or Toshiba? Or do they just need a ethernet equipped box with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse? Do they need the latest processor and gigabytes of RAM, or do they just need a processor and some memory? Do they need tabbed browsing or just a browser? Do they need the latest edition of Microsoft Office, or do they just need a word processor? Do they need the One Laptop per Child, or do they just need laptops?

My wife's school district has a contract with Apple that allows her IT department to give her a new laptop every three years. So what happens to all the laptops that are turned back in? There is a booming market for used Apple iBooks, so I don't have many worries that the laptops are still being used by someone, somewhere and in some capacity.

Power Mac 8600We used to have a bunch of old Power Mac 8600s and 7500s (remember SCSI?), and after wiping and removing the hard drives, we sent them away. At the end of this year, all our G3 desktops are going. Now G3s of this vintage can run Mac OS X 10.2.8, and wouldn't they fit nicely in a Third World country's school computer lab? The old G3s could provide a window to the world that these children might not otherwise have.

I don't know if I feel that a government program....

Oh, my God! Hillary Clinton just materialized next to me! How did she get in here without a hall pass? Oh, I see . . . I said the words "government program" and . . . Oh, my God! Bill Clinton just materialized next to her! I better stop before Chelsea shows up.

And now back to reality. Public or private, shouldn't we have a "Computer Corps" full of retired computer maniacs traveling to the Third World with the computers that are not as advanced as the latest and greatest? That's a lot better than languishing in a landfill or being ripped apart by Chinese recyclers.

Remember to keep reusing that 'puter!  LEM

Recent Recycled Computing Columns

Recent Content on Low End Mac

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, PowerBook, MacBook, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.


Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Low End Living

Amazon.com

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.