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Recycled Computing
Old Macs in the New Economy
- 2008.11.25
Popularity: 
Bookmark in del.icio.usThis may seem a bit off topic, but given this site's commitment to keeping old tech going, just give me a little time and I will tie the whole thing together.
Like many Americans, I am a bit mystified by our recent financial crisis. We were cruising along, paying $4 a gallon for gas, when suddenly Wall Street brokerage houses, insurance companies, mortgage companies, banks, and Lehman Brothers were all going belly up.
These bastions of the free enterprise system immediately ran to the government for a handout.
Near as I can figure, some people thought that it would be good to "open up" the mortgage market to some other people who had traditionally been "closed out" of the market because of low credit scores. (These were the same folks who thought it would be good idea to offer federal flood insurance to home owners who live in flood plains.)
The debt that was incurred was then traded around the world's financial markets.
There are supposed to be risk managers around to prevent things like this, but they must have been out to one of those three martini lunches. Faster than you can say "House of Cards", the whole economy went to pieces. I don't care what anyone says, we are in for a period of belt tightening.
Old Macs in the New Economy
What does this mean for us here at Low End Mac?
We are in our element, folks. We always use it up, wear it out, and then recycle it. We are the kings of making our computers last, last, and last some more.
A case in point, my beloved sage green iMac. I was using it as a print server in my wireless network, and I finally realized that perhaps it would be a better idea to use my sons' Dell XPS 200 as the print server, since it was always on (I can't even get in to run some maintenance programs on the darn thing).
I think I wondered for a while what I would do with this old iMac, since I really use my Pismo as my main computer. I was in the middle of recording my vinyl Steely Dan albums to iTunes when it hit me: Why not turn the iMac into a digital jukebox? I could hook it up to my home stereo with a stereo mini-jack-to-RCA cable and have any song in my collection available to listen to. I could even use the iTunes database to customize song selection. And, of course, there is always shuffle.
The first step was to clone the iMac's drive to an external hard drive. With Carbon Copy Cloner, this was a snap. Then I wiped the iMac's drive and reinstalled OS X 10.4.11 with every option I could possible turn off disabled. I ended up with a 2 GB installation, and although my iMac only has a 20 GB hard drive, I should be able to put my music collection on it. ( I currently have filled up my iTunes Library with 7.35 GB of music.)
Next, migrate my iTunes library from my Pismo to the iMac. Fortunately, both computers have FireWire. I hooked up a FireWire cable between the computers, put the Pismo into Target Disk Mode, and imported the library into the iMac. (Memo to Apple - count me as another curmudgeon to whom FireWire is a deal breaker. Just gotta have FireWire on my computer.)
I then disconnected the iMac, with it's many tentacles, and perched it on the top shelf of my stereo cabinet. I also recycled an old iMac "hockey puck" mouse and have been listening to my iTunes collection all over my house ever since.
Old computers can serve new purposes - and save you money has well.
Recent Recycled Computing Columns
- iPad Perfect for Handheld Computing, 02.05. You can hold the iPad in one hand and operate it with the other, giving it real advantages over a laptop computer.
- The iPad Changes the Mobile Game, 01.29. The iPad goes beyond Apple's Newton and iPod touch legacy to create a new and compelling mobile platform.
- SANE Plus Snac: An OS X Scanning Solution for Unsupported Scanners, 01.12. If the manufacturer of your scanner doesn't have drivers for your current version of Mac OS X, these freeware programs might be the solution.
- Through a Scanner, Darkly Indeed, 01.08. Got an old scanner that won't play nice with your Mac? Two scanning software solutions to keep the scanner usable.
- More in the Recycled Computing index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 'WallStreet' PowerBook G3, May 1998 - WallStreet offered 3 screen sizes and CPU speeds from 233 to 292 MHz.
- Group of the Day: Mac UK is for Mac users in the United Kingdom.
- February 9 in LEM history: 00: Think choices - Promoting the Macintosh - 01: Apple vs. Mac clones - 05: Apple and the $100 laptop - Yojimbo - Core Duo vs. G5 - 07: The story behind After Dark - Microsoft Office 2007
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Do We Really Need Another Mac Email Client?, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.08. Mac users have a host of free and low-cost email clients to choose from. Does Brent Simmons' 'Letters' project make any sense at all?
- MacBook Pro a Revelation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 02.08. After using G4 Macs for over a decade, spending a weekend prepping a first generation MacBook Pro was a real eye opener.
- 42 Reasons a Netbooks Is Better than an iPad, Hard Drive Upgrade Value, Faster Netbooks, and More, The 'Book Review, 02.05. Also why the iPad can't compete with netbooks, 802.11n WiFi card for older Intel MacBooks and Mac minis, and a DJ keyboard cover for MacBooks.
- iPad Targets Netbook Users, iPad 'Flaws' Don't Matter, In-page Search for iPhone Safari, and More, iNews Review, 02.05. Also FSF considers iPad 'iBad' for freedom, Touch Mouse app turns iPhone into wireless keyboard and trackpad, privacy screen for iPhone, and more.
- Touch Shifts the Apple Empire, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 02.05. Apple dominates mobile computing, and it will be difficult for competitors to match the value of the iPad.
- 90% of Premium PCs Are Macs, OS and Browser Market Share, Chrome Browser to Dominate, and More, Mac News Review, 02.05. Also 27" iMac too popular for supply, eco-friendly 2 TB hard drive, Puppy Linux for PowerPC Macs, 6-core Mac Pro rumored, and more.
- iPad Should Support a Stylus, CoolBook Quiets MacBooks, Puppy Linux for PowerPC Macs, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.03. Also the iPad as a genie in a bottle, Eudora Classic 6.2, notebook battery life, and more uses for 'obsolete' technology.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 02.02. Used 2 GHz, $700; 2.4, $999; refurb 2.53, $1,449; 2.8, $1,699; 3.06, $2,199; new 2.53, $1,610; 2.66, $1,839; 2.8, $2,109; 3.06, $2,550; more.
- Best G3 iMac Deals, 02.02. 500 MHz CD-ROM, $40; 450 MHz DVD-ROM, $60; 600 MHz CD-ROM, $230 shipped; 700 MHz CD-RW, $300 shipped.
- Best eMac Deals, 02.02. 1 GHz SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 Combo, $100; SD, $360; 1.42 GHz Combo, $299; SD, $439.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 02.01. Used 1.25 GHz G4 Combo, $369; 1.5, $399; Core Solo, $399; 1.83 GHz Core Duo SD, $439; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $759; Server, $985.
- Best iBook G4 Deals, 02.01. 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $200; 1.33 GHz, $259; 14" 1.42 GHz SuperDrive, $399.
- Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals, 02.01. 800 MHz Combo, $285; 867 MHz SuperDrive, $400; 1 GHz Combo, $549.
- Best 13" MacBook & MacBook Pro Deals, 01.29. Used 1.83 GHz, $570; 2.0, $599; 2.4 GHz, $800; 2.26 MB, $849; new, $925 after rebate; Pro, $1,108, 2.53, $1,399 a/r.
- Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 01.29. 1.8 GHz single, $399; dual, $479; 2.0, $549; 2.5, $609; 2.7, $799; 2.3 GHz dual-core, $709; 2.5 GHz Quad, $939.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 01.29. Mac OS X 10.0, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $50; 10.3, $50; 10.3 Server, unlimited users, $130.
- More deals in our archive.
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