computoman

One way to recycle an old case cover. Variation for pants.

One thing that really makes me want to laugh is how people or organizations are willing to take your old computers off your hands. Probably a good thing, but are those old systems really worthless and unusable? Here a just only a few examples of why they may not be. I have an old Commodore monitor from way back when. We also have a tv with the same kind of connections know as composite input. Tv stations and entertainment vendors would have you believe they are worthless. Not necessarily so. For example I still use my monitor as a tv with a digital converter and also as a monitor for one of my pcs. Since the monitor supports what is know as svideo, it still works great. To go even farther, we harvest old parts from computers for new uses as not have to buy what we already have. Actually, what is now called obsolete systems can be very valuable if you or someone you know can harvest them for you. For example, If you say want to use an old 5 1/4 inch floppy drive, most people would sni...

There had to be a way to put an old laptop that just has a floppy drive (i,e ho hard drive) back to work. Well I remembered how some people turn them into clock and all sorts of things, so i went searching for dos based programs. The first one I really did not care for and I had to fix it so it would work right. Then I thought why not do one of my own, so I came up with this: Well being a geek I could not stop at that so I did a simple prototype of a binary clock. One can always make it fancier later. You just have to do at least one in your life as a geek.. Now to make an analog clock.... All for now.

Yep, it was getting near Easter. of course it is another be careful of overeating time. Cheese cake is a big thing at Easter at our house. Looks store bought, but it is actually home made. Think mom’s hand mixer finally died in the making of this one. You never know what you can use in a different way. On rare occasions, we will eat at a fast food restaurant. Normally I do not drink coffee, but looking at the coffee stirrers there had to be another use for them. This is what I came up with: Now when I see a restaurant that has these, I will go in and get just a few for immediate needs. One program I am beginning to like is jNetMap. Originally I think it was just a java only version. Now it is at least for Debian a packaged version. Great way to see what is on your network especially for newbies like me. How to set it up . The map:

Can not believe all the spelling errors in the last post. Bear with me on that. So we discussed taking what we already have and putting it to use. Do not get me wrong. If you have the spare funds and need a new system, then go for it. There are more than three basic parts of a network. But for now, we will discuss just three. There are routers that connect you to your isp (internet service provider) and all the system on the network. They are really a combination bridge/router. Routers are sort of the traffic cop to the network. You have your desktop machines that you use directly to do your computing. The last devices are servers. These are computers you use indirectly. This is where you can store files you have created, files you want to access for say video and audio (movies, music and etcetera ), and lastly applications or software that you can access remotely. A good example is a web server such as the one you are accessing now to read the article. Servers are probably the ...

Bobby aka Bob has written several articles already, Maybe it is time for me to do one also. He mentioned that I was into robots. Actually my favorite projects are to re-purpose old computers for new re-uses. Doing robots is certainly one of those ends. Do not think I have bought a completely new computer in over five years. Would love to have a completely new machine. Several issues have me more and more into older equipment. First is that you can get the items free or very cheap. Despite the argument that older equipment requires more electricity, You can with proper planning not really use that much more in power for a single installation. For the corporate world where you would be using maybe thousands of systems, then you want the new greener equipment (being all things are equal). Secondly you are not really purchasing equipment any more but actually renting it. Look at the fine print of the EULA (End User Licensing agreement) agreement of you newer systems. Compani...

Bobby aka Bob has written several articles already, Maybe it is time for me to do one also. He mentioned that I was into robots. Actually my favorite projects are to re-purpose old computers for new re-uses. Doing robots is certainly one of those ends. Do not think I have bought a completely new computer in over five years. Would love to have a completely new machine. Several issues have me more and more into older equipment. First is that you can get the items free or very cheap. Despite the argument that older equipment requires more electricity, You can with proper planning not really use that much more in power for a single installation. For the corporate world where you would be using maybe thousands of systems, then you want the new greener equipment (being all things are equal). Secondly you are not really purchasing equipment any more but actually renting it. Look at the fine print of the EULA (End User Licensing agreement) agreement of you newer systems. Comp...