Re: Apple 3.5 Superdrive Disk Controller

Michael Black wrote:
On Tue, 26 Aug 2008, Steven Hirsch wrote:

a2fan@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

"Free computer to good home. Apple IIGS, not PC or Mac compatible,
hate to throw it away"

I always check out those ads. I've opened a lot of cases, and
sometimes I'd get extra lucky.

Be glad you don't live in Burlington, VT. We've been in a huge "green" electronics disposal spasm for the past three years, while simultaneously all the Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. stores stopped accepting computers. The net is all the good stuff has been ground up for precious metal reclamation.

I've been thinking that's happening here, in Montreal.

There seems fewer bits of electronics lying on the sidewalk waiting
for the garbage trucks, of course it's subjective.

But there are various centres and programs to collect "electronic waste"
and I do wonder if it's the best thing. Yes, it keeps it out of
the garbage, but my guess is that those running it will scoop off
the "good stuff", ie recent computers that they can instantly
see value in, and identifiable electronic equipment, like turntables.

Now *there's* a niche market, for sure!

If you know what a turntable is, you must be over 40!

The odd stuff gets "recycled" by being churned up or whatever they
do with it, because it's not recognized by the people, and hence
"it has no value".

I'd love it if I could go to one local collection that happens twice
a year, and stand around and grab the interesting things. Unusual
items, yes, but there are also some things that could supply interesting
parts like those really old clunky cellphones. I suppose I could
stand around and try to "hijack" things people bring in, but likely
the organizers don't want people trying to take from the collection
once it's handed in.

In fact, it's illegal in the US, and the "thrift" organizations are
quite unwilling to allow people to "cherrypick" their trash! In fact,
they now feel required to destroy old computers lest their hard disks
abet identity theft--even if they don't have a hard disk!!

The money they get from reselling pays for the program, so they
don't want to lose profit, even if they aren't likely to get much
gold from that old computer or whatever that they can't see any
other value in.

It can't be more than $0.02/pound. ;-(

For that matter, people may be more likely to donate rather than
toss if they know it's for a good purpose, rather than it landing
in the hands of "Johnny" passing by who finds it in their garbage.

Yes--they implicitly prefer "recycling" to "reuse"--a curiously un-green
position.

Several here have related stories about people throwing something away
and then becoming resistant when someone expressed interest in it...

-michael

AppleCrate II: An Apple II "blade server"!
Home page: http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/

"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it's seriously underused."
.

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