As the technology age moves right along, it tends to leave a detrius of techno-junk collecting in side rooms, attics and basements. Much of it may actually function as well as it ever did (and some of it, we thought was pretty darned good when it came out), but will no longer keep up with the internet or modern programming.
So what can you do with a closet full of old Macs, PC's or even Commodore's? You could use them for paper-weights or doorstops, but they tend to be a bit unwieldy. They can have uses, however.
Working Computers
- Save or download vintage games playable by the junior members of the household
- If it has a serviceable word processor and printer, it can still be used as a smart type-writer
- Keep text files of minor importance on it-such as recipes or household schedules
- Let the preschoolers fool around with the paint program
- Make a cat happy-let it sleep on the monitor
Non-Working Computers
- Donate them to an electronics class to take apart
- Use them as display models for computer history class
- Let your favorite junior scientist take it apart (under supervision, of course.).
- Take three or four of them apart yourself, and see if you can get one working computer out of the lot
- Hot glue the parts in strange ways to create art works
These 10 activities can help keep older computers from becoming a part of our over-flowing landfills. While computers do wear out, some of the older models were unbelievably sturdy; although technology has passed them by, they still work quite well. During a recent visit, my littlest grand-daughter spent several hours creating “houses” and “roads” with the paint program on an old Mac. Just a short step up from that, and aging hybrid pc (one drive windows ME, the other linux) allowed her to play Pajama Sam. Since there is nothing important stored on that computer, she could click around on it without endangering my files.
And the cat on the monitor? Those old, clunky monitors that are slowly giving way to flat-screens, are nice and toasty warm on a cats tummy.
