how best to destroy a PB 5300

[mcgarry]

OK, I don't know if this is heresy, especially in this part of MR, so please allow me some forgiveness in advance ... after all, it's not my computer:

Shortly I will be backing up the contents of a 5300cs for a friend. He has requested that once his data is safe, we "creatively destroy it." Now, this could mean simply running it over, taking hammer in hand, etc., but I was thinking something more along the lines of the old MacPlus-into-fishtank genre. But I don't think the fish forced to live in the thin screen space of a PowerBook would be very happy, so I'd like to think of something else to do with it. The best we have so far is to turn it into a tissue box (slot cut through the closed top). As you can see, we need some help with any better, creative ideas you might have.

I have thought about keeping it around, or just giving it away, but really I don't see it as something anyone else should want. The battery does not hold a charge, and it has some minor case issues that would probably bug someone who wanted to use it everyday. That said, it is functional, and I recognize that our plan involves destroying a computer that still might be worth something to someone (in terms of use for them, not $ for us). SO if we don't get any good ideas, or if we just aren't won over by the tissue dispenser idea, I will try to talk my friend into disposing of it more gently.

 

[sjpetry]

You have way too much time on your hands, you should help a charity with your free time.

Edit: Now that I think about it you could do some pretty cool thing with it.

P.S. You probably couldn't put too many tissues in it though.

 

[hcuar]

Liquid nitrogen... Then smash it to pieces.

Nah, you'd hurt yourself... Donate it to charity.

 

[EJBasile]

Get some really powerful fireworks (depending on where you live it may be hard to get them) stick them so thatthe fuses are sticking out and the explosives are inbetween the keyboard and the LCD- then connect all the fuses and light a match. Kaboom.

Or donate it.

 

[mcgarry]

We've all mentioned donate/charity, but does someone actually want a computer like this? It's approaching 10 years old, painfully slow, not portable, the hinge area doesn't look trustworthy, the screen has some weird ghosting issues going on, the HD doesn't sound right, I can't get its ethernet card to work, there's old white-out residue (or something ... I didn't ask) on the palm rests ... I don't think I'm being too much of a snob asking why I would want to inflict a computer like this on someone. Yes, it works, but .... Well, donation is worth consideration I guess.

In the meantime, I am still open to creative destruction suggestions!

 

[mkrishnan]

I've always wanted to try one of those projects where you turn an old laptop into an electronic picture frame and put it on the wall. Maybe you could run linux and you could telnet to the painting on the wall!

Otherwise, I'd be in the give it away camp.

 

[JeffTL]

Zero the hard drive, remove it, take it apart, and dispose of the parts separately in some sort of environmentally safe fashion -- maybe put some liquid nitrogen over the platter before you toss the thing.

Put in a new hard drive and score a Powerbook, with none of his data retrievable, even by the CIA.

That's creative.

 

[homerjward]

how 'bout this?

or, yeah, give it to charity or something...

 

[tomhut]

Tie it to a peice of string, hang it from a tree - pinata

 

[Applespider]

Turn it into a lamp of some sorts. Take the insides out and replace them with a bulb (coloured perhaps) and use it as mood lighting?

 

[Nermal]

Give it to me and I'll take care of things

 

[iMurc]

Now, I am for a Picture Frame or a Lighting mod... After all I ran a PB170 over and it STILL WORKED, so it was not that much fun.

 

[iMurc]

BTW I any has or can make a Make Picture Frame I could buy/trade let me know.

 

[vollspacken]

BTW I any has or can make a Make Picture Frame I could buy/trade let me know.

I made one out of a Powerbook 520c...

BUT:
- the screen sucks, I should have spend a little more for the active matrix screen of a 540c
- the 2.5" SCSI HD is noisy as hell... aaargh! it pretty much makes the damn thing unusable

looks cool though and I'm looking for an PCMCIA adapter in order to disconnect the HD and boot from a flash card

oh, and it's pretty easy to build a frame. just take the 'book apart and everything else is pretty much self explaining

vSpacken

 

[superninjagoat]

Ant farm

I doubt anyone else has ever made an ant farm laptop before. Perhaps you could do that. (I did a quick google, and didn't find one, but the world's a strange place )

That might fit with your fish tank spirit. s.n.goat

 

[mrgreen4242]

My vote is to give to "charity" (aka me ;-) ) or the ant farm. That'd be pretty original and fun.

But seriously, I'll take it. I need a laptop to get online with and check my email when I travel for work, so I don't really care what it is.

Rob

 

[mcgarry]

Thanks for all the replies. The owner doesn't seem too keen on the picture frame idea. His last suggestion involved the question "got any battery acid?" ....

Antfarm: though personally I'm not a big fan of ants, I think that's a great idea.

Feel free to keep suggesting, as I'm being lazy and have not yet gotten around to gathering up the equipment (as explained in another MR thread) and actually transferring the data yet.

mrgreen, you read my post above and you still want this thing?

 

[5300cs]

I need a laptop to get online with and check my email when I travel for work, so I don't really care what it is.

It's a 5300, not the best classic machine out there.


And don't just blow it up or destroy it when it can go to a school or someone who needs a computer, that would be rather childish

 

[Mechcozmo]

If you don't want it, I'd take it. I always take computer stuff. PM me if you want to go that route... depending on shipping costs, etc.

I like that antfarm idea. Thats neat, original, and is better than blowing it up (instant gratification and burn treatment vs. watching ants crawling around... before you start lacing their water supply with something like sugar)

 

[thecow]

Make a projector out of it.

 

[mrgreen4242]

Thanks for all the replies. The owner doesn't seem too keen on the picture frame idea. His last suggestion involved the question "got any battery acid?" ....

Antfarm: though personally I'm not a big fan of ants, I think that's a great idea.

Feel free to keep suggesting, as I'm being lazy and have not yet gotten around to gathering up the equipment (as explained in another MR thread) and actually transferring the data yet.

mrgreen, you read my post above and you still want this thing?

No, I don't really wany it =p I could probably buy an old Newton or something with a modem and use that to do what I need for less than the shipping on such a beast. I was mostly kidding. =P

Seriously though, the ant farm is a great idea... remove the screen and everythiing in the upper half and glue in some sort of glass panel... seal up everythign inside (don't want the ants to escape!) and fill with dirt and ants... viola. seems simple enough, and would be a great desk decoration and conversation piece, especially if you leave the base of it intact so that it still looks like a computer.

You should also remove any removable part and ebay them off... someone must still be using such a device and would probably buy the parts... =P

Rob

 

[Sun Baked]

Take 5300cs securely in both hands...

And repeatedly whack your friend in the head until the head or the computer falls apart.

 

[wozzlewoozle]

ever been skeet shooting..?

 

[wozzlewoozle]

Another cool idea..

Get a small amount (1 or 1.5 pounds) of KNO3 (saltpeter), some sugar (0.5 to 1.5 pounds) and mix together (carefully). Cover the laptop in mound of this mixture, take a small amount (1 or 2 mL) of that battery acid and pour on top, step back (run) and enjoy.

This will create a ridiculous amount of smoke, and large purplish flames (due to electronic excitation of the potassium ions). I would guess (hope) that this will completely melt the powerbook. Oh by the way I'm a chemist and have done this numerous times on about 1/3 this scale outdoors.

 

[Mechcozmo]

Linkety is for what to do with Dells. Not sure about Macs, though.