Time to get creative!
Today’s User Input comes to us in the form of a cry for help from the wilderness. If by “the wilderness”, we mean “my hometown where Techie still resides”. And by “cry for help”, we mean “random musing”. Commenter johnnymac09 contacted me yesterday, and presented me with his dilemma.
It seems he has a collection of “heavily used” Mac Minis in a stockpile on his desk. These are computers that have lived a hard life, and have multiple things wrong with them, and as such are simply not worth the time it would take to fix them, when replacements can be ordered for relatively cheap. So they’re being put out to pasture. And by “put out to pasture”, we mean “thrown out”.
Whether you like Apple or not, it’s hard to argue that they do not have stylish designs, and the Mini is no exception. So our valiant commenter is bound and determined to find a way to repurpose these stylish little boxes into something new and stylish. But that’s where we’re all drawing a blank. So we’re throwing it out to you, our ever-brilliant community, to help him solve his problem. He suggested replacing the rear access panels with little drawers, and turning the lot into a stackable storage solution, but there must be something more exciting than that!
What creative new project can johnnymac09 undertake that will give these valiant little boxes a noble new lease on life?
[Image credit: Gizmodo.com]
His desk isn't the only thing overflowing with Mac Minis….
Network attached storage?
Or, paint them all pretty and sell them at the local art fair as paper weights!
GameCube boxes?
Or any other gaming system that uses disks. Suppose you could put it back 'round front and stick an Atari 2600 cart where the ports all go.
That's kind of interesting and I do have an old gamecube collecting dust.
One of my brothers has an HTPC cased in an original NES… i am envious of it.
Mmmm… NES hacks.
I understand Hooniverse is looking for fabulous prizes.
Ooooh, you're a bad man.
Might be able to make some hubcaps.
Long range rifle targets.
That's what I did with the CRT monitors!
That also works with old TV sets, I've, ah, heard tell.
[youtube f7--wKEw-hI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7--wKEw-hI youtube]
I can't believe how hard it is to find a good youtube of Bowling for Televisions. We've always had the set turned in the normal position and bowled the ball. It takes a bit of practice to get the ball to hit the sweet spot of the screen.
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lhov1gUuSc0/TmhW-U9_GZI/AAAAAAAACMo/WWt0sSQk_nw/whiskey-in-the-jar-o-yeah.gif">
as fun as shooting them is…. there is nothing that can quite compare (in my mind) to ripping the plastic back off (after "suiting up"—full leather or denim) and tapping the back of the CRT ever so lightly with a ball peen hammer…… (i recommend a face mask too)..
Wind chimes!
Clonk?
Oh, and you might check the fit of your picture, bub.
I'm beginning to think my first comment was too subtle.
Definitely. I think Mitch was in a hurry this morning, so you'll have to shake him or something.
I'll shrink the image… but it looks fine on the three computers I viewed it on…
I already went in and shrunk it several hours ago. I hope you don't mind.
Horcruxes for Jobs' soul.
Nah, it'd never happen. Not invented and made by Apple. You'd end up with a youkai, at best.
Depending on how busted, HTPC?
Dead completely dead!
Then, bookends?
simple but effective. I like it.
Turn them into big USB/Firewire/Whateverthenewspecis hubs, and sell them to your Mac buddies.
Is that white top surface at all translucent? If so, put some multi-colored LEDs or low-wattage bulbs in them along with some sort of sound-activated circuitry and sell them as "Barbie's Dream Discotheque."
If you have a few of them, try reverse steampunk and put something old-tech into the case. Perhaps you could fit the guts of a casette player and make a WalkMac.
If you have lots and lots of them, make an iGloo.
<img src="http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/02/bibigloo-4-537×385.jpg" width=500>
Maybe tissue or toilet paper or dispensers if that slot wide enough.
Actually I was thinking the same thing last night after finding some photos online.
I am not sure they are big enough to be a murse for Deartáir, but are there any females out there that would fancy an iPurse?
Yes! Make one for CaffeineFuelled!
Ok, I think we have a winner. Seeing as you wrote the article and all.
That looks an awful lot like a mail slot to me, although they wouldn't be deep enough. Good for raffle tickets or something, though, or (as written above) dispensing tissues.
If it were five years ago today, I'd suggest giving them hinged lids and using them as CD/DVD holders atop a Power Mac/Mac Pro, but I suspect that market is limited nowadays.
I'm really not on my game today. I suspect I'll have to stare at the above photo a bit longer.
dude…. five years ago it'd be worth replacing the processor with something more powerful/adequate and impressing everyone with the TINY pc/mac/linux box you have…..
and on another note (that I know you can appreciate) "mmmmmmmmmmmmmm……. SQUARE and no frills design…… mmmmm"
Actually the ballet box is a great idea. Seeing as they are so difficult to open. I really like these simple ideas that don't require any work whatsoever.
If you gut 'em out you should be able to fit a couple 3.5" hard drives in each one for a nice external drive enclosure.
very true, and I could always use external hard drives. Now to source out a RAID card.
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