Technology Madness
 

What to do with unwanted technology/ hardware? I ask this question as tiding up the other day I counted up the Items I have lying about in drawers’, cupboards and in the loft and it’s quite a list


Phillips Mobile phone
Nokia Mobile phone
Samsung Mobile phones (2)
2 dead I-phones (my wife’s)
XP Desktop, now obsolete
Vista Laptop, now obsolete
Windows 7 (Starter) laptop Soon to be obsolete
Windows 7 Home Desktop, soon to be obsolete
2 Android tablets getting slower by the day
I-Pad and I-Pad mini (My wife’s) getting slower by the day
I’m now using a Dell Inspiron windows 10 home laptop, which is two years old now and the spec although still ok is staring to look outdated when looking at current units now being advertised.

Now I’m no luddite but don’t you think Technology is getting out of hand? It seems Microsoft want you to buy new hardware every couple of years, in the list above the computers are in good condition and the only problems are the operating systems being phased out some of the phones are a bit battle scarred but still work.
I was miffed when Microsoft dumped XP, even Vista didn’t seem as bad as some people thought, but I’m greatly miffed at Windows 7 getting canned.
I’ve been using Windows 10 now for a couple of years but I still think it’s a crap system and Microsoft have too much control over your system as nearly every update I have to rearrange things and there is always stuff being put on my machine without my consent.

So, what do you think?

I think recurring revenue for ongoing work is an infinitely more appealing business plan, compared to getting paid once for product delivery, then having an infinite number of non revenue generating support calls and regular maintenance expenses.

Therefore Microsoft has migrated to a system whereby you're using their Operating System *as a service*.

Like practically all the other services you use, you pay as you go. Your OS is now that kind of creature.

Dead computers: Pull the hard drives, open them up, and extract the platters. Use them as coasters. They're sorta cool. There are also some powerful magnets in there, for when you really wanna stick something to the fridge.

Goodwill will take a surprising number of items for their recycling program:

Goodwill Donation Guidelines

Last year, I was able to get rid of a couple of old computers, one ginormous computer monitor, and an ancient, FAT, old-style TV.

We give old phones to a local lawyer who either recycles them or gives them to a women's shelter for emergency phones; ya can still dial 911 with them. Gotta be a reasonably modern phone.

About the only things Goodwill won't take are TVs, A/C units and medical devices. I've taken a dozen truck loads over there. They did a double take on a 21" CRT monitor, probably to make sure it wasn't a TV.

Must be a regional thing, because the local Goodwill folks didn't blink when I dropped off my gigantic 25" CRT TV (purchased roughly 20 years ago). It weighed about 60 lbs and looked something like this:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....1X0W6QWR3L.jpg

I was SO glad to finally get that stupid thing out of the house!

Staples once took that stuff. Then Staples got swamped with old electronics. So they changed their policy to only taking something if a consumer purchases a new one.

Many counties no longer take TVs or computers. Which ones? Those are counties littered with TVs and computers in vacant lots.

BTW, same problem is now about to get worse for recycling plastics. Too many Americans do not clean out plastics before putting them in recycle bins. And too many leave all those plastics bundled inside paper or plastic bags. So nations, who once bought and reprocessed American recycle plastics, are now rejecting it. Plastics that are dirty or inside bags have significantly less value.

Strangely enough, oil tankers are still recycled.