My nephew Jake is building his own computer. This article, the perfect home network...for cheap bastards, reminded me of his effort. Not because he's a cheap etc..., but because he's still in High School and trying to come up with enough spare cash to make a PC. It's a pity, because every place I've ever worked has had a room somewhere with old computers collecting dust, long written off by accounting. Most engineering firms cycle new computers to programmers on a regular basis, their old computer goes to someone else (except during the dotcom period when nobody had to make due with hand-me-downs), and on down the chain until the oldest of the computers got stacked somewhere and forgotten. I'm not talking TRS-80's either, but computers that are a couple years old. What's needed is a free stuff clearing house. Got some stuff to give away? Post details on a web site, along with required shipping costs. People like Jake can scan the list, find what they are interested in and/or can afford the shipping of, and then mail a pre-paid UPS or Fedex shipping label to the owner who slaps it on a box and away it goes. Or, if the gear is nearby you can exchange emails to arrange a pickup time.

Speaking of free 'puters I have a Powermac 7100av collecting dust in the closet for anyone local.

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