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Where Big Macs go to die

I hauled a trunkload of old computers over to the coliseum-UNCG park- and-ride lot the other day.

I wasn't the only one. The line of cars snaked around the lot, many filled from stem to stern with monitors, keyboards and CPUs.

Sad to say, most of the stuff seemed to Apple Macintosh equipment, which to me was always easier to use and superior to PCs. But like Beta versus VHS (you do remember VCRs, don't you?) the best format didn't win.

Maybe the IPod is Apple's revenge.

Anyway, I did learn to appreciate the quick advances in technology, as I lugged what felt like a 50-plus-pound, 19-inch monitor downstairs into the car.

I once was so proud of that off-white behemoth. Now it just seems big. It consumed more than half my desk.

My newest 19-inch monitor, by contrast, is a flat-screen that takes a fraction of a space and can be lifted easily with one hand.

Thanks to the city of Greensboro, the city of High Point, the county, UNCG and others for holding this event. As the News & Record has reported, electronic devices contain toxic chemicals, including lead and mercury, and can't safely be dumped into a landfill.

Judging from the mountains of old equipment stacked in that lot, this area needs an ongoing, regular means to dispose of old electronics.

Comments (5)

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Teresa Sapp said:

There is one major problem with disposing of old computers. According to a talk show, even when you erase personal information it can be retrieve from the hard drive by criminals. It would be a good idea to keep the hard drive or totally distroy it beyond repair before taking computers to a public place for disposal.

Allen Johnson said:

Good point, Teresa. There ought to be a better, surer way to purge such info without having to keep an computer's innards (or outtards) in the corner of a closet. Or without having to damage an old computer that might be helpful to someone less fortunate.

Make no doubt, the majority of those old Macs were replaced with new Macs simply because their pre G3 processors won't run OS-X, and not because they were replaced by PCs.

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