Found a 52X CDRW drive in the dumpster

[Mani]

Originally posted by: Nebben

Originally posted by: Mani
Man, dumpster divers would love where I work. A computer company, so you can just guess the kinds of stuff that gets tossed. Any type of add-in card usually in perfect working condition, monitors (lots of CRTS incl. trinitrons of all sizes), routers, switches, entire systems in working order...you name it. The stuff goes to some disposal agency which supposedly sorts through it and tries to salvage some, but the vast majority of it most likely just goes to a dump somewhere.

The real killer is for preproduction development samples that don't have the regulatory clearance to be sold. We're talking laptops, systems, televisions, DLP projectors, monitors of all kinds, etc. have to be destroyed simply because they can't be sold legally. You guys would cry if you saw this stuff.

There's a place like that here, and I just don't understand. Why don't they donate all that stuff to schools or something? I know the reason they destroy it before dumping it is probably to keep people like me out but why not give it away? :/

America. Sheesh.

It's illegal to sell or in any way distribute preproduction equipment unless you want the FCC all over you. Some of this stuff is way over legal FCC limits in stuff like radiated or electromagnetic or conducted emissions. And while much of the stuff may be safe, some of it have be so rough around the edges that could result in injury to people who do not know how to use them. Say, a video card with a bird's nest of jumpered wires coming off of it, or lacking it's production cooling fan and thus presenting a thermal/fire hazard. Or a CRT using preproduction HIPS instead of FR(flame retardant)-ABS plastics. etc.

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: Mani

Originally posted by: Nebben

Originally posted by: Mani
Man, dumpster divers would love where I work. A computer company, so you can just guess the kinds of stuff that gets tossed. Any type of add-in card usually in perfect working condition, monitors (lots of CRTS incl. trinitrons of all sizes), routers, switches, entire systems in working order...you name it. The stuff goes to some disposal agency which supposedly sorts through it and tries to salvage some, but the vast majority of it most likely just goes to a dump somewhere.

The real killer is for preproduction development samples that don't have the regulatory clearance to be sold. We're talking laptops, systems, televisions, DLP projectors, monitors of all kinds, etc. have to be destroyed simply because they can't be sold legally. You guys would cry if you saw this stuff.

There's a place like that here, and I just don't understand. Why don't they donate all that stuff to schools or something? I know the reason they destroy it before dumping it is probably to keep people like me out but why not give it away? :/

America. Sheesh.

It's illegal to sell or in any way distribute preproduction equipment unless you want the FCC all over you. Some of this stuff is way over legal FCC limits in stuff like radiated or electromagnetic or conducted emissions. And while much of the stuff may be safe, some of it have be so rough around the edges that could result in injury to people who do not know how to use them. Say, a video card with a bird's nest of jumpered wires coming off of it, or lacking it's production cooling fan and thus presenting a thermal/fire hazard. Or a CRT using preproduction HIPS instead of FR(flame retardant)-ABS plastics. etc.

I've had some preproduction items cross my hands a few times. One such item was a standalone video editing system. I called up the company, told them what I had, and they had FedEx here to get it from me the very next morning and a top of the line replacement on the way. Funny thing is that the preproduction unit worked better.

 

[quakefiend420]

Originally posted by: Mani
Man, dumpster divers would love where I work. A computer company, so you can just guess the kinds of stuff that gets tossed. Any type of add-in card usually in perfect working condition, monitors (lots of CRTS incl. trinitrons of all sizes), routers, switches, entire systems in working order...you name it. The stuff goes to some disposal agency which supposedly sorts through it and tries to salvage some, but the vast majority of it most likely just goes to a dump somewhere.

The real killer is for preproduction development samples that don't have the regulatory clearance to be sold. We're talking laptops, systems, televisions, DLP projectors, monitors of all kinds, etc. have to be destroyed simply because they can't be sold legally. You guys would cry if you saw this stuff.

and where is that precisely?

an address would be fine...

 

[Nebben]

Went last night and found Hungry Hungry Hippos!

... oh yeah, and a human.

We were poking around at a Pier 1 and someone goes "what's that in the corner?" thinking it was a pile of blankets or something, so the guy with the light shines it on him and that was the end of that outing.

 

[Jhill]

One time my dad saw a new looking vhs tape in a dumpster when throwing stuff away. He grabbed it for sh!ts and giggles.

It turned out to be a home made porno after some guys birthday party. The problem was he was so drunk/high he couldn't get it up so the woman finally got out of bed and turned off the camera. We were laughing our asses off when we saw it.

 

[MAME]

a 52x CDRW is like $20

a used one is basically worthless

 

[Nebben]

Yeah, and surely there's not someone that could use it. Like someone that doesn't have a CD burner.

 

[desk]

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: Nebben
Wondering why someone would throw this away. And yeah, dumpster diving is something a few of my friends and I do for entertainment occasionally. No gross dumpsters, just ones at computer/office stores mostly.

Be careful, some of those dumpsters have cameras on them. I know they do at Home Depots...

is dumpster diving illegal?

on another note, my dad owns a hardware store and he would throw some cool stuff out every so often. people always were checking our dumpsters. but they also torched them a couple times and threw a dead dog in them so we started to lock 'em up.

 

[NickelTitanium]

Dude, you must be into sloppy seconds too. You are one flithy biatch!

 

[Nebben]

Originally posted by: Mani

Originally posted by: Nebben

Originally posted by: Mani
Man, dumpster divers would love where I work. A computer company, so you can just guess the kinds of stuff that gets tossed. Any type of add-in card usually in perfect working condition, monitors (lots of CRTS incl. trinitrons of all sizes), routers, switches, entire systems in working order...you name it. The stuff goes to some disposal agency which supposedly sorts through it and tries to salvage some, but the vast majority of it most likely just goes to a dump somewhere.

The real killer is for preproduction development samples that don't have the regulatory clearance to be sold. We're talking laptops, systems, televisions, DLP projectors, monitors of all kinds, etc. have to be destroyed simply because they can't be sold legally. You guys would cry if you saw this stuff.

There's a place like that here, and I just don't understand. Why don't they donate all that stuff to schools or something? I know the reason they destroy it before dumping it is probably to keep people like me out but why not give it away? :/

America. Sheesh.

It's illegal to sell or in any way distribute preproduction equipment unless you want the FCC all over you. Some of this stuff is way over legal FCC limits in stuff like radiated or electromagnetic or conducted emissions. And while much of the stuff may be safe, some of it have be so rough around the edges that could result in injury to people who do not know how to use them. Say, a video card with a bird's nest of jumpered wires coming off of it, or lacking it's production cooling fan and thus presenting a thermal/fire hazard. Or a CRT using preproduction HIPS instead of FR(flame retardant)-ABS plastics. etc.

I guess I misunderstood your post. My comment was about the first paragraph, not the second. Did you mean all of the aforementioned stuff was preproduction equipment? I took it to be two separate topics

If that's the case, then it makes sense.

 

[Mani]

You're right, it was 2 seperate topics, but the production-level stuff goes to the disposal agency to be parted out and sold - the company gets money from the disposal agency and they don't have to deal with keeping away dumpster divers. I have heard there are now efforts for recycling which are aimed at rebuilding computers and donating to school districts, the poor, etc.

 

[LS20]

my friend and i found a bicycle behind a bike store dumpster before... between the wall and some huge cardboard. i rode it for a long time, put on some 10$ tires and a new 30$ cassette and sold the bike for 150$... it was easily worth 300$