If you get that shiny new computer you asked during this holiday season, what are you going to with your old one? If you’re artistically inclined, you might want to make an art project out of its parts.Besides the ability to make cool projects like you see below, the main reason not to chuck your old machine in the trash is that not only will it end up in a landfill, but electronics often contain hazardous chemicals like mercury that can leach into the environment.
World Map
Susan Stockwell created a world map out of computer parts. The project was commissioned by Bedfordshire University in England. The map is currently hanging in the atrium of the new student building.
Map of Helsinki
Although this map is nowhere near as big as the world map, this one is no less impressive. One Reddit user by the name of EyeballSandwich submitted a picture of the city of Helsinki, Finland made out of motherboard parts. If you compare it with a satellite image of the real thing, it’s hard to tell the two apart.
Circuit Board Clipboard
Debby Arem specializes in selling handcrafts made out of recycled electronic parts, and if you’re a geek who still needs to keep track of paperwork once in a while, you might want to check out this clipboard, which sells for $15 on Etsy.
Coffee Table
If you’re looking for a place to put your coffee or your energy drinks on during your epic gaming sessions, the “Binary Low Table” by BRC Designs, made out of circuit boards, should do the job.
Shoes
What these high-heeled shoes apparently lack in comfort more than make up for it with a geeky sense of style. Steven Rodrig has created these shoes, called “There’s No Data Like Home,” along with other circuit board sculptures.
Christmas Ornaments
Why stick these PCB (that’s Printed Circuit Board to all the cool kids) ornaments on your tree. Let’s hope that Santa left you something cool and geeky under it. Geekware sells these for $14.95.
Clock
Another neat project from Geekware isa geeky way to keep time: an old-fashioned analog clock made out of a digital circuit board from a 1984 Apple computer.
Floppy Disk Notebooks
Completing the Geekware trifecta, you can also buy a notebook made from a 5.25″ floppy, from when floppy disks were actually floppy. You can also buy smaller notebooks using 3.5″ disks.
Jewelry
Okay, I couldn’t resist adding another Geekware product. The site sells various pieces of jewelry made out of keycaps, like these “Page Up/Page Down” key earrings, a perfect geeky gift for that someone special in your life (as long as she’s a geek, of course).
For more cool stuff made out of found objects, check out the steampunk R2-D2 and a recycled CD art project.
