62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer (And Other Discarded Electronics)

From an iMac terrarium to a flat-screen ant farm, this work presents 62 ingenious projects to turn old and out-dated technology into works of art. Each project has complete, step-by-step instructions.

Randy Sarafan is a new-media artist who is currently a Virtual Fellow with the cutting-edge F.A.T. (Free Art and Technology) Lab; is a top project contributor and community manager at Instructables.com, the leading user-generated how-to website; has contributed to Make magazine; and creates projects with a unique style and an eye for fun (a breathalyzer microphone, water-gun alarm clock, USB-enabled fruit). He graduated with honors in the Design Technology program at Parsons School of Design and lives in San Francisco.

Contents:

Introduction

Chapter 1: Tools, Techniques, and Safety
Find out what lurks in the depths of your computer, learn how to get at it, and how to dig in safely.

Chapter 2: Projects for a Postconsumer Dwelling
Get smart with 14 projects to deck out your desk and office, live large in your living room, and geek out your kitchen with your fried electronics.

Chapter 3: Fashionable Technology
Go geek chic with 12 projects to accessorize your look—because there’s so much more to style than a well-placed pocket protector.

Chapter 4: Fun-Fun-Fun-Fun-Fun-Fun!
Robots and Aliens and Lasers—oh, my. Here are 6 clever projects you can make for yourself or a friend—just for the fun of it.

Chapter 5: Arts and Crafts
Indulge your creative side with 9 projects that turn computer scraps into sculpture (and notebooks and wallets and pencil sharpeners and picture frames and ...)

Chapter 6: Making Noise
Let's get loud: From instruments to speakers to amps, here are 6 projects to help you turn up the volume.

Chapter 7: Gadget Goodness
From the practical to the prank-worthy, here are 10 projects to unleash the gadget god within.

Chapter 8: Playful Pet Projects
Feed the birds, raise an ant farm, wrangle the lizards, introduce your cat to a different sort of dead mouse and more: 5 projects for your growing menagerie.

Acknowledgments