Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


elpenguino

3380 posts

Uber Geek


#223518 3-Oct-2017 22:17
Send private message

We've all got one thing we use all the time which we picked up on the street or found somewhere. Yours might be that old but expensive hifi component you rescued from the dump, or something like that.

 

 

 

Mine is a server rack power strip i found in the rubbish at work some time ago. This is a metal bodied thing with 16 power sockets - it's been on my desk at home for a few years now and makes it easy to play around with various bits of kit.

 

What's yours?





Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21


View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic
 1 | 2 | 3
tardtasticx
3075 posts

Uber Geek


  #1876867 3-Oct-2017 22:39
Send private message

I always enjoy the story my parents tell about when I was a kid I went around the inorganic collecting vacuum cleaner hoses and taping the ends together, and then walking down the street with this hose stretching the lengths of several houses. I can't recall it but it does sound like a pretty neat series of finds!


 
 
 

Shop now on Mighty Ape (affiliate link).
Geektastic
17935 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1876879 3-Oct-2017 23:49
Send private message

Is your real name Stig of The Dump?






PhantomNVD
2619 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user


  #1876887 4-Oct-2017 01:13
Send private message

A fancy ‘delux’ 8 burner stainless steel BBQ found in the last local inorganic that only needed an LPG bottle to look and work as well as the day it was first bought 😃



CYaBro
4563 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #1876888 4-Oct-2017 01:35
Send private message

Our current dog. :)
We saved him from the spca.




Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.


Rikkitic
Awrrr
18602 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1876932 4-Oct-2017 07:50
Send private message

In Amsterdam we used to have rubbish collection on Monday morning when everyone would leave stuff on the streets. It was amazing what you could find and many young people furnished their rooms this way. 

 

Once I found an old console valve radio, minus the cabinet, and  hauled it home for the hell of it. When I checked it the rectifier valve was burned out. I replaced it with a power diode and switched the radio on. It had short-wave bands and it worked perfectly. For years this was my pipeline to the BBC world service. I listened to the original broadcast of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on it, as well as many other programmes. This was my media entertainment centre. That old radio was still working fine when I finally moved on.

 

 





Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

 


 


MikeB4
18435 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #1876955 4-Oct-2017 08:17
Send private message

Myself

Geektastic
17935 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1876987 4-Oct-2017 09:04
Send private message

This sort of thing was generally the preserve of gypsies where I grew up...not the sort of people we tried to emulate!








askelon
871 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

  #1877033 4-Oct-2017 09:41
Send private message

My garage has cupboards and the pantry from an old kitchen in it.  Just for storage.  Neighbour was redoing their kitchen and had a big skip bin.  I also recovered our cat from the middle of it where he was happily sleeping when the company came to take the bin away.  Lazy little bugger would have ended up at the dump!  


Inphinity
2780 posts

Uber Geek


  #1877083 4-Oct-2017 10:43
Send private message

... people really go digging through rubbish dumps ?


kryptonjohn
2523 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1877090 4-Oct-2017 10:47
Send private message

Ugh. My wife has a habit of bringing cr*p home that someone has left out on the kerb. And *I* am the one expected to refurbish whatever this unwanted thing is.

 

 


MikeB4
18435 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #1877096 4-Oct-2017 10:52
Send private message

kryptonjohn:

 

Ugh. My wife has a habit of bringing cr*p home that someone has left out on the kerb. And *I* am the one expected to refurbish whatever this unwanted thing is.

 

 

 

 

My father would do that, he would fix them up and give them to charity. He was one of the guys that just seemed to be able to fix anything.


Behodar
10415 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1877104 4-Oct-2017 11:00
Send private message

Inphinity:

 

... people really go digging through rubbish dumps ?

 

 

Apparently. There must have been a reason for the "No! Scavenging" sign* at the local one.

 

I've never done it myself though, so I haven't saved/acquired anything of use.

 

 

 

*Yes, that's the actual punctuation.


frankv
5678 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1877116 4-Oct-2017 11:11
Send private message

Moved into an apartment in Switzerland, and, from the dumpster out front, recovered the carpet that had presumably been on our floor the day before. Didn't find the curtains or light fittings though :(

 

Some friends in Japan outfitted their entire apartment from stuff that neighbours had put out on the kerbside; fridge, sofa, bed, the lot.

 

 


  #1877136 4-Oct-2017 11:34
Send private message

When my wife and I moved into our first home together I picked up an old 2 stroke lawn mover from the side of the road that someone had left for council collection. A new spark plug, a new air filter and a spit and polish it started first pull with fresh fuel mix in it. It lasted for 10yrs without a further penny spent on it and survived not one but two floods. It might not have as fancy as the neighbour's fancy 4-stroke Honda but it did the job and cost me nothing.


tripper1000
1609 posts

Uber Geek


  #1877148 4-Oct-2017 11:46
Send private message

A F&P ECS washing machine that one of my neighbours had tried to gash the wrong series of control module into. Trademe'd the correct module, and $60 later I had an ECS washer that has since given years of faithful service.


 1 | 2 | 3
View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic





News and reviews »

Māori Artists Launch Design Collection with Cricut ahead of Matariki Day
Posted 15-Jun-2025 11:19


LG Launches Upgraded webOS Hub With Advanced AI
Posted 15-Jun-2025 11:13


One NZ Satellite IoT goes live for customers
Posted 15-Jun-2025 11:10


Bolt Launches in New Zealand
Posted 11-Jun-2025 00:00


Suunto Run Review
Posted 10-Jun-2025 10:44


Freeview Satellite TV Brings HD Viewing to More New Zealanders
Posted 5-Jun-2025 11:50


HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch Review
Posted 3-Jun-2025 14:40


Flip Phones Are Back as HMD Reimagines an Iconic Style
Posted 30-May-2025 17:06


Hundreds of School Students Receive Laptops Through Spark Partnership With Quadrent's Green Lease
Posted 30-May-2025 16:57


AI Report Reveals Trust Is Key to Unlocking Its Potential in Aotearoa
Posted 30-May-2025 16:55


Galaxy Tab S10 FE Series Brings Intelligent Experiences to the Forefront with Premium, Versatile Design
Posted 30-May-2025 16:14


New OPPO Watch X2 Launches in New Zealand
Posted 29-May-2025 16:08


Synology Premiers a New Lineup of Advanced Data Management Solutions
Posted 29-May-2025 16:04


Dyson Launches Its Slimmest Vaccum Cleaner PencilVac
Posted 29-May-2025 15:50


OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G Review 
Posted 29-May-2025 15:33









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.







Backblaze unlimited backup