The Mod Squad: why your computer should glow My son has a new obsession. It is expensive, flashy, heavily driven by peer pressure, and, as all good obsessions should be, ultimately useless. He announced his heartfelt desire by running up to me and declaring, "Dad, there's an optical scanner that replaces your Windows logon, it reads your eyeball instead of asking for a password. It's only $200!" And do you have any use for this whatsoever, real or imagined?" I asked. "No!" he said. "But I have to have it!"
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
The only modding my computer has is a removed side panel.
I'm in and out of the damn thing so often, I feel like I should buy it dinner and a movie.
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The lego case thing sounded like a good idea, but I can already picture myself melting through it in a freak overclocking experiment.
Maybe I'll cover it in tiny mirrors like a disco ball, instead. Or orange shag carpet.
*ponders*
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Most of the serious modding started happening after users kept overclocking their processors and had to find new ways to stick more fans in. My favorite was the one that used a car radiator to water cool his computer.
Posted by slacker (Member # 2559) on :
I've always been impressed by the people who took a 486 SX 25Mhz chip to 247Mhz (alcohol cooling in a fridge). There's a disagreement in how long it ran, as the guys running the test would drink the alcohol as it warmed up too much for proper cooling.
They did say that they got to play half life for about 3 minutes before it fried.
The other one was the guys that ran a celery 500 to over 2 Ghz using liquid nitrogen. The cooling was so effective that the CMOS actually froze.
I don't have the links with me, but I'll post them when I find them.
[ January 21, 2004, 08:13 AM: Message edited by: slacker ]
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
cool column, Chris.
Here at work someone (digiPersona) sent us some cool "fingerprint" ID pads that we all hooked up to our computers to try out. Just put your finger on it and presto! you're logged on. We got tired of it pretty fast though. No longer cool.
I still favor the Alienware computer that you can buy with Chameleon paint. I once sat down a built a "custom-order PC" on the Alienware site with every possible option just to see how high it would go -- something like $14,000. But it was awesome. Too bad I couldn't really buy it.
FG
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
I notice that the colors your son is using for lights are orange and blue.
Excellent choices!
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
My computer mods itself. I swear!
Today it's pretending to be a lapdog. Very annoying! DOWN Boy!
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
"Its still cheaper than a trophy wife"
What isn't.
Great article. Now I want to go out and mod my computer.
Can I get it in chocolate?
and Bob, don't disconnect the mouse, you will be spaying your lapdog.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Plenty of RAM on that lapdog.
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
And, damn! Is that a 5 1/4" floppy? That's a rare sight nowadays.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
That's the problem with having a laptop, no modding allowed. I want bright shiny lights!! Posted by jehovoid (Member # 2014) on :
quote:5 1/4" floppy
Ha! No telling how long the harddrive gets.
Does anybody else have their Windows tinted?
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: car radiator to water cool his computer
I think over-heating (that's what you man isn't it?) my processer is what keeps happening to me. I need to do that to my computer. Or perhaps a fridge. Then I wouldn't have to leave the computer to get food.
Posted by slacker (Member # 2559) on :
Teshi, what kind of processor do you have and what's it's temperature normally?
![[Frown]](frown.gif)