Super-Customized PC Cases
Make a computer out of just about anything; plus, free international phone calls.
It's been a strange week. I'm just back from a trip to the jungles of Panama.
And between writing the newsletter, various blogs, and my Hassle-Free columns, I've been prepping for Halloween. So even though I'm late
I'm guessing you've already carved a plain old Jack-o-Lantern. But for next year, how about using a pumpkin as a PC case instead? Yes, that's right--a PC. Or how about building a Mac-o-Lantern? But perhaps you want something more durable: check out the Great Pumpkin mod.
Even if you don't want to put a PC in a pumpkin, you can put one in a cigar box--or just about anything else you have lying around. The process is called
The motherboards that Jeffery uses cost about $120 for a 600-MHz fanless board based on Via Technology's C3 processor. For about $250, you can pick up a 1.2-GHz fanless board based on the newer C7 processor. There are plenty of other boards and configurations available at Logic Supply, both with fans and without.
Want to make one yourself? Read Tom Mainelli's "Building a Future-Proof PC" for advice on finding the best motherboard for your mod. And for help on how to going about building the thing, read about Tom's adventures in building the tiniest PCs he could: "Building a Big Little PC" and "Building a Big Little PC, Part Deux."
For the price of a call to Iowa, you can speak with anyone just about anywhere in the world. (And there's a way to call Iowa for free, too.)
Using Futurephone takes no skill. From your landline or mobile phone, call 712/858-8883, enter 011, the country code (get it on Futurephone's Web site), the phone number, and start blabbing.
A few surprises: There's no need to register on the site. You don't even have to visit the site -- just use the number. The call goes through instantly and so far, there's no limit on how long you can talk.
My calling plan doesn't give me free long distance, so I use Jajah to make the call to Iowa. And get this: Futurephone is registered with Jajah, so even that call's a freebie.
I like to fiddle with new ways to use hard drives. Catch what I said about drives in "New Uses for Old Hard Drives," my Hassle-Free PC column.
The latest addition to my stack of tricks is a drive holder that fits into an empty drive bay on my PC. Install the Snap-In SATA Mobile Rack, a ten-minute project, and then hot-swap SATA drives. It's just like using a floppy: Pop in the drive and wait for Windows XP to discover it.
When you're done and want to snap in a new drive, eject the old one. The device is cheap--about $27--and from Addonics Technologies. There are also models for IDE and SCSI drives; browse the Web site for specs
Is the rack a better idea then using an external drive connected by means of a USB cable? Yes and no. The rack is perfect if you need a drive that's speedy and if you're comfortable dealing with drives that aren't in a case. But if you need the portability of an external drive, and you're using the drive to back up PCs at other locations (and are okay with the slower USB connection speed), choose the USB method.
Steve Bass
