What to do with an old computer

So what do you do when that old computer finally calls it quits? Do you simply junk it and toss it in the dumpster? or maybe you look around for someone to give it to just anything to get it out of the way.
Ever thought about looking inside that old computer? There’s loads of things inside a computer that you can make things out of. Take the heat sink for instance ( it’s that thing that looks like a small metal hair brush with stiff teeth). Just pull it off with your hands as it’s glued on. They make a great letter holder for the kitchen. I put one on a table by the door and use it as an outgoing letter reminder. They are light weight, soft, and some of them come painted in some really nice colors.
Then theres the fan, you can unscrew or pop it out and plug it into a commonly found 9v ac/dc adapter and have your very own personal fan. All you do is strip the ends of the fans 2 wires, plug the positive wire (red) into the hole in the adapter take the black (negative) wire and lay it along the adapter plugs metal side and put a piece of electrical tape around it to hold the wires in place. You can also splice a toggle switch in if you want to have an on/off switch. Want to take it a step further? Glue a flat magnet to one of the fan blades and you have a neat magnetic stirrer. Just turn it on, drop another small bar magnet into whatever you want stirred and place it on top of the stirrer. Works great on coffee, tea, kool aid, and some gravies. Magnetic stirrers can cost as much as 400 bucks, 600 for a heated one.
The hard drive is another thing I like to play around with. Take the top off one, and inside you'll find a couple of really strong magnets. Remove the magnets and take a screwdriver and prize the magnets off the holders as they're glued on. Be careful as these things will really pinch your fingers if you let them come together too fast. You can use them for tool holders around the shop and home. Place one on a metal support post and hang your hammer on it or put one on your drill press and never again lose that chuck tool. These magnets are also a lot of fun just to fool around with.
Also inside the hard drive you will find several disks that are mirror polished and look like a smaller version of a cd disk. You can take them and make a neat desk or wall clock by sticking numbers around the face and inserting a cheap clock movement.
So the next time you think about chucking that old computer, think about whats inside. Not only will you gain some useful tools but you'll be doing your bit to help recycle.