Tradeshow Goodies

5) Bill Gates voodoo doll with Linux and Firefox stickpins

4) Map showing where all the good freebies are

3) Pet computer geek (feeding instructions included)

2) "Men in Black" Neuralyzer-- don't forget the sunglasses1) The Network Computing annual swimsuit issue

Special thanks to Charles Ashbacher, Donald Boyd, Darin Bush, Gary Hoke, Gregory Mamayek, Wade Peterson and Dominic Vadakkan for their gift-grubbing submissions. And hey, stop blocking the aisle, willya?

Tired of replacing PCs broken by irate users? We bet. Seven percent of PC users surveyed by Ontrack Data Recovery said their first reaction to a system crash is to hit their computers. In fact, one respondent who worked at a restaurant chucked his computer into a deep fryer. Another tried throwing his desktop out the window--but forgot to open the window.

If it makes you feel any better, not all the respondents are violent at first. About 13 percent said they try to sweet-talk their computers into coughing up lost data. Another 13 percent yell at their machines initially. But only about 10 percent admit to committing some act of violence against their computers.We're pretty sure none of these activities is recommended in the user manual. Please, folks, can't we all just get along?

Jim Lower had a problem: what to do with his old Mac 512kE. A little plexiglass, some acrylic cement, a bag of gravel and a couple of fish later, Jim had transformed the old computer into a fully functional "MacQuarium." At least the screen will never freeze up--as long as your office isn't in a meat locker. Plus, this is one interface that actually will respond faster if you smack it on the side. And even with the removal of most of the hardware, this Mac environment is still way more secure than most PCs.

Check out Jim's site, with photos of his creations and instructions on how to build a MacQuarium of your own.

LOL

Have a IT-related Chuckle you want to share? Spotted some strange tech? Want to contribute to the latest Top 11 List? Drop on by the Last Mile Repository!