Computer Recycling Easier Than Ever

If you are like most of us, you likely have half a dozen or more computers just at home. How many are you really using? Maybe one favorite and another as backup? The others just don’t have the processing power, memory or disk space to be a pleasure to use with the latest software versions. So, do you think it’s better to leave them scattered around the place or would you like to get paid to recycle your old computer and monitor?

Computer recycling is a fairly new phenomena. Just a few years ago, your choices were to find a spot on the basement shelves for the old machine or toss it in the trash. But there is new awareness of the environmental dangers posed by millions of personal computers now buried in landfills. So, many communities have recycling days where you can haul in your old unwanted electronics and they will ship what they collect off to a recycler. This is quite an improvement over having no options, but why give away or throw away something that still has cash value. Your old computers can make it worth your while to check their recycle value.

Selling your unwanted computer equipment to an online recycler is fast and easy with the service offered by Gazelle. The process is almost completely automated. All you do is look up the make and model of your desktop or laptop computer. They will purchase models from Apple, Dell, HP, Toshiba, Compaq, Sony, IBM, Gateway, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Averatec, Fujitsu, EMachines, Samsung, Alienware, Everex and others. There are a few questions to answer, such as the condition of your equipment and what features it has. That will take about a minute. Then just click the “calculate” button and the value of your computer for recycling will be displayed. If you like what you see, you can request a free postage paid mailer box. Put your equipment in it, and send it on its way. You’ll get a check in the mail once the condition of your shipment has been verified.

Yes, it’s that easy. You don’t have to find a local drop off point and get there during certain hours. No running any classified ads and dealing with strangers at the door. No taking pictures, writing up a description and holding an online auction. Most of the time those efforts are just more trouble than they are worth. With Gazelle, you can get cash for your used computer with no fuss at all.

Gazelle recycles all sorts of other electronic items. Cell phones are the most popular. You can also get paid for unwanted GPS systems, MP3 players, digital cameras and gaming consoles, just to name a few. You probably have a collection of old electronics going to waste right now. Would you rather have the cash... and the free space? If so, learn more and check the cash value of your unwanted electronics.

G.ho.st as the Machine

If a really pale guy named Casper shows you a virtual computer online, you may be seeing a ghost. Not a ghost ghost. Just G.ho.st. Nothing spooky about it. It's just the Global Hosted Operating SysTem that you'll find at http://g.ho.st/

Oh, don't be such a fraidy cat. Click through and see what you can do when your operating system is online instead of sitting on your desktop.

I did. The home page looked cool so I clicked on the start button to launch the Gh.o.st virtual computer, affectionately called a VC. Hey, isn't a VC someone who funds this sort of thing? Well, anyway, the next thing that happened is that it scared my old Compaq to death. I got a script message saying the system was running slow. So I bailed out and re-launched the Gh.o.st on my newer Lenovo laptop.

Now the screen looked like a real desktop, littered with all sorts of junk including an analog clock, media player, Google search box, Yahoo! World News headlines, and a bunch of apps. There are a couple of yellow stickies saying that if you register, you can upload files to your G.ho.st Drive with 5 GB of free storage. You also get to use G.ho.st Mail and Chat that works with your favorite IM service.

I'll suggest you click on the icon that looks like a bus and take the G.ho.st Tour. It's text, not Flash or video, that describes what you'll find on the system and how you can use it. Note that this isn't a "real" computer in that you can't load any of your own software and expect it to run. The software applications are SaaS (software as a service) hosted apps that mimic typical office programs you are familiar with. There is a Bulk Uploader that looks a lot like an FTP program that lets you upload files to store or work on.

So why would you want a virtual computer if you need a physical computer to get to it? Probably the big reason is so that you can access your stuff anywhere, anytime you can get to any Internet connected computer. Log-in from home, work, or public access computer and there's your desktop just like you left it. All your files and tools are right there ready to use. You can tote your own PC or mooch one from a friend and you'll still get the same experience.

Well, sort of. As I mentioned, my almost-last-century Compaq couldn't handle the load. The FAQs recommend at least 512 MB RAM and a broadband connection of at least 1.5 Mbps. Your browser can be Microsoft IE, Firefox or Safari, but you'll need a Flash plug-in that is at least at version 8. Honestly, I thought the whole system was a little poky even with a computer that easily met the specs. But, hey, it's only in alpha deployment right now. Give an cyber specter a break!

The closest parallel to G.ho.st that I can think of is remote access software such as GoToMyPC. But with that setup you need to have your host machine running and Internet connected at all times. Otherwise there's no PC to go to. G.ho.st is out there computing somewhere in the "cloud" as they say. The ghost-boosters keep it up and running.

Get it? Ghost boosters? Yeah. Well, if you ain't afraid of no ghosts then try the guest account or register as a user and put a G.ho.st in your machine.