Depending on your amount of free bandwidth, there are some interesting  
distributed computing projects that you might be able to contribute  
to. SETI@Home is the largest, and probably most popular, but there are  
all sorts of initiatives in Biology, Mathematics, Physics and other  
fields. Here's a great listing from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_distributed_computing_projects

Wouldn't work on a TRS-80 or something of that age of course, but if  
you have "newer-older" machines (old Macs/Intels), could be a fun  
pursuit :)

  - Patrick

On Mar 17, 2009, at 1:45 PM, Joe Atzberger wrote:

> Check for a local branch of freegeek for rehabilitation and  
> environmental
> disposal:
>
> http://www.freegeek.org/
>
> Columbus has one, so South Bend might too.
>
> --Joe
>
> On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 1:28 PM, Jim Tuttle <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Eric Lease Morgan wrote:
>>> How do y'all suggest I put to good use the increasing number of  
>>> extra
>>> computers I have lying around my house?
>>>
>>> You would think I was starting a computer museum with the number of
>>> decommissioned computers I have at home. A few Macintoshes and a  
>>> couple
>> of
>>> Intel-based machines. (Not to mention the TI-99A, or whatever.) I  
>>> don't
>>> really need backup. I don't really need a Web server. Maybe I  
>>> could use
>>> these computers as some sort of CPU Farm to do some sort of  
>>> interesting
>>> computing.
>>>
>>> Any suggestions?
>>>
>>
>>
>> One possibility would be to find somewhere to donate them.  Many  
>> cities
>> have non-profits that recycle computers to low-income families and
>> provide training.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>> --
>> *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
>> Jim Tuttle
>> http://braggtown.com
>>
>>
>>

---
Patrick K. Étienne
Systems Analyst
Digital Library Development
Library and Information Center
Georgia Institute of Technology
email: [log in to unmask]
phone: 404.385.8121