Hi, just to add to that, I know Access Space in sheffield too and it's also been going for quite a while on the model it uses. (thanks Helen, I immediately thought of this space when julian posted but couldn't remember the name of it!)
For futher info on their computer recucling go here: http://www.access-space.org/?c=recycling And for links to the other stuff it does, go here: http://www.access-space.org/?c=overview and WATCH THIS SPACE: (maybe) - the section "GROW YOUR OWN MEDIA LAB" project here: http://www.access-space.org/?c=gyoml (although need to wait for the report which isn't actually there yet) cheers, rachel On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 8:23 AM, helen varley jamieson < [email protected]> wrote: > julian's post brings to mind access space in sheffield, which has a > public lab with (totally?) recycled computers. they've just redesigned > their web site & i can't find specific info about the recycling, but i > understand that they collect computers from individuals rather than > companies (or is it the other way around?), & give them a refit > (http://www.access-space.org/). closer to home there are things like > the 20/20 trust, computers in homes, & porirua e-learning trust that > already do a lot of computer recycling. i've donated a few things to > porirua e-learning & they seem to take just about anything. > > as for the rest of the current discussion - i haven't been able to > follow it closely because i'm completely overwhelmed with a project > (http://www.creative-catalyst.com/letmego). from what i've skim-read it > seems like there are many great & worthwhile ideas; but with all of > these ideas, it takes a really motivated individual to actually make > something happen & to keep it going; even when there is a team of people > on a project, there's usually one or maybe two who are really driving > it, & when that person or people either get burnt out or for whatever > reason leave the project, it soons disintegrates. > > this is not to say that things shouldn't be attempted, but maybe we > could also consider ways to support the people who initiate & put the > hard work into making stuff happen, so that they don't burn out or when > they leave they can hand over the reins to someone else. i don't have > any answers, i'm just conscious of the whole reinventing-the-wheel thing > that seems to happen so often in the arts in nz, & the constant emphasis > on "new" rather than developing existing projects. > > h : ) > > > > As I mentioned last post, I wonder whether the digital arts scene in NZ > could > > benefit here from a corporate computer recycling program akin to that of > > http://recycle.lowtech.org/ > > > > Lowtech has donations of hundreds of computers at a time - often just a > couple > > of years old and - sent from corporations and government offices rather > than > > shipped off to China or India for 'recycling' (or simply made into > landfill). > > They throw on a modern Linux distribution and distribute them to arts > > organisations in turn. A formalised recycling program like this could > pump PC > > hardware - at the least - into events and workshops where needed, > reducing the > > portion of the budget otherwise spent on this hardware. > > > > Cheers, > > > > Julian > > > > > > > -- > ____________________________________________________________ > > helen varley jamieson: creative catalyst > [email protected] > http://www.creative-catalyst.com > http://www.avatarbodycollision.org > http://www.upstage.org.nz > http://www.writerfind.com/hjamieson.htm > ____________________________________________________________ > > _______________________________________________ > Ada_list mailing list > [email protected] > http://aotearoadigitalarts.org.nz/ > -- Rachel Gillies [email protected] | http://discussphotography.wordpress.com +64 (0)27 389 7995 skype: rachel.gillies
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