What is Free Geek?

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You may have noticed in some of my past posts mentioning “Free Geek” . I’ll attempt explain a little further. In a short and simple explanation they “Help the needy get nerdy” .  Here is the official mission statement from Free Geek of Providence "Free Geek Providence is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to addressing the digital divide by providing computer training, redistributing computer technology and providing volunteer opportunities to our community while maintaining relationships with responsible recycling partners."

They are a non-profit group that helps those who perhaps can’t either afford or uninitiated get acquainted with computers. The goal is to provide both training in both building and using a PC. They use free Linux operating system that is both free and relatively simple to use. On top of that they can walk away with a PC they build themselves or earn by volunteering  for the group for certain amount of time.

They do this using donated equipment. Computer stuff that is donated is gone through and tested. If obsolete is it is sent to a local responsible recycler rather than just sent over seas or dumped in the local landfill. Here is a video of what can happen to your old stuff from 60 Minutes. If it is reusable it is used for building units either for the volunteers(to earn) or for sale in a thrift store or online.

This is just a small snippet of what they do for the community. If your in the Rhode Island area and are interested in donating unused computer equipment click here to see more. The Free Geek that started it all can be seen here. Thanks for coming by and have a geeky day. What do you do with your old computer stuff?

Is Building a PC Worth It Anymore?

David Risley of PCMech(aka:PC Mechanic) asked this question on his website. He brought up some good points. Below was the comment that I left.

I personally feel it’s worth it to build your own. Then again I like building stuff. For someone who’s looking to make a business out of building PC’s that’s a different story. It’s tough to compete with the big boys(HP, Dell, Sony etc..)on price(well except for Apple but they are a different breed). What you can do (like others have said) is to use the higher quality parts. Less bloatware from the manufacturer. A higher degree of customization is possible if you build it your self.

You could compare it to buying a classic car/hot rod. Do you buy one that someone else done all the work already and turn the key? Or do you buy something you’ll need to restore and rebuild the way you want it?To me if you’ve got the time, space, money and desire to build a PC, go for it. It’s a great feeling to get it all together and it fires up.