240 million functioning PCs/laptops will be chucked into landfills.
Because #Microsoft has managed to convince consumers that computers cannot exist without #Windows.
#RightToRepair has no cannier, more dedicated adversary than #apple whose most innovative work is dreaming up new ways to sneakily sabotage repair while claiming to be a caring environmental steward, a lie that covers up the mountains of #ewaste that Apple dooms our descendants to wade through.
--
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
Scientists have devised a method to upcycle lithium-ion batteries and expired solar panels into new solar cells. The method recovers valuable materials from the waste and converts them into perovskite solar cells, which are cheaper and more efficient than silicon-based ones. This could reduce the environmental impact of electronic waste and boost the renewable energy sector.
💻 On m’a offert cette micro #console pour un anniversaire (le mien, et le 25e de Zelda). Une bonne intention mais avec 3 jeux préinstallés et un système fermé c’est tout de suite un déchet électronique en puissance. Ne pouvant la “défabriquer” j’ai au moins pu la rooter pour installer l’emulateur retro-go, à la base prévu pour d’autres systèmes. Voilà maintenant une console qui fait tourner tous les jeux #8bit (#nes#mastersystem#gameboy) #photoctober2023#lowtech#gaming#retrogaming#ewaste
Hey we're a small group who put together a FREE programme of presentations around low-tech, permacomputing, collective tech practices, extraction, and ewaste.
FOMO alert: nope it's not streamed and probably won't be recorded, but surely you know a lot of cool people around you doing connected things, :unwanted_thinking: what about you try to organise something local as well? See https://permacomputing.net/getting_started/
Want to help people directly in your area? Have too much stuff in your closets, attic, garage? Register for a freecycle account and give that stuff AWAY. There are ppl on here asking for everything. It won't cost you a dime:
"Over 3 billion kilograms of valuable electronics inside children’s toys are thrown away each year, and very few people are aware of this hidden e-waste"
I have an #eWaste problem that I would like to solve: two #dell laptops that refuse to boot. One lights up for a couple of seconds, before shutting down again. The other seems completely dead, even after replacing the battery. The laptops are otherwise in decent conditions and I would like to revitalize them for my kids as they come of age.
Happy to announce that I am now a Trusted Contributor in the @postmarketOS project! It has been around 3.5 years since I found out about it and started contributing (mostly with ports and mainline linux support for various Samsung devices). It really feels great to be part of a joint effort to give devices a second life, and decrease the amount of #eWaste in the world!
hello 🌱
lurkers + fediverse!
Long shot but i'm looking for an accomodation in #Brussels starting in April.
long term or short term, room or studio. I'm flexible as long as it feels cosy and with friendly and respecuful ppl :)
A call went around a few of the Linux Distributions, and together they are confident they have plenty of copies of Linux, in a very large number of flavors, to run all 240 million of the computers Microsoft is abandoning to e-waste.
📡 hi lurkers & beyond!
for an on-going project with #lowtechmagazine I'm looking for places to buy/get e-waste around #brussels#belgium
Do you know structures / services / scrapyard that collect electronic / electric waste in the region. Back in NL, I used to go to a scrapyard selling by the kg...
Specifically looking for DC motors, cables, computer fans
Malaysians buy 1 million #smartphones per MONTH. This is absolutely insane. There should be no reason to "upgrade" any phone that is less than 5 years old. It's just marketing and forced #obsolescence #ewaste#throwawayculture
I feel like I had a nerdy "coming of age" moment yesterday - I installed #linux on an old laptop.
My parents gave it to me to recycle (because Chrome was no longer updating, and they were worried about security), and asked for advice on what to get as a replacement (mainly just to watch TV in bed), and I'm just gonna give it back to them, now that it's running smoothly again with an up-to-date OS! 😎🤓
This is definitely something I'm keen to do more of, to save folks money, and reduce #eWaste.
Struggling to find any useful advice on how to dispose of a swollen phone battery in the UK.
Gov website just links to local council, which has no information on recycling damaged and potentially dangerous batteries.
The nearest recycling centre in walking distance that may potentially accept it does not allow pedestrians, so would have to get two buses to a centre that does.
It's no wonder most folk just chuck it in the bin (and maybe cause fires)
Two simple way to reduce the likelihood of semiconductor shortages and reduce the volume of e-waste we have to deal with.
Oblige vendors to guarantee N years of useful life for electronic goods, and advertise price-per-year of life alongside purchase price. This could reduce the wastage of semiconductors in disposable electronics, and help people avoid being ripped off by the designer landfill that's misleadingly marketed as being cheaper.
I just received my new work laptop (#Apple#Macbook Pro M3, ~€2000) just to discover that it does not support dual-monitor output despite having multiple video ports.
For a feature that even the cheapest laptops (and older MacBooks) have had for years, Apple now asks you to buy the MacBook Pro M3 Pro (€2500) or M3 Max (€4000).
This is essentially €2000 #ewaste. Not so "pro" after all.