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I am deeply normal and can be trusted with a screwdriver around computers.
Since moving to Tasmania, I have unfortunately discovered an E-Waste store within reasonable distance.
This has lead to an uncontrollable computer collection and I like to disassemble them for fun.
Arranged in the order I obtained them.
dibs
Year Released: 2003 | Model Type: PowerBook G4 (13-inch) | Manufacturer: Apple | OS: Mac OS X Lion(?)
dibs is a PowerBook G4, and my first ever personal computer.
It was my aunt's old computer, given to me when I was ~14 and I primarily used it as a word processor and DVD player.
Much of my initial forays into creative writing were written on it...
Currently, as my aunt never wiped it and then my sister had it for some time in an attempt to install Linux on it, it's in a bit of a weird state regarding the user profiles and permissions, but I can't reinstall the OS as the disc drive no longer works and this model does not support booting from USB.
It's an on-going project...
Squidbook Senior
Year Released: 2012 | Model Type: MacBook Pro (Mid-2012) | Manufacturer: Apple | OS: Mac OS X Sierra(?)
Squidbook Sr. was my first 'proper' personal computer, given to me when I needed a laptop for my new highschool.
It served me decently for a few years as a school and more importantly my first personal gaming device, as it's what I first experienced a lot of now-favourite games on - I even installed win8 on it to play stuff like Overwatch...
It's what lead me to start digital art, too - although these days it mostly serves as a disc-ripping machine, and even then it's been phased out for my desktop PCs.
Squidbook
Year Released: 2017 | Model Type: MacBook Air | Manufacturer: Apple | OS: Mac OS X Mojave
Squidbook is my most treasured laptop and one I used for the longest time - from 2017 right up until a few months into 2025.
It sounds silly, but it was by my side and what I used to cope during some very low points in my life. I honed my digital art on this laptop; began to mod Cave Story, gained a greater interest in computer technology and hardware, and fought for my life against its 121GB of storage...
Currently, it's enjoying its retirement in a laptop bag under my desk. I greatly miss it, and I wish I could still use it, but unfortunately it is obsolete and I refuse to update or replace its operating system (OS X Mojave my beloved!!!), so...
(By the way, a fun fact - the 'freckles' on one of my robot characters is inspired by the pitting developed on both Squidbooks' cases...)
Orlando
Year Released: 2020 | Model Type: IdeaPad Gaming 3 | Manufacturer: Lenovo | OS: Windows 10
Orlando is my first Windows device - named after the winXP machine my parents had when I was younger - and a GAMING LAPTOP(tm) that I bought with my very first paycheck to play Psychonauts 2 (among other things).
It has definitely served me well since, and I have managed to check off a great deal of 'bucket list' titles because of it. Most of these games have been played using the (now slightly worn and unresponsive) trackpad, much to the horror of my friends.
Recently, I've just upgraded its storage with an extra 500GB, because I foolishly assumed at the time that 256GB would be 'plenty of storage'.
(It was not, in fact, 'plenty of storage'.)
I like to refer to it as my GAMING LAPTOP(tm) in all caps because I think it's funny, but I don't know if anyone else finds it amusing or just annoying.
stringybark
Year Released: 2015 | Model Type: MacBook (11-inch, 2015) | Manufacturer: Apple | OS: Mac OS X High Sierra
stringybark is a strange case - it was originally used by my father's former coworker as a research device. For reasons I forget, it was left with my father at our house and not accounted for after the coworker left the company, so eventually Dad gave it to me as it was just collecting dust otherwise.
I actually have no use for it - originally I thought to use it to test Linux distros when I was considering switching to Linux as a daily driver, or as a school device for my TAFE courses, but by 2025 its last supported OS X version was no longer compatible with the modern web and my campus' wi-fi wouldn't recognise it when running Linux...
To be honest, it's still just gathering dust... it's kind of a useless machine, but that's okay!!! I still love it!!! It's very small and cute!!!
Toby
Year Released: 2020 | Model Type: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) | Manufacturer: Apple | OS: Mac OS X Sequoia
Toby is my current daily driver.
In all honesty... I don't really like it much.
I mean, the touch ID is alright and the keyboard/trackpad are good as usual, but I hate modern OS X and it overheats WAY too quickly... also the lack of ports (one headphone, 2x USB-C) sucks! I miss USB-A and I miss my MagSafe charger!
Its redeeming features are that its display is very nice... and it has one (1) entire TB of storage, which I am greatly enjoying. Also as much as I miss MagSafe I guess it's nice to just have the one charger for my laptop, power bank and headphones?
I suppose it gets the job done, but it's nothing that blows my mind.
Theseus and Jason
Year Released: 2018 | Model Type: ThinkPad Yoga 11e (Gen 5) | Manufacturer: Lenovo | OS: Pop!OS (Theseus), Windows 10 (Jason)
Theseus and Jason are a pair of Lenovo ThinkPads obtained from the E-Waste store.
The original intent was to disassemble a laptop to use for an art project, but I wound up purchasing three of these 5th-gen Yogas, all sold as 'for-parts'.
In the process of disassembly, I finally gained the 'courage' I guess to start fucking around with the hardware, and eventually decided to try and see if I could get a working laptop out of the three 'broken' ones.
Since I'd completely disassembled all three, this meant a lot of mix n' match of internal boards, wires and casing, but I eventually got two (more or less) functional laptops out of it!
At the moment, Theseus and Jason are both able to power on and have an SSD + operating system installed, but Jason has no internal battery and both their keyboards are broken and neither of them have a stylus. I plan to order the replacement parts... eventually. Shipping costs are unpleasant...
By the way, their names are the result of me thinking I was being very funny - Theseus refers to the Greek myth and thought experiment, 'The Ship Of Theseus', wherein the titular ship had every single original part replaced during its journey, much like the laptop. (The thought experiment then asks 'is it the same ship that left?' Is it the same laptop that was bought for $5 from an electronics recycling centre?)
(Jason refers to 'Jason and the Argonauts', another ship-based Greek myth.)
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Snowy
Year Released: 200X | Model Type: Tower PC | Manufacturer: Unknown (Gigabyte?) | OS: Windows XP (SP3)
Snowy is a winXP tower PC - also obtained from the E-Waste store - that currently serves as my hashtag retro gaming device - I even have a CRT monitor for it!
It is the first PC I've ever owned or worked on, so it's taught me a lot - PC hardware is MUCH easier to work on than laptops, that's for sure.
I had to install a HDD and replace the graphics card, but with the guidance of my friends (because I had no idea what I was doing), I was eventually able to get it all set up.
For a while I used it as a disc-ripper too, but it's been phased out in favour of blackbird.
Mostly it just takes up space on my desk in between my various gaming sessions, but that's okay :]
LEGO
Year Released: 2017 | Model Type: ThinkPad Yoga 11e (4th Gen) | Manufacturer: Lenovo | OS: N/A
Another find at the E-Waste store!
Unlike Theseus, Jason and their sacrificial 3rd sibling, LEGO was pretty much completely intact with very minor cosmetic damage - it just needed RAM and an SSD.
It was apparently used by a 3rd year primary school student as part of some educational program, according to a piece of laminated paper taped to the palm rest.
(Fittingly, the kid's account password was 'lego'... hence the name!)
It is also an on-going project - it needs an SSD - but the battery holds a charge, and everything appears to be functional as it can boot into Linux off of a USB. I hope to finish it up by Christmas as a present for one of my younger cousins - I think it'll make a good 'first laptop'.
Bloom
Year Released: 2010 | Model Type: Latitude E6410 | Manufacturer: Dell | OS: Windows 7
One of two laptops that my sister randomly gave to me - she obtained them from the E-Waste store some time ago but had no use for them.
Bloom has approximately 10 billion ports, a vaguely functional battery, and missing graphical drivers that for the life of me I cannot locate.
It had no HDD when sold, and was thus missing its HDD bay door, so I ordered a replacement on eBay... they sent me three.
Not really sure what I'll do with it, as I completely skipped the Vista/win7 era, but I guess the port selection is nice?
Wish I could get the dust out of the speaker grilles, though...
Toughbook
Year Released: 2006(?) | Model Type: Toughbook CF-19 | Manufacturer: Panasonic | OS: N/A
The other of the two laptops that my sister randomly gave to me.
We actually have no idea if this thing works because neither of us have a charger for it and I keep procrastinating buying a replacement one.
It's more or less intact, although shows signs of an eventful life. Hoever, the only impactful damage is that it's missing a couple covers for its ports.
Not really sure what I'll do with it either... I could probably inflict severe blunt-force trauma on any thieves who break into my flat?
Quite possibly one of the worst trackpads my fingers have had the misfortune of encountering.
blackbird
Year Released: 2008 | Model Type: iMac | Manufacturer: Apple | OS: Mac OS X Snow Leopard
An iMac that was obtained with the intent of using it as a disc ripping machine.
I'm fairly certain it was originally from a computer lab at my campus...
Frustratingly, there is a tiny piece of headphone jack stuck in the aux port, so the speakers don't work.
However, its wireless functionality still works just fine, so I can use Bluetooth headphones.
It only has 1GB of RAM, so I need to upgrade that at some point...