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It's funny. Laugh. Hardware

Ukrainian Computer Destruction Championship 214

Posted by michael from the foot-pedal dept.
Alien54 writes "Over 300 self-confessed computer addicts have participated in a competition in the central Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya to destroy their own hardware in a spectacular fashion. The event, dubbed the "First Open Computer Destruction Championship", was organised by a local FM radio station with the professed aim of raising young people's awareness of the dangers of spending too much time in front of a computer."
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Ukrainian Computer Destruction Championship More

Ukrainian Computer Destruction Championship

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  • misnamed? (Score:3, Funny)

    by ecalkin ( 468811 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:00PM (#7074448)
    if this is about spending to much time in front of a computer, shouldn't this be 'user destruction'?

    eric
    • Huh?

      They are destroying computers, not people (aka users). Yes, they will cease being users of their computers since their computer will no longer exist, but destruction applies to material existence not labels (user, policeman, dictator)

      You would not say the users are destroyed simply because they are no longer users. A man is still a man, despite whatever label we attach to him. If he ceases to exist however, then we could label the act by which that occurs "destruction".

      • Re:misnamed? (Score:3, Insightful)

        by dissy ( 172727 )
        What he's saying is, its the users fault, not the computers.
        Its like distroying a gun because its user murdered someone with it.

  • This will only prove... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:01PM (#7074451)
    This will only prove that computing causes violence, just like concerned parents across America have been saying all along. Young children should not be allowed to watch or attend.

  • Folding (Score:4, Insightful)

    by trippinonbsd ( 689462 ) <samchill @ g m a i l.com> on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:01PM (#7074453) Homepage
    Those computer could have been put to a much better use of folding...
    • I'm curious - how do you fold a computer?

    • Re:Folding (Score:4, Interesting)

      by parkanoid ( 573952 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @08:48PM (#7074877)
      Keep in mind that a box folding or crunching seti 24/7 drains quite a bit of power (as opposed to no box at all). My power bill nearly doubles when all of my boxen crunch - granted, I have 9 systems.
      It may not seem like a big deal to most of us here, but it was chewing up a good portion of our monthly income back in Russia. I don't know if the situation has changed dramatically in the last 3 years, but I doubt it.
      • ...but if you need to buy heating anyways.

        it's not that bad if you use the power you need anyways to do something worthwhile too in the process. besides, space heaters cost and old pc's are practically free(also you could a] get cheaper power b] bigger income, which might be a problem in russia though, depending on your profession).

    • My understanding is that much of Eastern Europe is way behind in acquisition of new tech. Few people have a computer at all, and of those who do, fewer are state of the art.

      I think you're right, that these computers could be put to a much better use, but I don't think that use is folding.

  • Toss-a-mac (Score:2, Interesting)

    by obfuscated ( 258084 )
    This reminds me of my "Toss-a-mac" days.

    *sigh* Oh the memories!
    • I don't actually know anything about the "toss-a-mac" you refer to, but it strikes me that the case handles on the new towers (G4 and G5) would be very toss-friendly...

      Grab the two handles on top, spin around a coupla times, and HURL!

      • Re:Toss-a-mac (Score:3, Interesting)

        by dotgain ( 630123 )
        The Mac has historically been toss-friendly.

        The Classics and SE's were a monitor & computer in one unit with a carry handle built into the top, making them very much like a hammer that would be thrown at the olympics.

        The later LC and PowerMacintosh series didn't lend themselves to this activity much; indeed I'd be interested to see anyone lob a 9600 more than 8m.

  • Casus Belli (Score:1, Flamebait)

    by fruity1983 ( 561851 )
    That's it, lets invade those breadbasket motherfuckers.
  • ...To just install Windows on them? I guarantee you wouldn't get much more uptime.

  • Easy... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Tyrdium ( 670229 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:02PM (#7074460) Homepage
    Just give it to a luddite [rinkworks.com]...

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:03PM (#7074463)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • I don't understand - (Score:4, Insightful)

    by FractusMan ( 711004 ) * on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:03PM (#7074464)
    Destroying the computers is suposed to be a symbol of... what? That spending too much time in front of the PC will make you FLIP OUT and kill your PC? Or is this more akin to bra burning? But then, that doesn't make any sense, either. I really don't see how watching people wreck their hardware is suposed to make younger people less addicted.
    • I think the point of destroying the computers is supposed to be a definitive moment for those who participate. its like the guy who quits drinking and pours all his alchol down the drain. it has nothing to do with flipping out, or bra burning.

      • Ukrainians can't afford to do this. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by StarKruzr ( 74642 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:46PM (#7074647) Journal
        The Ukraine is not the wealthiest country in the world by any means. Every single piece of computer hardware they've got is an extremely valuable commodity and could be very useful in a "non-addictive" setting SOMEWHERE. How about a school? Library? SOMETHING rather than destroying an extremely useful tool?

        I hate wanton, frivolous waste.

        • You don't understand (Score:2, Insightful)

          by Anonymous Coward
          Rule #1 of being poor (whether a country or an individual) is to waste as much of your money as possible. If they used their resources in an intelligent manner, they wouldn't be poor anymore, would they now? A fool and his money are soon parted.

          Anecdotal evidence of this important rule can be seen in America's ghettos, where even the poorest, longest unemployed black people wear bling around their necks, watch cable channels on color TVs, and install $1500 stereo systems in their early-model Caprices tha

        • I've never seen so many stupid replies for one Slashdot story. Thanks for being the only one that makes sense.
        • Chances are the boxen were actually extremely old (as in XT old, not 386 old) and/or non-functional. Unless the participants were members of the post-soviet oligarchy (which they, quite obviously, were not), they wouldn't waste good equipment.
        • I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the country as poor, coincidently enough I was talking to my Ukrainian girlfriend about computers a few days ago and back when she was living in Ukraine most of her friends had some good hardware (as did she) a bit off topic but interestingly enough, she was the only one in her circle of friends who didn't run Linux, its an incrediably popular OS over their.
          • Right.... I think people may be too quick to assume that it's not possible/cost-effective enough for folks in other "poorer" countries to obtain decent PC hardware.

            PC's have become such a commodity item nowdays that there truly is no excuse for someone with any kind of computer savvy to be forced to use an old XT or 286 class machine - poor nation or not!

            Just recently, I was trying to fix up and resell a number of old machines people were throwing away - and these were all Pentium class machines at the v
          • I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the country as poor,

            RTFA:

            But in a country with an average annual income of about $700, a computer is still very much a luxury.

            I'm pretty sure no further explanation is needed. If I made $700 A YEAR, even a crappy old MS Mouse with a ball and no wheel might bring in 99 cents at a garage sale, which would be worth the equivalent of about $28.29 as a proportion of even a marginal $20K/year income (one seven-hundredth of annual income). Therefore, I wouldn't even think of

        • Re:Ukrainians can't afford to do this. (Score:4, Funny)

          by macrom ( 537566 ) <macrom75@hotmail.com> on Sunday September 28, 2003 @12:10AM (#7075558) Homepage
          SOMETHING rather than destroying an extremely useful tool?

          So maybe they could destroy the servers of Russian spammers and all those .ru open mail relays instead.

    • Re:I don't understand - (Score:5, Insightful)

      by timeOday ( 582209 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:44PM (#7074637)

      "Participants told Ukrainian TV that they felt better after destroying their equipment."


      "Another participant agreed computers could be cumbersome: 'I am so sick of these computers, all we do is just sit and type on them.'"


      "Another added: 'After sitting at the keyboard all day, I needed revenge.'"



      You don't identify with that at all?


      As for the young people addiction stuff, lighten up, it's just a radio promotion. The "professed aim" isn't really the point.

      • When I was packin up at home gettin ready for school, I looked around my basement (ie: Command Central) at all the computer junk and crap I had lying around which I wanted to sell but never got around to doing.

        I just thought to myself

        "I wouldn't mind if this basement just caught on fire and burned everything."
        • You've got loads of computer bits around and you haven't even tried to cobble together machines out of them, even to use as mailservers, firewalls boxes or just to control the Blinkenlights?

          What sort of slashdot reader are you?! :)
      • You don't identify with that at all?

        Nope. My computers work. If they used XP, I might be angry with all the broken promisses, adverts and poor perfomance. As it is, I get what I need and don't waste much time with broken crap.

    • We live our lives enslaved to the meaningless details of this world. The solution?

      AD23:
      Go, sell all your possessions and give the the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.

      AD2003:
      Bash the fuck out of your computer. Now doesn't that feel better.

      My, how we have advanced :)
    • spending too much time in front of the PC will make you FLIP OUT and kill your PC?

      Only if you are a ninja [realultimatepower.net].

  • God they are shortsighted (Score:4, Interesting)

    by MasTRE ( 588396 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:03PM (#7074466)
    "...with the professed aim of raising young people's awareness of the dangers of spending too much time in front of a computer."

    What about releasing the toxic chemicals found in computers, especially in monitors, into the environment?

    • Re:God they are shortsighted (Score:5, Funny)

      by randyest ( 589159 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:13PM (#7074513) Homepage
      Considering the event's proximity to Cernobyl, I think the extra radiation and toxic chemicals would barely be noticeable above the background radiation. But you do have a point. I'm doubting they were following and sort of green prodecures when busting CRTs and capacitors all over the ground.

      But, please be careful not to refer to this Ukranian event as a "joke", especially on NYC subways.

      Ukraine is joke to you?! Ukraine is NOT JOKE!
    • What about releasing the toxic chemicals found in computers, especially in monitors, into the environment?

      The event is acutally a public exhibition for the local "prepping facility" to the "recyclers" in China.
  • One of them says that someday he crashed his monitor but "thank god" he saved his keyboard. This explains the kind of people involved in this i believe.

  • My computer is sometimes useful (Score:3, Interesting)

    by product byproduct ( 628318 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:04PM (#7074469)
    Can I destroy the Slashdot servers instead?

  • Wastage (Score:2, Interesting)

    by VapourFloppy ( 106639 )
    "... a country with an average annual income of about $700 ..."

    And some radio station is getting people to destroy computer equipment for a bit of publicity? What a waste! It pains me to see the rest of the world following in our footsteps, straight down the road of stupidity...

  • Ukraine? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Dark Lord Seth ( 584963 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:06PM (#7074477) Journal

    Don't they have those Russian T-80 tanks still around from the cold war? Might be an idea...

    Of course, you could give the guy who modded the V8 engine a ring instead; 2ghz T-80 anyone?

  • They must have all gotten fed up with trying to get Windows Me to work, or even worse, tried to get internet access using their new bongo drum modem.(See recent story) I mean, what other possible reason could there be to destroy your computer? The mere thought of it sends shivers down my spine...
  • raising young people's awareness of the dangers of spending too much time in front of a computer

    Actually, all they have to to is introduce these young people to regular slashdot users. That should scare the pants of them enough to swear off computers forever. Don't do computers or you will look like one of these sorry saps...

  • given the average income vs cost of computers, that these guys didnt just bring along all their dead and crusty old hardware to beat - leaving the good stuff safely at home?

    Bet they zoomed home to see if they appeared online;)

  • Ironically, the winners in each event received new computer hardware. That cracked me up. "yes. You will be destroyingk your computers. If you is doingk it well enough, we will be givingk you NEW computers!" Although I can see that to a frustrated computer user, this could be a useful form of therapy... or revenge.

  • Secret Agenda (Score:3, Funny)

    by Erick the Red ( 684990 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:10PM (#7074501)
    This "FM radio station" is really a terrorist organization that wants to test anti-computer weapons of mass destruction to use against Western nations! Is there a website where I can watch?
  • a few years back we got some dead classic macs and dug a big pit and smashed then and soaked them in gasoline... and inhaled vapors that are proably still affecting my head to this day.. but it was fun..
  • ...I'd have no keyboards or mice...and I'd be short a couple monitors.

    Fortunately the 21" CRTs are too heavy...as are the majority of by boxen.

  • Ya know, I'm tired of all this crap (Score:5, Funny)

    by kfg ( 145172 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:22PM (#7074550)
    I've been hearing it all my life, if you spend too much time reading,at the movies, at the arcade, in front of the TV, NOT reading. . . it'll ruin you life.

    And now computers. "Internet Addiction," "Computer Game Addiction, etc.

    Well I'm sorry. Smack is addictive. TV, books and computers are compelling. If you think you spend too much time at the computer. . .Well get the hell up and walk away no and again Sparky.

    You don't have a monkey on your back. You really do just lack self control. Control yourself, or give up trying, but at least shut the hell up about it. It's your problem

    Spending too much time at the computer simply isn't one of my issues. I enjoy it and it's never caused me any harm. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go for coffee.

    Ummmmmm, I can't stand up. Hey, my legs. Where the hell are my LEGS?!

    ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!

    KFG
    • Frankly, I agree. Addiction is a chemical phenomenon; obsessive-compulsive disorder is the psychological counterpart, and obsession/compulsion exists only when recurring thoughts or actions are UNWANTED BY THE PATIENT.
      • The redefinition of addiction to mean nearly any behaviour that someone doesn't like gives unprecidented power to social services, the AMA and various government agencies to meddle in issues that don't really concern them, often with the power of the law behind them.

        I've been fighting this fight for a couple of decades now, but there are too many vested interests , especially the lawyers.

        "McDonalds made me fat. I couldn't help myself."

        Feh!

        KFG
  • I installed Windows 95 and my computer suicided itself

    • Re:I won! (Score:5, Funny)

      by kfg ( 145172 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @07:33PM (#7074591)
      "I installed Windows 95 and my computer suicided itself"

      I installed Red Hat 5.2 and my computer can't figure out how to edit its scripts so it can commit suicide.

      KFG

      • > "I installed Windows 95 and my computer suicided itself"

        I installed Red Hat 5.2 and my computer can't figure out how to edit its scripts so it can commit suicide.

        You left out vim-common.

        • > I installed Windows 95 and my computer suicided itself

          >> I installed Red Hat 5.2 and my computer can't figure out how to edit its scripts so it can commit suicide.

          >>> You left out vim-common.

          ed is the standard editor.

          KFG

          • >>>> I installed Windows 95 and my computer suicided itself

            >>> I installed Red Hat 5.2 and my computer can't figure out how to edit its scripts so it can commit suicide.

            >> You left out vim-common.

            ed is the standard editor.

            Oh, please... how can you ever suppose that a Redhat 5.2 can even _TRY_ to use ed?

      • ... i would like to point out to everyone that a computer "shuts up" when it "shuts down"
  • with the professed aim of raising young people's awareness of the dangers of spending too much time in front of a computer.

    The personal computer: our revenge for when they fluoridated our water supply...
  • The guys from the french review site x86-secret decided to not only do the same type of thing, but make a bunch of videos available too! They mostly consist of old hardware (even though there is some new stuff) + fireworks = BOOM!!
    http://explosive-reviews.x86-secret.com/ [x86-secret.com]
    And because I'm nice, and it's not my bandwith, I'm currently mirroring them:
    http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~pnelson/explosive-revie ws.x86-secret.com/ [cmu.edu]

  • While the over-privileged luddites destroy their computer hardware because it's so annoying, the other 96% of the population wishes they actually had a computer. What a great show for a country with an average income of $700 per year. (RTFA).

  • Probably will get modded redundant, but...

    The easy way to destroy a computer:

    1. Set up computer as a server.

    2. Create a web page with a certain "geek appeal."

    3. Get posted to Slashdot.

    4. Clean up smoking rubble.

  • Why don't they just smash the ones that don't work anymore or can't be used anymore. Waste to me to smash components that work. :(
  • Back when Acorn still existed, one of the Acorn World shows in London, UK featured the "letterbox game". This consisted of, using nothing but a mallet and chisel, trying to fit a PC through a letterbox in a short as time as possible.

    It would be easier today, back then, PC cases were mostly made of metal and were tough!

  • Idiots and the less fortunate (Score:3, Insightful)

    by loomis ( 141922 ) * on Saturday September 27, 2003 @08:04PM (#7074731)
    You know, it's things like this that really infuriate me. Rather than destroy these computers for the thrill of it, how about these people donate their computers to schools or to the less-fortunate. This is a country where 4% of the populace in on the internet, according to the article, so the overall number of people who even own computers cannot be that much higher. So rather than destroy these machines in some barbaric rage, these machines could instead benefit a young person etc...

    Loomis

  • I once used a hollowed-out monitor for a Chip-n-Putt contest during a fundraiser. I was doing some free-lance for a computer consultant in the local real estate market (a consultant for a consultant.. LOL). The fundraiser was held at a golf course, and each of the various participating vendors (lenders, banks, consultants such as ourselves) arranged little activities at the Tee's of each of the 18 holes

    We had one of the most popular activities. The object was to pop a little chip-shot into the monitor
  • I hate to take the high road here, cause it looks kinda fun, but this just shows that we have some issues to work out with regards to computer recycling. My sister teaches in a school where a Mac IIsi is state of the art. Her kids have to work with totally obsolete computers and these people destroy more up to date machines. Don't get sentimental with me, you may have spent your best days in front of an old computer, but it isn't fair for a 10 year old to have to use that same machine when much better techn
  • for my Ukrainian brethren, I too have decided to destro^%^*^&&)(*%$%^#%^%&@$%!@@#_+
  • m@kE_srE_yoou_havvE_A_sp@rE_woRking_onE

  • Go Dumples! (Score:2, Funny)

    by erveek ( 92896 )
    Way to beat Pile of Electronics State!
    On to Homestar's Knees Tech!

  • In other news... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by rice_burners_suck ( 243660 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @09:14PM (#7074974)
    Everyone who owns a television should smash it with a 2x4. This would symbolize the dangers of watching too much television.

    Everyone who owns a car should push it off a cliff. This would symbolize the dangers of irresponsible vehicle use.

    Everyone who owns an airplane should crash it in the mountains. This would symbolize the dangers of being high in the air.

    Everyone who owns a building should jump off its roof. This would symbolize the dangers of being inside a structure built by people.

    Everyone who owns a gun should shoot himself. This would symbolize the dangers of irresponsible use of guns.

    Everyone who owns a pen should write a suicide note before performing the above activities. This would symbolize the dangers of writing things down. That's all, folks.

  • Ukraine one crazy place. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Kenja ( 541830 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @09:23PM (#7075009)
    This is the same Ukraine [ananova.com] that just decided to ban class rooms being used as brothels.
    • Did you check out the link at the bottom of that story? Sounds like an interesting place, to say the least.

      Ukrainian parliamentary candidate strips in appeal to voters [ananova.com]

      Ukrainian parliamentary candidate strips in appeal to voters

      A Ukrainian parliamentary candidate attempted to woo voters by shedding most of her clothes in a televised political address.

      Olena Solod, a 28-year-old housewife, stripped down to her underwear during a live TV address to voters in the southeastern city Zaporizhia.

      Her show w

  • Now if we can encourage similar competitions in China and India, we migth be able to reverse the tide of jobs flowing out of america.
  • I think a good destruction technique would have been to melt a hole through the cpu with a thermite reaction [wisc.edu] while playing Quake3.
  • Take a computer you want to destroy.
    Install a web server on it.
    Hook it to a fat pipe.
    Post the URL to Slashdot!

    Boom!

  • You really don't All of these destroyed hardware was obsolete. Probably, 386s, 486s, burned monitors, clogged mice, ruined keyboards, etc. Ukrainians are most frugal nation in the world! They would never thru away anything they can sell. Believe me, if you'd had Ukrainian girlfriend you'd learnt it.
  • Smashing all this computer hardware in the Ukraine... that's like having fat people in somolia throwing food into the ocean because it's addicting and causes obesity. If you don't like computer's don't use them, give them to someone else who could benefit from your hardware don't just smash it into pieces.

  • Computers WERE harmed during the production of... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Myself ( 57572 ) on Sunday September 28, 2003 @12:37AM (#7075647) Journal
    When something claims to be rugged, you never take its word for it do you? It's in that spirit that I present you with high-res photos of Toughbooks being shot at [rtor.net] during this summer's Independence Day celebrations.

    If you have a friend with a few acres of land, and a friend with a bunch of guns, and a pile of "ruggedized" hardware, I highly recommend trying this at home. Mouse kicking and keyboard throwing simply can't compare to putting slugs through magnesium laptops. We also ran over a Toughbook, and detonated a Nextel i1000 and a watermelon. Squibs are your friends, even more so when they're at the end of long pieces of wire. Eye and ear protection are cheap compared to the thrill of taking aim at a f00f-bugged Pentium.

    This year's results were about as I expected: Shotgun blasts and small handguns bounce off and leave small dents, unless at point-blank range. Medium-sized handguns penetrate one or two layers, but based on the laptop's construction, it's likely that had a hard drive been mounted in the cavity, it would've been untouched. Large handguns and rifles go straight through, some of them fast enough to ignite the magnesium dust they generate, making a nice flash as they exit. (None of the weapons actually lit the thing on fire. We'll have to try a flare gun next year.)

    Next year's July-4th festivities should be even more fun. The plan is to amass the widest possible variety of cheap "rugged" hardware, and set it all up running. Then shoot 'em all with progressively larger calibers until each stops responding to pings.
  • "Ironically, the winners in each event received new computer hardware."

    What????

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