January 19, 2009 3:14 PM PST

The ultimate tech nightmare: time to clean out the wire box

by Dan Ackerman
  • Font size
  • Print
  • 36 comments

Everyone has a wire box -- that container you toss random wires, plugs and other tech junk into. It's generally all the useless stuff that you just can't bring yourself to get rid of just yet. Being in "the biz," my wire box is actually a set of four interlocking plastic storage containers, which had become a serious closet hazard, to put it mildly. Here's how I spent part of my MLK weekend -- the dreaded annual wire box cleanup.

Cleaning out the wire box

New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan.
Topics:

Commentary

Tags:

Wires,

cables,

cleanup,

vintage gear

Share:
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Recent posts from Digital City Podcast
Digital City Podcast 63: 'Avatar,' 3D PS3, CES, oh my!
Digital City giveaway: 16GB Zune HD
Digital City 62: Mario's pizza place and the solid gold PS3
CES flashback 1989: Gaming 20 years ago
Digital City Podcast 61: Peace in the Mac vs PC wars?
A modest proposal: Detente between Mac and PC laptop fans
Digital City Podcast 60: Attack of Cyber Monday!
Digital City Podcast 59: Black Friday shopping tips, and a PS3 MAG beta invite giveaway
Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (36 Comments)
by fleurya January 19, 2009 3:45 PM PST
That's funny. I have a wire box myself full of all kinds of useless stuff. I organize it once every couple of years, but I can never bring myself to throwing any away, even the old parallel and COM cables. You just never know if the world might be close to extinction someday, a la Skynet, and the only way to save it is with an old computer disconnected from the net that needs such a cable for a connection.

I'll be ready when that day comes. . .
Reply to this comment
by Vint January 19, 2009 5:08 PM PST
Wire box ? I have a wire closet!
Reply to this comment
by JUARIT0S January 19, 2009 6:06 PM PST
Hilarious!!! I have a several totes full of cables and gadgets and I can never seem to get myself to throw any of that stuff away. I always feel that there will be a need for something and I will regret having thrown it away. And my wife totally hates that I have all this stuff, but she too has a bunch of shoes, so many that she could wear a different pair each day for a whole month. I'm glad that I'm not the only one and I don't feel alone anymore, thank you.
Reply to this comment
by hwgs3 January 19, 2009 6:32 PM PST
i have the same problem, stacked in my garage - what are suggestions for recycling this old stuff? I hate to think that it ends up in landfills
Reply to this comment
by realsharp January 19, 2009 6:49 PM PST
I just knew my computer was bugged. I've been a secret (ha) horder all my life, but you even knew the box was a "wire box." Cables, old drives, even 360K, converter plugs, old computers, monitors, mice, backup devices of all sorts and the tapes for them, etc., and that doesn't even include the audio/tv stuff.

Does anyone really have an answer? Is it only a "man" thing with computers?
Reply to this comment
by Passing_Commenter January 20, 2009 5:30 AM PST
Definitely not a "man" thing. As a female, my shoe collection rivals that of most other women - but my wire box is also quite full. I am proud to say there have been several occasions on which my wire box has, indeed, come to the rescue. Now II'd like to take this opportunity to remind my friends who buy new equipment that does not include cables who call on me, knowing of my almighty cable collection - it's OK, I got your back!
by noahjwhite January 20, 2009 8:38 AM PST
Ah... haha... I have an entire room filled with with wires and misc other parts and gadgets. Ironically I tend to use it a lot. As things change (and my wacky experiments) it's nice to be able to grab X cable and not have to pay an outrageous price for it.
Reply to this comment
by iamwho January 20, 2009 12:48 PM PST
I bit the bullet and did a massive upload, as it were --sorry, wasn't even thinking about the environmental aspects. Box was getting to the point where the cover wouldn't close, so it became an Amazon River expedition to go find something. I decided if I didn't need it, I didn't need it. I did a massive organizing job --all the RCA cables go here, all the coaxials here, etc. then identified what was in good shape, what was a good length, etc. I got rid of, say, 90-percent, but I still have "the essentials". Felt good about the results. Of course, it only means that when I do need something, I have to visit Radio Shack... again :-(
Reply to this comment
by TiVoJoe January 20, 2009 1:34 PM PST
I would have thought the answer was obvious. You need a fifth storage container.
Reply to this comment
by DaveMcLain January 21, 2009 5:15 AM PST
Sometimes I get the bug to go through this stuff, keep the good and then send the rest to the recycling center. Computer cases and the like go into the scrap metal bin at the shop.
Reply to this comment
by blakewhitaker January 21, 2009 5:45 AM PST
OK, my little secret is that when I bought a new house, I took over the old Wetbar, turned it into a network hub, wired the entire house with Cat6, Cable TV, etc. The cabinets in this room are all mine. No one except my stepson ever go in their, but whenever a family member or friend gets a new piece of electronics (because they usually stay 3 generations behind in order to save money) I have what they need. Telephone, Ethernet, Composite, HDMI, USB, Parrallel, Serial, connectors, male to female, extensions, female to female, etc... All neatly labeled and gathering dust in little plastic buckets. My wife no longer complains since I keep it all behind closed doors. At least it is all my own castoffs and not other people's garage sale leftovers (which I have been tempted to take for the $1 they want to get rid of it. :-)
Reply to this comment
by dennisl59 January 21, 2009 7:47 AM PST
I just cleaned out my one "bin" and broke it down and bagged into 4 catagories: 1)power cables, 2) data cables, 3) audio cables, and 4) adapters(rs-232, gender changers, etc).

Kept one spare video controller, disk controller, keyboard, mouse and disk drive(preloaded os).

Pitched everything else.

Worked for me.

Thank You.
Reply to this comment
by dennisl59 January 21, 2009 1:03 PM PST
I KEPT all the power cables, data cables, audio cables and adapters, just put them into different bags so my ethernet patch cables weren't mixed up with the rca cables, etc.
by ajos23 January 21, 2009 8:11 AM PST
so funny that this has been posted! I have my own wire box along with my dad having wire drawers, shelves, and bins. My mom is on my case about it all the time, She just doesnt understand! Moms dont get that a collection of wires is the equlivent to a collection of purses. Mine started in highschool and has gone from the old school stuff to the old school stuff plus new school stuff. Its so hard to throw this stuff out because no matter how outdated, some how, i always seem to need the wire or wires i just threw out! every few months i dig through it and toss some stuff, but i never get rid of enough. My friends have made fun of me for my "cord box" as i call it. But they seem to stop laughing every time I come up with the cable they need!

CORD BOX FOR LIFE!
Reply to this comment
by haroldjohnson January 21, 2009 9:24 AM PST
Dang, I could have really used some of that stuff you threw away!
Reply to this comment
by stualmond January 21, 2009 9:32 AM PST
As an avid collector of cords, cables and electronic mishmash (Apple Newton anyone?), I hope that everyone RECYCLES their cables instead of just throwing them in the landfill. A small purchase of a recycle box at my local Office Depot was all it took. And considering the size of my collection at the time (it took a hand truck to move it.) it was worth the small amount of money I spent for them to take it off my hands. And it's better for the environment.
Reply to this comment
by Tery_coat January 21, 2009 10:17 AM PST
I do not like to throw the cable which might one day need to use!
Reply to this comment
by purpleLightning January 21, 2009 10:19 AM PST
Yeah, I was surprised by the direction this article took. You just threw them away?!?! I thought you were going to enlighten us on ways to repurpose/recycle them.
Reply to this comment
by January 21, 2009 10:57 AM PST
I do like the idea of recycling, but in a small country where I live it is more of a dream than a reality. When I cleaned out my tech storage shed, I had no choice but to use the landfill to dispose of old monitors, cards, cables, keyboards etc. but if you have a choice... RECYCLE.
Reply to this comment
by Dan_Ackerman January 21, 2009 11:01 AM PST
Actually, pretty much everything reusable that you leave downstairs in my building gets picked up by another tenant, neighbor, or the super. Believe me, those bags of wires were gone in about 10 minutes, so consider them recycled.
Reply to this comment
by giggles January 21, 2009 11:02 AM PST
Were you looking in my office closet?
Reply to this comment
by Baltasar67 January 21, 2009 11:45 AM PST
I'm glad I'm not alone. I had several boxes which became several plastic containers of cables, adapters, expansion cards, old equipment, adapters, along with old hard drives and CD drives. My wife would love to throw them out but I keep them because you never know when you need a cable or some of the other junk I have in there. I don't want to toss my old hard drives and have someone pull the data from them so it all sits in a relative mess in these containers until I figure a way to organize it. It beats going to radio shack to get something I might already have. Those boxes have saved me time and money over the years. Those that don't have a box of wires have no idea what it's all about. It's not about hoarding but having access to a slew of things that you may need when you least expect it.
Reply to this comment
Showing 1 of 2 pages (36 Comments)
Subscribe to the Digital City podcast

Subscribe to the audio podcast via RSS
Subscribe to the video podcast via RSS

Subscribe to the audio podcast via iTunes
Subscribe to the video podcast via iTunes

advertisement

About Digital City Podcast

Live from New York, CNET's Dan Ackerman, Julie Rivera, Joseph Kaminski, and Scott Stein explore the impact of new technology on city life and urban environments, from municipal Wi-Fi to high-tech crime to tricks for cutting the line at the Apple Store.

Send us e-mail at digitalcity@cnet.com.


Add this feed to your online news reader

Digital City Podcast topics

More on Digital City
Digital City on CNET Live
Dan Ackerman’s Blog Posts
Julie Rivera’s Blog Posts
Joseph Kaminski’s Blog Posts
Scott Stein’s Blog Posts
CNET TV Laptop Videos
Meet the Digital City hosts
Dan Ackerman Former radio DJ turned journalist Dan Ackerman grew up in the Bronx and now lives in Manhattan. He’s covered music, technology, and video games for more than 10 years. His latest album, Tales Out of Night School is available now. See profile
Joseph Kaminski Joseph Kaminski, when not juggling the dual demands of parenthood and HD gaming, is a life-long Manhattanite and can be found testing the latest tech in CNET’s Lab. See profile
Julie Rivera Julie Rivera grew up and currently resides in Brooklyn. When she's not deejaying, bartending, or fixing gadgets for friends on the outside, you'll find her testing, troubleshooting and developing benchmarks for laptops in the "fish bowl" known as CNET Labs. See profile
Scott Stein Scott Stein, CNET's newest laptops editor, was born in Queens and grew up a Long Islander - and is now raising a kid in NYC. In addition to covering games and tech, writing screenplays, and performing improv in seedy downtown establishments, he's also a die-hard, season-ticket-holding Jets fan. See profile
Podroll
When you're not listening to Digital City, here's some other great podcasts to try.
Inside CNET Labs
The 404
Indecent Exposure
Other CNET podcasts
Popular topics
Apple iPhone
Apple iPod
Cell phones
CES 2010
GPS
LCD TV
CNET sites
CNET Site map
CNET TV
Downloads
News
Reviews
Shopper.com
More information
Newsletters
CNET Mobile
Customer Help Center
RSS
CNET API
About CNET
sponsored