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Ant Farm PC

secolactico writes "This has got to be the coolest case mod I've come across. An ant farm in your PC case. Too bad there are no pics of the case actually on a working PC. It'd be interesting to observe the effect that the temperature and vibration of an operating PC would have on the ants."

49 of 346 comments (clear)

  1. simpons mental picture by adamruck · · Score: 4, Funny

    why does simpsons come to mind?

    Im picturing homer in space when the ants get loose in the space ship.

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    Selling software wont make you money, selling a service will.
    1. Re:simpons mental picture by shogun · · Score: 4, Funny

      I for one will welcome our new insect overlords.

    2. Re:simpons mental picture by clambake · · Score: 3, Funny

      Having ants learn how to sort tiny screws would actually come in handy in this case...

  2. Too bad it's only a case-mod by eric434 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Any other Terry Pratchett fans around here reminded of Hex, the ant-powered computer (of Unseen University)?

    Now, THAT would be cool. To overclock, just add caffeine to the water supply :-)

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  3. My computer has enough bugs... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    *groan*

    1. Re:My computer has enough bugs... by Zork+the+Almighty · · Score: 3, Funny

      I got an Alienware-Ant-Farm, ba-doom, pssh!

      --

      In Soviet America the banks rob you!
  4. Idea for an experiment! by qewl · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let's fill up the case with internal strobe lights and other various case mod lights and see if ants can have seizures!

    --

    (\_/)
    (O.o) This is Bunny. (> <)
    1. Re:Idea for an experiment! by Zork+the+Almighty · · Score: 4, Funny

      Why not get a hamster, on a wheel, powering the computer ? Oh wait, I use an AMD... and 400 hamsters dying of heat exposure would not be nice.

      --

      In Soviet America the banks rob you!
    2. Re:Idea for an experiment! by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Funny

      I suspect they'd just dig a disco hall and throw ragers all night long.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  5. snake pc mod by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
  6. Next time on Oprah. by Mondoz · · Score: 3, Funny

    Overclocked Watercooled Ants?

    Do they work faster with higher bus speeds?

    --
    /sig
  7. They showed a working one... by grishnav · · Score: 5, Informative

    I happened to catch the episode where they showed this thing... Yes it works, no the heat/vibrations didn't kill the ants. It was a pretty cool mod.

    1. Re:They showed a working one... by Afrosheen · · Score: 3, Funny

      The ants here in Texas don't mind the summer heat, so I doubt an AMD case would be much different.

      Actually it might be nicer since at least they get a breeze from the fans.

  8. idea by adamruck · · Score: 4, Interesting

    s/ants/fish/

    then you have a cool case

    --
    Selling software wont make you money, selling a service will.
    1. Re:idea by Monkelectric · · Score: 3, Informative

      Been done already my friend.

      --

      Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley

    2. Re:idea by TrumpetPower! · · Score: 4, Funny

      s/ants/fish/

      then you have a cool case

      No...then you have chowder.

      Cheers,

      b&

      --
      All but God can prove this sentence true.
  9. I preferred these by shut_up_man · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Stained glass case mod (by a hemophiliac too, that's just crazy)
    Fish tank case mod (with genuine Neon Tetras)

    1. Re:I preferred these by ncc74656 · · Score: 4, Informative
      There's no mention of a water filter on the page, and with a tank under 2 gallons, ammonia is going to build up from fish waste very quickly.

      In this picture, you can see that there's a small fishbowl-type filter in the tank. I'm not sure how effective they really are (I use an undergravel filter in a 10-gallon tank at work and a hang-on-the-back type of filter on a 55-gallon tank at home), but it appears there was at least some thought put into keeping it livable.

      That said, $720 to put what can't be more than a 2-gallon aquarium inside a computer is a bit ridiculous. You can set up a 10-gallon tank (much more room for the fishes) for somewhere around $50, and you'll get better visibility and no chance that a leak will toast your computer. (Besides, my dual-Athlon machines run too hot anyway...fish stew, anyone? :-) )

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
  10. Sim Ants by AmVidia+HQ · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... 2003

    Live action expansion pack (tm)

    --
    VIVA1023.com | Political Fashion.
  11. nah... by romco · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm waiting for the "sea monkey" case

    --
    AdFuel
  12. Ants? by Cyno01 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This may not be the best idea, i was watching something on the discovery channel the other day about fire ants. It was talking about all the damage they've caused across the south because they're atracted to electrical fields. They short out computers, traffic lights, appliances, and make hell for the linemen because they ussually nest under high voltage lines. They had a bunch on a live pc board, and they just swarmed over certain components, the ones i'm assuming that had strong em fields. This may be just fire ants though, i have no idea.

    --
    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    1. Re:Ants? by el-spectre · · Score: 3, Interesting

      My father is an electrical inspector... he says that lots of the controllers (for traffic lights) are infested with ants, you have to open the box and spray it with compressed air before you stick your hand in.

      Also fun are the black widows...

      --
      "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
    2. Re:Ants? by cybermace5 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Practical Use: Obtain several radio-controlled cars. Attach a crude spark-gap high voltage coil to each. Drive the cars around the countryside gathering a swarm of fire ants. Make a red skin-tight costume (don't forget the cape), practice your "evil laugh" and TAKE OVER!

      The ANTMASTER will make you cry "UNCLE!"

      And his PUNS are every bit as torturous as his fire-ant swarm!

      --
      ...
  13. Hex? by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This puts me in mind of the computer in Pterry Pratchett's books, Hex. It's effectively a colony of ants which move things about, thus performing operations, calculations, etc. often of a thaumatical nature. There's a sign mentioned in one of the books, "Ant Hill Inside"

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  14. Re:If this was *BSD the ants would do all the work by IICV · · Score: 3, Funny
    If it were Windows, all the ants would turn blue and stop working whenever they encountered something unexpected.

    If it were Unix, the ants would all ignore anything unexpected, even if that meant walking into it repeatedly.

  15. yes, ants deserve such torture by lingqi · · Score: 3, Informative

    especially if you have ever been anywhere near fire ants. (for the record, I used to be in Louisiana - and I concur every bit with the article.

    --

    My life in the land of the rising sun.

  16. Hammerhead Sharks & Electric Fields by handy_vandal · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Hammerhead sharks can detect subtle electric fields -- the "hammers" are actually sensor arrays, which the sharks use to find the bioelectric signature of prey animals buried in the mud. The sharks also follow geo-electric paths to feeding grounds.

    --
    -kgj
    1. Re:Hammerhead Sharks & Electric Fields by gosand · · Score: 3, Funny
      Hammerhead sharks can detect subtle electric fields -- the "hammers" are actually sensor arrays, which the sharks use to find the bioelectric signature of prey animals buried in the mud. The sharks also follow geo-electric paths to feeding grounds.

      So *that's* why there was a hammerhead shark in my PC case the other day. I wondered how he got in there.

      --

      My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

  17. Forget the heat/vibrations, what about the EM? by Build6 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Aren't ants sensitive to electromagnetism/radio-frequency waves? Won't having them so near an EM source as a PC's innards do strange things to their behaviour (I'm presuming it won't be "good"/healthy/conducive for the ants...).

    1. Re:Forget the heat/vibrations, what about the EM? by zutroy · · Score: 3, Funny

      When ants take over the earth, we'll all wish that we had listened to you.

  18. And to think by Perdition · · Score: 5, Funny

    people said that Linux wasn't ready for your ants and uncles...

    --
    Windows XP SP2 told me to install third-party software that prevents viruses and protects stability... I chose Ubuntu
  19. Re:If this was *BSD the ants would do all the work by scubacuda · · Score: 4, Funny
    And if they were SCO ants, they'd kill the Linux ants, only to be eventually eaten by the Windows ants.

  20. Mir space station.. by SystematicPsycho · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I used to have a pentium 133 that had a huntsman spider living inside. It didn't bother me so I didn't bother it, they're not dangerous.

    This computer was so bad that when I booted it I had to manually kickstart the fan to start spinning by tapping it a bit, kind of like how they used to spin those propellors on airplanes to start them up.

    Anyway, I thought "MIR" was tha appropriate name to give to this poor sod. It was decommisioned around a year ago.

    --
    Analytic & algebraic topology of locally Euclidean meterization of infinitely differentiable Riemmanian manifold
  21. Spiders and lizards and fuzzies, oh my! by ChaoticCoyote · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I've found all sorts of strange critters living in my systems. Back about ten years ago, I opened a 386 to find a Black Widow merrily tending her egg sacks in a web built around the power supply. I had a system offline for a couple of months; When I started it up last week, I heard something inside. Upon examination, I found an anole (small lizard) inside the case. Those dang things get in everywhere... they even move in with my Uromastyx sometimes. Must think he's their big brother or something. But I can't see building a specific house for ants in my computer. After all, I live in Florida, and wage war against fire ants almost daily...

  22. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  23. Ants are attracted to electricity by Stonent1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Ask any air conditioner repairman. The ants get stuck inside the relays and cause the relay to fail. Sometimes they eat the insulation of the wiring, cause it to short and trip the breaker. So don't be suprised if your power supply starts smoking one day.

  24. ASCII ants by Miguel+de+Icaza · · Score: 3, Funny

    The server is /.'ed, here is an ASCII-image of the ants:

    -

    -

    more picture here

    Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!

    Reason: Please use fewer 'junk' characters.

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  25. Re:Finally! by FireballFreddy · · Score: 4, Funny

    C'mon now, no more making fun of Windows for being buggy. That's like making fun of a retarded kid wearing a crash helmet. Sure, it's worth a laugh, but the laugh isn't socially acceptable. Keep it on the inside.

    --
    SQUEAK, the Death of Rats explained.
  26. You know you've been reading /. too long when... by ruiner13 · · Score: 3, Funny
    you say something like:

    "It'd be interesting to observe the effect that the temperature and vibration of an operating PC would have on the ants."

    'nuff said.

    --

    today is spelling optional day.

  27. Re:Fried ants.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I would guess the vibration would kill the ants -- years ago, I had an alligator lizard for a pet. It ate crickets. I would buy crickets by the box (of 100 or 200) and feed them to him periodically. I learned early (and more than once, unfortunately) that leaving a box or cup of crickets on a noisy PC case will kill them in a few hours. :-(

    -- TTK

  28. Re:More details? by petecarlson · · Score: 5, Funny

    "your local bookshop" had around 3,000 hits but it didn't help.

  29. honey? by bilbobuggins · · Score: 3, Funny

    'why are there bugs all over your computer?'
    'those aren't bugs, they're features'

  30. i don't think you need to worry about it by lingqi · · Score: 3, Funny

    humans will do themselves in, and we dolphins will rule the earth!

    well, 70% of it...

    erm, okay, 25% of that 70% that hasn't been (badly) poluted yet...

    actually, erm, 10% of that 25% of the 70% that hasn't had its ecosystem seriously impacted due to over-fishing...

    ahh fsck it. i'm moving to ganymede.

    --

    My life in the land of the rising sun.

  31. Biological display unit? by kinnell · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does that mean it would be possible to manipulate them using electric fields? You could put a backplate on the ant farm with a matrix of electrodes. The ants would be attracted to the ones which were switched on. You could control it from a parallel port to have an ascii display composed of swarming ants. Not only would this be a cool hack, it would completely creep out anyone who saw it in action. IANAB - does anyone know if this would work?

    --
    If I seem short sighted, it is because I stand on the shoulders of midgets
  32. Incompatibility by Throatwarbler+Mangro · · Score: 5, Funny
    What Kevin failed to mention in his notes is a major flaw in this system...

    It's incompatible with RAID arrays.

    Yes, I'm ashamed of myself for that one :)

  33. EM rather than heat by UnixRevolution · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think the electromagnetic field rather than the heat, noise, or vibration would be the worst for the ants. (yes, i know heat is a form of EM radiation, just bear with me :P) Ants are known to infest stuff like transformer boxes and stuff because they're lured by the EM field. I imagine the EM field generated by case fan motors/circuit boards/procs/drives/PS would have a similar effect, I.E. drive the ants insane. I remember Another Story where someone's iBook (like mine) got infested with ants. They must have been attracted by the EM.

    --
    You like your new Mac more than you like me, don't you, Dave? Dave? I asked...She said Yes.
  34. Re:and pcb's by Nogami_Saeko · · Score: 3, Funny

    All your....

    Nope. Not going there ;)

    N.

    --
    "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
  35. Keep that Anole! by interactive_civilian · · Score: 5, Informative
    I lived in FL for 5 years (4 years of university and then one year of work in Melbourne). All I can say is that the anoles (and any geckos that you may have around the house) are a blessing in the war on fire ants and other insect life.

    My room had a door to the outside, so I would leave it open to let the anoles in and probably had a good 4 or 5 living in my room at any given time. Since they were there, the ants were not (nor were the cockroaches/palmetto bugs). They took good care of me and they stayed away from the photography chemicals (my room doubled as a darkroom...guess they didn't like the smell...this was another reason why I would leave my door open).

    However, sometimes they did there job a little too well. Though I would rarely find any insect life in my room, there were the sad occasions when I would find a dead and mummified anole when cleaning. :-(

    Never found one in my computer case though. I wonder what attracted one to yours (heat? electric field? curiosity?)

    Anyway, in the war on bugs (hehe), natures defense turned out to be the best defense in my experience. Especially the geckos. If you have an insect problem and can effectively seal off your house/apartment/room, catch or buy a gecko and set it loose in there. Don't forget to catch it after a few days, because it will probably eat everything and you need to keep it from starving. Then you can either set it free, or keep it in an aquarium and feed it crickets and stuff until you need it to be out and around again.

    At least, these were my experiences. YMMV.

    --
    "Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
    1. Re:Keep that Anole! by spun · · Score: 3, Funny

      I lived in Waianae, on the leeward coast of Oahu. Our house was on a farmlot way back in Waianae valley. At any one time, we had several hundred geckos in and around the house.

      I liked 'em, but they creeped out Chisa, my roommate's daughter. She would get her revenge when they crawled on the outside of the window screens. She'd flick the screen with her finger, and the litl' guys would go sailing off into the night.

      The worst part about geckos is that the males love to fight each other. They also like to crawl on the ceiling. Did I mention I sleep with my mouth open?

      Nothing like waking up to find a pissed off, defeated male gecko in your mouth.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton