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HDD Assault Cannon

Anonymous Coward writes "Check out what these crazy fools have done. One has to ask, exactly how much time these people have on their hands? Got a couple of old 2GB Hard drives. You too could join in on their madness. Hard Drive Assault Cannons for all!"

53 of 440 comments (clear)

  1. broken already (it's lame) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny


    "Anonymous Coward", the submitter, says "Check out what these crazy fools have done. One has to ask, exactly how much time these people have on their hands?"

    Apparently you have enough time to speak in the third person about yourself. If you're going to astroturf your website at least make sure your machine and bandwidth can handle the load, idiot.

    To those that couldn't load it: all you missed was a very slow loading gallery with 50 pictures and Quicktime movies of someone taking apart a hard disk and attaching shit to it.

    Next story, please.

    1. Re:broken already (it's lame) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I've received email on how to increase my pipe.

    2. Re:broken already (it's lame) by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Interesting
      No amount of bandwidth can withstand the power of a swarm of geeks...

      At least not the outgoing bandwidth on a standard ASDL connection. Are they that crazy or was this just a publicity stunt from day one? How did it get by the editors? How many ACs will reply with "Your new here right?" now that I've made a comment about the editors not catching stuff like this?

      Again for laughs and giggles:

      (104):tim@pigeon:{11:45}:~# host hddcannon.kicks-ass.net
      hddcannon.kicks-ass.net has address 202.0.40.113
      (105):tim@pigeon:{11:45}:~# host 202.0.40.113 113.40.0.202.IN-ADDR.ARPA domain name pointer 202-0-40-113.adsl.paradise.net.nz
      (106):tim@pigeon:{11:45}:~#

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    3. Re:broken already (it's lame) by Hogwash+McFly · · Score: 4, Funny

      The logical thing to do with an egg is cook it and eat it, but throwing it at someone is much more fun :D

      --
      Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
    4. Re:broken already (it's lame) by sydb · · Score: 4, Funny

      Woe, not whoa.

      I don't mean to be a Nazi but the difference is so fundamental is must be elucidated.

      "Woe" means, in this context, distress or affliction, misfortune.

      "Whoa" (also spelled "wo", "woa" or even "who") means "slow down horsey".

      No links, 'cos my Oxford English Dictionary does not support HTTP.

      --
      Yours Sincerely, Michael.
    5. Re:broken already (it's lame) by The+Ultimate+Fartkno · · Score: 5, Funny


      Yeah! You *should* build a wall out of them! And in the middle of the wall you should put one 3-gig drive instead of a 2. Then put a brightly colored sticker on the drive. Then, when your friend points to that drive and asks if it's special, you can answer...

      "No, it's not special."

      "So what is it?" he'll say.

      "All in all, it's just another gig in the wall."

      The same joke will probably work with a pile of NIC cards, but either way you're probably going to get the shit beaten out of you.

    6. Re:broken already (it's lame) by Anonymous+Custard · · Score: 5, Funny

      Then, you could use that wall with the 3 gig as a bull's eye for target practice. When you hit it, you would send it to "the great gig in the sky".

    7. Re:broken already (it's lame) by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Insightful
      "Whoa" (also spelled "wo", "woa" or even "who") means "slow down horsey"


      Or, in Keanu-speak, it is merely a response to any event happening around onesself, expressing shock, dismay, humour, joy, or any of a bunch of things which can happen to a person.

      =)
      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    8. Re:broken already (it's lame) by bugnuts · · Score: 5, Funny

      The OED, good book

      The plot is pretty thin. I had already guessed the ending by Chapter Q.

    9. Re:broken already (it's lame) by Jackal82277 · · Score: 5, Funny

      8MB HDD - $27

      1ft long piece of PVC - $17

      A can of hair spray - $4.50

      2 idiots with a 2004 version of a potato gun - Priceless

      2 idiots getting there whole ISP DOS'ed by /. - utterly fucken priceless

  2. Sweet!! by hookedup · · Score: 4, Funny

    We have boxes of old drives that we need to get rid of here at work, but have to drill holes into them then have them melted down or buried in a landfill. This would be way more fun..

    *Emailing boss the link*

    1. Re:Sweet!! by Forge · · Score: 5, Funny

      You work for the Department Of Deffence or a related agency right?

      The DOD rules for HDD disposal.

      1. Triple Overwrite security erase.
      2. De-gauze with a powerful electro magnet.
      3. Crush drives with a cement roller.
      4. Melt fragments into slag.
      5. Bury Slag in a secure waist disposal site under a minimum of 6' of cement.

      --
      --= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?
    2. Re:Sweet!! by RetroGeek · · Score: 5, Funny

      6. Take backup tape home
      7. Profit!!

      --

      - - - - - - - - - - -
      I am a programmer. I am paid to produce syntax not grammar. Deal with it.
    3. Re:Sweet!! by pjwhite · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I'll take the platters. They make great wind chimes.

    4. Re:Sweet!! by Infinite93 · · Score: 5, Funny
      5. Bury Slag in a secure waist disposal site under a minimum of 6' of cement.

      Isn't burying it under a liposuction clinic a little extreme?

    5. Re:Sweet!! by Metallic+Matty · · Score: 4, Funny

      Or you could do what two of my good buddies did in high school a couple of years ago. They were in a robot competition (much akin to Battlebots, but smaller.) Somehow (I wasn't part of the building process, but I did see the final product,) they mounted a hard drive platter and used it as a type of spinning buzz-saw weapon. While I was not lucky enough to see it in action, I heard it was very successful in the early rounds but broke at some point.

      Incidentally, another funny idea we once had was, we were just sitting around playing with a 1.25 floppy drive, popping a disk in and out. Somehow this lead us to replace the ejection springs so that when you popped out a disk it would fly out at a pretty good clip. Disk wars became the game of the day.

    6. Re:Sweet!! by robslimo · · Score: 4, Informative

      They're kinda small on newer drives, but are quite strong, neodymium-iron-boron magnets.

      OK, you see head assembly? At the opposite end from the heads, past the pivot point, there will be a plastic molded part with a coil of copper wire. You may not see it well 'cause it'll be obscured by the magnet assembly (a flat metal bracket with mounting flanges on each end).

      Remove any fasteners on the magnet assembly; they're probably small Torx head screws. You'll also need to remove the head assembly by unscrewing it at the pivot point (or if you don't care about wrecking it more, just pry vigorously at the magnet assembly with a medium screwdriver).

      Now, the magnets are epoxied to the metal brackets. To remove them with the least likelihood of breaking them, grip a flange end of the bracket with ViseGrips (locking pliers) or similar. Holding the pliers, strike the other flange end against a hard (concrete preferably) surface, gently at first and increasing in force until the magnet(s) pop off. If your using just enough force, they'll pop off and then snap back to the bracket.

      Have fun!

      -RatOmeter

  3. Obvously the server got hit with one of these.. by SCSi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Slashdotted already.. Probably had one of those 2 gig drives in it, and filled it full of apache logs.

    1. Re:Obvously the server got hit with one of these.. by crass751 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Funny, I'm in a networking class, and the professor just got finished discussing the slashdot effect.

    2. Re:Obvously the server got hit with one of these.. by iphayd · · Score: 4, Funny

      You should have posted the website of his lecture notes. :)

  4. WHY BOTHER? by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    OK, you know that some guys private webspace on his dsl connected linux server is going to be slashdotted within seconds.

    So why not actually put SOMETHING in the submission that describes, in some way, WHAT THE SITE IS ABOUT?

    "Check out what this crazy guy did with his computer!!!11!!!!11ROFLOL!"

    It's an absolute waste of everyones time. Why even put shit like that on the front page?

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    1. Re:WHY BOTHER? by merlin_jim · · Score: 5, Insightful

      OK, you know that some guys private webspace on his dsl connected linux server is going to be slashdotted within seconds.

      So why not actually put SOMETHING in the submission that describes, in some way, WHAT THE SITE IS ABOUT?


      Ironically, "Anonymous Coward" who posted this story left as his e-mail address "hddassaultcannon@hotmail.com"... So even though the submission is in the third person, it was obviously written by the guy that did this.

      I mean come on, he had to have some kind of idea what would happen, right?

      --
      I am disrespectful to dirt! Can you see that I am serious?!
    2. Re:WHY BOTHER? by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So what did he do?

      Build a catapult or air cannon that fires hard drives?

      Modify a hard drive to fire some sort of projectile?

      Make a scale replica of a WWII era Howitzer using old hard drives?

      Who knows?

      It annoys me cuz this is the kind of geeky shit I actually like reading about and discussing. Who cares about the latest round of RIAA threats or MSFT hiring some goober? This could well be a neat lil project dude has going, but I'll never know.

      When people submit something like this, why can't they submit a descriptive little write up, and why can't slashdot hold a jpeg or two in the story text?

      And why can't editors just flat out refuse non-descript submissions like this, which consist of nothing more than a hyperlink to some guys little home server?

      I mean, it's not hard to scope out a webserver and come to the conclusion that it's hosted on junk that isn't up to the task.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    3. Re:WHY BOTHER? by RLW · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Can't one force a cache on google? Try searching for the exact URL in quotes on google. Then when it comes back with "If it's a valid URL then click here..." then click there. Then search for the term again in Google and the new URL will show up in the list. Then it will be chached over the next cycle. Then post to slash to the cached pages.

  5. Sigh by dolo666 · · Score: 5, Funny

    So now that our laptops are going to be classified as weapons, us Geeks are even closer to being chained to the desk, sadly enough. This is not funny, because I just chewed through my posie straps last week, and managed to roam the floor above me. Now that my laptop is a deadly weapon, I guess I should go re-tie those knots and just give up.

  6. Slashdotted - DYN-DNS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    kicks-ass.net is a free subdomain from dyndns.org - bet he's having some surfing issues right about now...

  7. slashdotted by t1nman33 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You may have a hard drive assault cannon, but your web server crumbles before the /. assault cannon!

    --
    --- Where's my car, and why are these grass stains on my pants?
  8. kicks-ass.net? by nukem1999 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Isn't that one of those free redirect services that people generally use to point to their cable/DSLed home machines? He's probably so slashdotted that he can't open slashdot to see that he's been slashdotted.

  9. Re:Slashdotted already? by potus98 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Mommy, why did the RJ-45 face plate burst out of the wall in a show of sparks?"

    --
    This one gang kept wanting me to join cause I'm pretty good with a bo staff.
  10. Re:Slashdotted already? by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Informative
    kicks-ass.net is a domain one of the free dynamic DNS places use. It's probably hosted on someones DSL... :P

    (104):tim@pigeon:{11:45}:~# host hddcannon.kicks-ass.net
    hddcannon.kicks-ass.net has address 202.0.40.113
    (105):tim@pigeon:{11:45}:~# host 202.0.40.113 113.40.0.202.IN-ADDR.ARPA domain name pointer 202-0-40-113.adsl.paradise.net.nz
    (106):tim@pigeon:{11:45}:~#

    Poor bastard. Wonder if New Zealand ISPs have hidden clauses in the AUP to axe your account if you use too much bandwidth?

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  11. Re:Slashdotted already? by brunson · · Score: 5, Funny


    What are all the other New Zealanders doing while he's using the internet connection?

    --
    09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
    Jesus loves you, I think you suck
  12. Re:Slashdotted already? by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Funny
    What are all the other New Zealanders doing while he's using the internet connection?

    Hahahaha, that's wrong. Wrong, yet still funny :) I hear New Zeland's internet access is much improved since they upgraded the backbone to the v.92 standard.

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  13. Alternate Site? by Like2Byte · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hrm, I went to http://hddcannon.ass-kicked.net/ and got the same result.

  14. Re:Yawn --slashdotted by Rew190 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, and of course the only thing more predictable about the cookie cutter jokes are the the cookie cutter posts forecasting the pending cookie cutter jokes.

  15. Re:Slashdotted already? by Hogwash+McFly · · Score: 4, Funny

    What are all the other New Zealanders doing while he's using the internet connection?

    Working on Peter Jackson's The Hobbit

    --
    Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
  16. sick by Tiro · · Score: 4, Funny
    I think this is kind of sick.

    After all I'm still using a laptop with a 1.2 GB disk. Precious disk space!

  17. HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Could slashdot just add a link next to articles called "mirror" and pre-cache these smaller sites *before* they get hammered? I'm constantly scrolling through comments to find mirrors to slashdotted sites. Seems like a no-brainer. You could even do a 15-sec stress test on the site to determine it's ability to be directly linked.

    Several times, i've seen sites that have had to shut down their site with a "please check back later" message. An inconvenience to us, but surely a REAL inconvenience to their normal viewers.

    Thoughts? Thank you.

    1. Re:HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Informative

      I think the Slashdot FAQ talks about this and why it's a bad idea (content out of date, copyright issues, etc etc). Most sites would probably have a Google cache.

      In this particular case it's the submitters fault for sending in a website hosted on a friggen DSL account -- and the editors fault for letting that submission get by them.

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    2. Re:HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM by 1u3hr · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Most sites would probably have a Google cache.

      Mostly useless in stories like this (picture galleries) as the Google cache only caches the text -- the images are still referenced from the original site. The Wayback Machine is always worth trying, they do cache images (though not all) but they spider much less frequently.

      and the editors fault for letting that submission get by them.

      You say that as if they actually had a policy not to link to such sites. They don't. They don't bother to run submissions through a spellcheck, let alone see if the links are stable, or even exist at all.

  18. Weep for all the lost magnets by G4from128k · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I prefer to disassemble old HDs. The voice coils and spindle motors tend to contain insanely strong rare earth magnets. And the platters make pleasant wind chimes (especialy if you have a mix of 3.5", 5", and 8" platters). I suppose one could also get a few bucks from the cast aluminum anclosures.

    --
    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
  19. Good idea! by Mr+Z · · Score: 4, Funny
    2. De-gauze with a powerful electro magnet.

    Yes, you always want to remove the gauze from your hard-drive before destroying it. Otherwise, it might catch on fire during the melting step (#4). I'm sure Karl Freidrich appreciates the hint.

    --Joe
  20. Slashdot Koan by Paulrothrock · · Score: 4, Funny

    If a site is Slashdotted before you have a chance to see it, does it even exist?

    --
    I'm in the hole of the broadband donut.
  21. Only the beginning! by StefanJ · · Score: 4, Funny
    In the near future we can look forward to:
    • 8MB USB memory stick squad support weapon
    • 300 baud modem area denial munition (land mine)
    • 12" CGA Monitor implosion bomb
    • Utility tool with sharpened 256kb SIMM blades
  22. Re:FARK IS NOT A WORD by Tackhead · · Score: 4, Funny
    > > Farked.
    >
    > Okay, this is a serious pet peeve. Fark is not a word, never was, never will be, STOP USING IT unless you want to be placed in the same category as lusers who make the Vulcan "V" sign.
    >
    >Farscape was a TV show, not "reality", and the only reason the word was "invented" was because Scifi didn't want the rating level increase that would come with characters actually properly swearing. If you're gonna swear, swear properly.

    Obvious: It's not news, IT'S FARKDOT!

    Amusing: Drew sues Farscape producers. Claims trademark infringement. Hilarity ensues.

    Unlikely: Geek submits Slashdot article about own website hosted on DSL and expects web server to remain unfarked long enough for someone to get a mirror.

    Photoshop: Theme - an HDD assault cannon, a web server, a guy who doesn't know what Fark means. Difficulty - no Baby Head on Darl McBride's body.

  23. Another HDD hack by jkazor · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I find HDD mechanical hacks to be intriguing. I have often thought it would be cool to make RC cars out of old Hard Drives and have races.

    Mechanically, the hack would be pretty straightforward: To to drive the wheels, attach a worm gear to the disk shaft. To operate the steering, utilize the arm that guides the disk head.

    I am not sure, however, how to interface with an RC transmitter. Any ideas?

  24. For those who wonder why no/. cache... by ferralis · · Score: 4, Informative
    I did too... so I hit the faq, and discovered that this has been discussed at least for the last 4 years...

    It's not out of small-mindedness or forgetfulness after all. Hrm... maybe we should cut the editors a small break once in a while? Nah, 'twould spoil the fun! :)

    O'course, why a google cache couldn't be erected is another story...

    --
    Any generalization is a stupid one.
  25. MIRROR* by bhtooefr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Imagine the bitching if it were a simple text-only "how-to" article.

    Hard Drive Assault Cannon HOWTO

    1 Introduction

    This HOWTO aims to show how to manufacture a hard drive assault cannon.

    2 Materials

    You will need:

    * One (1) or more hard drives, preferrably 3.5", and of unusably small capacity
    * One (1) 4.50" ID PVC pipe, length must be at least one foot
    * One (1) explosive device, any form
    * Materials for explosive device to PVC pipe interface

    3 Assembly

    Somehow attach the PVC pipe to the explosive device in such a manner that most of the force enters the PVC pipe. Insert the hard drive into the PVC pipe.

    4 Usage

    Detonate the explosive device. The hard drive should exit the pipe, and move through the air. To use again, the cannon must be reassembled (as per step 3).

    *Note: This isn't a real mirror, do not assume this is actually the mirror.

  26. I call grammar-Goodwin! by Thud457 · · Score: 4, Funny
    Whoa , that grammar-NAZI is sure giving you woe for your poor use of grammar!!!

    heed the .sig...

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  27. Re:Slashdotted? How about Cachedotted? by IceAgeComing · · Score: 4, Informative


    The Slashdot FAQ is an interesting read.

    I recommend it to all those reading this post, especially those who moderated this post as Insightful.

  28. Re:FARK IS NOT A WORD by monkeyfinger · · Score: 4, Funny

    Okay, this is a serious pet peeve. Fark is not a word, never was, never will be, STOP USING IT unless you want to be placed in the same category as lusers who make the Vulcan "V" sign.

    Luser is not a word, never was, never will be, STOP USING IT unless.....etc...etc..

  29. We already have an HDD assault cannon... by Feanturi · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's called Slashdot, and it worked again. ;)

  30. Disposal is much more fun in an emergency by John+Jorsett · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I worked at a DoD site once. If we were in danger of being overrun by the enemy (since it was in Hawaii, I guess that'd be either the North Koreans, China, or the Japanese out for a little payback), we were supposed to haul the crypto gear and all storage media out to the parking lot, smack the hell out of it with sledges, pile thermite on top and melt it into slag. I was sorely disappointed that I never got the opportunity.

  31. Waste of perfectly useful hd's. by DoraLives · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I cobble computers together from giveaway parts and 2gig hd's are PERFECT for putting into FREE machines to give to folks as their first computer (yep, there's still great shoals of people out there who have yet to take the FIRST step).

    Sigh...

    --
    Is it fascism yet?