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Major Linux Hardware Donor Is a CNN "Hero"

Posted by kdawson on from the making-a-difference dept.

christian.einfeldt writes "James Burgett of the Alameda County Computer Resource Center calls himself a 'tattooed freak' and a recovering drug addict, but CNN is calling him a hero (video) for diverting tons of computers from landfills, installing Ubuntu Linux on them, and giving them out to schools, non-profits, and poor people. Burgett's filmed interview is currently leading a CNN contest among videos of 'ordinary people' whom CNN considers everyday heroes, narrowly edging out the video of a man who is saving gorillas from extinction. In his interview, Burgett points out that the people working for him are also recovering drug addicts or recovering mental illness patients." Update: 10/02 23:46 GMT by KD : Reader stefanlasiewski posted a journal article describing how, bewilderingly, the state of California is threatening to shut down Burgett's ACCRC.

5 of 341 comments (clear)

  1. He says vote for someone else ;) by stefanlasiewski · · Score: 5, Informative

    Interestingly, James is asking voters to vote for the other folks:

    "Vote for the gorillas. 25 grand and fame that id probably just piss away anyway is not worth a specie.".

    Nice honest opinion from the Hero.

    --
    "Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
  2. Similar... by Phroggy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Anyone in Portland should check out FreeGeek and consider volunteering.

    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  3. Re:Life imitates art. Unbelievable. by E-Lad · · Score: 5, Informative

    Can you imagine fifty people a day, I said fifty people a day, diggin' through their closets and attics, findin' somethin' that still works, and givin' it to someone who ain't got one? And friends, they may think it's a movement... It already exists. It's called Freecycle.
  4. Re:Terminology by gandhi_2 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Some versions of the old winmodem leveraged windows code to do work that should been done by chips on regular modems. They only worked under windows and were supposed to be cheaper. And they were the suck.

    --
    THL phish sticks
  5. You are plain wrong. by tux_deamon · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wrong. All electronics recycling is FREE at the ACCRC. That means, if you bring your old computer and monitor to this facility, and you are a resident of California, you pay nothing.

    Furthermore, the refurbished computers that are granted by ACCRC to nonprofits and needy individuals are granted free of cost. Zero. No dollars.

    If the recipient is not happy with the free computer they received, they can return it for no charge. Again, it's free at the ACCRC.

    There's no mandatory recycling fee either for disposing or receiving a recycled computer. There is a recycling fee assessed to the purchase of new monitors by a reseller. You basically pay your recycling fee when you buy your monitor. This is similar to car batteries. That said, if you don't buy a new monitor, and instead say receive a free monitor from an organization like ACCRC, you pay nothing.