Question

Although not necessarily PC related, this could be fun indeed.

Before leaving my previous employer, I was tasked to dispose of 100 or so old(er) keyboards. Due to standardization, most of these keyboards were identical, but just being replaced by PC refreshes.

Before tossing them aside, the nerd in me couldn't just throw away all those keyboards without getting something. So, tediously, I took off all the keys from all the keyboards, and saved them in a plastic garbage bag. They've been sitting around my place for some time, being of no use.

So, I ask the fellow community, what ideas do you have for approximately 10,000 plucked keys?

Answer 1

Develop some jewels like this

or

Keyboard Thumbtacks

Answer 2

Real-life ASCII art?

Answer 3

Give them to Bacteria Research Institute.

Answer 4

Take the keys and construct a physical sculpture that uses the letters to form a cypher. Encrypt a message using a cypher that only uses letters. Construct the message and challenge everyone to crack the code.

Below is an example of something the CIA did.

Wikipedia Article about Kryptos Sculpture for anyone who cares.

Answer 5

make fridge magnets out of them

Answer 6

You could make handbags out of them:

Or a snake:

Or an art car:

Or just some other piece of art:

Or shoes:

Or...

Source for most of this.

Answer 7

Throw them away and try not to think about the amount of time you spent collecting 10,000 used keyboard keys?

If you don't want the whole thing to be a complete write off you could eBay them... Someone will buy them.

Answer 8

Glue them to a wall and watch people's reactions.

Answer 9

tile your shower with them

Answer 10

Label everything in your house with them.

Answer 11

attach magnets to the back & create sets for lil kids to play with on a fridge or something & use as a learning tool for spelling.

Answer 12

make nerdy name-necklaces for all your friends ;)

Answer 13

I have an old IBM keyboard, pretty much indestructible. I recently found an old typewritter, I'm going to make my own "steampunk keyboard", like http://steampunkworkshop.com/keyboard.shtml

Answer 14

Keep it close for the next "WTF" moment in which you will need to break something. Bashing a keyboard can be really calming for nerves...

Of course that requires to not have taken keys away from the keyboard, and requires the whole object.

Answer 15

keys Bag

Ring

Door Bell

Dice

Cuff Links

Hari pins

Key Chain

Ear Ring

Answer 16

Insert garbage bag into garbage can or recycle box.

Answer 17

label a boards worth 'Any' and stick them back on to a coworkers keyboard for fun and frolics

Answer 18

Make a wallet out of it.

Answer 19

If they are the old "clicky" IBM style keyboards, there is still a market for them.

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/

Answer 20

Work on your scrabble skills.

Answer 21

get a cast of your body and cover the statue with them. points for making runs of geek related words

Answer 22

1. Turn the keys into blanks by using sandpaper to remove the lettering.
2. Find an unsuspecting user (preferably of the hunt-and-peck typing skill range).
3. Replace all the keys on their keyboard with the blanks.

For bonus points, video tape and put on youtube.

Answer 23

Make ANY key...

Answer 24

Order the same models and replace all the keys so you have a keyboard with all "A", "B", "C" etc.

Answer 25

Simple but childish -

Rearrange letters, spell out words and give them to people!

I remember years ago when I was at school, one kid rearranged the keys on a teachers laptop when they were out the room! Never seen someone get so annoyed, it was brilliant! (and that was only with one set of letters!)

Answer 26

The keyboard bobby pins and shift keychain pictures above are from my website www.geekware.ca . I recycle old electronic waste into fun geeky gifts. Come take a look around!

Answer 27

• Hack the keyboard and solder some Joysticks and pushbuttons to it
• Install MAME
• Play Pac Man, Q-bert, Galaga or beat Billy Mitchel on Donkey Kong.