# What to do with CD-Rom drives? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 27, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811 "2004-11-27T01:04:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/1 "2004-11-27T01:04:27Z")
I’m slowly acquiring a small collection of such drives, which are pretty much obsolete, given the low cost of CD writers. It’s not even worth putting them on eBay. So I’d appreciate some inventive suggestions 😉 … ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/2 "2004-11-27T01:09:29Z")
Have an extra bay in your computer? Cup holder! ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/3 "2004-11-27T01:34:20Z")
You could use them as really bulky CD cases. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/4 "2004-11-27T02:10:58Z")
You could build high tech futuristic looking cuckoo clocks and mount the little bird-borg there. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/5 "2004-11-27T02:15:18Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > You could build high tech futuristic looking cuckoo clocks and mount the little bird-borg there. I like this idea…I could power it by my very own Linux flavour, Cuckix 😃 … …but keep 'em coming…the winner gets a pint, should they ever meet me in a pub 😉 … ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/6 "2004-11-27T03:01:03Z")
PULL! _have an assistant launch the drive into the air_ _fire shotgun_ ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/7 "2004-11-27T04:24:49Z")
You could attach several of them together and turn them so the drawers open upwards. Then attach the power leads but also rig each one up to your computer or stereo so that when you play music, each one opens and closes real fast in time with the music like those bars that move on an equalizer except a lot more real and in your face. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/8 "2004-11-28T07:54:55Z")
Further random thought about the borg-bird: In keeping with computer styling of the clock, the greatest number of times borg-bird should emerge to announce the time is four. Example- Bird comes out-_Awk!_-back inside Bird comes out-_Awk!_-back inside Bird comes out-silent-back inside Bird comes out-silent-back inside Borg-bird has just announced 12 o’clock digitally as binary 1100. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/9 "2004-11-29T02:26:51Z")
Attach them underneath the table and have drink-coaster free livin’ at the touch of a button! ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/10 "2004-11-29T02:45:57Z")
Modify the case so that it has some sort of cookie loading magazine on top, and use it like a pez dispenser. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/11 "2004-11-29T03:35:05Z")
Mount them in junker PCs and share them on a network for frequently used CDs. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-cd-rom-drives/276811/12 "2004-11-29T04:33:40Z")
Fun fact: If you put a CD-R in a drive that runs at a higher speed than the CD-R is rated for, you risk catastrophic loss of the CD? I’ve heard it can be rather spectacular, with the CD coming apart with a loud bang and fragmenting into hundreds of pieces. Making a CD-ROM drive spin fast enough to do this regularly is left as an exercise for the reader.