degausser

[Matt Graham]

After a long battle with technology, Trent Shipley wrote:
> My Mom wants to decommission all her old floppies.
> Is the tool you would use to do that called a "degausser"?  Fry's said
> they didn't have a thingy to scramble the magnetic domains on floppies
> or tapes.

That'd work, probably, but what might be easier/cheaper is a big NdFeB magnet 
("rare earth magnet") run at close range over the floppies in a couple of 
directions.  I think they sell these at various stores in the Phoenix area, 
or you can get them at http://www.amazingmagnets.com/ --the pens they sell 
with magnets attached are quite convenient, though those wouldn't be great 
for erasing floppies.

If you *really* want to get serious about this, powdered aluminum, iron(III) 
oxide, some KMnO4, and a magnesium fuse.  Pile on top of floppies.  Ignite.  
Completely scrambled ferromagnetic domains, and a show to boot!  (Don't do 
this unless you know what you're doing, eh?)

-- 
   Seemingly ordinary humans transform into rage-fueled sarcasm
   dispensers.  I love it!  --Patrick Shaughnessy
  My blog: http://crow202.org/wordpress/
Matt G|There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see