Re: degausser

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
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