Computers made with bamboo

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Computers made with bamboo

-60 points posted to Environment by lrousseau 03/19/07 **IMPLEMENTED**

Could investigate use of alternate/natural materials to build computers. The engine should be regular materials of course, but the casing housing it could be bamboo - very resistant and light material, as well as communicating a totally "eco-friendly" message to consumers. No one else is doing it.

Please see Vida_K's comment below

reg 03/20/07	Fantastic Idea! Super! Laminated Bamboo is as hard or harder than hard woods, stronger than plastic. Bamboo grows back in 3 ~ 5 years, not like hardwood trees at 100 years or better. Lightweight and pleasing to the eye. Uses less foreign oil to make plastics. GREENEST LAPTOP IN THE WORLD, ONLY AT DELL. Bamboo has that warm, solid feel to the touch, not like cold cheap plastic. I would buy a Bamboo Dell Laptop (17" and No OS - Linux Certified Hardware). Use Intel's newest Ultra Low Volt CPUs to save on energy and reduce heat. Ah, you just need that Built in FSS Safety Device.
aetherscape 03/21/07	Are wooden computers cases more susceptible to, you know, fire? I dunno about you, but with exploding batteries and overheated computers and the like, the last thing I need to worry about is the computer case adding more fuel to the fire, so to speak...
reg 03/21/07	Well, burning bamboo would give off less toxic fumes than burning plastic, I think... The bamboo could be treated with flame retardants (soaked in some chemicals), dried, and laminated together with non-flammable laminating chemicals. In the end, using less plastic, and safer batteries are both a good idea.
howardnyc 03/22/07	bamboo is renewable... plastics are not... actually, you should look into vendors who are using bamboo as a raw source material, which is ground up and reformed into something more professional... not to mention, avoiding splinters, ya know?
phubert 03/22/07	So, exactly how ARE plastics being recycled? Yes, you DID say 'renewable' ... true.
jordann 03/24/07	Wouldn't the bamboo act as an insulator, and make it harder to cool the computer?
andy_zhang 04/04/07	How can you make the bamboo to grow into the same shape and suit for factory manufacture?
reg 04/04/07	Bamboo Flooring and Furnishing - stronger than hardwood and lasts long too, it is cut and pressed and shaped and laminated into boards. Bamboo is a wonderfully workable material, and grows very quickly too. Bamboo powder could also be mixed with plastic adhesives to form a lightweight, strong casing. Not as 'pure' as a solid bamboo case - but EXTREMELY workable - because you can inject mold it, shape it, and form it like a regular heavy plastic.
andy_zhang 04/04/07	That's amazing.
reg 04/06/07	http://www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Decks-Patios-Fences/recycled-com... If you can build a patio deck out of recycled wood fibers + plastic, you sure can build a notebook PC out of bamboo fibers + plastic too!
tricky 04/06/07	Panda's eat bamboo. You want to take food from the mouth of a panda?
reg 04/07/07	"Recycled wood/plastic composite lumber typically consists of a 50/50 mix of wood fibers from recovered saw dust and waste plastics that include high-density polyethylene, PVC, and others." - Last time I checked, Pandas don't eat recycled 2-liter Coke bottles, but I haven't been to the zoo lately, maybe they snack on old credit cards and styrofoam cups?
reg 04/07/07	http://imperialbamboo.com/ - They can make bamboo hardwood floors to walk on, making a nice strong laptop case can be done too. Bamboo Regeneration Time: 3~5 Years Hard Wood Regeneration Time: 80~200 Years Oil Regeneration Time: Millions and Millions of Years. Bamboo is the most renewable resource on the list. A Bamboo laptop would look great, and a bamboo powder/recycled plastic laptop would score big points for the 'Green' crowd.
tricky 04/07/07	If all computers were made from Bamboo and all cars ran on corn oil, the world would become covered in massive mono-crops. Right now forests are being torn down, orchids burned to make way for sugar cane and corn crops to run the new generation of cars. Bamboo may be renewable but the forests are not if they have to make way for massive bamboo crops. Crop based fuels will do far more damage to the environment than oil. Bamboo consumer goods based on single crops will contribute to this damage. Better to use recycled plastics. Otherwise all the Pandas and the monkeys and kangaroos and birds will be dead, and the entire wold will look like this: And this:
rayrob 04/20/07	ASUS are doing this: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/asus_bamboo_eco.php
reg 04/20/07	YAY FOR ASUS! Wood Notebooks - Beautiful wood grain, matches your end tables too! Total Modular Design - they show a cardboard notebook! (I guess you could make a notebook case out of a nice hard Swiss Cheese too...) It is nice to see at least 4 Idea storm ideas completely cherry picked out of Dell's hands by their competitors. (Linux offerings, Modular Notebooks, Wooden Notebooks, PCs with no SpamWarez (apple advertisement))...
tricky 05/06/07	You will kill us all!
reg 05/06/07	Hmm, at least 7 ideas on idea storm popped up on other PC makers: Linux offerings, modular notebooks, wooden notebooks, PCs with no SpamWarez, Apple Advertisements, Full PCs with No OS, Full PCs with No Hard drive. and those are the ones I found... I am sure more competitors are lurking for useable ideas, Steve Jobs giant GREEN APPLE announcement is the latest 'Pro-Environment' message, curiously popping up shortly after the debate of greener Dells raged on the Idea Storm site... The one thing that can Destroy Dell Computer Company: Standing Still.
bbr 07/11/07	Tha tlooks nice Reg. keep them away from water though. Sweat from continuous touching will also be a risk to the quality of the wood, (unless it gets a plastic layer)
petzymathuram 07/11/07	I think reg has already extended this idea ????;) "Duplicate Idea"
petzymathuram 07/11/07	Finally nice to C dell_admin1, reg around....but what happened to badblood?. For me I have connectivity issues, the entire area is down, perhaps throught the world.....;)
reg 07/11/07	Still an great idea after all this time...
petzymathuram 07/12/07	Hi reg, I really appreciate your generosity ;)
badblood 07/12/07	Tricky is right! Your project will destroy the world!
petzymathuram 07/13/07	Hi badblood, I am very happy to C u back. Anyways nowadays I am not able to access Ideastorm because the BSNL broadband is off and the corresponding phone is dead suddenly. Waiting to get it on ......... Really happy to see u back......;). Take care ...;)
badblood 07/13/07	thanks petzy, good to see you too despite the challenges of technology!
petzymathuram 07/13/07	Hi Badblood, Yeah challenges of technology ;). I am happy seeing you in this site once again......;). Take care...;)
petzymathuram 07/14/07	I have heard about bladen boxes....sumthing like that will work? they are ecofriendly corrugated cardboards... Perhaps to some extent can get back the cardboard boxes immediately after delivery of the systems, so that these boxes can be reused.....
phubert 07/16/07	STEEL is eco-friendly (wonderfully recyclable!), as is ALUMINUM... and both dissipate heat FAR better than anything wood-based.
reg 07/16/07	Ultra Low Voltage CPUs and circuit boards do not generate nearly as much waste heat - so you save power, have longer battery run times, and don't burn your legs trying to use your laptop in a car pool or flight...
phubert 07/17/07	ULV cpu's also have lower clock-cycles... right? Ultra fast <> ultra low voltage??? I wonder how the CELL chip performs...
phubert 07/17/07	I don't know that this is a great idea, but the samples shown above LOOK VERY nice.
petzymathuram 07/17/07	hmmm interesting, surprize- reg has promoted this idea ...... Once bamboo computers are built and piled up for sale, take care that elephant herds dont play with them for a havoc......;) Perhaps to start with ....can the bottom of the laptop alone be replaced with a bamboo for better cooling effects? Is this possible?
phubert 07/17/07	better cooling? better INSULATION, I would think! ...so, do you mean the user's LAP would be more cool because the bamboo wouldn't transmit the heat??
phubert 07/17/07	Those bamboo laptops look like something out of the Levenger catalog (think yuppies or baby boomers (tho not THIS one, THIS one is broke!!)
reg 07/17/07	Well, It sure impresses me - when you see everybody at a meeting opening up little plastic laptops, there is always one or two executives who get positive attention by having impressive Executive laptops - fancy pants! A 'Walnut' colored bamboo laptop would match many a corner office desk... Bamboo, like many wood products, can be stained various colors to match Walnut, Cherry, Oak, etc.
petzymathuram 07/18/07	Hi reg, I think you have a good taste for the woods...hmmm not bad...;) U know sumthing, when you go for a ride in the deep woods of Africa, U can find tribes carving wood crafts....;) Try for a pleasant drive...;)
vida_k Aug 6	Changed status to IMPLEMENTED.
vida_k Aug 6	Check out the bamboo sleeve option on the new Studio Hybrid - www.dell.com/hybrid

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