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[–] 109 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Yes, yes. Make the jokes... Forget all those times the box of cables saved the day.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Amateur, lol, that box will be lost in MY box of cables dating back to Y2K.

    Quick note, the one time I did clean out my box after not touching it for years I needed to go buy a special cable that I had just disposed of.

    BTW: anyone need a 486 laptop running win2k, little quirk, the screen won't stand up on its own anymore

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    I constantly use cables from my box of cables. But, not all of them. The trick is knowing which cables are safe to throw away.

    I thought I had a trick. I thought I was clever. I decided I'd only keep one of each. One DVI. One VGA. One USB type B mini. A bunch of USB Micro B because those are not quite obsolete yet. But then one time I needed a bunch of USB type B minis. I think it was bike lights. For some reason they all used that obsolete type B mini connectors. So, it was either go out and buy a new bike light or buy a new but obsolete cable. Ugh.

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  • [–] 71 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    Rookie. My box has been growing since the '90s

    Never know when you're going to need an RJ11 POTS connector!

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  • [–] 46 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

    I just picked up someone else's box from the roadside trash to add to my collection.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)

    Great idea. Now you have to sneak it into the house without the wife knowing

    "Whatcha got there?"

    "Nothing, just some cables."

    "More cables? Don't we have enough? Where did those come from?"

    "Nowhere, just found'em"

    "Found'em where?"

    "Just around"

    "Around where?"

    "By...some trash."

    "Are you trash picking tech again? I told you, we have enough junk, we don't need to collect other people's junk, too!"

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  • [–] 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    looks at token ring hardware

    You never know.

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  • [–] 39 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    What if i need that coax cable 10 years from now, what am I going to do, buy another one?

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  • [–] 38 points 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] 21 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    My wife jokes about this a lot but there's been at least 5 times over the past few years where I just happened to have the exact cable required in the box.

    I do go through it every so often. I'm not hoarding VGA and DVI cables

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Just keeping the one VGA cable which does get some use!

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    The dinky ones that come with monitors or industrial ones the size of a 30 foot garden hose?

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  • [–] 21 points 1 year ago

    I threw away an RCA cable a while ago. Yesterday I needed it and had to buy a new one 😞. Never again.

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  • [–] 21 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Listen, some day I will need to hook up a dot matrix printer.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Laugh all you want, but the week after I recycled the mini USB cable I had never used we were gifted a baby monitor that, of fucking course, needed a mini USB.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago* (6 children)

    i keep them in labeled containers: data cables, audio cables, power cables and extension cords

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I still keep them all in one giant box, but they're all sorted and velcroed together

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    I'm organized like that too, but I've simplified it: They are all in the same box, labelled Cables, or it will be when I make a label, which I probably won't.

    Maybe I'll write on it with a Sharpie, if I can find my Sharpie.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

    What if I need my firewire cable this year?!

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I still use firewire. When I eventually can afford to upgrade from my ff800 to a better rme, I will not be getting rid of any of it.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    I got a free PC off Craigslist because the motherboard has Firewire built in, and when I dragged that heavy dusty PC into my closet, a box fell to the ground, it was a PCI Firewire card I bought for my Value Village PC... I already had solved the problem earlier and forgot about it...

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago

    Just one box?

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    Just like the box of screws my great grand father passed down to my grand father, then to my father and finally to me. This multigenerational collection of screws from goodness knows where will keep growing until I bestow it on the heir to my estate.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I got a cookie tin of washers, handed down from my father-in-law. I have dug into it often. I've added a lot to it, too.

    I've showed it to my son, and told him that this is his family legacy. He's not impressed. I don't think he's taking this seriously..

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    One day he will require the cookie tin, and then he will understand.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    Exactly, that's how it happens. He will realize that only the perfect washer will save him, and will remember the tin.

    He will open it, and start trying different ones until one fits perfectly, but it's a little oxidized. He digs a bit more, and finds a pretty shiny one! PERFECT!

    This is a revelation! Suddenly, he totally understands what his old man was always talking about. The generational wisdom of the family has been successfully passed to the next generation. He looks to the heavens and says "I get it Dad."

    And from the next room, I call out "Hey, what's going on? Need a washer for anything?"

    And he says, "No, Dad, I got it."

    Kid successfully raised.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago

    since 2002

    Amateur.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago (4 children)
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Right? I still have a charger cable for a 1987 Black and Decker Dust Buster. The dust buster has been missing for two decades.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    We are all Man on this blessed day.

    I'll keep my growing box of crap I'll never use forever and ever... ya never know, I might need that old DB9 cable for something...

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago

    Literally needed a DB9 cable the other month, I had actually moved it from my standard cable bins to the vintage cable box that I was going to drop off at the e-waste facility. This was the second cable I've had to rescue from that box. I am now just keeping that box.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago

    Do not lose hope brethren, and stay the course! I had critical need of a random audio cable I’d had for over 10 years just a few months ago. It is worth it! Your times will come! Keep the faith!

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I just threw out my mum's CRT TV last week (unfortunately was beyond repair, RIP). I decided to keep the SCART cable just in case I might need it some day...

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago

    I think it's fair that this is posted annually, but I don't like that it is.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago

    2002? Pfft, amateur (and I moved mine across an ocean!)

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I used to have a collection of cardboard boxes for this stuff, but I organized everything into ziplock bags and then a set of transparent storage drawers, way nicer setup, can actually find things if I need them again.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Hey he’s me! Ten of the same power bricks. A bundle of Ethernet cable that I keep for just in case. 5 power cables. Six hdmi cables. A box of computer case fans even though I’ll never need them. Like 50 micro usb cables.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago

    I feel seen.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Only cables?
    Don't you have Sound Blaster for ISA bus in that box, for when... you know... just in case?
    Or a Pioneer U03-S SCSI DVD-ROM drive for when you need something that plays all region codes?
    Or a Pentium 60 for when you want to see that bug again?
    Some things are just gone when they're gone. And no, the PS/2-USB adapter isn't up for grabs!

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

    I've got a shitty 3ft cube Ottoman in my living room full of cables I'll never need again...

    I'm talking about VGA, DVI, DVI/HDMI, VGA/DVI, coax, Component, composite, mini USB, micro USB, USB extention, 3.5m audio, 3.5 audio extention, digital optical, mini HDMI, HDMI and Ethernet.

    Last week my wife was redoing her desk and asked for a long micro USB for her calculator and extension cables for USB speakers.

    That box became a chest from a Zelda game when I dug in and pulled out the exact three cables she needed. 10ft micro USB, 6ft USB extension and 6ft 3.5 audio extension.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I have the chest open sound AND hyrule morning theme cued up to play on my smart speakers to annoy my family and kiddo, you should too

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago

    Emotional support cables

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  • No joke. I did keep the cables and some became useful again!

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago

    A few years ago, I organized mine into bins by rough category. (AV, USB, Dongles, AC power, DC adapters) I pull and use something probably at least once a month.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    I'm in this article and feel personally attacked!

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    Over my cold dead body

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    I felt so called out by this that I just threw away a box of cables. Thank you for giving me the push I needed to wait hold on I think I still need those USB-A cables for that old printer I've got in storage so I should dig those out of the trash real quick

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    By reading this comment you are now cursed:

    One week after you choose to dispose of any of those cables, you will need one of them.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    2002? Those are rookie numbers.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    How is this satire?

    I still have my old AT power supply and IDE cables and one day again, it'll be my time to shine!

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

    I had to go digging for a micro usb cable yesterday to charge a flashlight and a micro-b for a scanner

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    I have a Garmin action camera that's under 10 years old that charges with USB mini-B.

    Not Micro. Mini.

    Though, to be fair, unlike micro, mini didn't lose connection when a snail 3 counties away farted.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I swear that power cables breed.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Until you need a specific one.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    I feel personally attacked.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    I'm in this post and I don't like it.

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