Project Iceberg (v1)
My first computer was a Sinclair ZX81. It was small, it was humble, it was black. Since those halcyon days I have had the pleasure (and sometimes misfortune) of working with many varieties of machine, from home computers to industrial mainframes.
Now for some strange reason, that has never been explained to my satisfaction, the majority of those computers were housed in beige cases. We've all seen them, they're bland, clichéd and very, very uncool. There were a few notable exceptions, the Apples, Suns and SGIs of this world, but these supermodel computers came with supermodel prices and were out of reach of mere mortals like myself.
Then one day, out of the blue, I discovered a website that opened my eyes... the Cool Case Gallery was like a revelation. I felt like a man who had for years believed himself to be blind, only to discover that his hat was too big. I browsed the entire gallery over the course of an afternoon, then scoured the web for others of a similar ilk. I wasn't disappointed - I had discovered the subculture of "case modding", and I was hooked... more than anything, I wanted a custom rig of my own.
Taking delivery of a new computer (a top-of-the-line processing powerhouse) prompted me into action. Of course, it came in a beige box... and not just any box, this computer seemed to be housed in the most boring, ugly case ever to blight the face of this planet. It just had to go.
The Definitive "Boring Beige Box" |
I was a man with a mission. Like a military commander I made my plans and considered my tactics.
I decided that my custom PC would be housed in a sexy, brushed aluminium case, about as far removed from the boring beige box as possible. I also decided that, being incredibly lazy, I wasn't going to undertake any mods that resembled hard work. I was going to build this computer with off-the-shelf components yet, hopefully, end up with a machine that would hold its own against the other modded boxes out there.
I christened my new project... Iceberg.