this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2025
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The Onion

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[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 113 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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

[–] fading_person@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago

People like to make fun of the ones with cable boxes, but they always come to them in times of need

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[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 72 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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

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

[–] Gnugit@aussie.zone 46 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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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[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 28 points 1 week ago (1 children)

looks at token ring hardware

You never know.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think I actually finally threw out the token ring hub.

But I kept all the BNC cables and terminators.

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[–] Noite_Etion@lemmy.world 39 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

[–] warbond@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

You can buy them? Is that where they come from??? I have so many from cable boxes and modems over the years

[–] nikatjef@mastodon.acm.org 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

@Noite_Etion
I just found myself needing one a couple days ago, but I had just given them to a nephew in preparation for a move overseas.
@ZeroCool

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[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 38 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] devedeset@lemmy.zip 22 points 1 week ago (3 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

[–] coronach@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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

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[–] Chivera@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago

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

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 21 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

To print data off my Zip drive.

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[–] Railcar8095@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago (3 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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[–] paequ2@lemmy.today 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

What if I need my firewire cable this year?!

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[–] expatriado@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

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

[–] 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

[–] WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Amateur. You're supposed to just throw them all in a giant tangled mess. I'm gonna laugh when you need one and you don't even have to spend an hour figuring out what's what.

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[–] silt_haddock@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (5 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.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

At this point you cannot even get rid of it because it's an heirloom

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[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 week ago

since 2002

Amateur.

[–] Jaysyn@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Just one box?

[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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...

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week 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.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (4 children)
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[–] CH3DD4R_G0BL1N@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 week 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!

[–] xep@discuss.online 10 points 1 week ago

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

[–] sirdorius@programming.dev 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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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[–] Madrigal@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 9 points 1 week ago

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

[–] zergtoshi@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week 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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[–] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 week 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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[–] pikachus_ghost_uncle@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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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[–] magikmw@piefed.social 8 points 1 week ago

I feel seen.

[–] ellen.kimble@piefed.social 7 points 1 week ago

Emotional support cables

[–] morriscox@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I swear that power cables breed.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Until you need a specific one.

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[–] Landless2029@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 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.

[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week 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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[–] Soapbox@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 week 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.

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

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week 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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[–] Chozo@fedia.io 6 points 1 week 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

[–] SalamenceFury@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

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

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