It's 4 p.m. on a Tuesday, and Juan Munoz is busy at work.
With the help of a toothbrush, he's gingerly cleaning out the nooks and crannies of an ancient motherboard. The amount of
dust falling to the floor of the computer lab at Oakland's Westlake Middle School makes him laugh.
``I want
to know how computers work,'' said Juan, an 11-year-old seventh-grader. ``And if I ever get a computer, I want to be able to
fix it myself.''
Twice a week, volunteers from the Access 2 Technology (A2T) Project spend time at the school near downtown Oakland. While
many school computer labs teach kids how to use the Internet or word-processing software, the focus of A2T is on the nuts
and bolts of hardware. Students grab screwdrivers, toothbrushes and small paintbrushes and get ``under the hood'' of the old
computers that they refurbish. The rebuilt computers are channeled back into service in school computer labs or non-profit
organizations such as the Oakland East Bay Symphony.
Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs would be thrilled at the program's devotion to his hardware. A2T
works solely with Apple computers. The non-profit organization first started 10 years ago as part of the Berkeley Macintosh
Users Group and became an independent project in 1997. The project, which struggles to get by from grant to grant without
any permanent funding base, was incorporated as a non-profit organization with 501(c)3 tax status just a year ago.
A2T managed to get a small booth at last month's Macworld Expo at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. A few students from
Westlake, nearly all of them boys, went to spread the word about the program, and in doing so got a chance to get a
firsthand look at ground zero for the vast Mac subculture. ``I was one of the kids who went to the Macworld convention,''
said James Schiffer, 14, who is still in awe of the experience. ``I was surprised at how many people have old computers
lying around. I mean, some people even have Mac Classics!''
Access 2 Technology fills an important niche in the overall Mac universe because it will accept donations of machines --
Macintosh IIci and newer -- that many schools and charities reject as too obsolete.
James, an eighth-grader, is well on his way to becoming a true Macolyte. He's learned so much that he acts as a peer tutor
to other students who have started coming to the after-school program, which A2T offers at Westlake Middle School in
six-week sessions.
James is asked about the difference between using a Mac and using Windows for school projects.
He winces.
Then he sighs.
``My mom insists on having Windows,'' said James, who has a computer at home. ``I had to sit her down and tell her what is
bad about Microsoft Word. For one thing, it takes up a lot of hard drive space.''
He says that he is saving up his money and one day hopes to own his own Macintosh G4.
``I just love Macintoshes,'' said James. ``I can't stand PCs. When I heard about this program, I couldn't wait. Taking apart
a Mac is an honor.''
Renae Briggs, a 38-year-old computer consultant who lives in Oakland, started A2T in her living room and remains the
organization's only real staff person. A small group of volunteers keeps the organization afloat.
``A lot of schools in the Bay Area have computers, but they don't have people at the school who can maintain the
computer labs,'' said Briggs. ``If students at the school learn how to troubleshoot, then you don't have to keep reinventing
the wheel.''
Briggs regularly struggles to find space for A2T, which is currently housed at Westlake. Shelves hold the carcasses of
donated computers and monitors, and A2T's students spend a lot of time weeding through the wreckage to determine what can be
salvaged. A2T hopes that someone will donate a permanent space for the organization to use.
``If you're in the computer industry, a 2-year-old computer is now a piece of garbage,'' said Peter Adler, a computer
consultant who volunteers his time at A2T. ``Many people just toss their old computers in the dump. But that computer is
still perfectly good. It could help a kid with their homework.''
Westlake students have refurbished a total of 38 computers, which were used to build a second computer lab at the
school. Westlake serves many students who do not have a computer of their own at home. The A2T program is catching on.
Students passing through the computer lab on their way to the basketball court often stop when they see their peers huddled
around a motherboard. And taking apart things and putting them back together is considered fun.
``My friend told me they were starting this computer thing after school and I came because I want to learn how the Internet
works,'' said Joshua Smith, 12. ``I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with the phone.''
Adler, the A2T volunteer, comes by to explain things to Joshua. Before long, the conversation turns to modem speeds and DSL
lines.
Joshua has a computer at home. But he says that he wants to understand more about how it actually works.
``My mom told me that it would be good to learn about computers,'' said Joshua, who is in the seventh grade. ``I want to be
a football player. But if that doesn't work, I'd like to work with the Internet. The Internet is like freedom. You can go
anywhere you want to go on it.''
