Yes.
My brother Carlos is quoted in today’s New York Times in an article about making quiet computers:
Some customers are paying attention. When Carlos Rodriguez, a
community manager for a Web start-up, built out the PC for his home
theater, he turned to a Zalman CNPS9500, a $49 cooler for the C.P.U.
that comes with hundreds of thin copper fins and weighs almost a
quarter of a pound.“It’s got huge heat-sink fins,” Mr.
Rodriguez said. “It’s got a 92-millimeter fan. I just can’t hear it at
all. It’s big, but it’s also kind of beautiful.”
Right on, bro!
Having designed the thermal system for the original Intel Xeon processor, I’m really in to cooling fins. They are beautiful.
Ah, yes… The Zalman fans that look absolutely beautiful in copper. Check out the macro shots I caught when upgrading my old trusty G4 Mac…
Yes, they are beautiful. Another object, similar to this one, which I too like is the air filter of any car, at least when they are brand-new.
Some companies have noticed the aesthetic potential of this forms, like the most memorable Pass Aleph amplifiers of the 1990’s.
If you never saw it, here’s a pic of it.
http://202.186.86.35/audio/articles/1997/9/aleph5.jpg
Mmmmmm… a cube.. kinda like the NeXT cube. I like it.