Hacker blows minds with new creation made using discarded vape: 'It's surprisingly snappy'

For most of us, disposable vapes are just trash. But a developer named BogdanTheGeek saw something different. They saw a web server. 

In a fascinating project picked up by PC Gamer, BogdanTheGeek cracked open a vape and repurposed its tiny internal microcontroller to host an entire website. 

Referring to the website's function, the publication noted, "It's surprisingly snappy."

While the project is a cool tech experiment, it also shines a bright light on a much bigger problem. The explosion in disposable vape popularity has created a dual crisis for public health and the environment.

Beyond the significant health risks associated with vaping, especially among young people, the devices themselves have become a plague of plastic pollution. 

As one frustrated trash picker documented, these single-use plastic casings are increasingly found littering neighborhoods, parks, and waterways.

The environmental threat goes deeper than just the plastic you can see. Hidden inside each vape is a cocktail of toxic e-waste and a valuable lithium-ion battery. 

Because these devices aren't designed to be disassembled, they are incredibly difficult to recycle. As a result, millions of these batteries end up in landfills where they can leak harmful chemicals into soil and water. 

They also pose a serious fire hazard in sanitation trucks and waste facilities, all while wasting a critical, finite resource that is often discarded with much of its power still unused.

The good news is that resourceful people are finding incredible ways to push back against this tide of waste. 

Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics? Giving me money back 💰 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕 Making it as easy as possible ⚡ Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

A report from XDA-Developers highlighted a growing DIY movement giving these batteries a second life. Innovators are turning discarded vapes into everything from powerful e-bikes to fully rechargeable power banks made from parts found on the street. 

In an even more critical application, volunteers are collecting used vapes to transform them into essential power sources for drones in Ukraine.

These projects are a powerful reminder that incredible potential can be found in the most unlikely places. They prove that what one person sees as trash, another can see as a resource waiting for a new purpose.

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