Crow from Blackbird Cigar Co. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/kvm-box.jpg?resize=640%2C743&ssl=1\")
The KVM switch inside the Blackbird cigar box. On the left is a small hub with an audio jack in it. I can switch speakers from computer to computer with this addition.<\/p><\/div>\n
I plucked the cigar box from a bin at a South Philly smoke shop. It was red and it caught my eye. I didn’t realize until I got home that it was from the Blackbird Cigar Company<\/em>. It was kismet.<\/p>\nMy son will be the primary user of this stack, so it replaces the big 2009 Mac Pro that\u2019s now safely stored away like a mothballed battleship \u2014 ready if ever needed. He\u2019ll do just fine whether he\u2019s surfing the web, watching media, or ripping the occasional disc.<\/p>\n
One of the big reasons for the switch? Electric bill savings. Between the lower power draw of the minis and the components I already had, this project should pay for itself over time.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/black-trivet.jpg?resize=640%2C631&ssl=1\")
A glorious black trivet atop one of the Mac minis that will comprise this stack.<\/p><\/div>\n
There\u2019s one more small project I need to finish, and then it\u2019s back to the old-fashioned drawing board.<\/p>\n
\n
The isometric illustrations were created with Affinity Designer 2 on a 2012 Mac mini running Catalina.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nSome of the photos were edited in Photoshop CS4 — the one I own.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"My second cigar box mini-stack is now complete. Like the first one, it pairs a vintage Mac with a modern one \u2014 a 2010 Mac mini running Snow Leopard and a M1 Mac mini running the latest macOS. They share … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":47684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[317,518,26],"tags":[6314,6266,6348,6316,6315,6349,6347,6350,6274,6265,6298],"class_list":["post-47683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computers","category-joes-garage","category-stuff-joe-likes","tag-2010-mac-mini","tag-adobe-cs4","tag-cigar-box-mini-stack","tag-kvm-switch","tag-m1-mac-mini","tag-mac-mini-stack","tag-maltese-mini-stack","tag-reclaiming-creative-life","tag-retro-computing","tag-snow-leopard","tag-vintage-mac"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Maltese-Mac-Mini-Stack.jpg?fit=1200%2C1100&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-cp5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":47326,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/03\/30\/reclaiming-my-creative-life-with-vintage-macs-the-cigar-box-mini-stack\/","url_meta":{"origin":47683,"position":0},"title":"Reclaiming My Creative Life With Vintage Macs: The Cigar Box Mac Mini Stack","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"March 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"After months of tinkering, I finally built the Murci\u00e9lago Mini-Stack: a 2010 Mac mini sitting on top of a 2022 M1 Mac mini, all resting on a cigar box. Two Macs, one keyboard, and zero subscriptions. Here\u2019s how I reclaimed my creative life with vintage hardware I already own.","rel":"","context":"In "Computers"","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/computers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/stacked-isometric-minis-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/stacked-isometric-minis-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/stacked-isometric-minis-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/stacked-isometric-minis-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/stacked-isometric-minis-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47445,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/04\/08\/the-greenstreet-mac-mini-adding-another-2010-to-the-cigar-box-fleet\/","url_meta":{"origin":47683,"position":1},"title":"The Greenstreet Mac Mini: Adding Another 2010 to the Cigar Box Fleet","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"I wasn\u2019t planning on building another cigar box mini-stack anytime soon, but eBay had other ideas. A very clean 2010 Mac mini popped up for auction so I took a shot. I threw in a maximum bid of $37 on a whim\u2026 and was genuinely surprised when I actually won\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Computers"","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/computers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47748,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/06\/02\/reclaiming-my-creative-life-with-vintage-macs-the-home-stretch\/","url_meta":{"origin":47683,"position":2},"title":"Reclaiming My Creative Life With Vintage Macs: The Home Stretch","author":"Joe","date":"June 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Over Memorial Day weekend I tried installing Linux Mint XFCE on the 2012 Mac Mini, paired with a new OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual \u2014 a dual-bay external enclosure that holds two 3.5\" drives. My aim was to build a family server so that I could gather and organize the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Computers"","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/computers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gutman-screenshare-window.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gutman-screenshare-window.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gutman-screenshare-window.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gutman-screenshare-window.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gutman-screenshare-window.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47281,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/03\/25\/the-end-of-the-adobe-era-reclaiming-my-creative-life-with-vintage-macs\/","url_meta":{"origin":47683,"position":3},"title":"The End of the Adobe Era: Reclaiming My Creative Life with Vintage Macs","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"March 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"After three decades with Photoshop \u2014 from floppy disks and beige Macs to monthly subscriptions \u2014 I finally hit cancel. Here\u2019s why I\u2019m happily back to my old software running on old hardware, and how I reclaimed my creative life.","rel":"","context":"In "Blast from the Past"","block_context":{"text":"Blast from the Past","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/blast-from-the-past\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bundled-photoshop-1997.jpg?fit=800%2C654&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bundled-photoshop-1997.jpg?fit=800%2C654&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bundled-photoshop-1997.jpg?fit=800%2C654&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bundled-photoshop-1997.jpg?fit=800%2C654&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47420,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/04\/03\/friday-five-number-two-hundred-twenty-five\/","url_meta":{"origin":47683,"position":4},"title":"Friday Five \u2013 Number Two Hundred Twenty Five","author":"Tina Garceau","date":"April 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Two hundred and twenty five in a continued series creating a collage using five elements. This is the first new collage crafted in subscription-free Photoshop CS4 on the fabulous contraption that Joe has dubbed The Cigar Box Mac Mini Stack. Switching back and forth between the old and new computers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Collage"","block_context":{"text":"Collage","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/collage-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/FridayFive225web.jpg?fit=500%2C700&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":47866,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/06\/24\/if-they-ask-me-i-would-write-a-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":47683,"position":5},"title":"If They Ask Me, I Would Write a Book…","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"June 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, nobody asked me, but I\u2019m writing anyway. It may become a book. It may be an illustrated story. It might even end up as a comic. Whatever form it takes, I\u2019ve made a habit of throwing words down on the virtual page every morning with a hot cup of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Computers"","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/computers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Aztec 500 typewriter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54161120017_0fb12730c1_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54161120017_0fb12730c1_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54161120017_0fb12730c1_c.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54161120017_0fb12730c1_c.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Maltese-Mac-Mini-Stack.jpg?resize=640%2C587&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet-1.jpg?resize=640%2C471&ssl=1\")
![\"Tray](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/optical-ISO.jpg?w=322&h=223&ssl=1\" "\\"optical-ISO\\"")
<\/a> Tray loading optical drive <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> ![\"Crow](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CROW-CIGAR-ISO.jpg?w=310&h=223&ssl=1\" "\\"CROW-CIGAR-ISO\\"")
<\/a> Crow from Blackbird Cigar Co. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n