On the Move on Michael Doornbos

I wrote an iPhone calculator app

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:11:11 +0000

Over Christmas, I spent a lot of time with my beloved (and quirky) HP-16C. I decided I wanted to take it everywhere, but doing a phone calculator app seemed daunting. I’ve been plugging away at it for 3 months now as one of my many side projects.

I’m ready to call it a usable version 1.0. I’m sure there are bugs, but I’ll work those out as I use it more.

I wrote a book

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 13:08:08 +0000

A novel. My third.

The first one was about five years ago. It has every problem you’d expect from someone who’d never written fiction. Flat dialogue, scenes that wander, characters that exist to serve the plot instead of the other way around. The bones are good, though. There’s a real story in there. I just didn’t know how to tell it yet.

The second was last November. Twenty-nine days, start to finish. Better, but the middle act drags, the villain is a cardboard cutout, and the romantic thread pays off too early, robbing the ending of the tension it needs. I learned more about pacing from writing that book than from anything I’ve read about writing.

My wife found this for me and gave it to me for my birthday. I still know every word.

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:43:16 +0000

Make homebuilt computers great again.

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 10:31:11 +0000

Project Hail Mary Review

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:32:43 +0000

Andy Weir wrote two of my favorite books. I read Project Hail Mary when it came out, and then again about six months ago. I’ve seen The Martian probably eight or nine times. I’ve read that book three times. I could watch it again today. The movie, while different from the book, is an excellent adaptation.

I just walked out of Project Hail Mary, and I don’t feel like I need to see it again.

Every once in a while, people surprise me with the coolest things. A friend is now using a Commodore to read my writing. Awesomesauce!

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:06:56 +0000

On life

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 19:07:44 +0000

We got married young by today’s standards (20 and 22) and had our youngest child when she was barely 21.

Up until we knew we were right for each other in the “rest of our lives way”, she had loose, somewhat ambiguous career ambitions. Mostly out of necessity. But even before we got married, she was sure she wanted to be a full-time Mom.

This required us to start working on my career immediately. Together, we worked hard to build a path that would allow me to be able to support the lifestyle we chose. We knew it would be hard, and she was a bigger driver of my initial success than I was. One of our very first purchases as a couple was a new computer and $300 worth of Study materials for me, when $300 was A LOT of money for us (it was also our very first Amazon purchase, in the spring of 1998). She was the one who pushed for me to get into Linux before anyone had even heard of it. She pushed me to follow my deep love of first principles, even when I had no idea how.

My custom Obsidian plugin

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 13:31:05 +0000

I’ve been using Obsidian for years now (recovering 10+ year Evernote user). I needed a simple way to log events, so I made a simple plugin for myself. Obsidian makes it so easy to get it to work exactly how I need.

And the bonus is that everything is a text file. This gives it the “forever” permanence that other tools can’t or won’t.

Friday fun: Time to bring out the Osborne 1 I spent quite a few hours restoring last year.

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:31:45 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1166764736?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

It can run Wordstar really well, maybe George RR can borrow it to finish Game of Thrones ;-)

Sorry about the low light. The iPhone 16 has a REALLY hard time adjusting the aperture to make a green phosphor CRT look good.

Does everyone need an audience?

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:52:48 +0000

This is the most impactful thing I’ve read today.

My mom has a little notebook where she writes down every movie she watches and a few of her thoughts about it. I told her about Letterboxd & she said “does everyone need an audience for their hobbies now?”

Learning as a kid

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 12:14:30 +0000

When I was a kid, I learned SO MANY math and computing concepts from Logo on the Commodore 64. Recursion was a big one. As a seasoned technologist, I’m still blown away by how much they packed into a single 170kb floppy to give a simple 8-bit computer so much power and flexibility. It’s only now that I’ve started playing with the built-in assembly language interfaces in Logo. Something that was completely over my head as an 11 year old.

This philosophy still holds up

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 13:01:04 +0000

A body of work

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 13:25:10 +0000

Building a body of work isn’t about going viral. I’m not interested in being an “influencer”.

Quick experiments on ancient hardware, deep dives on today’s tech, slow explorations of tomorrow’s frontiers. What starts as tinkering becomes a record of curiosity, ideas, and obsessions.

Sometimes it’s hard to see everything I’m doing across three sites, so I took some time to create a single page to collect all my writing. https://michaeldoornbos.com/writing/

438 articles, time to up my game.

The circle is complete

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 07:49:50 +0000

Finally at the point where I open my RSS reader before I even think about touching social media.
I’m so back (to 2008 energy).

Picked up a gorgeous hardcover version of Enigma: The Battle for Code

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 07:33:51 +0000

Seemed appropriate to have my Enigma touch close at hand while reading it.

https://vimeo.com/1162504837?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

I don't have a RAM shortage. This is plenty for a lifetime

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 09:49:58 +0000

My advice to 6-18-year-olds who want to learn to program

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 21:03:44 +0000

I’ve been programming, more for fun than anything, since 1981. I was 6, and my Uncle helped me learn BASIC on the Commodore VIC-20 he bought that sat on his kitchen table.

https://vimeo.com/797177361?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

(No, I didn’t write programs like this when I was SIX. But this is my favorite VIC-20 program of all time. A random maze generator from a magazine listing in the early 80s.)

If you’re somewhere between 6 and 18 years old, programming is a tool you can have in your toolbox. Today. There’s A LOT of sensational information on the internet today. I’m looking at you, social media…

It's going to take me a few minutes to get through this book set. Definitely worth it.

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 15:28:03 +0000

Be more than average

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:01:45 +0000

AI creativity always goes to the mean. It’s trained on everything, so it produces the average. Ask it for a logo, and you get something that looks like every logo. Ask it for a story, and you get the structure of every story. That’s useful for a lot of things — drafts, starting points, getting unstuck. But breakthrough ideas don’t come from the average. They come from the edges, from the weird, from the person who sees something differently. Humans have a direction that isn’t the average.

Journals are private. Period.

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 14:16:37 +0000

Personal journals and diaries deserve stronger legal and moral protections from forced disclosure in civil lawsuits.

Morally, privacy of self-reflection is fundamental to human dignity. Legally, we should push for reforms—such as a qualified privilege for purely personal writings, stricter relevance thresholds, or mandatory redactions/sealing when privacy outweighs probative value.

Until then, the lesson is harsh: in litigation, almost nothing stays truly private if it’s written down. Thoughts shouldn’t cost you your dignity or freedom.

Four business plans

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:44:33 +0000

Every evening this week, I wrote a 15-page business plan. Four completed so far. Now to sit quietly with them and choose.

Working on a fun Enigma codebook generator for the Commodore

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:21:58 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1153719140?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Here's my first crack at a personal year-view calendar using my Apple Calendar data.

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 10:30:27 +0000

Added a view option to toggle all-day and multi-day events only.

I asked my wife for a Mainframe for my birthday so I can use this tape I picked up from Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 14:46:29 +0000

Fun little side project

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 18:46:08 +0000

6502 Emulator with a Wozmon style interface. I’m super happy I could pull this off without any outside help (I’m looking at you, AI).

Timeline cleanse

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:51:14 +0000

For you

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:13:55 +0000

I’m longing for this to be what I actually want, rather than pushing what it thinks my eyeballs won’t leave the site from. I know, I know, NEVER going to happen. But the end of social media is in sight.

Visual Sorting

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 16:38:18 +0000

Visualizing bubble, selection, and insertion sorts on a Commodore 64 (at 20x video speed). Happy Hump Day!

https://vimeo.com/1147454678?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

https://imapenguin.com/2025/12/sorting-algorithms-visualized-on-the-commodore-64/

Christmas is better when there are 5 1/4" floppies around.

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 15:08:51 +0000

A Python Guide to Advent of Code 2026

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 15:29:18 +0000

Here’s my guide for solving Advent of Code puzzles for 2026. It really started as a collection of notes for myself, and I figured it might be helpful to others.

https://milkcrunch.com/aoc-2025-techniques/

AOC 2025

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 08:47:20 +0000

Whelp, another year of Advent of Code completed. I only got tripped up on 3 of the puzzles this year, but I eventually worked them out.

In today's episode of stupid races between old computery things

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:49:34 +0000

Apple IIe vs Commodore PET 2001, finding all primes from 1 to 65536.

https://vimeo.com/1145378438?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

The Apple IIe won by about 3 minutes(34 vs 37 minutes)

First principles AI. I'm not joking.

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:01:25 +0000

X just sent me an ad for $100 sweatpants. People are NUTS.

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:11:26 +0000

I love doing puzzles and brain teasers in the Christmas season. Like Advent of Code and books like this.

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:38:19 +0000

New website

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 17:46:57 +0000

Have a new site. Making Imapenguin retrospective and Milkcrunch forward looking.

https://milkcrunch.com/junior-problem/

Advent of Code Day 3 - Vintage edition. I used my Commodore 64 to get today's puzzle. 8 hours, not bad.

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 15:21:08 +0000

And on the VIC-20, it’s a little faster (to be expected). Needed a Super Expander memory cart because the data needed some room.

And the Commodore 128 in FAST mode (whopping 2Mhz)

Day 3 of Advent of Code 2025

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:06:14 +0000

The escalator at the North Pole is broken, and you need to fix it. Part one was simple enough.

BUT

In part two, you’re picking 12 digits from 100 to form the largest number.

Brute force it you say??

C(100,12) = 1,050,421,051,106,700 combinations per row. With 200 rows, that’s 210 quadrillion total.

That would take, uh, a while… even on a speedy computer.

Using a greedy algorithm: 1,200 operations per row.

Continuing to compute 100k digits of Pi as quickly as possible (without using an LLM, just my brain)

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:24:17 +0000

Added threading and binary splitting to Rust, C, and Go, which significantly speeds things up.

Advent of Code 2025 Day 1 was easy, so I challenged myself and did it in FORTRAN.

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:13:13 +0000

Green phosphor monitors count as Christmas decorations in my office. I'll die on this hill.

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 19:47:41 +0000

Alright, since this week I was computing Pi in six languages, let's add a seventh.

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 19:40:01 +0000

It’s about six digits per minute, so roughly 11.5 days to reach 100k.

This thing needs an OS upgrade.

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 12:28:23 +0000

AT Time

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:32:27 +0000

Caleb and I worked off some of the Thanksgiving gluttony on the Appalachian Trail. Definitely cold above 5000 feet today.

Pi as fast as I know how in six languages

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 17:59:02 +0000

100,000k with the most efficient methods I could come up with (also added Fortran, which is tricky because the standard library only supports 33-digit precision) :

Novella complete

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 10:38:54 +0000

Completed my NaNoWriMo novella with time to spare. Now to print it and break out the red pen. I have zero interest in being a fiction author, so it’ll stay in a drawer. I did come up with a cool cover idea, though, to make it a “complete” exercise.

Doing actual writing in Hugo

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:31:35 +0000

It would be nice for writing drafts if Hugo supported %%markdown comments%% I ended up creating a custom shortcut for this, which works, but my fingers automatically go to %% when writing drafts and editing them.

Doing math like it’s 1962.

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 15:33:37 +0000

This is a GREAT Modbus device for the Raspberry Pi

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 09:24:56 +0000

Having a lot of fun with this today

Been looking forward to the SwissMicros R47 for some time.

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:42:31 +0000

If you're looking to type like a complete moron all day, switch back and forth between a MacBook Air and a Windows gaming laptop all day. Sheesh.

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 11:48:50 +0000

Accents

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 09:34:16 +0000

My favorite accents in English:

1. Indian

2. Southern

3. German

Figured I’d start Monday off with things I like.

Timeline cleanse: The soft glow of a PDP-8 in a dark office.

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 20:26:15 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1134772836?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Working on a side hustle idea

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:44:21 +0000

If writing is thinking

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 09:26:57 +0000

I believe the best way to think is to write (or at least sit quietly with nothing to do).

If writing is thinking, and I let an AI do my writing, then I haven’t really thought at all.

It’s strange even to be thinking about this.

Prediction: 2026 will be the year of the FreeBSD desktop.

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:48:56 +0000

(Not really, just felt like being a Friday troll)

Actually ahead on my NaNoWriMo goal for this year

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 11:00:40 +0000

This is a first ;-)

I started playing around with writing an OT asset discovery tool

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:07:21 +0000

I’ve not written anything serious in Go before. But it seems a good choice for a balance of speed and usability. Closer to Python in syntax than to Rust

National Novel Writing Month Platform

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 20:05:21 +0000

It’s the end of October, which means it’s time to pick out my writing platform for National Novel Writing Month. This year I’m going with the Electra 220. It’s great to type on and keeps me away from the temptation of LLMs and grammar checkers. Gonna tone it down this year and shoot for 1000 words per day. I’ve got a story idea and the first four or five chapters in mind already.

Self hosting

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 13:17:05 +0000

I might actually be turning anti-cloud.

Working appliances

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 11:26:29 +0000

I’m seriously thinking about opening a vintage appliances business. I want boring, SUPER reliable appliances. They can use all the water they want. I just want them to work like a tank.

Perfect answers

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 21:51:52 +0000

Grok just told me it would take 5 hours to go 8350 miles at 33 knots.

Was very confident about its answer so it must be correct.

Question nothing.

(Claude got it right BTW)

Apparently there was an AWS something something this week.

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 20:58:12 +0000

My "North" for 2026

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 10:15:22 +0000

Lessons from Bridge of Spies

I keep coming back to a scene from Bridge of Spies. It’s a small moment, but it’s stuck with me in a way that bigger, louder movie scenes never do.

Tom Hanks plays James B. Donovan, an insurance lawyer who gets pulled into defending Rudolf Abel, a Soviet spy, during the height of the Cold War. Nobody wants this case. The public hates Abel. Donovan’s own family faces threats. The government expects him to go through the motions of a defense without actually defending.

The Villiage

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 10:05:10 +0000

We watched The Villiage last night for the first time in 20 years. I wrote down the line

“I will not worry about what will happen, only what needs to be done.”

Even though I knew the surprize, I forgot how delightful Bryce Dallas Howard was in that movie.

Resume update: sooo many cool things...

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 09:17:38 +0000

A big challenge in updating your resume on a 30+ year career full of cool stuff is what NOT to include.

For the first time in many years, I'm trying not to be burned out with my day job.

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 09:52:01 +0000

/sigh

This is my favorite Amazon message. Makes me feel good about having spent money on this.

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 08:02:49 +0000

Claude Code and Obsidian

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 08:55:04 +0000

So… I started letting Claude code help me with my main Obsidian vault. Added some custom Claude slash commands for research assistant, brainstorming, and journaling.

I’m kinda blown away how it can use my 30+ years of notes (thank God for my hunch to use plain text all these years) to gain insights and connections to my prior thinking.

Moving my office to a different room of the house and I got distracted

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:54:17 +0000

With my Commodore PET 2001 and creating some “alternate” 10PRINT patterns.

https://vimeo.com/1123997414?share=copy#t=0

Wazuh

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:09:56 +0000

I need to do a deep dive into Wazuh. Looking for resources…

Super useful tech to learn about

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 09:53:08 +0000

Tailscale
- Wazuh
- PFSense
- Linux (duh)
- Ansible

There are days I need this stapled to my forehead.

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:56:55 +0000

I love this Starlink mini so much

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 10:54:21 +0000

Hear me out: Omarchy but with BSD

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 11:26:22 +0000

Erika Kirk’s speech today might be the best half hour speech I’ve ever heard.

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 18:56:51 +0000

Blown away.

Moving my office

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Moving my office to a new room of my house. I need a console to have my Apple II, a C64 and my PET 2001-N out and accessible all the time behind me.

Also it’s sunny in there, so I wish someone made a cover for the PET. I have covers for the other two…

I really miss being able to slam a phone down to hang up

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:40:42 +0000

It was glorious!

Got this brand new book on Rust

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 11:41:05 +0000

Blog as my primary posting platform

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:01:59 +0000

Social media has become a net negative.

Instead of fostering connection, it’s now (and has been for some time) content mills and shouting into the wind.

So I’m going to shout into the wind on my own blog and post links to make it slightly easier for old connections to find me. This will not be viewed favorably by the algorithms, but I don’t care.

Also, happy Wednesday!

This is the best computer hacking tutorial ever made

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 10:16:16 +0000

I’ll die on this hill.

Blogs vs social as a posting platform

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 08:06:22 +0000

Ever notice that almost all of HackerNews links point to a blog or site and NOT a social media platform for things worth reading?

Yeah. That.

Am I doing Omarchy correctly?

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:05:13 +0000

Distracted

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 07:50:34 +0000

95% of success in 2025 is just not being distracted by things on screens.

I’ve crossed a threshold. I now bring a magnifying glass for weekend board games. Sigh.

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 18:14:54 +0000

Super fun find yesterday

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 13:14:01 +0000

I love campy Halloween stuff (not horror) like Casper, Scooby Doo and Looney Toons.

A Universal plug isn’t really the best idea. What happens if I take the sticker off or forget?

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:56:39 +0000

50 years ago this month, issue #1 of BYTE magazine was born. They sure don’t make em like they used to.

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 07:23:07 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1114841224

PfSense and OPNSense Firewall Manager

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 19:51:00 +0000

Been writing Ruby on Rails apps for a LONG time.

Last night, I had an idea for a pfSense/OPNSense firewall manager, as there really isn’t one on the market. So, I gave myself an hour to explore the idea.

Live API connection to a firewall in real time. This is totally doable. Not bad for an hour after dinner on a Friday night.

I miss mix tapes

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 15:06:19 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot about analog technologies lately. I just happened to stumble upon a car ride mixtape I made in the 90s. I’m not sure what the value is of it today other than just stirring up a memory, but if this was a Spotify playlist it would’ve been gone forever

I’m not in love with the ephemeral nature of everything we do these days. I’m not really advocating for going back, but it is something to think about and reflect on.

Enigma Emulator

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 09:28:24 +0000

The Enigma touch is even cooler than I imagined. Currently, I have it set to the Navy M3 model, but it can emulate 13 of the Enigma models and features a working plugboard. I didn’t expect the sound effects to be so fun.

https://vimeo.com/1108423896?share=copy#t=0

What happened to small sharp tools?

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 08:31:14 +0000

I struggle to understand the appeal of the default LazyVim setup. I’m in (n)vim because I want to concentrate, and I feel like I’m looking at the terminal equivalent of the Windows 11 experience. Almost all of this should be off by default.

https://vimeo.com/1107391896?share=copy#t=0

I know, I can disable it, and I should stop whining, but it feels like the opposite of the Unix and Vim philosophy of small, very, very sharp tools.

Time to do some writing with the Schrödinger’s cat of computers.

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 18:40:47 +0000

Commodore Bookmaker

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 12:23:37 +0000

Just wrote a Commodore 64 program to calculate shipping odds for the new Ultimate C64 clone. It’s Gideon’s board, and I have two of them, so that part makes sense… The computer crashed laughing when I entered ‘October 2025’ as the projected date. Even 40 year old hardware knows better. 🎲💾

https://vimeo.com/1105187742?share=copy#t=0

Next step?

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 09:18:36 +0000

If your life were a movie, what would the audience be shouting at the screen, telling you what to do?

I'm sure this is fine. Batteries in a Commodore calculator from 1975. It'll buff out ;-)

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:10:26 +0000

Computer equivalent of touching grass

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 07:54:37 +0000

Kayaked Tuckasegee with Caleb today

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 15:09:43 +0000

The water was really high, so only time to snap a few in the non whitewater parts.

Tap tap

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:56:24 +0000

Ruby for Commodore 64 (not really)

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:14:11 +0000

Thanks to a thread with @RailsQuest , I decided to do a tiny little pseudocode style “Ruby for the Commodore 64”. It came out more like Forth, but whatever.

https://vimeo.com/1100375972?share=copy#t=0

Matrix Rain in Ruby

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:36:30 +0000

Been falling back in love with Ruby lately. It feels so natural to think of an idea and write it out. Worked the first time…

https://vimeo.com/1099952906?share=copy#t=0

Two different people suggested I start podcasting again

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 08:29:47 +0000

My first podcast was in 2009, before most people even knew what a podcast was, and it ran for 116 episodes over several years.

I’ve resisted creating a YouTube channel, but podcasting feels tempting. Dug out my Rode microphone for some voice testing.

I’ve read this book almost every summer since it came out in 1999. I’m guessing this is the 20th time. I still find it as entertaining as the first time.

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 14:03:24 +0000

Do We Have the Authority to Know Someone Is Saved?

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 09:20:04 +0000

During a recent Bible study, a friend posed a thought-provoking question: How do we know we have the authority to know someone is saved? This question delves into theological issues regarding faith, divine judgment, and human discernment. As Christians, we often wrestle with how to balance observing signs of faith in others with the humility of recognizing God’s ultimate authority.

Salvation Belongs to God

The Bible is clear that the ultimate knowledge of a person’s salvation rests with God alone. In 1 Samuel 16:7, we read, “The Lord looks at the heart,” emphasizing that only God can fully know someone’s spiritual state. Similarly, Matthew 7:1-2 warns against judging others, as that role is reserved for God. As humans, we cannot see the heart with perfect clarity, nor can we account for what God may do in someone’s final moments or the complexities of their spiritual journey (1 Corinthians 4:5).

TI-99/4a recursive maze generator

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 14:51:50 +0000

I’m not sure if I can handle the TI-99/4a for a whole month (might switch to the VIC-20). But, here’s my port of the recursive maze generator to TI Extended BASIC.

https://vimeo.com/1097503671?share=copy#t=0

10 PRINT on TI-99/4a

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:50:49 +0000

Naturally, starting the month of TI-99/4A with 10 PRINT. It’s very easy to redefine characters, so we can improve it significantly with minimal effort.

https://vimeo.com/1097495595?share=copy#t=0

Life moves pretty fast

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 17:25:13 +0000

Don’t blink. You could miss it.

Life.

This was 19 summers ago.

You could argue that these are the last two kids in our family to have had true feral summers.

There were no tablets in sight.

They knew what it was like to sit quietly and watch a sunset with their feet hanging off the dock.

They were fine with not being entertained by an electronic overlord that requires your eyeballs every 30 seconds.

Clean up

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 10:45:39 +0000

Recipes should include photos of the mess required to clean up after you’re done.

You can save a lot of desk space if you put your high speed storage device directly onto your AI vibe coding machine.

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 14:12:29 +0000

Spent some time with the ZX81/T1000 in June. Just sitting down to decide what to do with July. I'm thinking these two.

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 19:59:04 +0000

BYTE Magazine Collection

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:34:03 +0000

I’ve been working on my collection of the first 16 issues of BYTE magazine for years, one at a time. I FINALLY found a copy of issue number 3, which has one of the earliest reviews of the 6502 that I’m aware of. Happy Friday!

Empty

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 10:26:06 +0000

You’re meant to create, not endlessly consume.

AI feels so empty, because it’s doing the creation you’re meant to do.

And that leaves you feeling empty.

If you feel empty, the people you’re sharing your creativity with will feel empty too.

Why is the terminal bell on by default in Windows 11?

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 10:22:25 +0000

Fountain Pens

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:28:56 +0000

Why is this disposable Pilot Vpen fountain pen dramatically more reliable than any of my expensive fountain pens? It’s ready to write EVERY time. The expensive ones are ready to write about 85% of the time. I’m actually asking…

Boat time with Dad

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:28:15 +0000

Lake Julian apparently has a decent bass population.

ZX81 Maze

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 13:33:22 +0000

It took me a long time to port my favorite Commodore backtracking maze generator to the ZX81/T1000, but I’m pretty happy with the results. Happy Tuesday!

Be patient, the little machine is very slow.

https://vimeo.com/1096005760?share=copy#t=0

I do not need another hobby

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 08:20:12 +0000

I do not need another hobby. I do not need another hobby. I do not need another hobby. I do not need another hobby. I do not need another hobby. I do not need another hobby.

Say a prayer for me

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 14:28:14 +0000

Have fun making slides

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:24:32 +0000

If you’re going to explain binary number relationships to a younger audience with little to no knowledge of it, you might as well have some fun with making the slides.

https://vimeo.com/1095661555?share=copy#t=0

White water on the Tuckaseegee was fun. Only had time to snap a few pictures during the calm sections.

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 17:49:58 +0000

Old notebooks

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:52:13 +0000

I have about 50 notebooks from the mid-90s to around 2020. Every evening, I’ve been picking one and going through it.

My biggest lesson from those early days is that being early is about as bad as being wrong.

In 1999, we created what is essentially a Slack platform (our version focused on asynchronous communication, which is still a better idea). The notebook I went through yesterday was the startup I worked on that implemented an indoor mapping system. In 2002… (WAAAY too early).

I much prefer playing chess against a human. But, if I have no choice but to play a computer, it will be a VIC-20.

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:40:54 +0000

Old computer number crunching

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 11:08:10 +0000

Not sure why, but I love tasking older processors with number crunching. Sure, my laptop can do this in 1 second, but asking a 1 MHz 6502 is way more satisfying.

This disparity has piqued my curiosity, though. This is a tight loop, where a number is repeatedly incremented by 1. The speed difference doesn’t seem like a lot, but added up, it is. Need to investigate.

Knocking some rust off. First shot in a while. At least I’m not in the dirt.

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 19:44:28 +0000

Caleb is in the ensemble cast of the Asheville Community Theater’s production of the Little Mermaid. It’s opening weekend.

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 19:42:57 +0000

This feels sketch

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 13:08:03 +0000

Apparently you’re not allowed to ask Claude to show references when asking about writings of an ancient Jewish historian.

This UI is terrible. Why not tell me what and why this is content filtered.

For the record, @grok had no problem when I copied the exact prompts that got me to this spot.

Stuff to learn this week

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 09:46:58 +0000

Tech

REALLY understand how both Hugo and Kamal work. It’s cool that they “just work,” but I much prefer to NOT think of things as black magic.

Piano

Finish sight reading course

Cannon in “C”

Make interfaces great again

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 08:23:33 +0000

Steve, I wish they were sorry about it man

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 14:54:52 +0000

Let’s come up with a way for #WWDC to feel less personal… No, I can’t think of another change that they could make to make the experience worse. Overlayed people on screens, emotionless deliveries. You have a captive audience and phoned it in. What a waste of time and resources.

Monday deep thoughts of a Commodore 64.

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 08:26:20 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1091785768?share=copy#t=0

Found a breadbin case and some brown keycaps for my Elite-II. Leave the C64 badge or replace it with an Elite badge?

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 16:10:06 +0000

“Work” trip this week

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 16:09:36 +0000

Just checking, double-checking Monty Hall since my brain still finds it odd.

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 13:00:02 +0000

Still playing around with maze generation. This time with a grid pattern on the Commodore 64.

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 21:08:28 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1089924439?share=copy#t=0

Holy Toledo that was a pain to dig out.

Sat, 31 May 2025 11:12:33 +0000

I think about this a lot

Fri, 30 May 2025 14:30:07 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1089165126?share=copy#t=0

What you can use the internet for

Fri, 30 May 2025 08:33:18 +0000

I’m just here for the Egyptian Literature

I still love maze generation

Fri, 30 May 2025 07:34:43 +0000

Older (slower) computers with mappable screen memory are ideal for visualizing certain concepts because you can watch them unfold visually.

https://vimeo.com/1088894803?share=copy#t=0

Ultimate64 Elite-II

Thu, 29 May 2025 11:47:21 +0000

My Elite-II came today. It’s quite a bit bigger than my 3-4 year old Elite original.

I have a Mechboard for it, but I want this one in a Breadbin case (the Elite-I is in a 64C case), so I’ll have to find one.

DO. THE. WORK.

Thu, 29 May 2025 09:44:36 +0000

Random maze fun

Wed, 28 May 2025 18:40:45 +0000

Playing around with some different maze algorithms. This one is slower, but it does a good job of making random direction choices.

https://vimeo.com/1088583579?share=copy#t=0

Early draft of my weekly planner

Wed, 28 May 2025 14:48:49 +0000

Playing around with an idea for a “week productivity” two-sided card in Affinity Designer. There are no apps or planners that match my preferred format, so I’m creating my own.

I haven’t decided on the top bar layout, but it will include a habit tracker and a section for main goals. The back is a simple grid.

Recognize the font?

Even lower

Wed, 28 May 2025 11:15:33 +0000

Sheesh. My resting heart rate is getting even lower.

What happens if it goes into the negative?

Still got it

Wed, 28 May 2025 09:21:04 +0000

Zero to SHIPPED Rails internal asset management app in six hours WITHOUT using AI a single time.

Just wanted to make sure I haven’t gotten lazy.

Sometimes it feels like we are taking a robot with us to the gym to lift the weights.

Some areas have had backward progress

Mon, 26 May 2025 18:27:14 +0000

I do not enjoy writing web apps.

It’s not really gotten better since I started in like 1996.

More color work on my VIC-20 drop in VIC chip FPGA replacement. I feel like I'm getting pretty close on the NTSC colors here

Sun, 25 May 2025 20:34:47 +0000

Vic's Revenge Update

Fri, 23 May 2025 19:33:20 +0000

I’ve been working on a drop-in replacement for the Commodore VIC-20 VIC chip in an FPGA for quite some time. Today, I’m trying to dial in the color palette.

I think the border color is very close here.

Over the top

Thu, 22 May 2025 11:12:47 +0000

I’m so glad my parents didn’t say silly things like “he had strength and resilience to get though third grade”

In the American suburbs. Gimme a break.

10 PRINT in Verilog

Wed, 21 May 2025 07:56:10 +0000

I’m not a great FGPA programmer, but I just took a crack at a 10 PRINT in Verilog.

It took me a while to achieve the typewriter effect that resembles the one on an 8-bit machine.

https://vimeo.com/1086371939?share=copy#t=0

I’m happy with the way it turned out. Big thanks to @WillFlux for the tutorials on FPGA graphics.

Vim was worth it

Tue, 20 May 2025 10:37:07 +0000

Over the last 30 years or so, Vim has saved me thousands of hours. There was a learning curve, but those 15 hours (or however long it was) paid off over the long term.

Does this mean you must use Vim key methods to be “productive”?

Of course not.

Stop seeing everything as a tribal or religious war. (Unless you prefer Spectrum to Commodore. That’s just crazy talk.)

These are tools. That’s all they are. Use the tools that work for you.

Warning signs

Tue, 20 May 2025 09:37:15 +0000

You look at your phone before you get out of bed
- You look at your phone as the last thing you do before you are asleep
- You can’t write more than three sentences without running them through an AI

Do kids still go to school?

Tue, 20 May 2025 09:35:29 +0000

My kids are grown, but everyone I know who has school-aged kids seems to have them out of school all the time.

It seems like just a few years ago, missing more than 10 days of school (as in Ferris Bueller) was frowned upon.

Much of it is travel sports, but I’m unsure when this transition occurred.

Vim upper/lowercase

Tue, 20 May 2025 07:25:57 +0000

I’ve been using VIM for like… 30 years. I was today days old when I realized you can use U/u to change case in visual mode. No idea why I never made that connection before.

Learn something every day I suppose.

https://vimeo.com/1086009439?share=copy#t=0

Modbus CRC-16 for "work"

Mon, 19 May 2025 18:58:01 +0000

Been doing a lot of Modbus lately for work, so I wrote my own Python encoder/validator.

So it seemed like a fun idea to try and do Modbus CRC-16 on a Commodore 64.

First proof of concept is with Simon’s BASIC because it has a nice 16 bit unsigned XOR function. After this I’ll do it in Assembly and maybe hook up a Modbus to the USR port and try to bitbang it from the Commodore.

Too many interests

Mon, 19 May 2025 09:49:10 +0000

I have many interests, but my main challenge is not procrastination—it’s a lack of discipline to focus on just three or four priorities at a time (at the MOST).

It's nice when your son out fishes you

Mon, 19 May 2025 08:32:37 +0000

I mean... I suppose a bunch of 6502 assembly code counts as "words."

Fri, 16 May 2025 07:25:41 +0000

I mean… I suppose a bunch of 6502 assembly code counts as “words.” It does in my book anyway.

Sometimes you need to sleep on it

Fri, 16 May 2025 06:56:42 +0000

I’m working on my VIC-20 VIC chip FPGA project. Rendering characters from the VIC-20 ROM, and I’ve got something shifted, but I can’t see what I’m doing. Might need to sleep on it. First, we have the VIC-20, with one row of characters, and second, my rendered characters (ignore the color and resolution differences).

There's an untapped market

Wed, 14 May 2025 09:18:31 +0000

Okay, hear me out…

There IS a market for a truck like this today. Minimal electronics (roll down windows please). Target of $25k retail. They’d fly off the shelves.

What I used to love about Unix systems

Wed, 14 May 2025 09:07:08 +0000

I’ve been using Linux daily since the mid-90s. This morning, I installed OpenBSD for the first time in probably 20 years.

I had forgotten how much I love unadulterated Unix…

10 PRINT Fortran

Tue, 13 May 2025 13:02:18 +0000

In today’s episode of 10 PRINT on all the things: Fortran on a Mac. Pretty straightforward and fast.

https://vimeo.com/1083975512?share=copy#t=0

Ultimate 64 Upgrade... not too happy

Tue, 13 May 2025 08:55:34 +0000

Hmm, upgraded my Ultimate 64, which always makes me a little nervous. ESP32 is now not working, and it displays a banner that doesn’t appear optional. I wonder if I can flash back to the previous version.

Expanded Mars colony game

Mon, 12 May 2025 14:46:38 +0000

I expanded the Mars colony game quite a bit and am working on formatting so it’ll work on narrower screens like the Commodore 64.

You can now go on expeditions, mine for resources, birth babies, receive resupply missions, and more.

It is currently 485 lines of BASIC. Which is quite a bit easier to edit on the C64 than a KIM-1…

Pretty zippy

Mon, 12 May 2025 13:35:40 +0000

A conversation I just had with someone reminded me of when I was flying someone back east from the Air Force Academy in the Baron. I had a 66-knot tailwind over Lake Michigan, then started a descent. Check out that groundspeed, 301 knots. Good times.

A cluster?

Mon, 12 May 2025 12:48:37 +0000

How many KIM-1 (clones) does it take before you have a cluster? Three?

I own five, and this seems like something I need to make happen.

Since I started going back to the gym and lifting heavy my resting heart rate has plummeted.

Sat, 10 May 2025 09:44:54 +0000

Boat

Fri, 09 May 2025 18:30:50 +0000

This weekend’s big project is to get the boat ready to go. Just tying up some loose ends. If I leave the kayaks in it, do they count as lifeboats?

Mars Colony Game

Fri, 09 May 2025 15:20:30 +0000

So, you have a KIM-1 Clone running BASIC, a whopping 49k of RAM free, and want to compute like it’s 1976.

You only have 1200 bps terminal and no graphics, but quite a lot of free RAM. One idea is you can spend a kinda ridiculous amount of time writing a Mars Colony simulator game on it.

https://vimeo.com/1082991749?share=copy#t=0

A fantastic dream - OR IS IT?

Fri, 09 May 2025 07:37:06 +0000

10 PRINT on KIM-1 Seven Segment Display

Thu, 08 May 2025 14:14:39 +0000

In today’s episode of “10 PRINT on ALL THE THINGS,” we’re doing it on the seven-segments of the KIM-1 (PAL-II Clone here).

Since you can’t do / and \ on a seven-segment, I’ve come up with this. It’s 200 bytes of machine code.

https://vimeo.com/1082631462?share=copy#t=0

1200 baud and 49K of RAM is more than a growing boy needs.

Wed, 07 May 2025 09:25:07 +0000

The fun thing about running MS BASIC on a KIM-1 is that there’s a ton of free RAM. 49K would be a massive BASIC program, especially on a system without graphics.

The PAL-II KIM-1 Clone came together nicely

Sun, 04 May 2025 12:53:20 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1081469914?share=copy#t=0

Finished the Osborne 1

Fri, 02 May 2025 09:26:31 +0000

Osborne 1 restoration is complete. I was able to troubleshoot multiple faults and bring it back into the business world as my daily driver. At 25 pounds, this portable computer also helps you work on your farmer’s carry muscles.

All you laptop users are weak. This is a real work computer.

But first, a little Hitchhiker’s Guide.

https://vimeo.com/1080841210?share=copy#t=0

I have no memory of acquiring this KIM Uno but it works. Huh.

Thu, 01 May 2025 13:55:24 +0000

Anyone else have the Death Star playset?

Thu, 01 May 2025 10:26:31 +0000

By my age, this is probably 1980ish.

This movie freaked me out as a kid

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:24:29 +0000

Face to face

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 14:20:07 +0000

In a world ruled by AI, real face-to-face moments will stand out. Online content—emails, posts, ads—will be so perfectly polished by machines that people will just tune it out. But when someone looks you in the eye, that’s when you’ll feel what’s real and true.

It’s pretty exciting.

I have a "production" EPROM eraser. I'll bet you could get 75 chips in this thing at once. But my "production" quantity is usually... 1. Happy Monday ;-)

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:23:52 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1079470279?share=copy#t=0

I've been sitting on this KIM-1 clone too long. It's supposed to rain, so I'll pick away at it.

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:14:07 +0000

Having some trees cleared at our house today. I've never been so happy to have gotten into computers 40 years ago. I just called my Dad to thank him for buying a Commodore 64 in 1983.

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 12:05:05 +0000

Osborne restoration day 5 continued: 10 PRINT

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:10:52 +0000

The real reason I wanted to get this thing working: 10 PRINT on all the things! I can now check Osborne 1 off of my list :)

Left drive is now a Gotek and the right drive is a working floppy drive. Have some case work/cleaning to do so I left the front cover off.

The iPhone doesn’t do justice to how good the screen looks in person. I’m really digging it.

Osborne 1 restoration day 5 (non consecutive)

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 16:07:02 +0000

Have it flipped upside down so I could pin out the motherboard while connected to the power supply. It now passes the RAM test and boots to CP/M. Woot!

RSA on Commodore

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 08:50:31 +0000

Morning before the work week starts shenanigans: Have you ever had a dumb idea for a project, and you want to get it out of your head, only for it to come out in a rush and work the first time? Weird but… simple RSA (12ish Bit) on a Commodore 64 in BASIC:

https://vimeo.com/1077251309?share=copy#t=0

Takes about a minute to generate the private key. I wonder what the largest key is that we can generate in under an hour…

Happy Easter

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 19:10:20 +0000

Spent the holiday with a group of people content with a long unhurried meal and afternoon of lively discussion without a screen in sight. Was pretty great.

Osborne restoration day 4

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 17:59:44 +0000

This one is boring for the people not doing the chip removal. But I got the bad RAM out with my desolder gun and some hot air. Not a single trace damaged which is always the best outcome. Replacements don’t arrive till Monday, but it’s now socketed and ready.

I doubt I’m lucky enough for this to be the only bad one, but one problem at a time.

Picked up an Osborne sticker. Thoughts on what to do with it?

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:46:48 +0000

Osborne 1 Restoration Day 3

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 17:22:11 +0000

Day 3 of the Osborne 1 restoration. Some things are tricky because there’s not much diagnostic information and software. I suspected some bad RAM, so I used my EPROM emulator to install a ROM called OZROM 1E from 1984. It has a simple built in RAM tester. Sure enough, there’s a bad bit in bank 1. Time to find some 2114s.

It’s a super tight fit because you have to put the machine about 80% back together to get it in a state to power on.

It's been one of those mornings

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 09:36:07 +0000

I spelled my name wrong when I joined the @vcfederation forums. /sigh

RPN on Mac Calculator...

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 09:01:01 +0000

I’ve used PCalc on Mac and iOS for years. Happy to pay for it. But I was today years old when I realized that the Mac calculator has RPN mode. When did they add that? Has it been there all along?

I’ve been using RPN for so long that I have a hard time using a “regular” calculator. I’m thrilled to see this.

10 PRINT on the TI-74

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 08:08:36 +0000

In Today’s episode of “10 PRINT On All the Things” features the TI-74. This is another pocket computer I have that doesn’t have a “" in the character set. It DOES, however, have about 50 Japanese characters. So a / and へ are pretty close to what we want.

https://vimeo.com/1075655509?share=copy#t=0

Friday Picocalc

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 05:16:00 +0000

A little Friday fun for no particular reason. I got the ClockworkPi PicoCalc finding primes that are palindromes. Back off, man, I’m a scientist ;-)

https://vimeo.com/1074462631?share=copy#t=0

The Commodore 64 took slightly longer.

Long Books

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 19:07:09 +0000

AI will make reading long books and writing more important, not less.

Math is crazy

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 18:47:26 +0000

Sometimes the math of really large numbers is difficult to understand.

Take a deck of 52 cards and give it a good shuffle. That order is almost certainly unique—no deck in history has likely ever matched it exactly. Why? There are about 80 unvigintillion (8 followed by 67 zeros) possible ways to arrange those cards, a number so huge it dwarfs the estimated 200 sextillion stars (2 followed by 23 zeros) in the observable universe by trillions upon trillions of times. Math is wild!

Haven’t used my Apple IIe in a bit. This game is still pretty great.

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 18:37:07 +0000

Our charter captain loves his job

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 09:12:16 +0000

This was his level of enthusiasm the whole day. Great guy.

https://vimeo.com/1073928974?share=copy#t=0

Reflections

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 08:05:33 +0000

I put these albums up in my office and then realized that you can see the reflection of my dual monitors behind me in video calls. So, I either need to anti-reflect them or move them. Anyway, happy Friday. Get out there and make cool stuff!

Make Album Covers Great Again.

Tell me you're an old-school computer peep without telling me you are. I'll go first.

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 10:29:38 +0000

Beyond our screens

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 18:32:16 +0000

In the world beyond our screens, life pulses with a vibrancy and depth that digital realms can only mimic. Experiences here are richer, with colors more vivid and moments more meaningful when savored privately rather than shared online. Nature surrounds us patiently—trees swaying gently, rocks standing firm, and streams flowing steadily—calling us to step away from our glowing devices and immerse ourselves in the authentic symphony of existence. This real world offers a fullness that technology cannot replicate, inviting us to reconnect with the life around us.

Hump Day PicoCalc fun: Some "high energy" bouncing balls. You can add or remove them with A or R

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 07:46:35 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1071758135?share=copy#t=0

PicoCalc Primes

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 09:25:49 +0000

Today’s PicoCalc fun: Finding and printing all primes from 0 to 2^16. Because of memory constraints, I had to do it in 15000 integer chunks, but it’s pretty fast. The print to console takes longer than the rest of the program. Pretty fun. I think maybe we’ll race a Commodore next.

https://vimeo.com/1071408598?share=copy#t=0

Okay, the Commodore took slightly longer…

Starting the week by adding a device to my "10PRINT on all the things" list. Happy Monday!

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 08:05:27 +0000

https://vimeo.com/1071011272?share=copy#t=0

The Myth of "Nothing to Hide": Why Privacy Matters for Everyone

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 08:36:11 +0000

“I have nothing to hide.” It’s a common refrain, tossed out casually when someone questions why phone privacy—or any privacy—matters. On the surface, it sounds reasonable: if you’re not breaking laws or plotting mischief, why care who’s peeking at your data? But this argument crumbles under scrutiny. Privacy isn’t about concealing guilt; it’s about protecting your autonomy, dignity, and future in a world where information is power. Even the most innocent among us have plenty of reasons to guard their digital lives.

Is it net positive? I'm actually asking.

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 10:17:33 +0000

Is it net positive? Sometimes, I wonder if my phone is also a net positive in my life too.

IF

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 08:33:51 +0000

After all these years, this is easily my favorite poem. You’ve seen it; I’m just reminding myself.

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

I'm tired of the privilege of apathy argument

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 12:42:43 +0000

Recently, I’ve noticed this and similar images spreading across the internet. Our growing reliance on video shorts and memes to explain complex issues is disheartening.

I have some problems with this approach…

First, the “privilege of apathy” oversimplifies why someone might disengage from political discourse. It assumes that a lack of engagement stems solely from a position of privilege, ignoring the complexity of individual circumstances. For example, someone might avoid political posts not because they don’t care but because they’re overwhelmed by mental health struggles, financial stress, or personal crises. Labeling this disengagement as “apathy” dismisses these valid reasons and reduces a nuanced issue to a moral failing.

Opening day of baseball

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:06:13 +0000

Today, March 27, 2025, marks the opening day of the MLB season. I love the sound of baseball games filling the summer air.

Last week, my friend Stan shared a story with me about his friendship with Gaylord Perry, the Cy Young winner for the 1972 Cleveland Indians. He told me about a lunch they once had together, where Stan brought up a memory from his childhood. As a young boy, he’d been in the right field stands for the 1972 All-Star Game, and one moment from that day stuck with him vividly.

That sweet, sweet sound.

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 07:25:53 +0000

I’m working on a couple of Hayes 2400 bps modems, one repaired and one “modern” upgraded. Turn the sound up on this one.

That sweet, sweet sound…

PicoCalc arrived today.

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 13:39:30 +0000

It boots directly into BASIC, so naturally, the first thing I did was a 10PRINT.

You can learn anything in 45 minutes now

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 07:26:40 +0000

Sorta.

Happy Spring!

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 07:19:06 +0000

Game of life

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 11:32:17 +0000

A little Thursday lunch break fun… I was reading a great (long) article by Stephen Wolfram last night on 50 years of Conway’s Game of Life. I decided to dust off some of my attempts at making an implementation I’m proud of and took a crack at an ncurses version in C.

First 15 seconds: Random
Next 15 seconds: Glider
Following 15 seconds: Glider Gun

I’m happy with the way this came out.

Magic

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 17:47:46 +0000

New magic trick in our house: we freeze dry salsa, grind it into a powder and use it as surf and turf seasoning.

Finally, I found a working 16C at a reasonable price.

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 12:28:41 +0000

Need to give back

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 08:22:00 +0000

Gimp 3.0… loving it. I need to pick an open-source project or two to contribute to.

Left handed mouse

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 08:05:55 +0000

I’m right-handed, but I have used a mouse with my left hand for three decades (it drives people who use my desk crazy, which is fun). I just stumbled upon the Logitec Lift mouse, and they also make a left-handed version. Pretty great.

Without that AI switch flipped, it’s just vibes and no substance—might as well call it 'air guitar programming'.

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 11:07:09 +0000

Quiet heros

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 10:26:11 +0000

I want to give a shout-out to the line techs at French Broad Electric Membership Corporation. Two-hour power line fixes at 2am on a Sunday morning during thunderstorms is incredible.

Like .338 Lapua has recoil. Pfft.

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 19:54:08 +0000

1988 wish list

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 13:56:38 +0000

It’s Christmas 1988 and the Tower Hobbies catalog just arrived. What are you putting on your wish list?

I’m going Ultima.

Happy Pi Day from one of my VIC-20s!

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 10:08:08 +0000

In case the speed and accuracy bothers you, here’s 2^32 points in Go…

Rawdog it

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 09:30:56 +0000

You don’t have to pay attention to “what’s going on” for as long as you want. With few exceptions, quitting the news will not affect anything. AT ALL.

Other than the fact that you’ll not be filling your brain with “the news.” Whatever that even is.

The 3+ Penultimate "Turbo" arrived yesterday.

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 09:54:28 +0000

I’ve now purchased EVERY iteration of this cart.

Characters who drink

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 07:29:31 +0000

When your protagonist feels compelled to have a drink, it reveals weakness rather than strength.

Portraying a character’s flaws can be powerful, but their need for a drink isn’t what makes them compelling or admirable.

Almost perfect mobile setup

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 11:07:11 +0000

With a cheap @Starlink mini and a standard drill battery, and I can literally work from anywhere. I bought this during Helene (I live in the Asheville area) and it has become a standard part of my equipment setup. Almost flawless.

Dreams

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 08:11:03 +0000

In case anyone was wondering, my “tell” to know when I’m in a dream is that my gun trigger doesn’t work.

I used to love flying

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 12:58:20 +0000

My favorite description of modern airports is “creeping totalitarianism.”

Sums it up perfectly.

Austin

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 09:33:55 +0000

I just got a Facebook message that we were in Austin speaking at SXSW 13 years ago today. Kind of weird because I happen to be in Austin this week, but not for SXSW.

Angry eyes

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 16:32:19 +0000

Did you know you don’t have to be angry about whatever the latest thing is?

I've written thousands of words about how I feel about "AI," and someone has nailed it with a short sentence. Sigh.

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:02:00 +0000

I want people to learn first principles, tell PERSONAL stories, and to build interesting stuff.

Shortcuts work, but you end up with microwave quality meals…

Bets on how this is going to fare with American Airlines baggage handlers this week?

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 19:12:46 +0000

It didn’t need the f bomb, but this is something to really think about.

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 09:07:01 +0000

So I figured out what happened with the Epstein list.

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 16:48:48 +0000

Ahh, that's better—no AI in sight.

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 10:29:19 +0000

When you must dive deep into a subject, a book is still the best format

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 08:26:15 +0000

Introextovert

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 09:18:05 +0000

The introvert/extrovert box we put people in is not binary. Most people are on a scale from one to ten.

I’m somewhere in the middle.

Large groups and small talk drain me.

Small groups of people energize me.

The smaller the group, the better. I’d clear my calendar for a long, unhurried meal (or project or trip or hike or…) one-on-one.

Amazon, shame shame

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 18:44:50 +0000

I have… a lot of books on Kindle from the last however many years. But the total number at the moment is something else, isn’t it?

This is gonna take a while…

This is new in the wrapper, but we must open it, right?

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:26:26 +0000

It does have 1984 air inside it, though.

Plus, an Atari floppy.

Saturday thoughts...

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:44:40 +0000

The BEST iPad model is the MacBook Air, and it’s not even close. I’ll die on this hill.

They’re sorry Steve Jobs. Or at least we wish they were.

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:13:06 +0000

The $300 Apple Magic Keyboard that doesn’t lay flat so you can use your iPad in portrait mode (arguably the best mode for this device) is a crazy design decision. I hate everything about using this device.

The folio keyboard was a much better solution for an admittedly awkward problem.

I feel pretty prepared for that part in Battlestar Galactica where only the non networked (no AI) systems survived. Plus it just looks cool.

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:07:29 +0000

Journal entry this morning. Sheesh I had a lot to get out

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 11:08:01 +0000

Artificial

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 08:19:22 +0000

If we are going to insist on calling it Artificial Intelligence, we should abbreviate it as “Ai” to maintain the correct emphasis.

Buying this book has saved me from another multi-thousand-dollar hobby.

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:24:23 +0000

I can reminisce in full color without having to buy every one of these sets.

Behold: the best computer book cover of all time

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 14:38:22 +0000

So much to unpack here.

I’ve been trying to get a physical copy of this book for a long time, and it’s finally arrived.

What are they wearing and why? They are standing on keyboard keys. Why does he have a helmet on and she doesn’t? Isn’t that other planet too close? What are the spotlights doing?

I could go on and on. It’s soooo bad that it’s good.

Theme for the week

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:04:12 +0000

Learn as you do. Don’t learn, learn, learn, and never get to the doing part.

Make face to face great again

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:02:33 +0000

This is also why communication in person (or at least via voice) over online often creates better connections. Make face-to-face great again.

I love this new AI trend

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 10:37:58 +0000

The more people who have no idea how anything works and are too lazy to do much of anything, the more opportunities there are for those of us willing to do the hard work it takes to do anything meaningful.

Set up a Wyze camera on the freeze dryer so we don’t have to keep checking in it.

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 20:36:34 +0000

Preparing for American Airlines to have my rifle… how much foam is too much foam :)

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 16:37:29 +0000

I picked up a Boox Go Color 7. The color ePaper looks pretty great IRL.

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 13:52:13 +0000

Maybe social media will die, finally

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 12:49:44 +0000

“Engagement” has dropped to effectively zero on all of my social media apps. This is a GREAT thing for the rest of my life.

Deepseek-r1 on my laptop w/ GeForce RTX 3060

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 08:56:29 +0000

140 tokens per second is not too bad.

I asked the 7b model to solve the 100-door problem in Python. It came up with a pretty good solution (not as cool as in BASIC, but it’s an AI, so…)

Then I asked it to convert to Commodore BASIC. It said, “I don’t know much about Commodore BASIC, so I’ll have to think about this,” and then came up with this (pretty impressive):

The perfect camping setup doesn’t exi… ohhhhh

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 18:59:30 +0000

We forgot to ask if we should

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 08:31:00 +0000

https://simonwillison.net/2025/Feb/2/anthropic/

Had this thing for 20 years. It’s still my best distraction free writing tool.

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 09:26:54 +0000

Practically perfect (could use a backlight but I manage).

Avoidable air disaster

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 08:33:05 +0000

I’ve been a pilot for a long time. The “maintain visual separation” instruction at night has always seemed like a crazy thing to me.

My go-to "this meeting should have been an email" is this game

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 14:03:01 +0000

The 8BitDo controller works great on a Mac with the Redream emulator.

A random find in my basement

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 12:45:13 +0000

Unopened Windows 3. It’s still wrapped in plastic. Does this mean there’s 1992 air inside?

The complete series is only 29 hours in total, but it is worth every minute.

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 15:32:23 +0000

Again

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 09:16:26 +0000

It has been 0 days since I washed my AirPods in the laundry. Sigh.

AI chess

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 12:30:15 +0000

I’ve been trying to articulate how I feel about “AI”. My current status:

Computer chess has been good enough to be challenging to me since the 90s. I’d still pick playing a human in person over a machine 10000:1.

I will not have time to assemble this today, but my PAL-II arrived. Serial number 2. Woot!

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 15:34:17 +0000

Gyms

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 17:03:39 +0000

If there’s a market for a women only gym, surely there’s a market for over 25 and no recording gyms right? Asking for a friend.

Devices as babysitters. A bad idea since 1981.

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 15:59:49 +0000

These paper apps are my new favorite thing. And a D6 pencil, brilliant!

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 11:22:14 +0000

It would be cool if they made it in Commodore beige, but red will do :)

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:32:56 +0000

Surprisingly, this vintage Apple Intelligence is more interesting and useful than 2025 Apple Intelligence.

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 12:47:16 +0000

My high risk court record

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 09:36:56 +0000

Experian just sent me an alert about a “Court record associated with my identity,” and it’s “high risk.”

So, I logged in to the credit alert system.

It’s a speeding ticket from 1994 in Illinois.

Gee, thanks, Experian.

Friday Go Fun

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 09:25:52 +0000

Since I’m still on a “10 PRINT and 100 Doors on all the things” kick, here’s my 100 Doors in Go. This delay setting gives it a pleasing visual pace.

Winter office work

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 15:46:07 +0000

Testing out new monitor arrangements. I think this is the one. Now to tidy everything back up, which is the less fun part ;-)

Learning Lua ADHD Moment

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 09:34:28 +0000

In today’s episode of stupid races between computer things:

I have been using Lua lately because of my Neovim setup and with PICO-8. Then I had an ADHD moment and made a ridiculous speed comparison instead of doing actual work.

Thanks to the internet, you’re now looking at this instead of what you’re supposed to be doing.

Checking in

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 10:10:21 +0000

How many people have checked in on you in the last week? I’m usually the one checking in on others. Be the change you want to see.

This sort of thing bothers me. We’ve put so much weight into online interactions, but the platforms have made it so little effort that that’s precisely what you get. Little effort = little value in the interaction.

Pirates

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 09:52:57 +0000

My TrimUI Brick came with an SD card. It has a whopping 24983 ROMs on it. There’s zero chance that a bunch of these (maybe most) have copyright issues with people doing this sort of thing, right?

Make wired headphones great again! (Also, happy Monday!)

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 09:48:11 +0000

A game with calculators... yes please

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 10:02:40 +0000

This weekend, we’re playing a multi-evening game of Cashflow. Calculators are handy when finances become more involved. Interestingly, the three of us have different calculator preferences.

My wife likes the large keyboard numpad style (muscle memory), and my son has spent a bazillion hours on a TI-84.

I don’t know how to use a non-RPN calculator, so my choice is obvious.

10print on the PICO-8

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 19:59:24 +0000

My 10PRINT on the PICO-8 is slightly longer than one line since you have to implement the screen scroll yourself. But it’s pretty satisfying.

#10print on all the things

Day 9 of carnivore January: I have to remind myself to eat.

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 17:58:01 +0000

This is more like a 10-course meal than a light read, but I will try and get through it in January

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 14:26:23 +0000

Listening

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 09:57:54 +0000

I’m getting good at being able to tell when people are listening but not listening.

The barber shop

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 14:17:36 +0000

I live in a small town in the North Carolina mountains and go to a real “barber shop.” It’s a lot of good ol boys with deep southern accents (my accent is Midwest, so I stick out).

Most days, there’s a lot of talk about the old days when Mr so and so redirected a creek to float logs down it. Or when Old Highway so and so ran through a town before the interstate. Etc.

That's a lot of data

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:01:01 +0000

Putting four 16 Terabyte drives in a NAS. Here’s a double-sided, double-density 5.25 floppy disk for scale.

My back-of-the-napkin math says you can fit 95 million of these floppies on these four drives. If stacked on top of each other (they are roughly 2mm), they’d be 120 miles (190ish Km) tall.

If this doesn’t blow your mind…

work playlist for the week

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:28:31 +0000

Kinda late to the party, but this is my first time using PICO-8.

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:21:14 +0000

I do like Lua a lot, so this could be fun. Happy Monday!

Kinda neato. "The Probability Broach" also has a graphic novel.

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 09:43:36 +0000

Time to do some CAD work.

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 18:32:26 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/uFNQj3Ve?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

The VIC project

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 08:34:45 +0000

This TI 99 product makes me want to try porting my FPGA VIC chip replacement to an RP2040 just to see if I can make the end result this compact and affordable.

So so so much potential. But he couldn’t keep his politics out of it. What a shame.

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 10:05:28 +0000

Been waiting for this to arrive since the summer. Looks fantastic.

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 18:46:03 +0000

Urg, coal in the stocking. I’ve got to be better next year

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 15:30:54 +0000

I always wanted a one-handed watch. She found me one with a cool 80s vibe.

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:14:46 +0000

I was too cool for school when my Mom offered me piano lessons as a kid. No time like the present.

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:14:29 +0000

2025 music

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:03:33 +0000

One of my 2025 changes is to go back to a hand curated and self hosted music collection. This iPod like player is my first step in this process.

The best feature is that it can’t access the Internet.

Naturally I started with my favorite album of recent years by @lukhash

Strangers

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:11:09 +0000

Arguing with strangers on the internet is entertainment, not activism. I’ll die on this hill.

Also, go for a walk and call your mom.

Merry Christmas! I finished Advent of Code for the 6th year in a row ;-)

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 11:41:39 +0000

Christmas songs

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 09:02:48 +0000

It’s a little-known fact that not a single Christmas song or cover has been recorded or released since 1983.

VICs Revenge

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 08:15:26 +0000

I’m off for the rest of the year. Picking up a little on this project… it’s getting complicated. Verilog… I love/hate you.

I forgot I picked this up a few months ago

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 13:42:13 +0000

The RP2350 XL has 48 usable GPIO pins that could interface with just about any 8-bit computer with a little level shifting.

What to build… what to build…

I just submitted my #VCCC2024 Entry

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 09:38:40 +0000

Developed 100% on “real” hardware.

I concentrated on having fun with this one, which is the point.

Drone practice seems prudent this week…

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 09:07:37 +0000

The Commodore port of this is pretty decent, not as good as the NES, but it’s very playable

I didn't want a minivan until now...

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 08:55:01 +0000

In the 70’s AMC made a concept minivan and it’s everything you ever wanted.

AI... sigh

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 08:25:55 +0000

I am looking forward to your thoughtful, AI-generated personal letters and correspondence.

Christmas Trolley

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 20:00:22 +0000

We decided in January to collaborate on a train in the kitchen.

Everyone has four trains running at Christmas. Right? Right!!?

A trolley made the most sense for the space above the kitchen cabinets since there was no room for a train to turn around. A nod to Mr. Rogers is ALWAYS appropriate in my book, so we went with red.

I did the engineering, train reverser, and the bridge. She handmade most of the rest.

Day off shenanigans

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 09:51:51 +0000

Off of my day job today. I’m going to see if I can get through this book.

OffGlobe

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 08:48:12 +0000

I own a couple of short domains (so rare these days). I decided to start doing something with one of them: nothing to see yet, but an easy-to-read 8-letter dot com seems quite a thing to let sit idle ;-)

https://offglobe.com

I am success!

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 19:35:30 +0000

I finally sorted out my entry for #VCCC2024 in Assembly. The rules say we can’t reveal how small I managed to do it (not that small), but I’m pretty happy with my approach. #commodore #c64

Just think, you could be getting into the Holiday spirit with the soft glow of a restored PET 2001 from 1979...

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 18:52:17 +0000

Arg, I hate seeing a dead SID. At least I have 50-year spares on hand.

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 12:54:45 +0000

Lazy programming...

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:07:18 +0000

I’m working on a new app in Rails (It’s been a while). I’ve been on Django for the last few years. I forgot that Ruby doesn’t type-convert integer division.

I know this is lazy programming, but it took me an hour to realize what I had done.

In my defense… this is how I learned starting at 6 years old.

ALL computer (and recipe) books should be spiral-bound

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 08:43:12 +0000

If officially the Christmas season in my house when Karen Carpenter is singing.

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 15:43:11 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/So3rhZ7F?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Happy Friday!

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 07:50:20 +0000

The Kawarii...

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 19:54:52 +0000

I was just like, “Hey, the video output on this breadbin is really good, I wonder what… oh, right.”

I forgot I put that in this one. I wonder what I did with the perfectly function VIC-II I took out of it…

Well, hello, old friend.

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:19:21 +0000

I’m starting to worry about the future of Django. It feels stuck in 2013.

I’m not one to chase the new and shiny, but I’m going to try an app in Rails this month. Out of all of my projects over the years, I’ve shipped the most in Rails.

It's been a while this year since I did any Assembly programming on a C64. I almost forgot just how much I love developing on-hardware.

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 12:43:33 +0000

Keyboard shopping

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 10:00:17 +0000

I love this keyboard with one glaring exception: the ~ and ` keys are accessed with the Fn key. If you use Vim a lot, this is a problem. So, I’m keyboard shopping.

I regret using Hugo

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 20:44:32 +0000

I just want to write… instead, I’m dealing with deprecations on a theme… sigh

VCCC 2024

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 20:43:06 +0000

Okay, my #vccc2024 machine of choice is my PET 2001. I’m already making progress. One rule is that you can’t show the code until it’s over. So all I can do is show the shape drawn without getting in trouble ;-) No way to capture on my PET (is there an easy way?) so reflections on the CRT are the way for now ;-)

Curating music

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 13:28:26 +0000

I’ve decided to start manually curating my own music collection(buh-bye streaming). I wonder if I have a charging cable for this to use until I can build my own stand-alone music player.

I am still working on this PET 2001-8N board. Both 6520s are bad. That's unfortunate.

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 08:24:13 +0000

On today's episode of "Stupid Races Between Old Computery Things," the Radio Shack PC-4 (1983) and the TI-74 (1986) are competing

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 09:17:57 +0000

Both will run the same 10,000 loop addition in BASIC.

The 74 is quite a bit faster, which isn’t surprising. It’s still fun, even if it’s stupid ;-)

I can't say enough good things about this book—easily in the top five favorite books I've read in 2024.

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 08:25:44 +0000

10PRINT on the TI-74

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 17:25:13 +0000

Here’s my shot at #10print on the TI-74. It has the ASCII table, but curiously, character 92, usually the backslash, is the Yen symbol on this device, so I used other characters. It’s my continuation of my “10print on all the things” quest. This is essentially

@8bitshowandtell ‘s fault. This device is curious. It’s large, has 8k of RAM, and has an excellent BASIC implementation. But its one-line, 31-character-wide display is very limiting.

One's compliment head scratcher

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 15:07:22 +0000

I have several “Programmer” calculators. This TI LCD Programmer puts one’s compliment as a main key. In 1982, why is two’s compliment a shifted key? To me, it seems like they should be swapped around.

I also have the older LED version of this calculator (which actually works better) and it has the same key layout.

It's supposed to snow tonight. Does someone want to let our tomato plants (and marigolds) know? They are both still flowering...

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 11:36:56 +0000

Fighting what?

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 15:50:59 +0000

My physical copy of Uridium for the Commodore 64/128 is the “British Edition.” Pretty sure this means you have to fight flying double-decker buses instead of aliens.

I think most of you know that I adore Advent of Code.Tuesday timeline cleanse: Sure, you've seen "The Last Starfighter," but have you seen it on LaserDisc?

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 08:27:44 +0000

What might have been

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 14:26:49 +0000

In @8BitShowAndTell ’s latest video he mentions that an Atari game was supposed to be “The Last Starfighter” but was rebranded “Star Raiders II”. I happen to have an unreleased version of the Starfighter version. I have no idea if this is the “official” unreleased ROM. It’s neat either way to think about what might have been.

Peak handheld. I used the one on the right every day for years (they both still work).

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 19:22:24 +0000

Who or what

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 08:21:49 +0000

Focus on who you want to be, not just what you want to be. They’re not the same.

I love the Maze Algorithm from Compute! in 1981. For fun, here it is using pygame on a modern computer. Happy Tuesday!

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 08:21:00 +0000

Veteran's Day

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 10:03:02 +0000

My time in the Navy was unremarkable. I managed to serve exactly bookended between two wars (complete coincidence). On the other hand, my grandfather spent much of WWII in New Guinea. A couple of years ago, I found a company still making 38th bomb group patches and added one to my flight jacket. My hat is off to all who have served to defend this great nation of ours.

An Int Button

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 08:35:39 +0000

A little help? I’m looking for calculators like my TI-58C with a dedicated Integer (Int) button. Trying to make a list of every model I can find ;-) Happy Monday!

Books are just better

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 08:00:12 +0000

Books are superior to shows and movies because you don’t have to make character and story decisions based on contract negotiations with actors.

Just give it a try

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 09:25:23 +0000

I’ll take heart over talent every time.

It's always a fun game to take the Commodore Plus/4 out to see if it still boots. Yep, still ticking...

Sat, 09 Nov 2024 19:55:54 +0000

Flight planning like it's 1976

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 21:04:19 +0000

I’ve used ForeFlight on an iPad Mini for all my flight planning for years. BUT, did you know that in 1976, Commodore had one of the first handheld digital flight computers? Mine still works, and it’s battery-powered. Never know when you need a backup ;-)

Good thing I opened this up. This battery from 48 years ago doesn’t look so good…

TI-58C Fault

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 08:44:13 +0000

My TI-58C has developed a really common hardware fault where it can’t clear program memory. Now to see if I can find a replacement chip that hasn’t been made in 40 years. Happy Wednesday!

My first direct node-to-node Meshtastic message... I couldn't resist ;-) Happy Monday, and keep it Commodore!

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 08:47:25 +0000

Trolley reverser

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 19:31:48 +0000

Sunday timeline cleanse. Christmas trolly reverser is working great. Infrared sensors at each end tell it to slow down and reverse directions. Now to lay the track and bridge across the kitchen cabinets.

https://videopress.com/v/OWmVMhoV?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

How important is it to win?

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 06:54:35 +0000

The worst outcome is winning the argument and losing the person.

Meshtastic nodes are multiplying around here

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 12:12:18 +0000

Book club is more than that

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 14:34:30 +0000

Our little book club is branching out to more than just book topics. I can’t overstate how cool it is to have a handful of people engaged in long-form, unhurried, and anti-ephemeral discussions about things we’re interested in.

Today's Timeline Cleanse

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 12:16:18 +0000

My implementation of RC4 converted to a stack of virtual punch cards and then loaded and run.

It’s a weird and fun Frankenstein-type connection to punchcard programming/computing.

WAY better than whatever you’re arguing about on the internet today ;-)

I've struggled to articulate the part of "AI" I'm afraid of

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 11:34:14 +0000

This guy nails it (responding to the new Apple AI ads):

“In one a schlub writes an email to his boss and uses AI to make it sound ‘more professional’, in another a young woman uses it to lie about remembering an acquaintance’s name. In another the same young woman again uses it to lie about reading an email from a college, to her face, while she’s sitting with her. In yet another, linked to recently by Scott McNulty, a woman uses AI to lie to her husband about getting him something for his birthday.”

Today's timeline cleanse:

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 19:08:00 +0000

Commodore US*3 and 776M side by side with AirPods for size comparison. Still running great after more than 50 years. (Both are older than I am).

Monster Mash

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 13:17:48 +0000

One of my earliest memories is of dragging my mono tape recorder to my next-door neighbor’s house to dub her copy of Monster Mash.

45 years later, I got my own copy of the 45 record.

This is the way

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 09:17:01 +0000

Elvira

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 07:53:42 +0000

Halloween week, so here’s my timeline cleanse. The cover art was fun, but the gameplay on Elvira… meh. Happy Monday!

Just arrived from China. I wonder if any of them work or are real.

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 14:28:35 +0000

Seems like an appropriate weekend for Mansions of Madness. Has anyone ever won this game ;)

Sat, 26 Oct 2024 20:33:32 +0000

Friday timeline cleanse

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 09:51:02 +0000

This calculator has been on my desk this month. It’s quite pleasant to use for a very simple device. Plus, it looks fantastic. Happy Friday!

My Wednesday controversial position

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 10:29:30 +0000

I prefer 2010 to 2001. Both are great, but I have rewatched 2010 probably 10 to 1 over 2001.

Every once in a while, I can trick my iPhone into taking video of the screen on this PET in a way that we can see it ;-)

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 13:51:01 +0000

This is my entire Starlink set up out in the field. Powered by a DeWalt battery and sitting on the cover of my truck bed. Works great.

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 19:07:49 +0000

This week is gonna be a dive into Meshtastic. This T-Deck has a great BlackBerry vibe.

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 19:00:01 +0000

Parents not needed

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 11:48:13 +0000

My favorite scene from E.T. is when the kids are trick or treating. There is not a single parent in sight.

This is the way.

Apple makes crazy good laptops

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 08:36:05 +0000

Apple laptops with the M1-3 series Atom processors are CRAZY better than anything else on the market.

I wish it were close, but it’s not.

I love Peggy's books so much!

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 08:09:01 +0000

Well, if it won't be a neat project, then at least it's not well-documented. Happy Friday!

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 07:28:36 +0000

AI Bias

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 10:34:01 +0000

I had to type this in at a prompt for two different chats today. Maybe I should make it a default.

Gotta give Starlink some props here

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 08:38:16 +0000

Leg press

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 16:12:15 +0000

My leg press last set today was 585 pounds at 7 reps. Not bad for 49.

Content is...

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 10:01:35 +0000

Do cool stuff, and write or make a video about it.

Don’t do cool stuff TO make a post or video about it.

Creator and content creator are not the same thing.

Well that's not ideal

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 09:22:10 +0000

There are many ways to react to this kind of “setback.” I’m choosing, “Well, I guess I get to learn more about how this thing works.” Happy Monday!

Top 10 NES games

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 12:27:06 +0000

We are doing Iwata in the book club this month. What are your top 10 NES games?

Here’s my attempt at a top 10:
1 Super Mario Brothers
2 Duck Hunt
3 RC Pro Am
4 Contra
5 Castlevania
6 Mega Man 2
7 Techmo Bowl
8 Zelda
9 Punch Out
10 Duck Tales

Starlink week one

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 16:51:20 +0000

Starlink mini is iffy for voice calls on our property. Working great for everything else. Don’t have a complete sky view anywhere between the mountain on one side and trees on the other. It’s on my fiberglass telescoping radio mast, so I suppose we could try and get it up at least twice as high.

Super useful device and we’re lucky to have one. Our home internet still doesn’t even have an estimated repair date. Kinda fun to play with to eek more performance out of it.

With great power comes great responsibility.

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 16:23:35 +0000

This is what I call a great set of bedtime stories.

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 16:22:11 +0000

Random radios

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 09:37:32 +0000

Anyone else find random radios in their stuff? No, just me?

Oh look, a Yaesu-19000…

The Starlink Mini hardware is one of the most elegant designs ever created

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 08:56:02 +0000

This is peak computing.

https://vimeo.com/1017523810?share=copy#t=0

Tuesday thought

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 07:25:19 +0000

I wonder if iOS and Android users will ever be able to text each other reliably.

Starlink for the win

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 08:35:42 +0000

I called Spectrum, and there is still no update on our internet repair. Thanks to Heline, it’s been down for ten days. I don’t know how Western NC would have been able to coordinate anything without @Starlink this last week and a half—something to seriously think about going forward.

The first responders here have Starlink minis in their cars. Brilliant.

Every time I assemble this antenna, I’m surprised that all the pieces are in the case. Good job, self.

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 15:31:00 +0000

Behold! The undisputed champions of "I need to flush out this idea."

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:46:20 +0000

I've been looking forward to this one for a while.

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 12:42:27 +0000

What do you think we should make first?

It just occurred to me that it's officially fall.

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 14:35:28 +0000

I am starting my favorite season with my second favorite fiction book.

Reframe your relationship with your phone

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 08:23:50 +0000

Whenever you reach for your phone, think of it as a “thought deletion device.”

This has been an excellent method for me. It has some wonderful uses, but it requires some discipline. Reframing it as “potential junk food” changes my relationship with the device for the better.

Bridge is finished and got a coat of paint. Really happy with how this turned out.

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 15:27:44 +0000

Be kind. Rewind.

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 14:19:12 +0000

I paid two whole bucks for it.

Greeted at the door

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:51:41 +0000

I have this vivid memory from when I was about 20. I was just getting over a failed engagement (I probably dodged a bullet on that one) and hanging out with some friends, talking about the future, relationships, etc.

My friend, who we’ll call Brenda, said, “You seem like the kind of guy who wants to walk in the door, newspaper tucked under your arm, and on setting down your briefcase, gets attacked by the kids at the door. After you thoroughly rile them up, you get attacked by your loving wife.”

Analog E6B

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:02:19 +0000

It’s been a decade since I flew with an analog E6B, but I can’t bring myself to get rid of it. There is value in being able to easily visualize how things are related to each other in a way that digital can’t do.

Number pad

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 06:46:19 +0000

Floppy drive quit working on this guy, so I get to have some fun with that. I know what you are thinking: why don’t all laptops have a number pad under your right palm? Makes for very comfortable typing.

“Have you seen that Shogun TV series? Seems up your alley.”

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 16:01:15 +0000

Well, sorta.

Graduated from boot camp 31 years ago today. It seems like both longer and shorter than that

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 08:01:04 +0000

Pico2 is working out great.

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 21:10:55 +0000

Not the answer

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 16:19:08 +0000

If you had just one more tool or if AI was just a little bit better, then maybe you’d finally get some meaningful work done.

I've been ruminating on a couple of things I used to spend a lot of time talking about

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 08:57:19 +0000

One is a talk I gave probably two dozen times more than ten years ago. It’s time to modernize this one and start talking about it again.

The new iOS weather app uses strange precipitation colors. I thought it was gonna snow looking at this.

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 17:19:33 +0000

Monday thought

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 12:10:47 +0000

We should start treating surveillance like malware

We’re doing a Christmas themed trolly over our kitchen cabinets this year.

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 18:26:31 +0000

She’s doing the gingerbread houses and I’m doing the train. Need to span a 42”(107cm) section over the window. Now that I’m building the bridge I’m realizing how big that span is. To scale (HO) this would be about 305 feet (93 m). Coming together nicely so far.

Dragon Curves to cleanse your timeline

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 07:20:38 +0000

Commodore 64 Logo

https://vimeo.com/1007686140?share=copy#t=0

UCBLogo

https://vimeo.com/1009143155?share=copy#t=0

Python Turtle

https://vimeo.com/1009143341?share=copy#t=0

Interactive Fiction

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 09:34:46 +0000

Despite being the right age for it, I was never super into interactive fiction.

Now that we’re covering it extensively in our book club, I’m making maps are enjoying them a lot. The one I am playing through again is a “modern” one called Hibernated.

Natually, I’m playing it on an 8-bit

As a fiction reader, I am a character-over-plot person. And these games are plot-heavy.

I feel like I’m “supposed” to love these games. In practice… not so much.

New workout plan

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 09:29:02 +0000

I switched to lifting very heavy weights about a month ago. Now I need to buy new shirts.

Egon’s PC-4

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 08:34:16 +0000

I’m sure I’m late to the party on this one…

When Dana is watching the low budget TV Commercial spot of the Ghostbusters, I just noticed Egon’s pocket computer. It’s hard to make out exactly which model but it looks an awful lot like my PC-4.

If my calculations are correct, I’ll need four of these per computer.

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 15:18:46 +0000

Apple is over there like “pretty sure you only need two ports”.

Right…

A little Saturday timeline cleanse.

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 09:22:17 +0000

Twoooo dolllaaarrss. I want my twoooo dollllaaarssss.

Well, they took long enough that I wish I had ordered 10, but 3 will do for today.

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 18:41:02 +0000

Short week ahead. Cleaning the timeline from the beginning with Defender on the C64.

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 07:23:50 +0000

Did an 8 mile section of the AT today with my favorite person. 1200 foot elevation gain so not too difficult.

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 15:20:28 +0000

This month's book club main topic is a fun one

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 06:47:50 +0000

Replaced our old workhorse espresso machine this week after the water pump died (RIP)

Sat, 31 Aug 2024 07:59:33 +0000

The new one is fantastic, but boy those LEDs are bright before dawn. Happy Saturday!

Friday morning timeline cleanse.

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 07:11:58 +0000

The Centipede port to the VIC-20 is quite playable. It’s impressive software, especially considering it runs on this computer without hardware sprites and in 5K of RAM.

So impressed

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 07:16:44 +0000

The update/upgrade process of @discourse is just so slick. It’s one click for both docker and the software itself. I continue to be impressed by this team.

I live and breathe the command line, but my hat is off to the people who maintain this product.

I have no idea where the case and cover are, but this is my original from 1982. It still plays pretty well.

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 08:44:17 +0000

Just picked this one up. Pretty good.

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 18:29:31 +0000

Mirrors

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 15:15:56 +0000

This Pico breakout board mirrors every pin. One side is my I/O connections and I’ve got the mirrors connected to my logic analyzer. Kinda great.

Books I'm looking at

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 12:58:41 +0000

Two I’m currently contemplating buying:

Not for the Go part, but because all of the rest of the components are those I want to start building with again.

From 2012 to 1018, I was the Product Designer and Chief architect at a company that made projects for people with special needs who were just short of being able to live independently.

It was very satisfying work, worthy of my full attention and I’d like to return to that mindset.

Book club

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 08:55:21 +0000

I’m looking for a new “vintage”-themed book for the book club in September, but there are other categories, including modern tech, fiction, etc. If you are interested in joining, please drop me a note.

Finally

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 14:17:40 +0000

I beat level 4 of Sargon II on the VIC-20 (as black). My 9-year-old self would have been thrilled.

It’s interesting just how long the computer takes to move mid-game. It sometimes sits and thinks for many minutes. I tried it on level six; moves sometimes take more than an hour. Level four was about the limit of my patience.

Finally, a chess engine I might be able to beat. Happy Tuesday!

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 10:11:41 +0000

Shorthand fail

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 06:14:49 +0000

I just started writing notes on our modern obsession with efficiency.

I wrote “with” in shorthand because it’s… efficient. Sigh.

There’s always time to go back to first principles.

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 08:08:54 +0000

PIO Fun

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 07:00:02 +0000

This morning’s “learn something every day” before breakfast edition: Implemented a 16-bit address and 8-bit data decoder using PIO on the Pico. It’s pretty straightforward, and needing to get back into C for my day job helped grease the skids a little. Also… that’s a lot of wires. Happy Friday!

The zone

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 10:03:37 +0000

When I need to put my head down and get into the zone, the soundtrack often looks something like this.

Deep thought wednesday

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 09:32:41 +0000

I have 8 or 9 VIC-20s. How many would it take to be considered a VIC-20 cluster, and what method would we use to connect them together?

Our latest five book club topics make me smile.

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 09:14:48 +0000

More skills work

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 08:08:30 +0000

The Pi debug probe is a super helpful tool. Buffing out the rust on my Pico coding skills in anticipation of getting my hands on some Pico 2s. Happy Tuesday!

Almost Christmas

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 07:34:32 +0000

If you look carefully you can see that one of our red maple trees leaves are turning red. Just a few more weeks to get your Christmas shopping done.

Random stuff in the lab today

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 14:58:40 +0000

Bread time

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 12:07:38 +0000

More than one person in my household has Celiac so it’s been a few years since I’ve made bread. Looks pretty good for gluten free.

Would you want them to grow up to be you?

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 10:44:27 +0000

We have new neighbors (renting). Yesterday I heard her call her 10 year old son an “f*ing idiot”.

Today their dog wasn’t listening and the kid called it “a stupid idiot dog”.

Ask yourself: would you want your kids to grow up to be you?

Open cores on the Pico 2!

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 08:02:18 +0000

I doubt I’ll be using these cores for anything other than experimentation for a while, but I’m super excited to see RISC-V cores in the Pico 2. I ordered five of them yesterday. Happy Friday!

No middle ground

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 09:12:42 +0000

The older I get, the more I dig into the “Hell yes, or no” philosophy.

Fun puzzle

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 15:38:24 +0000

My logic analyzer probes all have these probe wires and a ground wire for each one. For the most part, if I connect a few of the ground wires, it’s good enough. Ideally, I’d like to ground all 32 of them. Any ideas for this other than creating a monster cable mess connecting them all together and then to the ground?

I spent my lunch break grabbing all of these signals, and then I realized that this board is PAL, and I'm currently working on NTSC. Happy Monday!

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 13:39:22 +0000

I need a filter for the "you may be old, but are you this old?" memes.

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 09:53:42 +0000

If X has Grok, why isn’t it better at helping me filter out what I don’t want and helping me find people (and I’m stressing people and not personal brands) I want to interact with?

Phew, this one is intense.

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 14:09:24 +0000

I do a lot of bit/counter-slicing in Verilog. Sometimes, it's hard to visualize what a slice will look like on a counter, so I made a quick visualizer with a data table to help my brain.

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 11:14:25 +0000

VIC-20 FPGA VIC replacement Friday lunch break progress.

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 12:20:02 +0000

Tweaked quite a bit on the test pattern generator. Clock is dragging just a little and my line duration is VERY close to what a VIC-20 normally puts out. That’s an RGBi output on an NTSC VIC-20 without a VIC chip in it. Looks… good actually. Woot! #vicsrevenge

Having twenty-five 14.31818Mhz clocks is basically 360Mhz.

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 12:07:08 +0000

Back off man, I’m a scientist.

Still a Swift virgin, so I decided to kick the tires. My "Hello, World!" is to do 10PRINT in any new language. Pretty straightforward. Happy Wednesday!

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 09:13:04 +0000

https://vimeo.com/992864901?share=copy

I’m so impressed with these that I got two.

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 18:20:34 +0000

Just some Monday morning "avoiding the AWS issue" I'm struggling with...

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 09:45:48 +0000

Here’s 10PRINT in Rust on a single line. Extra credit if you can show me how to make this line even shorter.

And in C for good measure

Happy Dog

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 18:45:00 +0000

I don’t often 80 column on 8 bit machines, but when I do…

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 08:06:34 +0000

Laurel river hike with some friends

Sat, 27 Jul 2024 12:05:00 +0000

8 miles total. Was pretty easy and the company was great.

Friday update on the VIC-20 VIC chip replacement

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 14:37:08 +0000

Someone suggested that RGBi might be a reasonable output choice option. Whipped up some Verilog and a messy test harness. I got a decent test pattern in an hour, which is a nice way to enter the weekend. Happy Friday!

VIC's Revenge Update

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:56:55 +0000

Update on the VIC-20 VIC chip replacement:

After many moons of pulling my hair out trying to devise two sets of resistor ladders to combine luminance and chroma signals into a composite signal in a way that doesn’t result in a PCB half the size of a VIC-20 itself, I’m punting to a chip for this for now. It’s better to get it working really well and then try (maybe) to make it cheaper later.

What does your doctor call you?

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 09:03:56 +0000

My new doctor at the VA is an Eastern European woman about my age. She calls everyone “my love” which fits her motherly personality perfectly. Love it.

Quote of the week

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 18:01:05 +0000

“The first thing you’ve got to learn about this ship is that she was designed by geniuses to be run by idiots.” - The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Ouch. Remember when one of the design goals was to make this board inexpensive? The FPGA is no longer the most expensive component. /sigh

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 16:03:02 +0000

Ouch. Remember when one of the design goals was to make this board inexpensive?

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 15:56:06 +0000

This kind of stuff drives me crazy.

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 15:15:23 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/mzUcucg7?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Phew! Crowdstrike didn't get me.

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 06:19:14 +0000

Happy Friday!

A rabbit, er, dinosaur hole

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 14:00:10 +0000

I’m re-reading Jurassic Park, and there is a mention of buying 3 Cray X-MPs for genetic sequencing at InGen.

This led me down a rabbit hole in computing performance over the last 75 years, and I made myself an interactive chart of MIPS/MFLOPS(where appropriate for each).

I know, I know… some of the comparisons are not fair, but it’s still a fun thing to work on a visualization for. I’ll keep refining it.

Well the color bars setup was weirdly easy. Maybe I’m finally getting good enough at FPGA development to trick people into thinking I know what I’m doing.

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 20:39:35 +0000

If there was just one thing I'd like to master in the rest of 2024, this is it.

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 08:49:22 +0000

Social media blah

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 07:38:31 +0000

The good thing about post engagement being down on social media is that there’s time for actual work rather than chasing likes. It’s time to get back to the VIC chip replacement project.

Well, this is a good start. I decided to write the Verilog over on the project from scratch. That’s a decent NTSC HSync and VSync signal so far.

Everyone diagrams in ASCII these days, right?

Is that the right tool for the job?

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 14:45:52 +0000

I almost made the mistake of grabbing my iPad to sketch out a design for something I want to build (think cabinetry) physically.

But then I remembered that if I use a pencil, I’ll be done with the design before I figure out how to use a software ruler after clicking no to “Would you like to subscribe to this software?” 57 times.

But I do have this… if I’m going to make it hard on purpose, I could at least make it fun, right?

It's always time to go WAY back to first principles.

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 08:47:26 +0000

I’m going through the Smart Apples book page by page. I did a “large” Tree search on my C128 because 80 columns made the lines more straightforward to read as they printed.

It’s okay to mig weld in shorts right? Asking for a friend.

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 19:21:56 +0000

Great hike with a friend this morning. 3.8 miles and just under 1000 foot elevation change on the way up.

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 12:02:39 +0000

Smart Apples... errr... Commodore

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 07:48:51 +0000

I ported to the Commodore 64 and had a little silly fun with the “Option Weigher” from the Smart Apples “AI” book we’re doing in the book club. I set it up to help me pick the best retro platform. The winner is clear; I mean, we used science and AI, so… happy Friday!

Blah

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 09:20:47 +0000

Traveling to solar sites today and have a rental car. Has a less manly car control ever been created? Cmon Ford!

Just tell the truth

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 14:47:20 +0000

This is 2024 for “Oh crap, this one is still in the back of the truck.” You see,

@USPS; I have a front door and driveway camera showing delivery to my mailbox of other items, and both driveway and front door are “accessible.” Give your drivers an “oops, messed that one up, I’ll deliver tomorrow” button.

DIY truck stuff

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 16:14:37 +0000

I wonder what a dealer would charge to replace a couple VVT solenoids and a sensor. I’m guessing more than $1000.

$100 in parts and took me 45 minutes. Hardest part was the intake cover assembly which I needed to move to get to them.

Smart Apples

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 12:21:11 +0000

For the rest of the Summer, we’ve chosen “Smart Apples” for the online book club. As @K0FFY_Radio said “I’d love to dig into these concepts on a more rudimentary level to better understand the origins and ideas from an earlier period, and how that relates to the progress and direction today.”

Amen to that Sir!

I will probably port these to a Commodore, but I do have a working Apple IIe, so I’ll start there first. It should be a fun couple of months of exploration.

I get to

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 17:25:22 +0000

There are a lot of ways to react to stuff like this in life. I choose “I get to learn where the bank 1 camshaft sensor and actuator solenoids are on my truck”.

Being early

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 09:53:04 +0000

Stumbled on some old business plans from forever ago in my stuff.

My first startup was in the middle of the Dot-com era. We created a collaboration platform that was a better solution than Slack, Teams, etc. is today.

The most important lesson I learned from that experience is that being early is almost as bad as being wrong.

Too many?

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 09:22:51 +0000

I have a 5-port expander for the VIC-20. Of the many carts I have for this machine, I can’t think of a combination of them that I could use more than two at a time with this thing.

Turns out #10PRINT on the Atari VCS/2600 is pretty complicated. Happy Friday!

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 14:45:42 +0000

Distraction free writing

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 07:58:42 +0000

I’m still getting used to the Pomera 250 keyboard. It’s a little cramped, but it keeps the device ultra-portable.

The device is about the size of a Freewrite Traveler but has a more responsive and backlit screen. Airpods for size comparison.

The last time

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 07:16:11 +0000

There’s a meme that goes something like:

“There was a day that your friends met to play in the neighborhood for the last time. And no one knew it.”

I think about this a lot.

What’s interesting about this little guy hanging out in this pot is that it’s on our upper porch deck about 15 feet off the ground. Didn’t expect to see him there.

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 19:18:25 +0000

For the last year or so, I've been studying large companies to learn how to bring my business into the AI world.

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 10:12:11 +0000

Do you know if I’m doing it right?

Mr @cltrudeau 's new book arrived today in print. Excellent stuff

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 12:06:57 +0000

The AI you really need

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 09:22:40 +0000

Forget your prompt engineering course (do you REALLY need a course on that?); here are the AI resources you need. Happy Wednesday!

Sometimes, you gotta do whatever you gotta to make it work

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 10:59:51 +0000

I have been testing @Starlink for several of our solar generation sites. Since I work from home 98% of the time, I’ve been setting them up here and then going to the sites to install them. I don’t want to stand in a hot field in SC doing setups. I live on a mountain with LOTS of trees, so finding an obstruction-free spot is impossible. But if I put it on a table in the middle of my front walk, it has a low enough obstruction percentage to not drop offline most of the time.

Well there’s a topic for discussion.

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 07:16:20 +0000

I’m just learning just how versatile these are.

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 11:00:43 +0000

Can even be a drop in ROM replacement for many of my machines.

Logging my first four miles with “barefoot” shoes. I’m a fan so far.

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 13:59:15 +0000

I read slightly ahead

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 08:20:23 +0000

We’re reading the first 30 pages of the 10PRINT book in the book club this week. I may have read slightly ahead ;-) Happy Wednesday! (wait for it)

I’m generally not a fan of ripping on other people’s work, even if the games are bad, but I do like learning about stuff I’ve not seen before.

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 13:20:48 +0000

The first Star Trek Movie really is the best one in the whole franchise.

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 15:08:11 +0000

Book from another book club I belong to arrived yesterday. Gonna be a quick read.

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 08:27:34 +0000

Heaven does exist

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 11:22:53 +0000

Well that’s new

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 09:07:17 +0000

This thing has been rock solid for many years. Today…

To reset the NEO to factory defaults:

1) Start with the device turned off.

Note: The NEO cannot be reset when it’s plugged in via AC adapter.

2) Press and hold the and keys.

3) While holding the and keys, turn the unit on by pressing the <on/off> key.

4) When the dialog “Are you sure you want to reset the AlphaSmart to factory defaults?” appears on the screen, press Y (for yes).

Ah hah, found it

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 12:28:24 +0000

100k miles and still going strong. Never even changed the oil. Happy Friday!

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 15:03:07 +0000

A handful of the many desktops I use where no one is spying on me.

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 11:06:42 +0000

Hype Driven Development

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 08:45:56 +0000

This one made me actually LOL

Email sucks

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 18:40:29 +0000

I didn’t become aware until setting up my own Discourse server this week what a complete mess several large corporations have made email into.

Why is it so hard for me to set up a server and have it send notifications to my 10 users?

This is the price for your ineffective email security strategy?

I find myself yearning for the golden days of the internet when email was a beacon of open standards and was treated as such.

I've done 10PRINT on so many computer like things. I should make a list ;-)

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 11:20:28 +0000

https://vimeo.com/889914276?share=copy

Lined up like little soldiers ;-)

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 13:41:14 +0000

Neater? Maybe.

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 14:58:00 +0000

Ribbon cables do make things neater. This one has to be short, though, so wiring underneath it will still be challenging. Happy Monday!

This lady...

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 19:51:57 +0000

Bailey Mountain Hike

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 12:19:11 +0000

Pace wasn’t terrible. Was basically all up without easing the elevation gain the whole time. Good motivation to improve my cardio over the summer.

Got a hot tip from @8BitShowAndTell on the entire first year(1977) of Personal Computing. Expect to be bombarded with 1977 goodness over the next weeks. Happy Friday!

Fri, 31 May 2024 11:37:33 +0000

I’m sorry Dave

Wed, 29 May 2024 20:34:03 +0000

I’m into the “trying to do more than I’ve learned so far” in the “learning a new language” stages. Those who have picked up many languages over the years know this is a normal part of the process. Fortran is interesting so far, but for all of the things I’ve thrown at it, Rust has been quite a bit faster.

Deep thoughts from my Commodore VIC-20 (which will be just fine when the Cylons come back).

Wed, 29 May 2024 18:35:54 +0000

It’s always something

Wed, 29 May 2024 17:21:29 +0000

I’ve been doing computer stuff for a looonnng time. Every once in a while I’m surprised by an error. Generated an X509 certificate for an LDAP server. Went to connect…

certificate not yet valid

I mean… I’ve seen certificate expired, but that was a new one.

As you might expect, whoever setup that server messed up the time, so, it’ll be valid in 5 hours.

It’s always something.

Now to pick a machine to test it in. Happy Wednesday!

Wed, 29 May 2024 12:36:21 +0000

New CAN bus hacker. Should be fun.

Tue, 28 May 2024 17:46:47 +0000

Hater's gonna hate

Mon, 27 May 2024 15:06:24 +0000

Mostly because I love trolling the haters, here’s 10print in gFortran. I think this will work with two minor edits on Microsoft Fortran 5 for DOS. Will try that next.

What? Don’t look at me like that. It’s for science.

Sat, 25 May 2024 13:32:54 +0000

Sometimes you just need to step away

Fri, 24 May 2024 19:23:35 +0000

I have a fairly long assembly program that I was getting weird results from for a lot of Mississippi’s. So I put it down for a bit and now just picked it up. Sometimes, you just can’t see obvious things… #iykyk

Sitting on the porch listening to the rain. Might as well up my Verilog/FPGA skills while I’m at it.

Thu, 23 May 2024 17:13:07 +0000

Now that’s what I call a proper breakout board. Happy Thursday, go make something.

Thu, 23 May 2024 16:04:25 +0000

The cycle I'm trying to get out of

Wed, 22 May 2024 10:05:23 +0000

Endless fun

Wed, 22 May 2024 10:04:49 +0000

For no particular reason at all I’ve started taking inventory of the many computers I own that don’t take screenshots of everything I do every few seconds.

Tue, 21 May 2024 06:09:38 +0000

Losing my FujiNet virginity this afternoon

Mon, 20 May 2024 12:31:24 +0000

This is my workstation cleaned up. I might need an intervention.

Mon, 20 May 2024 07:26:38 +0000

Supposed to be stormy this afternoon so I’m gonna try and come up with some fun things to do with the Neo6502

Sat, 18 May 2024 10:05:07 +0000

This silly benchmark is about 11 times faster than a PAL VIC-20. Should be fun.

I agreed to teach some FPGA first principles to a small group. This is my recommended board for beginner FPGA development. Has everything a growing boy needs :)

Thu, 16 May 2024 12:42:38 +0000

Finally figured out how to beat @8BitShowAndTell 's Hypothetical "Game 31" from his Iwata video without watching the spoiler. My life is now complete.

Thu, 16 May 2024 12:00:37 +0000

Compressed and decidedly not better

Wed, 15 May 2024 12:06:23 +0000

Incorrect. A compressed version of all of this is in my pocket. Nothing is better than the real thing.

Doing a little breadth first searching on the KIM-1 using a Commodore 64 as a terminal.

Tue, 14 May 2024 13:49:18 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/6XFYyTQv?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Oh cool, iOS release. I’ll bet it has groundbreaking new functionality. Or… a wallpaper.

Tue, 14 May 2024 13:35:36 +0000

If you're not learning Fortran today, what are you even doing with your life? Happy Monday!

Mon, 13 May 2024 08:55:17 +0000

THIS

Sun, 12 May 2024 15:59:42 +0000

Outside today because it’s 65F and Sunny, but yesterday I finally got my Neo6502 fixed. Was a bad solder joint from manufacturing.

Sat, 11 May 2024 13:56:35 +0000

I still use Practicalc almost every day. It’s quirky but it works. Happy Friday!

Fri, 10 May 2024 06:45:38 +0000

Company retreat at a Casino, which means I don’t know what to do with myself. Also, breakfast places don’t open till 7. I guess I’ll go for a hike. Sigh.

Tue, 07 May 2024 10:58:00 +0000

Trying to decide if I want to go down this rabbit hole

Fri, 03 May 2024 13:29:15 +0000

Fishing with Dad is always better than work

Thu, 02 May 2024 14:00:00 +0000

More reflecting on the 60th anniversary of BASIC

Thu, 02 May 2024 08:18:48 +0000

This was my first program, typed in ‘81 or ‘82 on my uncle’s VIC-20. I was an early reader, but in the first grade, much of this was advanced for me. The adults around me helped me understand the challenging parts, and I managed to get through the first quarter of this book that afternoon. It hooked me deeply.

I have a number of books without decent scans available online. I kept the bookmark that came with this once since a punchcard seemed appropriate. Scanning this one (carefully) this week.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 19:37:36 +0000

My hat is off to the person who designed this DIP/CPLD Board for the ULA81.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 13:47:48 +0000

It’s a really lovely design. My Timex Sinclair 1000 refurb will be complete as soon as I retrobright it.

Stole this from X...

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 09:23:55 +0000

Sure you’ve used Super Snapshot, but did you know it before it was Super? Made in Canada…

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 16:07:29 +0000

Impromptu trip with my youngest to Charleston for the weekend where he continues the family tradition of people taking pictures of me looking at water without me knowing they are.

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 14:25:19 +0000

I love that a small community will form so quickly around stuff like this

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 08:10:30 +0000

Imagine what we could do if people did this for every problem they found interesting. https://github.com/rejunity/z80-open-silicon

https://github.com/rejunity/z80-open-silicon

I just picked up a handful of processors from Mouser. I always find the date codes on brand-new hardware interesting. They must have a ton of these on the shelf.

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 16:25:41 +0000

The grass isn't always greener

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 10:03:19 +0000

My morning “learn something every day” was in the first few chapters of this book. I love every book by Lance. Z80 assembly is interesting, but I miss the 6502s’ simplicity. Still, it is always good to look at things from other directions.

With a ZXpand+, this thing rivals any modern supercomputer

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 06:41:26 +0000

Still not as good as a VIC-20, though.

Learning AI Week 2

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 13:29:53 +0000

I am entering week 2 of jumping on this “AI” bandwagon. I finished book 1 and onto the exciting book 2. Now I see what all the fuss is about! AI is the future!!!

Head down mode

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 09:18:36 +0000

When I need to be head down, this is my goto album through a pair of late 80s Bose 901s. Today’s turn it up to 11 is brought to you by a client who thought it would be good to add an ANY:ANY rule to the top of their firewall chain “just for a couple days”. Good grief. Let the forensics begin… thanks @lukhash

This is the flattest part of our whole property, so that’s where the garden got moved to.

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 16:09:05 +0000

On a side quest mission for @8BitShowAndTell because… science.

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 11:41:00 +0000

How do you spot an "AI" developer?

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 07:06:13 +0000

EASY! They don’t give:
- Credit
- References
- Citations

Single Stepping for the WIN

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 15:19:02 +0000

Once again, I saved a ton of time on a piece of 6502 assembly code that I was getting unexpected results on by single-stepping that section withhttps://masswerk.at/6502/ online assembler/emulator. Excellent tool.

Okay, fine, I'll jump on the AI bandwagon.

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 07:24:15 +0000

If you wake up early enough, you can sneak an hour of trout fishing in before work.

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 09:26:59 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/rv9F3SNw?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Still my favorite laptop

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 10:52:12 +0000

Fasting

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:30:41 +0000

This is the third week in a row I have done a 48-hour fast. That means Tuesday is easily now my most productive day.

Actual footage of the IRS behemoth computer system processing your returns today. Gonna be a while.

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 18:52:25 +0000

Fancy keyboard

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 13:32:24 +0000

Sprung for a microswitch keyboard replacement. Just listen to those clicks! Now I’ve got a portable novel writing platform :)

https://videopress.com/v/juK4FazY?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Recording retro tape output to Audacity

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 12:02:53 +0000

These amplify settings are pretty consistent when recording from a retro computer tape output to Audacity.

Sinclair 1000, TI-99/4A, Atari 400, and Coco 1 and 2 have all worked with this setup.

Pixel perfect?

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 08:07:10 +0000

My Retrotink filters can clean retro computer outputs up in many situations. Am I the only one who prefers the non-filtered screen? I turn it off for almost all of my retro machines except for the ones with horrible jail bars (I’m looking at you, C128)

Rethinking the approach

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 07:48:52 +0000

I had this idea to do the 100-door problem on the Sinclair 1000/ZX81 like I’ve done for so many computers…But the first step takes about an hour. (there are 100 steps). The whole thing takes about 40 seconds on a VIC-20. I’m going to have to rethink my approach here.

More than a like please

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 12:43:59 +0000

I’ve been making effort to reply or comment on social media rather than just hitting like. Even just a “wow” or “neat” is better than a like. Plus, aren’t we all posting to have community and conversations or is that just me ?

Okay, the Sinclair 1000 / ZX81 is pretty cool

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 06:33:00 +0000

Okay, despite my serious Commodore leaning, I can look at the design of this board and appreciate many, many things about it. Happy Sunday!

Sometimes you find gold with thrift stores. A VERY good copy of The First Book of KIM for… $3. Crazy.

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 12:05:34 +0000

Update on the donated Sinclair 1000 that "doesn't work"

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 16:23:44 +0000

I just completed a composite mod, and bingo, it works! I replaced the keyboard, and that’s working, too. Let’s try a little 10PRINT on a machine that can’t do 10PRINT well. The keyword entry thing will take some time to get used to, but I like a challenge. Happy Thursday!

Just realized if I turn the line doubling on on the RetroTink it REALLY cleans up the picture:

Also, my replacement keyboard is the ZX81/UK keyboard. Rubout means something quite a bit different in the US. It’s kind of a hybrid machine now, and that’s just fine.

Updating the firmware on all my test equipment today

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 13:43:29 +0000

Don’t turn into a brick, don’t turn into a brick, don’t turn into a brick…

Phew

You know you're doing something right when you have your own directory on people's SD2IEC cards.

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 08:04:52 +0000

People have called me a @8BitShowAndTell superfan and that’s fine by me.

Eclipse 2024

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 12:47:47 +0000

It’s cloudy at our house in Western North Carolina. Thanks to @8BitShowAndTell, I can still catch the Eclipse Commodore 64 Style. Learn how with his video here: https://youtu.be/gipFvhEMB0I?si=Vknaai1G9wTCkGDT

There's always something.

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 08:36:38 +0000

Yesterday, I was working on the boat motor trim system, which isn’t working. The upper pin requires a tool I don’t have, and the lower pin is moving (yay for not being seized!), but the motor mount bolt is in the way. Has one of these kinds of projects EVER been straightforward in the history of the world?

The upper pin needs a tool I don’t have…

I might have to hug a VIC-20 after this

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 08:30:07 +0000

Someone gave me a Sinclair 1000 because they couldn’t get it to work. I’m literally losing my ZX virginity here. Never even touched one in real life. Before even cracking the case I noticed the power supply they were using is putting out 14v. Seems excessive.

‪The keyboard ribbon cable is broken and I ordered a replacement. The RF Demodulator on my VCR doesn’t like the signal coming out of it and pinning out the Z80 and ULA it looks to me like it’s running. Going to do a composite mod while I wait for the keyboard replacement to see if I can at least confirm it boots. ‬

A little Friday fun… continuing my quest to do 10PRINT on all the things. This morning I figured out a reasonable version for the HP-42S.

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 07:53:58 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/joQU7asJ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

My HP-42S has had this crap on it for years, and I don't know what it is. I can't easily scrape it off, and it really bugs me. Old calculator problems...

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 20:36:42 +0000

After the xz supply chain attack news last week, this is now the newest computer I have any faith in whatsoever.

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 09:36:15 +0000

Anything after the Commodore 128 (mine was made in 1987) is suspect.

Some truths are self-evident.

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 07:55:25 +0000

Doing another composite mod for someone

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 15:14:20 +0000

Picture looks great now. I know some people don’t like to put holes in the case but I try to make it neat and tidy. This one has a noisy ground plane so I might find what’s causing it before sending it back to its owner.

I'm not an April Fools fan at all. I think I'll switch to platforms that can't even access the internet.

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 10:08:28 +0000

Took a deer hair spinning class today. From left to right my first to the final one I did. The last one turned out great and I feel like I can make these now. An afternoon well spent. Next is to see how they fish.

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 17:43:18 +0000

xz vulnerability on a Mac with Homebrew

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 07:11:39 +0000

If you’re running Homebrew, a brew upgrade this morning will downgrade xz for you. Watch your backs out there folks. Thank God all of our servers are Debian ;-)

I’ve got hundreds of servers to check. Here’s a quick Ansible script to check that your version is <= 5.4

https://gist.github.com/mrdoornbos/a2985291a8dee55028a7d29bb3a0057a

Any progress is progress.

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 07:03:25 +0000

Spending some time working on this monstrosity. VIC-20 VIC chip replacement project that was gonna take a year now on year three ;-)

This is a fun game but you NEED the manual and accompanying stuff for it to be playable. What other games from pre 1993 do you like that are like this?

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:30:56 +0000

This was released yesterday and I’m about halfway through it. If you have kids, this might be the most important book published in quite some time.

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 15:48:14 +0000

The best thing about remembering the time before cell phones: When you were really mad, you could SLAM the phone down to hang up. It was glorious.

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 13:15:33 +0000

Stuck

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 08:56:54 +0000

I’ve pulled what I’m calling a retro @8BitShowAndTell move and gone down two retro rabbit holes so far that I’ve become bored with the original premise.

Searching for something to do next… in the meantime, I’m brushing up on my fly tying because I have a fly class on Saturday. This one came out pretty good ;-)

My youngest got me a travel Mig Welder and new helmet for my birthday because “you never know when you need to fuse metal on the go”.

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 19:57:12 +0000

This handwritten note fell out of this book.

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 11:11:13 +0000

Not my handwriting. I LOVE finding stuff like this. I wonder what this person was working on. Happy Monday!

I write, even if no one reads it.

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 07:13:36 +0000

I publish much of it in case you might be interested, but I do it for me.

Moving the garden this year, and it’s basically like starting over. Progress is being made.

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 20:30:55 +0000

Working on my 10 top games of all time list. I've got it down to the top 150. 150 is close to 10, right?

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 19:17:53 +0000

If you think it’s subliminal messaging instead of a plan and discipline that’ll be your key to success, then boy do I have a cassette for you.

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:24:05 +0000

“Vintage gaming TV”

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:22:07 +0000

I often have a PET demo or game playing in the background of video meetings. Today’s choice is a fun one. Happy Friday.

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 08:07:14 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/qdepxLkg?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I found some coins I brought back from a trip to Moscow in 1992 and used my Commodore calculator to estimate their current value.

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 19:11:26 +0000

My version of the McNuggets problem in BASIC. Happy Thursday!

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 08:48:46 +0000

I was skeptical about these, but I have a fair number of devices that use 9v batteries. These rechargeables work great.

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 10:17:54 +0000

Brush clearing day two. I win for most arm and leg cuts from thicket.

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 14:17:37 +0000

Brush clearing day. I can skip the gym today for sure.

Sat, 16 Mar 2024 13:59:09 +0000

The Bloody Hundredth

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 18:41:45 +0000

I finally saw the Apple TV series “Masters of the Air” and the companion documentary “The Bloody Hundredth.”

I am honored to call one of the Bloody 100th Pilots my friend.

In 2019, his nephew Peter and I flew to Michigan in the Tiger Baron to pick up Robert Shoens and take him and his daughter to one of the last reunions of the 100th Bomb Group’s surviving members at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.

My Ti Programmer (1977ish) is a curious one.

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 14:07:55 +0000

It does Octal, Decimal, and Hex conversion but curiously lacks binary. Also, has a dedicated one’s compliment key. I guess they just assume you could handle adding 1 for two’s? Hard not to love a 13-character red LED display, though.

Happy pi day from me and my Commodore PET 2001-8N!

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 06:38:00 +0000

In real time, this took about 30 mins.

Partly metal, partly real

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:49:56 +0000

My favorite show of the 80s was SilverHawks. When we played football during recess, we’d sing the theme song when we got the ball to give us extra power.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdtcK1Qs2K4

Partly metal, partly real… who writes lyrics like that? Ha!

My least favorite X feature:

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:46:54 +0000

If you post a link that would take someone away from X, the algo kicks it way down in priority. I mean maybe they are right… X is keeping us all safe from the rest of the world. THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

I don't use the ESP32 module on my Ultimate64 much. But I deserve some credit for my choice of DHCP address reservation.

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 08:31:46 +0000

Less

Sat, 09 Mar 2024 16:26:00 +0000

Here’s a book that I knot only vehemently agreed with and highlighted every other sentence, but actually put into practice. Highly recommended.

Blog forward

Sat, 09 Mar 2024 09:47:38 +0000

My new workflow is to write on my blog and THEN copy it to social media.

I’m returning to what I’m calling “blog forward.”

My post engagement on X has gone from very good to almost nothing this week. Apparently, I’ve upset the algorithm (should we start referring to it as God?)..

I realized how unhealthy it is that I even care. Why am I seeking the “like” (it’s just a damn click) from relative strangers?

On the laptop prowl

Sat, 09 Mar 2024 09:45:15 +0000

I’m on the prowl for a new lightweight Linux laptop. When I’m not in the office, I do 99% of my day job by remoting into my desktop with SSH over @Tailscale, so I don’t need 64GB of RAM. I like having one environment so I don’t spend too much time task-switching with things like, “Wait, is this repo synced on the machine I’m on?”

My key drivers are a long battery life and a great keyboard. Basically, I’m after a smart terminal. I’ve been using a MacBook Air for this, but I’m sensing that I might want to reduce my dependency on the Apple ecosystem.

Low resolution is fine

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 20:06:28 +0000

Maybe controversial, but I don’t need video higher than 480p in my living room.

I spent a few minutes working on the visuals of the Enigma ring positions in Assembly.

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 11:21:01 +0000

This works well, but I should rotate these vertically to be realistic. That’ll be next.

I picked up this promotional poster for this Sybex title because I love this book so much. Palm V for scale on both the book and the poster… the poster is MUCH bigger than I expected. Now to find a place to put it.

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 18:41:06 +0000

My modern graphing calculators from most to least favorite.

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 08:24:09 +0000

And the calculators I actually use.

I happen to like my day job, but a slow day fishing with my Dad beats work any day of the week.

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 13:40:40 +0000

Today’s $25 thrift store find: AI resistant writing tool. These Electra series typewriters are fabulous to type on.

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 14:04:18 +0000

Reimagining our property in 2024. Project number three for the winter is a mini high tunnel.

Sat, 02 Mar 2024 16:00:13 +0000

Happy leap day! Decided to do some Gregorian calendar leap year calculations in assembly the hard way. KIM-1 clone is the right tool for the job!

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 11:19:59 +0000

This "Caring for your Computer" book by Rodnay Zaks/Sybex from 1981 has some EXTREMELY RELEVANT life advice for 2024. Control your emotions... brilliant.

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 08:34:03 +0000

The keys on this Commodore calculator look pretty familiar to many of us.

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 14:56:23 +0000

‪I happen to have my chicklet keyboard out for cleaning. Here they are together ‬

Decided to take the plunge and buy a computer for our home. There are a lot of choices so I found this book to help us decide what’s right for us.

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:08:09 +0000

I have absolutely no memory of this day or who took this picture. But there is proof that I smiled once. It was the 90s, and this is probably at 2 am, so that's my excuse.

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 11:32:27 +0000

Another super interesting book for my Zaks collection.

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 14:30:37 +0000

Interference? Whatever, my signal wiring is perfect.

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 16:43:02 +0000

I get so many questions about this thing on Zoom calls.

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 14:30:28 +0000

Another great one in the Sybex/Rodnay Zaks collection.

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 15:50:44 +0000

Change

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:54:04 +0000

So many are drowning in information and shallow interaction while starving for wisdom and connection. If that’s you… the internet, scrolling, and likes are not the answer.

I propose we change AI to AIT, meaning Automated Idea Thief.

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 21:45:03 +0000

“Where we’re going, we don’t need citations.”

Enjoying this add-on to the Flipper. "Games" will be cool, but making screen captures of the Flipper is really what I wanted. Almost as cool as a Commodore (which can also play DOOM).

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 13:08:50 +0000

Converting my 6502 Cluster to run WOZMON and MS BASIC. It was running just machine code and sometimes Eh-BASIC, but this fits my style better. Happy Thursday!

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 08:52:44 +0000

Ah HAH. So, THIS is how they came up with those patterns in the 80s

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 07:15:00 +0000

Funny how time goes by so fast. I put almost 500 hours on that plane in 3 years

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 20:32:30 +0000

It's a fun and very short little book, but the number of typos, especially in the code listings, is next level. Bravo!

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 07:13:00 +0000

It's day 12 with the Atari 800XL, and I'm wrapping my head around how far ahead it was in several areas. For example, graphics like this are actually relatively easy.

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 11:02:23 +0000

You say caps lock, I say return key. Let’s say we all get along.

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 20:40:45 +0000

Game starts early in my time zone.

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 13:50:51 +0000

I heard that Canada is thinking of banning these. I only use mine to play asteroids. Silly Canada. 😇

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 13:25:15 +0000

There are countless places to be an audience member. Just by using my phone, I could be a passive listener for 1000 lifetimes. I'm looking for community and relationships.

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 20:07:13 +0000

What do you think?

I feel really spoiled on the C64 with TMP. I use Merlin on the Apple II, which is pretty good. Currently trying MAC/65 on the Atari 800. Does anyone have a different Assembler they like better?

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 13:16:34 +0000

I found what I think is the greatest computer book cover of all time. Please tell me I can find a physical copy of this somewhere

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 11:54:38 +0000

More Atari BASIC vs Turbo BASIC XL fun with my "standard marginal method" benchmark. I always thought the jiffy clock wasn't available on the Atari, but it lacks a convenient method. It still works fine if you use it directly.

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 10:53:50 +0000

Stupid races

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 14:39:22 +0000

In today’s episode of “Stupid Races Between Old Computery Things,” we got my ported N-Queens solver on an Atari 800XL stock BASIC vs. that same computer with Turbo BASIC XL. No modifications at all; the BASIC replacement on a cartridge is more than twice as fast. (this is 20x speed)

Ported my Commodore 64 N-Queens solver to the Atari 800. It's only about 8% slower and was a snap to port.

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 09:43:41 +0000

Looking for something fun to make with this thing. Suggestions?

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 15:47:49 +0000

It's been a weird week. Also, Turbo BASIC seems like a required upgrade for the 800XL. Happy Friday.

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 12:03:58 +0000

Hello darkness, my old friend.

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 14:00:59 +0000

Too head down?

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:30:31 +0000

Been working on a serial protocol for this 6502 cluster for some time. Works fine. Sometimes, you can get stuck on what’s in front of you. I’ve got 8K of free address space. I could share that between them. AND the address headers are stacked right on top of each other. Have I approached this the wrong way? Deep Tuesday thoughts…

Daylight savings is not in the winter!

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 09:22:04 +0000

This drives me nuts. We are currently on Eastern Standard Time in North Carolina. We switch to daylight savings when we “spring forward,” so they have this backward. The best part is that this is from an official fishing/hunting regulations document.

Adding another one to my Zaks collection. Love this one.

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 12:32:53 +0000

Switched to this serial multiplexer by Atlas Scientific for my 6502 cluster communications. This lets me keep everything serial and control it with an 8-bit computer for job scheduling and data aggregation. Happy Friday!

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 10:16:58 +0000

I got the last Christmas present of the year from my Son today. He had a custom wood map made for me that took months longer than anticipated. Definitely worth the wait.

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 19:39:06 +0000

My Dad was a mainframe guy from 1974-2007. He was cleaning out a drawer and says “hey, do you want this?” Why yes, yes I do.

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 12:32:41 +0000

Modern PCB manufacturing has become so easy and convenient. It's basically the same price to get 50 as it is to get 5 boards made. So that means I have 49 spares...

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 08:19:32 +0000

We have about 12 inches of dead space above our kitchen cabinets. My better half suggested that a train might work up there. There isn’t really room to turn one around so something that can run equally well in either direction seemed appropriate. Now to design a bridge to go over the window… I’m not into celebrities, but if pressed I don’t have to think hard to come up with my favorite. Any guesses?

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 15:36:25 +0000

It's a random lunchtime side quest, working to generate a circle with 41 of character 81 on a Commodore 64. Each iteration has been getting smoother. If you have a better way, let me know.

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 14:23:44 +0000

The first two games I have any memory of playing. They both still stand up today. I didn’t intentionally start alphabetically, but it worked out that way.

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:31:38 +0000

Walmart beats DHL by miles

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:19:59 +0000

The carrier reliability in the mountains where I live from most to least reliable:

UPS
USPS
Amazon
Walmart driver with local delivery in a 1987 Ford Escort with one or two working cylinders
Carrier Pigeon
Walking to a warehouse several states away barefoot
FedEx (the dirty, smoky truck and repeated property damage is a nice touch)
DHL

This is why I always remove the RF shields.

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 14:53:52 +0000

What’s the best way to get this stick-on heat sink and the adhesive off of this VIC-II?

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 13:53:08 +0000

Snowed/iced in this evening. Might as well hook up the 6502 cluster to a VIC-20 and get it calculating things at blazing speeds :) Been using the EEPROM emulator since early last year to really speed up my ROM development cycles. Oh, here’s another 100% AI free zone.

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 17:02:01 +0000

I’ve been saving the Kawari for when I have a VIC-II fail which is silly. They are 40 years old, why would I think they’d fail this year?

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 12:52:46 +0000

These are books 1 and 3 in this series and they are some of my favorite computer books of all time. I’m on the prowl for books 2 and 4. Happy Thursday!

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:58:12 +0000

And if I was going to point someone to what you need to learn 6502 Assembly…

I’m the one who put this “working” label on this power supply but I have never, ever plugged it in without verifying. It’s actually my only working 2 prong. I have three with bad transformers.

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 18:59:14 +0000

Checking for AI free zones. Found one.

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 15:10:05 +0000

Porting Wozmon to my 6502 cluster nodes and I spent several hours chasing a “bug” in my code. Turns out I had this box unchecked in my terminal emulator. Was working all along. Doh.

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 21:11:23 +0000

This week’s side quest: going to interface my Flipper Zero to a 6502 SBC. Should be fun.

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 13:08:22 +0000

Grover > Elmo

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 13:45:31 +0000

https://youtu.be/1C8nl8eBoq0?si=jnFHWoppKxDCE4TX

Emulator vs real

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 17:46:55 +0000

Been day job busy the last couple days so I was working on an assembly project on an emulator in my free time. Took it to a real C64 and it didn’t work. Took out 3 other C64s before I realized a bug in my code. It worked on the emulator because it initializes RAM to zeros. On real hardware it initializes to whatever it initializes that day. Anyway, I’ve got C64s all over my office now and it’s hard not to be happy about that.

This is the first time my 2020 Intel Mac has been too old for something. Too soon.

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 16:14:02 +0000

Rust isn't an excellent language for scripting, but I've been playing with it in JupyterLab just for fun.

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 19:48:03 +0000

Visualizing the 23-bit random number/noise generator in the Commodore 64 SID

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 10:45:03 +0000

Recruited my Corsham KIM-1 Clone to decode for those who can’t read binary. How it works and several methods to confirm that the reverse engineering is correct: https://imapenguin.com/sidlfsr

How much will it cost?

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 08:28:17 +0000

My favorite part about spinning up a new EC2 instance is that after a number of years of using them, I still don’t understand precisely how much this one will cost per month.

This album makes excellent use of the record sleeve. I had this on cassette as a kid and I feel like it was also on the cassette sleeve, but I’m not trusting my memory on that.

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 10:28:20 +0000

A little after Christmas, Christmas present. The detail is really impressive.

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 10:38:12 +0000

This is why I went back to buying physical books and movies. I can’t read this at the hotel because my Kindle hasn’t been able to verify the DRM this morning. It was online YESTERDAY. Make paper great again.

Sat, 30 Dec 2023 09:47:24 +0000

Found these in a bin this morning. I can throw away all of my other electronics now that I have 4 do anything chips :)

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 09:11:23 +0000

The Spudger is the most used tool in my shop. I need a 10 pack of them.

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 07:58:05 +0000

Any calculator where the manual mentions two's compliment is a keeper in my book ;-)

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 10:59:02 +0000

In 2021, I did a deep dive into Swift; I no longer use it. In 2022, it was Julia. I don't use it anymore. 2023 was Elixir; my usage is dropping off. In 2024, it's going to be Rust. Will it remain in my toolbox or be another tangent for me? Time will tell.

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 15:19:56 +0000

My all time favorite book

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 09:46:08 +0000

We have three trains up this year at Christmas. I can’t look at them without thinking of the book that started my love of model trains 40 years ago.

https://imapenguin.com/2021/04/the-nostalgia-files-my-all-time-favorite-book/

Just finished building this guy. It's a fun project and a decent learning environment to mash the RP2040 C++ environment with 6502 Assembly. It's an unlikely but surprisingly good pairing. What would be better on the RP2040, though? Rust.

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 18:10:31 +0000

A little Logo fun this morning on the C64 since I saw a few snowflakes outside.

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 08:54:20 +0000

Don't be a drone

Sat, 09 Dec 2023 06:52:37 +0000

If you let the AI do it rather than learn that evergreen skill, you’ll be just another dull drone. Who wants to hear Grandpa say, “Gather ‘round the fire here, kids, and let ol Granddad tell you the story of my easy life.”?

21 years old, still a useful book. Not many computer books can say that.

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 09:11:10 +0000

Day 6 of #AdventOfCode part 1 was a snap for the PET

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 08:23:38 +0000

However, part 2, my second input is a 48-bit integer, so I went with Elixir again. Plus, it was going to be 44 million loops, which, on the back of a napkin, I put the PET at about 200 hours to complete. I HAVE worked with VERY large numbers in 8-bit BASIC before. It’s possible, but it’s really slow. https://imapenguin.com/2022/07/adding-very-large-integers-in-8-bit-basic/

Alright Mr PET, you’re sitting #adventofcode2023 out today. Today’s is a doozy and you’ve earned a break.

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 08:52:49 +0000

I appreciate modern conveniences more: first principles are worth it. Today's #adventofcode2023 in Python was 14 lines. Was 68 on the PET. Things like re.split("\s+", line) and list(map(int, parts[2:12])) feel like cheating. Do y'all even know how any of this works? ;-)

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 12:12:59 +0000

It's just a big screen

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 09:31:44 +0000

8-bit game programmers know how to do today’s #adventofcode2023 conceptually. We spent our youth boundary-checking stuff on a screen represented in contiguous memory. The only “problem” is that the data is 19600 bytes. On the PET I used 0x3000-0x7c90 as my “screen.” Looking for stuff on a 140x140 grid is similar to doing it on a 40x25 grid; it’s just 19x larger. I already had several assembly routines in my toolbox for this one. I could speed this up, but it works. On to trying it in Elixir…

Didn't have much trouble with #AdventOfCode today BUT I'm reminded of how modern languages can do things like s.split(":") and get a nice list. Appreciate how much work went into that built-in function we take for granted. String splitting 1979 style for that 1st set of cubes...

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 18:53:08 +0000

When is it cheating?

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 09:11:42 +0000

Trying to do #AdventOfCode on my 8k PET (I’ll use the Tynemouth 32k board when I have to). In 1979 no one would store data like this. So I’m trying to decide if it’s cheating to pre scrub the data into a 1979 format before working on these. The issue with that is that 75% of today’s challenge is the parsing.

Just popped over to the local Sears to get some new paddles. Totally rad.

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 08:59:36 +0000

Wow, #AdventOfCode Day 1 was much more challenging than how it usually starts

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 08:17:39 +0000

If it gets too hard too fast, it will turn less experienced programmers off. I solved it in Python first and then tackled it on the Commodore PET. 13 minutes, not bad for a computer from the 70s.

Selling this or cannibalizing it for parts. It’s the only green Cerberus 2080 I’ve seen.

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 16:31:10 +0000

Haven't had this guy out for a walk in a while. Happy Thursday!

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 09:17:59 +0000

Minor Micro-Soft (yes, 1976 spelling)/Commodore BASIC nitpick. Arrays are zero-based (as god intended), but MID$ is one-based. I mixed up this as a kid and sometimes get tripped up today. Anyway, I'm reviewing my 2022 #aventofcode stuff to prep for Friday.

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 11:02:22 +0000

Today's Pomodoro breaks are brought to you by the VIC-20 and Virtual Burnout by LukHash

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:55:02 +0000

I blame Chuck Hutchins for the game choice ;-)

Ephemeral things

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:43:01 +0000

Interaction on Mastodon is suddenly far outshining what’s happening in X. I’m looking for conversation WAY more than likes (which are cheap). Both platforms could be better at ephemeral things.

Fixing a VIC-20 for someone. That’s a bad clock signal, but it’s also kinda neat looking.

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 22:07:42 +0000

I’ve completed all 25 days of #adventofcode the last 4 years. Last year I did about 1/3 of them on my Commodore PET 2001. Sometimes the data was too unruly to try to get onto it so for those I resorted to Julia. Should I use the PET again this year or a different 8 bit computer?

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 18:23:53 +0000

I take excellent notes, but every once in a while, I'll take something out and stare at it wondering... where is the CPU for this one, and why did I take it out?

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 14:47:17 +0000

In case you were just sitting there wondering... C64Forever/AmigaForever seems to run okayish in Whiskey on an M1 Mac.

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 14:28:37 +0000

A little light ARM assembly reading this morning. And yes, we have three Christmas trees. You’re not the boss of us.

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 10:01:30 +0000

Got a fun emulator project in the works with a mechboard. Since the keycaps are breadbin colored I went with the breadbin colored case even if it’s not traditional for the C64c case.

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 17:09:08 +0000

I keep seeing this 1982-3 ad of a Commodore 64 in a briefcase. It DOES, in fact, fit in a standard-sized briefcase, although I'm not sure I know why I would have wanted to.

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 14:16:11 +0000

10print on the TI-nspire. Also Python and feels like cheating. Still fun though. Happy Friday!

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:56:04 +0000

Happy thanksgiving in the US. For Today’s 10PRINT the @NumWorks calculator has Python instead of Basic and I got it on one line even if it’s hard to read like that. This calculator sure is fast!

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 10:56:37 +0000

A little Thanksgiving week fun. Here's 10PRINT on a TI-92. I couldn't find a way to escape a new line, so I tried a different approach. Also, iPhones have difficulty locking focus on this screen.

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 11:37:20 +0000

Has anyone considered that maybe the AI is coordinating the board coup at OpenAI? Where are my wire cutters?

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 12:12:06 +0000

Enter nine nines, take the square root, and press the integer.

A little sanity/verification that my two's compliment circuit is working. It is, and it was without any debugging, which freaks me out. Happy Monday!

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 10:39:36 +0000

Okay, I'm putting the C128 away and going to my happy place. I've always wanted to love the 128 but give me a VIC-20 or C64, and that's where I'm truly happy.

Sun, 19 Nov 2023 19:33:11 +0000

One of the many “don’t forget to teach your kids how to” things.

Sun, 19 Nov 2023 16:26:10 +0000

A little Friday night VIC-20 VIC chip replacement fun. Finally getting around to NTSC. My test bench looks right for the clocks I need to generate. Wild and crazy around here on Friday nights ;)

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 22:03:56 +0000

These ROMs have 8 switchable ROM images on them. And by using a rotary switch to select them, you can play Russian roulette. Which ROM did we get this time, Dad?

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 18:08:59 +0000

Safety third.

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 14:20:57 +0000

Sometimes, I've just got to step away. Went to build my FPGA test bench, and now GTKWave on my Mac needs an obsolete module from an ancient Perl version to launch via the command line. I give up for today. The VIC-20 video test will have to wait. Sigh.

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 21:11:36 +0000

Anyone else need to do something with their hands during meetings?

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 11:37:05 +0000

I’ve decided to start theming the years.

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:31:28 +0000

2023 - creeping totalitarianism
2024 - ???

When I sit and think about WHY I'm building a VIC chip drop-in, I sometimes lose sight of the goal. But just today, one of the CIAs on my Commodore 128 died. So happy for products like the J-CIA. This 128 has many drop-in replacement parts and is a good motivator.

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 11:47:17 +0000

A donated 1541 with nice VIC colors. It does work but the fuse holder is broken and there’s a scorch mark next to it. Might replace it with modernish power supply after I thoroughly clean it. Cool to have a long board variant.

Sat, 11 Nov 2023 21:08:00 +0000

Designed a simple demo in Logisim, which worked great. But it's not nearly as satisfying as making it for real. So... out comes the breadboard. I wonder if I can make the wires neat... probably not. Happy Friday!

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 11:42:58 +0000

These are a few of my favorite things

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 08:42:39 +0000

Just found this in a box. We RAN home from school to catch this at 4pm on weekdays.

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 22:27:38 +0000

Out of all the gates, XOR is my favorite. Happy Wednesday!

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 15:22:12 +0000

Commodore AND keyword

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:06:44 +0000

Working on a Two’s Compliment explanation for a presentation. The Commodore BASIC AND operator is technically a logical AND, not a bitwise AND. But you can use it to check if bits are set, so it IS bitwise AND in the right hands ;-) Happy Tuesday!

The Mechboard64 does not work out of the box with a KeyRah v3. I did figure out a workaround so I’m going to write up some detailed instructions in case anyone else wants to put these two things together. VIC-20 colored keycaps for me of course.

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 19:42:16 +0000

ChatGPT is like a terrible junior engineer

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 10:53:36 +0000

Using ChatGPT to help with my Python code is like having a new engineer on my team that got their CS degree 12 minutes ago. Almost always wrong, but SO SO SURE that the problem lies somewhere other than their own code.

I was doing something with f strings I couldn’t remember how to do. If I had just opened the documentation I would have been done in 2 minutes. With ChatGPT I gave up after 20 and read the documentation for 2 minutes anyway.

Another impressive SwissMicros replica.

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 17:20:13 +0000

Looking forward to when those new keycaps will be available again. I CANNOT bring myself to cannibalize a perfectly working original C64 keyboard for this.

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 18:45:25 +0000

Working on myself

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 08:05:41 +0000

I’m working on that urge to one-up everyone in conversation instead of listening. I think most of us do this:

Fred: " I went hiking yesterday; it was a great time with my family."

Me: “The best hiking trip I ever went on was in the New Zealand Outback. It makes all other hikes seem like a walk through a dark alley. It was like being a character in LOTR…”

I love these things but it took a long time to get here. Going in a Breadbin tonight in time for some holiday tunes.

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:00:07 +0000

1541 surgery time

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 13:03:06 +0000

I have tried several 80 column solutions. The RGBtoHDMI by @TexElecUSA is the best by a long shot. Happy Friday!

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 08:30:17 +0000

Saved my #NaNoWriMo2023 work to a 5.25 today to keep ⁦‪@GetOuttaHeah‬⁩ from yelling at me for using modern stuff like 3.5 inch floppies. Happy Thursday!

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 11:19:58 +0000

Both of the programmer calculators I have are missing y^x functions. At least on the HP-16C I can write a short program to do that. I use y^x more than the average bear. Still like this Casio a lot though.

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 18:01:10 +0000

My post earlier about writing on a KIM-1 by typing in hex ASCII codes by hand was a joke, obviously. My real distraction-resistant writing platform for #Nanowrimo2023 is my HP t5710 Thin Client running FreeDOS and WordPerfect 6. Just for fun, I'm going to save my work on floppies

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 07:59:22 +0000

Alight @8BitShowAndTell, challenge accepted. Until 3 minutes ago I wasn’t even sure the 128 had the Kernal routines for the Datasette.

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:01:27 +0000

Working on my distraction free #NaNoWriMo setup. Using this table I’m up to typing as fast as two words a minute. If I don’t sleep, there’s 43200 minutes in November so I can hit the 50000 word goal for the month of I account for the inevitable going crazy from lack of sleep

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 07:41:26 +0000

My copy of David Youd's book came today. I had already implemented $3A earlier this week, which timed nicely with my n-queens implementation in BASIC. Pretty fun!

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 12:58:27 +0000

Untested 1541. Just spins and spins. I’m sure this capacitor came from the factory like that :)

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 16:48:17 +0000

Archived Comments

Jim Drew (2023-10-27 17:19:44):

Spinning and spinning (without the LED flashing) typically is due to the 6502 or ROM (upper usually) being bad. Sometimes the VIAs can do this as well. Try swapping the VIAs (there are two of them) and see if it suddenly works.

That is quite the clever hex-to-decimal converter for the 6502. Embrace constraints and happy Friday!

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 07:18:25 +0000

I’m excited to be able to really study this text.

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 13:37:03 +0000

The N-Queens problem feels easier to understand and more fun to implement on old computery things.

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 19:24:46 +0000

Extra credit if you port my program to a different old computer. (this is at 20x speed) https://imapenguin.com/2023/10/n-queens-problem/

N-Queens solver is working great on the KIM-1. Now to finish the article ;-)

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 07:27:07 +0000

Somebody was glad my puffy coat was in the truck. 38 degrees on our hike today.

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 18:18:46 +0000

It's October, so Halloween themed Zoom meeting help is in order. Just in case this game wasn't hard enough, try the Commodore 64 version on a joystick with a single button. Jump is up... so hard like this.

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:25:31 +0000

Is this good for me?

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 09:11:36 +0000

I’ve heard the saying, “Allow your kids to have social media accounts only when you’re ready for their childhood to be over.” Although my children are already grown, it makes me wonder how this sentiment applies to me as an adult.

Solving the 8-queens problem on a Commodore 64. I won't leave it in the final version, but sometimes it's fun to print the output of loops to watch your backtracking algorithm work. Happy Friday!

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:13:19 +0000

Wednesday shenanigans

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 18:20:05 +0000

On my morning walk/hike and I just saw a bear run through that foggy area. I think I will turn around a little bit early this morning.

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 07:59:54 +0000

This is the correct layout of cursor keys. All other layouts are inferior.

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 18:20:46 +0000

These are the two keyboards in my office. Both brown mechanical switches and are fantastic to type on, but the fact that they have different arrow key layouts really trips me up sometimes. Anyway, happy Monday!

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:47:31 +0000

Some people say my 35 year old bow should be retired. New bow technology is better or some nonsense. The secret to archery is in the archer, not the bow. That’s why I shoot better than you, whipper snapper.

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 16:30:15 +0000

Still my best distraction-resistant writing setup. FreeDOS, Wordperfect 6.22, mechanical keyboard with brown switches on an HP t5710 thin client (they make GREAT DOS machines).

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 08:51:50 +0000

I'm stuck on something in my day job. Gonna switch gears and do some therapy, back to implementing Enigma 8-bit style. Where we're going, there's gonna be a lot of assembly coding ;-) Happy Fall!

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 20:15:18 +0000

I read every single page and typed in every single line of code in both of these books. Something I told myself I would do when I was a kid, but you know kids. Definitely worth the effort.

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 08:46:28 +0000

If I am remembering correctly, I graduated boot camp in San Diego 30 years ago today.

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 07:46:52 +0000

GM touch screens are comically unreliable. Dealer wanted $800 to fix it. A little parts research, Torx bits and a heat gun and I did it for $34 in an hour. New touch screen is all shiny. Hack the planet.

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 15:16:29 +0000

I'm trying to decide if I knew you could do this in MS style BASIC before just now or not. Surely I did right?

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 14:10:35 +0000

it is slower than the way I usually do it though

Found this receipt in this book being used as a bookmark. Decided to keep using it as a bookmark. Happy Friday!

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 09:18:55 +0000

A rare occasion where I prefer the look of the beige model.

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 08:44:09 +0000

Had a lot of fun learning TI Extended BASIC for the TI 99/4A to port a Rail Fence Cipher from my Commodore 64 version.

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 08:14:48 +0000

Write up is here https://imapenguin.com/2023/09/rail-fence-cipher-on-commoodore-64-and-ti-99/4a/

Alright, the TI 99/4A is really growing on me. Decided to get my hands a little dirtier and write a simple Cipher in Extended BASIC. There is a lot of string manipulation in Cipher work. Commodore version, side by side, and article tomorrow. 34 lines of code, easy peasy.

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 19:18:02 +0000

One issue with the TI fixed. Cassette interface now good to go. I have another cassette player around here somewhere with a counter on it which would be useful. On to what’s wrong with the cart port.

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 15:54:31 +0000

Slowly undressed the TI 99/4a… made bow chica wow wow sounds while I did it. Cassette interface and cartridges don’t work. Time to find some schematics.

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 08:23:36 +0000

What a super interesting book.

Sat, 02 Sep 2023 12:25:04 +0000

Whelp, it's #Septandy. Since I only have Cocos, we'll see how long I can look at the soothing toxic green before turning into a Ninja Turtle. Is it #VICober yet?

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 06:30:56 +0000

Keys are all unstuck. That. Was. Tedious.

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 08:58:18 +0000

More Septandy prep. Still my least favorite line of retro computers to actually use but I’m gonna try to find some parts to love.

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 19:04:07 +0000

Tandy Coco 1 keyboard: it’s nice and clean inside but the plungers on this side are mechanically difficult to press and get hung up. Ideas?

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 15:58:44 +0000

Without using TI Extended BASIC (yet), this is the shortest I've managed a 10 PRINT on a TI 99/4A. It's not 1 line, but it's easy to understand and has the advantage of making any two characters you want quickly on the fly to randomly print.

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 14:29:25 +0000

Just arrived. Pretty cool! I was in VAQ-209 from 1994 to 1999.

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 13:01:39 +0000

Attempt #3 of 10 PRINT on the TI 99/4A: While a far cry from the elegance and simplicity of the Commodore 10 PRINT, this version at least got me to learn how to redefine characters on the fly and make it look much better.

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 19:50:06 +0000

Take number two is even uglier so I decided to do it a second pass vertically. It's also super slow which is... nice... Next I think we redefine some characters to at least make the "maze" look better. If we can't make it fast or even close to one line, we can at least put some lipstick on it.

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 19:31:38 +0000

Playing around a little with TI 99/4A BASIC. It's different than what I'm used to, but I do like the IF-THEN-ELSE. Here's try #1 at a 10 PRINT program. Surely we can do better than this.

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 19:29:57 +0000

Always a good morning when there's @8BitShowAndTell Turbo Macro Pro code to study and contemplate. Happy Tuesday!

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 09:19:35 +0000

I feel weird opening this but I need the cable… 1982 in the package.

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 14:20:05 +0000

Traded a Coco2 for my first TI-99/4A "untested." I don't have direct experience with TI hardware. Assumed my experience meant I would be able to fix whatever might be wrong. It works just fine, which is slightly disappointing because I love restoring old computery things.

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 17:11:50 +0000

I was a guest on @8BitShowAndTell's last video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTxiR4ZKfvo) and in it he gave me a new title. This is a longstanding inside joke between Robin, @DarrenFoulds and me from their 80s podcast (which is on a break). I decided to make it official by getting it in print.

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:48:35 +0000

All computer books should be spiral-bound

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 12:32:47 +0000

I’m about a year into the DM42 replacing my 32SII that was my daily driver for almost 30 years. Hard to argue with how well that HP stood up to being abused in my laptop bag all that time and still works like a champ. They don’t often make ‘em like they used to.

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 14:33:34 +0000

Using the old “RF modulator from a broken VCR” trick again.

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 20:51:57 +0000

Fishing was slow, but the rest was fantastic.

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 17:22:39 +0000

Still working on these routines. Happy Friday!

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 10:41:01 +0000

Don’t forget to show your PETs some love. Happy Wednesday!

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 07:07:12 +0000

ML line drawing routines are working well. Happy Tuesday! #firstprinciples

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 08:04:36 +0000

Had these two books on my shelf as a kid. Always thought that I should spend the time to understand them. At 11, self-discipline was hard. I might be late, but just finished the first one. Every page, every line of code. Starting the second tonight. First principles is the way.

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 16:43:56 +0000

Nice and cool in the balsam forrest.

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 15:45:51 +0000

I’m trying to imagine getting my VIC replacement even close to the size of this thing. Really impressed.

Sat, 12 Aug 2023 13:20:48 +0000

Error checking type in data entry is all the rage these days. Happy Friday!

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 06:41:22 +0000

Just another random stretch of my daily walk. This is the only flat part. I’ve been doing more or less the same 3.5 mile walk 3-5 times a week for 10 years. It wasn’t until I took out the headphones and stopped tracking my health stats that it became really transformative.

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 13:23:01 +0000

I don't think Forth is some closet technology waiting for its moment. But it makes me think about problems differently, so I continue studying it.

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 07:47:08 +0000

The back of the Super Expander manual has some fun listings. Here's the first one.

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:26:57 +0000

Many asked about making the grid with the stock BASIC. It can be done, and is even fairly straightforward, but it's awfully slow (40 minutes). Still fun though.

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:47:55 +0000

French Broad was low today. Julie led most of the way for about 6 miles as we picked our way through the rocks.

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 14:11:46 +0000

It's rumored that @elonmusk's first computer was a VIC-20. I thought doing the logo would be easier than it turned out to be, but it's still just 10 lines of code, thanks to Super Expander. #commodore #vic20

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 19:36:20 +0000

I’ll probably get good money for these deck boards if I call them vintage.

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 14:30:01 +0000

:%s/A.I./Master Control/g

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 08:37:05 +0000

I saw this in a grocery store in Ely Minnesota. I wish I had bought it.

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 20:54:05 +0000

At Commodore in 1982, someone was like "let's make a knockoff, but should we at least make it look and sound like it's not at knockoff?" Nahhh, ship it!

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 13:44:49 +0000

These are nutritionally interesting but texturally challenging.

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 11:41:11 +0000

I'm sitting here realizing that I don't actually know how to send a high res screen on the VIC-20 to a printer. Hmmm.

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 09:04:56 +0000

Can't leave out the VIC-20. Happy Friday

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 07:41:58 +0000

More than one person called me out for using Python to make my Commodore screen grid. Assembly is easy enough, but I already had my SuperExpander out for another project. I had both it and SIMON's BASIC in the 80s, so I'm calling it "fair to use" as it's authentic to my childhood

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 20:04:06 +0000

I’m jaded with 2023 technology at work today. Time to revisit the 80s.

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 18:48:08 +0000

Visualizing the season's progressing, nerd style.

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 13:41:51 +0000

So I'm to understand that everyone doesn't write Python programs to generate 40x25 sheets to lay out vintage computer screen ideas on Tuesday nights. Apparently just me. Okay then. ;-)

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 18:57:27 +0000

Hi res 10 Print style render inspired by @8BitShowAndTell this morning. Takes a lot of Mississippi’s to finish the whole screen.

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:35:43 +0000

Looking through my photos and noticed this strange nighttime glitch shot of the Adler Planetarium from a boat in the harbor. Trying to figure out how this happened but it’s kinda neat.

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 12:37:29 +0000

I want to use a PET to explain simple shift ciphers. The challenge is comparing the current and standard English distribution with only 40x25 characters. Two graphs on the screen would be better. Giving it another think because I'm not happy with this.

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:54:48 +0000

I’m thinking maybe a PET theme for August. Haven’t had the MiniPET out in a while so I’ll start with that.

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 19:12:57 +0000

There’s a view I don’t get often.

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 22:00:11 +0000

Second Great Lake this summer.

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 17:28:44 +0000

Happy

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:35:41 +0000

There’s a lunch provided at the conference but I have science data to gather.

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 11:13:56 +0000

I’ve reached that part of my career where I’m supposed to write my own FORTH which is what FORTH is best at.

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 10:50:46 +0000

Not a city boy at heart, but Chicago is nice to look at during the night.

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 23:36:08 +0000

Studying 8-bit FORTH for a couple weeks mainly to look at problems differently

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:26:53 +0000

. Been an RPN person since my friend’s physicist dad taught us on an HP 32 when we were 10, but I struggled to grok FORTH. Then this morning – CLICK. Brain rewired. Now learn double-cell integers…

Finally repaired my beloved Sharp 9300(from High School) so it’s in today’s episode of stupid races between old computery things. Fibonacci to 35 and the VIC-20 still wins. Good effort though.

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 18:47:15 +0000

I use cartridge port expanders quite a bit. I don’t have much use past 2 ports on either the Commodore 64 or VIC-20. I kinda want to see if I can devise a memory map setup on the VIC-20 to use all 5 slots. For science.

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 13:15:26 +0000

This HP-45 Emulator is freaking amazing.

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 07:51:02 +0000

Found this in a box. I wonder what it is a backup of. Don’t have a drive to read it anyway.

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 16:14:13 +0000

Happy Monday

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 07:05:14 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/7RatQ4TU?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I have a friend who wants to start a new business with me. He just sent me mock-ups hand drawn on graph paper. This is my love language.

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 14:26:34 +0000

Short bed truck problems.

Sat, 22 Jul 2023 13:25:43 +0000

Okay, FORTH language people, what problem areas is FORTH particularly well suited for? I'm past the super beginner stages and ready to apply it to a problem area to see how I feel about it.

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 18:28:58 +0000

Godspeed Kevin

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 07:02:46 +0000

Four mile walk and wrote 833 more words on a position paper for a DevSecOps industry strategy before 8am so I rewarded myself with a random game on the VIC-20. Rod's Random Runner Picked Splatform which is one of my favorites. What are the chances?! Happy Wednesday!

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 09:26:30 +0000

I’m sure quite a few people were sitting sipping some morning coffee, wondering if there was a good cheat sheet for SpeedScript. Well, Compute Gazette May 1987 has your solution. Happy Tuesday!

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 06:51:41 +0000

Mint in the box. And certified for freshness. Maybe there’s some 1990s air trapped inside.

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 19:53:52 +0000

Sure it's crazy easy to create visuals these days, but why did it somehow used to seem cooler even if it's not as accurate?

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 10:36:59 +0000

Morning workout route never disappoints even if the fog is obscuring the mountains.

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 07:39:35 +0000

My morning reading combo. These go together right?

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 07:07:24 +0000

It’s a hard knock life

Sat, 15 Jul 2023 16:53:19 +0000

Made a minor adjustment to get the 10PRINT in Forth from @8BitShowAndTell 's 64FORTH video adapted to VICFORTH on the Commodore VIC-20. Using VICFORTH itself as the source of randomness which starts at $A000 on the VIC. Nifty.

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 08:24:16 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/CR4z11Je?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

This is a quirky and interesting Forth implementation. Gonna try some frequency distribution on it to see if it'll work for some of my silly crypto on 8 Bit work

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 18:47:01 +0000

Still my favorite writing setup (besides a typewriter). HP Thin Client I paid $10 for running DOS and WordPerfect 6. I use a 3.5 inch floppy drive to move documents on and off of it just because I like it.

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 13:51:37 +0000

VIM on DOS… interesting. I’m here for the WordPerfect but I’m intrigued.

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 10:29:52 +0000

I’d like to announce that I’m also forking RedHat. I’m starting with a slightly earlier version (the last time it was good).

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 10:28:07 +0000

Whelp, this is a good start. I have two working spares. Now to wire it up on a breadboard to reverse engineer. But first, we read the datasheets! #RTFM

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 18:36:24 +0000

Sigh. Mounted my Corsham KIM-1 clone on plexiglass. Had this project on my list for months and cracked it on the last hole. Can’t win em all.

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 18:36:15 +0000

That’s a weird place for a loose connection. At least it’s easy to get to. Happy Monday

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 08:40:22 +0000

And now we do the dance of joy. A lot of folks are into this new Cart for the games, but I’m here for this menu.

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 16:40:42 +0000

I needed to calculate (26! / (12!(26-12)!))*(12-1)!!

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 09:09:54 +0000

Since Python doesn’t have a double factorial, this worked. Any guesses on what this calculation is?

I don’t know. I think we could stack at least three more.

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 14:43:22 +0000

Confession. Sometimes I use a 1541-II with a VIC-20 because I’m too lazy to look through storage boxes.

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 19:42:16 +0000

I love that @ben_eater is doing a deep dives into Wozmon. Been in my KIM-1 toolbox for some time. Amazing how much is packed into less than 256 bytes of code. Doing another month of my Corsham KIM-1 on my desk in memory of it's late creator Bob Applegate who passed last month.

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 08:33:12 +0000

Working on my VCS cartridge collection. I vividly remember selling ours at a garage sale in the late 80s. Definitely need Pitfall next. Happy Friday.

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 19:55:26 +0000

Happy Friday, Apple IIe style ;-)

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 06:48:24 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/qRDdSxBF?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I am working on the VIC chip replacement project this morning. The color palette is tricky on VIC-20s. Spending a lot of time building resistor ladders with available values to try and get it closer. Why did I insist on this being composite out? VGA would be done by now.

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 07:21:58 +0000

I can do a real Rubik's cube in about 2 minutes, but this version takes me so much longer. Happy Wednesday! #commodore #vic20

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 07:47:24 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/62inDIMm?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

This is the oldest one I’ve seen. It would need a lot of work.

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 11:02:15 +0000

The latest Ultimate II+ and Ultimate 64 firmware supports 128k cartridges. Naturally the first one I have to run through its paces is Snappy ;-) #commodore

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 18:51:06 +0000

It’s Monday morning and I realized I’ve not done 10PRINT on this AIM 65 clone yet. There, universe is no longer tilted.

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 07:53:57 +0000

What is it about calculations in columns on a monochrome screen like a Commodore PET that’s so appealing? I can’t put my finger on it, but it just makes me smile. Happy Friday!

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 10:19:28 +0000

Haven’t used my One Time Pad helper for the Commodore in a while. Broke it out tonight to work on performance improvements. Getting zippy.

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 20:40:02 +0000

Interesting… so I had to use an Intel Mac to build it, but it RUNS just fine on my M1 Mac. So there’s now a MacOS version of @HansOtten KIM-1 simulator now that’s caught up with the most current version. Not bad for a long lunch break side quest.

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 16:22:32 +0000

I've built @HansOtten 's KIM-1 Simulator for Mac (Intel... Atom doesn't work AT ALL). Now I need to figure out how to make a script into a .app file on Mac so he can distribute it.

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 15:15:52 +0000

Picking up where I left off on the VIC-20 6560/1 replacement project. It’s still working after having been in storage so that’s a good start.

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 07:55:03 +0000

My pocket chip still boots. This was a good project and I’m sad it didn’t make it in the long run.

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 15:11:38 +0000

Broke out my hash collider program on the Commodore 64 this morning. You know, science n stuff.

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 06:36:19 +0000

I just found out that Bob Applegate passed away on Tuesday. I only knew Bob through email exchanges, but he was wonderful to correspond with. I'm going to spend the next weeks with my KIM-1 Clone, in remembrance. Godspeed Bob.

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:14:35 +0000

This fanless laptop is just sooo satisfying.

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 10:09:22 +0000

Having a hard time finding anything interesting lately. I’m gonna put the 6502 cluster away and try something else.

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 15:47:57 +0000

One of my side quests this week is to thoroughly clean this guy and work a little on the video output. Then it'll be ready to write a novel on. Chicklet keys are so smooth for long typing sessions.

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:50:14 +0000

Julie is threatening to make a picture book titled “Where’s Michael?”

Tue, 30 May 2023 10:56:52 +0000

Hubble caught an Aurora Borealis on Saturn. Don’t forget to look up at night.

Thu, 25 May 2023 20:56:29 +0000

Assembly coder friends will appreciate this

Thu, 25 May 2023 08:52:50 +0000

Doing some new cipher stuff and printing my hex values to the screen. Simple enough, but I was getting strange values sometimes. Took me WAY too many Mississippi’s to notice I forgot to clear carry. #facepalm #commodore

You don't HAVE to "create a video for this."

Thu, 25 May 2023 08:12:51 +0000

You could do cool stuff and share it. I cringe when I hear, “I’m trying to grow my channel”. Not everything has to be a “content creation” play. Make cool stuff. Repeat.

Today’s lunchtime learn something new is sorting out all of the Rockwell AIM 65 monitor commands. The built in assembler is pretty good. Happy Wednesday!

Wed, 24 May 2023 11:49:55 +0000

I loved the poem by @K0FFY_Radio so much that I framed it and hung it in my office.

Tue, 23 May 2023 08:53:53 +0000

Finally found breadboard IDC connectors that actually stay in breadboards

Tue, 23 May 2023 08:29:38 +0000

I've loved fixing things as long as I can remember. Instead of a lunch break, I'm fixing two keyboards. Not just any keyboards, the BEST keyboards. Happy Monday!

Mon, 22 May 2023 12:38:06 +0000

Needed a quick second logic analyzer for a slow circuit. It’s a hack but it works :)

Mon, 22 May 2023 10:02:12 +0000

10 years ago today I witnessed a hit and run which resulted in an elderly couple being stuck in their car which caught fire. Manager at the restaurant across the street was pretty upset when I stole their fire extinguisher to put the fire out. I guess that Navy DC training stuck.

Fri, 19 May 2023 17:35:32 +0000

My "Complete Lance A. Leventhal" library is one more book closer to completion

Thu, 18 May 2023 14:15:46 +0000

When you get a new to me breadbin Commodore 64 (the best computer ever made) from @K0FFY_Radio you get dot matrix letters AND an unexpected software bonus. Woot!

Wed, 17 May 2023 14:48:07 +0000

Taking the printer interface on the AIM 65 clone for a test drive. A sine wave should do the trick

Wed, 17 May 2023 11:26:57 +0000

I don’t have diabetes, but I’m a health data nerd. For the next 14 days I’m wearing a Freestyle Libre CGM. They say it takes a bit be accurate. Let’s hope that’s true because compared to a finger prick meter (which is pretty accurate) it’s not even close.

Sat, 13 May 2023 17:28:32 +0000

I’m on the prowl for this book. Physical or scanned electronic. There’s a copy on Archive.org but it’s not downloadable. Check your attics and basements

Fri, 12 May 2023 21:43:29 +0000

Package arrived from Japan today. I’m super excited to be a small part of this project. AIM-65 clone for the win!

Thu, 11 May 2023 13:37:13 +0000

Writing mirrors thought. Outsourcing it to AI may sideline our cognitive engagement. I value AI's potential yet value intellectual growth for people. Use AI to help cure cancer (or MS), but do not stop thinking and creating. Also, quit being lazy; it makes you boring.

Thu, 11 May 2023 08:08:37 +0000

I found a tube with 8 old school 6551’s in it. I’m running the 6502 cluster nodes at 1.843Mhz so I needed the “AP” model which is what I have. Sooo much easier when you’re trying to multiplex 5 serial devices to not have that transmit bug and delay math in the newer model. Woot!

Wed, 10 May 2023 13:39:41 +0000

Pretty sure everyone has a serial tap these days

Wed, 10 May 2023 06:32:59 +0000

Ooooo nice, a 6551 without that nasty hardware bug. Fancy.

Mon, 08 May 2023 18:03:55 +0000

Still lots of work to do on the job scheduling and "worker node" software side for sure, but my 6502 Cubesat sized "cluster" is up and running on a VIC-20 controller node. Not a bad cap to the week. Happy Friday!

Fri, 05 May 2023 08:34:16 +0000

Iiiiittttt'ssss worrrrrkkkingggg. Iiiiittttt'ssss worrrrrkkkingggg.

Thu, 04 May 2023 17:48:01 +0000

Boy I do have weird ideas sometimes. And sometimes they even work ;-)

Been having an intermittent problem with my Corsham SD board.

Wed, 03 May 2023 12:15:38 +0000

Broke out the scope and see some dead pins. Looked it over carefully and found the USB Type B connector is keeping the boards from getting close enough for the front pins to make good contact. Works if I force them.

Been obsessed with James Nestor's book on Breath for the last week or so. Wanted to dive into learning Vue, so here's my simple Breathe app to reset my breath throughout the day.

Wed, 03 May 2023 08:37:31 +0000

Use it here any time: https://imapenguin.com/breathe/

https://videopress.com/v/U6tQnf02?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Working with these great bi directional signal mux boards from @sparkfun today.

Tue, 02 May 2023 08:06:21 +0000

They will be switching between serial inputs between my 6502 cubesat sized “cluster” and their controller computer. Next up is writing a dead simple communication protocol and task queue system.

That’s the best packed and shipped old book I’ve bought in a long time. Bravo random eBay seller.

Mon, 01 May 2023 15:12:38 +0000

Nothing says “easy to read” like a VIC-20 serial program in 40 column mode connecting to a remote BASIC machine. I mean, it takes up almost 2/3 of the screen. Plenty of room ;-) I do have a Commodore 128 with a very good 80 column display, but who wants this stuff to be easy?

Mon, 01 May 2023 13:44:32 +0000

This is turning out even better than I hoped. Three 6502 cluster nodes and their serial multiplexer are now hardware complete + tested on their Commodore 64 controller. Hard part is next: writing software. Is VERY close to cubesat sized so now my brain is whirling about that idea

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 16:10:55 +0000

I’ve had a working “world’s worst paper tape reader” for a year now. Where does the time go?

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:13:01 +0000

Moving my serial multiplexer hack to a more permanent ish setup. I really dig these gold and black proto boards.

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 16:30:56 +0000

I want to stack my 6502 cluster nodes to save space. They have standard motherboard mounting holes on all four corners. Thoughts on how to mount them about 5cm apart 3 to 5 boards high? It’s for science so….

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 10:19:39 +0000

Sometimes the best debugging tool is to just print the values. Found it.

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 19:35:59 +0000

Who has a primer on sizing pull up and pull down resistors? These work but I just guessed.

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:36:23 +0000

Sticking to first principles wherever I can. Moved my serial multiplexer prototype over to the Corsham KIM-1 clone. Working great and ready to be moved to a more permanent proto board. Maybe someday I’ll learn KiCAD and get this fabbed for realz. 6502 cluster 1 day closer!

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 15:48:22 +0000

My current build project is getting a little out of control. I’m gonna need a bigger house.

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 09:15:18 +0000

Everyone but me at my company is at RSA in San Francisco. I was invited but declined. For reasons :)

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 16:06:15 +0000

Flash, insert, test, remove, and reflash are time-consuming. I picked up this ROM emulator to shorten that test cycle on the 6502 Cluster nodes, probably 10x. Less than a week (probably) from having the whole cluster setup first run. Happy Friday!

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 07:49:17 +0000

All three 6502 cluster nodes are assembled and tested. Next up is to mount them on something and then devise a way of connecting them together and to a control mode (leaning Commodore 64 for that). Then we can calculate all the things.

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 08:22:18 +0000

Got all three of these boards, two 6502 single board computers (blue)and a bazillion pin FPGA (green) all set up to be soldered on the bottom here. I’m counting 712 pins to solder this evening.

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 11:08:54 +0000

Post workout / pre day job shenanigans. More Commodore RS-232 work. Happy Wednesday!

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 07:08:03 +0000

Shout out to @HansOtten for pointing me in the right direction to get the 68b50 ACIA sorted out on my Corsham KIM-1 clone. The retro community is awesome. Actually could be an interesting choice for the Control Node on my 6502 cluster system. Hmm…

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 08:01:30 +0000

It’s tax day in the US. One of my least favorite things on earth. Using paper forms and public school handwriting for said forms feels right. For reasons.

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 07:26:08 +0000

Weeding this evening and had to get the long weed puller from the garage. If you’re not familiar, that’s Poison Sumac. Makes Poison Ivy/Oak seem tame. I would not recommend using the leaves as a facial cleanser.

Sat, 15 Apr 2023 18:58:46 +0000

Some people relax on Friday by drinking or streaming shows, etc.

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 16:45:38 +0000

Me? I’m sitting on our amazing front porch with Julie, watching the thunderstorms and studying a Neural Network implementation from 1987 on a 40-year-old computer. Netflix is dumb.

Got EhBASIC ported to the second half of the ROM (it’s on a switch). First 6502 cluster node is now complete. Time to build the other two. Happy Friday!

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 06:36:01 +0000

Got UART working on the first try on a 6502 Compute Cluster Node. No OS, these just run straight machine code. Might make up for yesterday's snafu. Maybe ;-) Happy Thursday!

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 07:44:05 +0000

You ever spend several hours trying to connect a VIC-20 to multiple serial terminals (troubleshooting) before you realize that the null modem connector isn’t… you know… connected between them? No, just me? Alright then.

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 18:59:31 +0000

Finally picked up a physical copy of this book. I had it in the 80s, but who knows where that copy ended up. I have the wrong computer on my desk today though :)

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 08:43:27 +0000

First of my 6502 cluster nodes is online. Occurred to me that I need to decide which Commodore model will be the control nodes for these little guys.

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 15:36:52 +0000

It was hard to get a FlipperZero in the US for a while. Mine just arrived. Time to hack all the things ;)

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 15:55:08 +0000

Writing a "serious" Django app for a security suite I'm working on.

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 14:47:39 +0000

Using Radar charts which are easy with Charts.js, but I may or may not have gotten sidetracked with making a radar screen using Javascript canvas. You know, for science. Whatever, you’re not the boss of me.

https://videopress.com/v/ZIqlyKDu?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I don’t need the LED matrix built into this FPGA board but I might as well have some fun with it.

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 11:10:11 +0000

It’s apparently the spring where my chainsaw gets a workout every weekend.

Sun, 02 Apr 2023 18:19:49 +0000

Super fun thrift store find. Even has route maps. Neato.

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 19:57:41 +0000

Had to steal this one. Seriously, learn how stuff works.

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 09:34:22 +0000

1 Megahertz crystals and the best crystals

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:14:33 +0000

Pre ordered this January 3rd and it was released today. Time to sharpen the pencil and take notes.

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:04:39 +0000

Changing it up on my desk this week. Going nifty clones of 70s computers for a change of pace.

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 18:32:46 +0000

Goose eggs

Sat, 25 Mar 2023 17:29:47 +0000

Our neighbors geese are laying. If you’re not familiar, geese only lay for a short period. Those two eggs would make a 6 egg omelette if you compare to chicken eggs. Yum.

Our yellow oysters are ready already. This growing your own food is neato.

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 16:29:50 +0000

Quitting

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 17:32:14 +0000

I quit alcohol in 2022.
Seed oils in 2023.
Now looking for candidates for the 2024 slot.

Using my super scientific method of just placing parts on the PCB to inventory I see that I have enough of the expensive parts to build 3 nodes of my 6502 cluster to start. Happy Wednesday!

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 10:52:29 +0000

Always impressed by Mouser’s packing of sensitive components.

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 18:41:28 +0000

Vintage computer commercial for today

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 17:08:03 +0000

If I was going to write a modern commercial for Vintage computing, it would go like this:

Dive into the world of limited resources, master optimization & efficiency, and explore the roots of modern tech. 💪 Start your journey & unlock your potential! 💻 #CodeWisdom #commodore

Brush clearing day 2. Colorful PPE gives my location away.

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 13:17:36 +0000

Finally. A cheap and small FPGA dev board with more than enough easy to access IO pins. Open source tool chain is a must for me. I’m gonna need a few more of these ;)

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 08:14:57 +0000

Interesting read this morning

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 06:41:31 +0000

“Go outside and it’s more or less the same as it has always been. What you see with your eyes and what you see with your phone is shockingly difficult to reconcile.”

From this post

Out of all of the dystopian futures in Science Fiction, it's disappointing that the most accurate one was Wall-E.

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 15:43:35 +0000

I bought a single 2SC1959 transistor and don’t remember why. Extra weird because I keep pretty good notes about my 57 ongoing projects. Hmm

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 12:55:21 +0000

Not by AI

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 09:53:22 +0000

I’m just upset I didn’t think of it first https://notbyai.fyi

8 bit clusters

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 08:45:03 +0000

Pulling together the parts to build 5 of these. To me that seems like the minimum number of 6502 single board computers to make up a cluster. Back off man, I’m a scientist.

Current Mood

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 19:15:47 +0000

Ahh, that's better. The correct position of this toggle for this guy is off. I'll do my own summaries thank you.

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 19:15:07 +0000

Several more modern “advanced” calculators are controversial

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 14:19:42 +0000

While the key feel on the TI-Nspire isn’t good, the rest of it is quite easy to use without having to resort to the user manual for the more advanced functions. The UI makes difficult things manageable. I’m a fan.

Driving clocks with FPGAs

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 18:08:09 +0000

Here are some clues if you were wondering how to create the 3 clocks you need to drive an NTSC VIC-20 from a 12Mhz onboard clock on an FPGA with 2 PLLs. I can’t think of a better way to contribute to this machine’s legacy than to make it possible for others to do what I’m doing. The goal is to create an OPEN replacement for the only chip on a VIC-20 that doesn’t have a modern replacement. (yes, this will be a LONG post on the website)

Happy Pi Day! Another year of 6502 machines verifying the digits. #commodore

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 06:29:03 +0000

New to me TI-92. I did not realize just how huge these things are.

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 15:00:36 +0000

Just looking over the Minnesota fishing regulations. I feel like I've missed a memo.

Sun, 12 Mar 2023 18:29:53 +0000

If I view this Commodore PET picture on a C64, does that break the space-time continuum? The picture itself represents the very moment computing peaked. Long slide into mediocre since then. Happy Friday!

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 07:37:50 +0000

Canadian Bacon

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 20:23:22 +0000

We just booked a vacation place on Lake Superior. I guess I’ll be the one guarding the Northern Border against the Canadians for a couple weeks at the end of May. Don’t worry, I can fend off any attempted invasions. Probably.

The PET Diagnostic boards designed by Sven Peterson arrived and I just realized I have the BOM loaded in a shopping cart but never actually pressed “submit order”. This is what happens when you have too many simultaneous projects.

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 17:38:57 +0000

Back in the saddle on the VIC chip replacement. Today I’m implementing the internal registers. Nice (but slow) progress. I’ve decided not to bother with implementing interlacing on the first version. #commodore #vic20 #vicsrevenge

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 16:38:25 +0000

Everyone prints their MOS component datasheets and binds them right?

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 20:50:46 +0000

My arms might work again on Tuesday.

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 15:38:57 +0000

I’m pretty good about strength training, but there are few gym type exercises that can prepare your arms and shoulders for felling 25 trees on your property.

Anyone else have several VIC-20s with test clips more or less permanently attached? No? Just me. Okay then.

Sat, 04 Mar 2023 08:03:12 +0000

Happy Friday. Time for some Blinkenlights! Here's a couple of LED patterns on the VIC-20 and PAL-1 (KIM-1) clone.

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 07:26:12 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/Dl2hD5rM?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

https://imapenguin.com/2023/03/blinkenlights/

VIC Chip "drop in" replacement work this evening and got distracted. Why make a simple drawing in your notebook when you can have a VIC-20 do it? Back off, man; I'm a scientist.

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 20:52:39 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/Jdg05SJE?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Finally got around to assembling the PAL-1 gadgets. Can an office have TOO MANY blinkenlights? I don’t think so. Might use this with my “worlds worst paper tape reader” setup.

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 17:53:06 +0000

Happy Tuesday. You don’t have to be angry on the internet today. Just do cool stuff and share it. Repeat.

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 08:03:54 +0000

This has gotten a little out of hand.

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 09:17:03 +0000

I've had the Numworks calculator for a couple years now. I find myself reaching for it more often lately. The base conversions are easy to access, and it sure is fast.

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 17:21:34 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/OiTdVPde?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

A coworker had this GIANT flag made for me. So great.

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 17:57:14 +0000

I need to wait to do the final touches until Oscar sends me the correct LED bracket but it went together nicely. Happy Friday !

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 07:59:13 +0000

Getting back to my drop in VIC 6560/1 replacement for the VIC-20. Broke out the big guns textbook to get my mind back in the right space. #vicsrevenge #commodore

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:14:55 +0000

Whelp I was going to assemble my PiDP-8 but it looks like the wrong LED bracket was included. That’s the PDP-11 light layout. Whoopsie. I can get the rest of it up and running, but won’t be able to complete the assembly without it.

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 20:30:49 +0000

Asked over the weekend what the most difficult thing I've done in Assembly was. SHA-256 isn't the longest program I've done, but it was the most difficult to date. It's pretty fast which makes it extra neato to me. #commodore

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 09:43:52 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/X1KFHt09?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Had an altercation with a deer a few weeks ago. Took the opportunity to do a little customization on the front end of my truck. Basic dude stuff.

Sat, 11 Feb 2023 16:29:40 +0000

Gotta wait for random numbers

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 16:38:08 +0000

Working on a Maze game and need a quick INT(RND(1)*4) to randomly pick the next direction. An interesting (and well-known) side effect of a tight(ish) loop is that you can get the same number back several times in a row if you don’t wait for a few clock cycles between polling $d41b. Not a problem in my actual maze, but my quick print before incorporating it into the actual code shows this quite clearly.

Valentine thinks Commodore is pretty rad.

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 15:45:01 +0000

I made a gallon of sauerkraut for 79 cents (that’s a quart jar next to it with granola in it). Add this to the long list of things I don’t buy at the store any more.

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 18:14:49 +0000

Recycled Crap

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 10:02:17 +0000

I don’t want auto-generated code and content. I want curiosity and connection. To work hard and contribute. Spending time on the couch eating Lucky Charms while the world feeds and takes care of me sounds awful. There’s progress, and then there’s lazy recycled crap.

So... I find myself in need of a PDP-8 simulator/emulator. Uncharted territory for me, but it's for science so...

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 16:10:07 +0000

This week’s nonfiction books. On track to read 75 books this year.

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 13:15:19 +0000

Thinking about starting a new podcast. Might as do some dry run recordings to work out topics and format. Happy Monday.

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 07:51:21 +0000

I have one of the few Snappy prototype carts in the wild. Doing the ROM upgrade today (it’s 128k) so it’ll be Turbo Macro Pro, REU and enhanced Super Snapshot happy time in my office this week. #commodore

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 21:42:03 +0000

Building railings on my Dad’s lower deck today.

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 18:45:56 +0000

I was looking for a ribbon cable after my morning workout and found a shortwave radio I don’t remember acquiring. It’s neat but they sure looked cooler in the 70s.

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 07:07:40 +0000

Can you imagine having resources like this for modern computers? Nothing even close exists. #commodore

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 14:51:04 +0000

Thursday

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 06:11:34 +0000

Just a reminder that you don’t have to be angry on the internet today.

Breaking down someone else’s old assembly code that I converted into Turbo Macro Pro format. Surely I’m not the only person who would rather reverse engineer assembly by printing it out right? #commodore #6502forever

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 14:27:57 +0000

Walking among dinosaurs

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 07:50:51 +0000

Chuck Peddle was one of the great chip designers of all time. His observation on the show floor at CES in 1977 seems on a repeat cycle. 2023 is shaping up to be an interesting year for many companies.

If you had taken a snapshot at that show, you knew what was going to happen to the computer industry,” says Peddle. “I was walking among the dinosaurs while they were dying. They had lost the momentum. The momentum was building under their feet and they didn’t have a fucking clue.(Brian Bagnall, Commodore- A Company on the edge)

These Schmidt refills fit my favorite pens. Happy Wednesday

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 07:14:39 +0000

Converting my favorite Maze program from Machine Language to Turbo Macro Pro. Wouldn't be complete without a machine code vs BASIC speed comparison. You know, for science. Article on how this one works by the weekend. Probably. #commodore

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 16:21:54 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/34QLxN2J?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Opportunities

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 07:49:06 +0000

Great opportunities never have ‘great opportunity’ in the subject line.

Monday thought on mini celebrities

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 09:11:21 +0000

Great quote in InfoWorld. Could be applied to many disciplines:

“I’m not talking about the open source “celebrities” who travel from one open source conference to another, giving speeches based on past accomplishments while offering little in the way of current relevance. "

https://www.infoworld.com/article/3686511/google-blew-it-with-open-source-layoffs.html

Converting a handful of servers this morning from Ubuntu to Debian. 18+ years and I've had enough.

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 08:18:23 +0000

This is a common practice for @FedEx around here. I’ve been on my driveway for the last 90 minutes so this reason is completely made up. You know hat would be better (besides actually delivering)? The truth. Poor form FedEx.

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 09:42:01 +0000

Excellent read.

Sat, 28 Jan 2023 07:37:40 +0000

Thinking about how I want to connect this Simple I/O board to my PAL-1 (KIM-1 clone). 18 pin IDC cable might be the cleanest and most flexible option. #commodore #deepthoughtswithmichael

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 08:00:45 +0000

On today's episode of "learn something every day," I did an LFSR on an IceStick FPGA. Pretty straightforward. Tomorrow I'll do an LCG and put them together to get a terrible Pseudo Random Number Generator. You know, for science.

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 09:26:43 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/eN3wNFG8?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Yes, if you know my password, please forget it. On a "security" company website. Sheesh.

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 14:48:16 +0000

Gotta prep for a webinar. Sanity is important.

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 16:44:46 +0000

Young person I'm mentoring in math and computers wants to learn how mazes work. Printing values on a simple program on a slow computer is by far the best way to explain this. He got it immediately, plus it's a cool visual. Happy Monday! #commodore

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:12:52 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/NaZeMkBR?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

That last bolt

Sat, 21 Jan 2023 13:32:58 +0000

Replacing the broken automatic cooling vane system on my truck. There are 30 fasteners to mostly remove the grille and bumper. Other than a trip to the hardware store because only God knows where my 7mm socket is… 29 of them came off in 30 minutes. This last one…hour and a half

It’s difficult to understate how much better the left one is over the right one. The VIC-20 guide launched me on a career path and a lifelong love of learning. Crazy how the right book at the right time can steer someone. I was 6 in 1981. #commodore

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 14:32:28 +0000

Still have an eBay search going for season 2.

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 07:20:34 +0000

I have a number of C64s but only one is PAL. Happens to be a 64C. Gonna keep this one on my desk for the next week or so. For science. #commodore

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 08:47:13 +0000

How do I get into programming?

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:43:10 +0000

I get asked at least once a month what the best way to learn how to program is. My advice is always the same: Pick a tool that looks interesting and make small things with it. Don’t get hung up on which technology and don’t chase the newest shiny. Make stuff. Repeat.

I’ve been wearing an Oura ring for 3 or 4 years now. This is the highest sleep score I’ve ever gotten.

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 08:27:59 +0000

We moved in 1981, so I can pretty confidently put this in 1980 based on the furniture and room. My Dad got it as a gift, but it had a much bigger impact on me than him.

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 15:00:37 +0000

Okay 80s fans, anyone else as obsessed with Robo Force as I was in 1984? I really should not be allowed on eBay…

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 11:27:17 +0000

Always had these memories of a space plane I had as a kid, but I could not remember what it was called. Today I found a picture of the Christmas unopened it and a clear shot of the box. I’m not going to look on eBay. Nope, not this guy.

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 13:37:54 +0000

Solving problems for fun with 3583 bytes of memory has made me dramatically better at my day job. Embrace constraints.

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 16:35:53 +0000

Solving problems for fun with 3583 bytes of memory has made me dramatically better at my day job. Embrace constraints.

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 16:34:11 +0000

Really loving Pocketbase for my personal database. The Python library is a little behind, so I forked it and updated it to bring it current with the new API syntax. Now to import the last 15 years of finsihed books from a CSV file :)

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 13:42:42 +0000

I’m about to let some air out of this sealed package from the 90s. Should I play Nirvana or something while I do it?

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 09:49:05 +0000

Took me an hour this morning to troubleshoot my Corsham board. Turns out the ribbon cable was bad. All better now.

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 07:38:07 +0000

Move over iPhone. My new (in the box) planner even has a dedicated secret button. It’s where I’ll keep all of my passwords from now on and it’ll still be more secure than LastPass :)

Fri, 06 Jan 2023 07:19:58 +0000

Our neighbor’s ducks are laying eggs faster than she can eat them. This is a good thing for us :)

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 17:41:57 +0000

I try to spend a month with a particular retro computer at a time. January 2023 is the Corsham KIM-1 clone.

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 13:40:57 +0000

Bo dee do we. Boop beep. Somehow this has survived in my possession for 43 (ish) years and even works.

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 13:22:03 +0000

Still on the prowl for an HP-16C. My replica is cool. Similar in size and it does feel solid thanks to the aluminum construction, but nothing beats the key feel in the voyager series.

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 08:40:51 +0000

Stays crunchy in milk

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 21:58:14 +0000

More Atari VCS/2600 programming fun this week. Hats off to the folks who made decent games with 128 bytes of RAM.

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 07:41:04 +0000

For no particular reason I've been learning Atari VCS/2600 Assembly this week. It is pretty challenging with no built in fonts and it makes the 3583 Bytes in a VIC-20 seem like a luxury. Anyway, counting up a score was satisfying.

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 09:51:46 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/lfA6wKyI?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever made it through this whole show. Ever.

Sat, 24 Dec 2022 11:21:34 +0000

Many of us in North America should maybe embrace this opportunity:)

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 10:44:25 +0000

Off of work for a while now. I relax by studying and/or outdoor activities. As the temps are plummeting in the US this week, going to be more study than outdoors. On my current list are these two gems.

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 10:00:21 +0000

Figured I should take a stab at #VCCC2022 this week. I've got the algorithm I want, now to rewrite in Assembly and shrink it ;-) Happy Monday! #commodore

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 07:38:09 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/V9jkSKXp?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Wim Hof

Sat, 17 Dec 2022 17:49:15 +0000

Been doing Wim Hof breathing since Sept 1, and it’s been transformative. A week ago, I added cold showers. Our particular well is VERY deep where we live, so it’s COLD. I dread it every time, but it feels AMAZING when I’m done. It might be time to shop for a cold plunge setup.

Put a 128 motherboard and PET next to it so we can appreciate how big this 6510 die shot is on my wall. Amazing.

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 14:11:05 +0000

Lunch break shenanigans… first time I’ve ever done this in under 3 mins.

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 13:29:09 +0000

I can't overstate how great this is as a distraction-resistant writing device.

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 09:09:48 +0000

Still working on iOS animations before the day job starts. This morning's project was pretty fun.

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 10:32:31 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/RMmEAHQN?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

10 PRINT is cool, but there are soooo many 1 liner possibilities. Need to try this on the VIC-20 next. #commodore

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:46:12 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/N5fEr009?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I should have just used my front porch as a tree stand

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 09:46:37 +0000

Time to cartridge ROM dump following along with an @8BitShowAndTell video. You know, for science

Sun, 11 Dec 2022 18:51:10 +0000

I was very lucky to get a 6502 high resolution die shot print from Siliconinsid

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 17:09:51 +0000

It’s gigantic, 86cmx86cm (34 inches). Slightly damaged in shipping from Europe, so I’ve got it sandwiched between 2 plexiglass sheets. 100% salvageable and can’t wait for it to be on my office wall.

iPad mini for scale

He also sent me a 486 die shot print which is even bigger. Same damage but also salvageable

I love that HP still makes the 12C. I never have one out of arms reach. 41 years and running and the CPU is very 6502ish. Make RPN great again.

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 09:55:59 +0000

I did #AdventOfCode Day 6 on a #commodore VIC-20 today just for a change of pace. Pretty fun.

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 10:01:12 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/cfSgtbjR?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Commodore PET 2001 #AdventOfCode Day 5 sorting crates and stacks.

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:08:17 +0000

Was fun, but if tomorrow is another bazillion string slicing exercise I may use a modern language. Is preprocessing the input fair game if I use a 1970s computer? Asking for a friend. I partied like it’s 1978 though. Took 19 minutes to complete ;-)

https://videopress.com/v/jqeprRZA?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I just realized part 1 says part 2 and so does part 2. It’ just a typo, I’m not running it again.

I spent WAAAY too long today figuring out #AdventOfCode Day 4 on the Commodore 64, but it works. Took me 10 minutes to write my solution in Julia this morning and 3 hours this evening to write it for the #commodore. Probably can't spend that kinda time on work days, though. Fun!

Sun, 04 Dec 2022 19:37:04 +0000

Got a Coco1 from @K0FFY_Radio today including some other goodies. Doing the ol route the RF through a VCR trick to get that soothing toxic green screen. This is now in the running for the worst computer in my collection and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Sat, 03 Dec 2022 16:26:42 +0000

I did #AdventOfCode Day 3 in @julialanguage because it's Saturday and I needed to knock it out quickly. If I have time this evening, I'll try it on a retro computer.

Sat, 03 Dec 2022 08:14:58 +0000

In December, I am adding SwiftUI to my skillset. Not bad for a first pre breakfast session.

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 10:48:09 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/DoZ9ymX6?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

These are a few of my favorite things…Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashesSnowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes… Happy Friday!

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 09:04:35 +0000

Alright, part 2 of #AdventOfCode Day 1 went to my Commodore PET 2001. Only took 58 seconds to do it, including reading the 2200+ data points from a floppy disk #commodore

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 18:36:33 +0000

Been asked several times today if #AdventOfCode2022 is possible on vintage computers. The answer is "some of it". Today's was doable. Takes a minute to read 2200+ inputs from a floppy, but it worked. #commodore

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 15:40:32 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/EvS6lAmA?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Well @8BitShowAndTell made me get the paddles out for a deep dive Ultimax cartridge/LeMans Patreon exclusive. Don’t tell anyone I’m using my #Atari paddles on a #commodore though okay?

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 11:19:41 +0000

Well, #AdventOfCode2022 is off to a good start. I'm using @JuliaLanguage this year, and I realize I'm not nearly as good at Julia as I thought. The month's challenges will be hard, and that's great.

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 09:04:29 +0000

We have two Christmas trees, so naturally there are two trains.

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 19:19:57 +0000

It’s that time of year. My kids are grown but trains have schedules to keep.

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 19:28:03 +0000

I have 3 Raspberry Pi 4s that are being used for tasks like FPGA development. They are unobtainium these days but I do have 8 Raspberry Pi 3s. Any fun uses for these you can think of? Putting Homeassistant on 1 so that leaves 7 left. Happy Monday!

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 11:48:24 +0000

Can’t say I didn’t get my money’s worth out of this thing. Waaaay better than modern phones.

Sun, 27 Nov 2022 21:01:14 +0000

A year ago I got suspended from Twitter for posting this video because the post had the word “snowflake” in it. Ahh, the memories #commodore

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 18:05:41 +0000

My favorite album this year is by@lukhash. Bought the CD last December, but the vinyl was sold out. New pressing was announced and ordered on Jan 28. Supplier screwed up many times. Those with patience finally received this gorgeous record this week #Commodore game is on side 2

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 08:45:10 +0000

Did @somacdivad's weekly code challenge in BASIC this week. Because, uh, science or something. It's a “peculiar English dialect in which the numbers of letters in successive words follow the digits of the number π.” Pretty fun. #commodore

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 10:38:43 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/VEJ9tdA5?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Does your holiday travel go bag have the proper emergency supplies? Mine does. #Nintendo

Sun, 20 Nov 2022 21:29:25 +0000

Knot untangler

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 21:07:34 +0000

Nice, new Floppy Emu firmware has graphics now. #appleiie

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 21:06:02 +0000

Working on a code challenge from @shieladixon. Part 1 is total permutations 1 to 9 as fast as I can manage on a #Commodore. Here's an NTSC C64 doing it without printing in 48 seconds. Part 2 is a little harder, have to give it a think.

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 09:39:01 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/Smb73oFR?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

A little silliness while waiting for backups to finish. Happy Friday! #commodore

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 08:10:30 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/VUA9smwD?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Christmas tree farm day. You know the day when the animals wonder why we’re bring a tree into the house. Crazy hoomans.

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 15:58:12 +0000

I get asked a lot about how to do the “off screen” images on the SwissMicros calculators. The short short version is crop your photo to 400x240 and run this little Python. Then just copy it over usb to the offimg folder.

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 15:05:31 +0000

I need to pay attention to details more. I meant to buy 10 SN74LVC245A’s and bought 100. If you need me, I’ll be looking around the shop for a couple dozen more things to level shift :)

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 13:12:38 +0000

Everyone uses @JuliaLanguage to create data statement sets to do calculations on vintage BASIC machines right? I can’t think of a better use for modern computers than the assist for their elders. Happy Monday!

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 19:46:55 +0000

I forgot that I DO have one calculator that can do very large exponents. But calling it a calculator is kinda a stretch. More like an ARM computer running python in a calculator costume. Still a fun device, though.

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 09:54:51 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/e4ZTCxhp?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

This morning’s #NaNoWriMo22 word count was at 5 am on my Electra 120.

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 08:27:44 +0000

Family game night tonight is @theRealKiyosaki ‘s Cashflow game. Who knew doing finances could be such fun?

Sun, 13 Nov 2022 20:48:28 +0000

Finally decided on the upgrade to my iPhone 11.

Sat, 12 Nov 2022 19:45:38 +0000

I am success! Now to make this WAY faster. But still, pretty neato. Can do up to 2^847 before we overflow in this iteration. Stretch goal is 2^5000, but getting there. #commodore

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 21:10:43 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/GFXKLno3?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

In the age of endless selfies and pictures of our food, it's weird to think that I spent 6 years in the Navy and have maybe 6 pictures from that time. Happy Veterans Day to all Veterans and the families that tirelessly supported them.

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 09:01:54 +0000

ALL computer books should be spiral bound. Cookbooks too.

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 10:21:45 +0000

Back to some video generation with FPGAs this evening. VGA instead of composite this time.

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 16:37:07 +0000

Not sure why it never occurred to me to try my favorite retro demo program on an 80 column PET. Universe wrong now righted. Happy Wednesday! #commodore #PET #retrocomputing

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 07:48:15 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/bamoYegI?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Just making sure I remember where the overflow is. Back off man, I’m a scientist. #commodore

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 21:26:18 +0000

I stumbled into @JuliaLanguage in January. Spent this year being in love. Last night a young man I tutor asked “what does 2 to the 5000 actually look like?” Julia makes this crazy easy. And @8BitShowAndTell has me thinking I need to do this on a #commodore now

Sun, 06 Nov 2022 06:49:46 +0000

Unopened Palm V charger needs to be opened. Got Palm devices to charge!

Sat, 05 Nov 2022 13:54:56 +0000

When I fly a retractable gear plane, I check that my gear is down at least 3 times. At the final approach fix, at IFR mins (even on a clear day) and once across the runway threshold. Those that fly with me often know my routine. I wont end up like this poor guy. Hopefully.

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 13:52:20 +0000

Mobile computing peaked with this model. Everything after it is a productivity suck. Both of these beauties are getting battery replacements this evening.

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 07:25:52 +0000

Most aspects of life were better before smart phones and always on internet. Something I’m reflecting on as November begins.

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 16:49:21 +0000

There was something great about NOT being connected ALL THE TIME.

Distraction resistant #nanowrimo2022 system ready to rock.

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 07:16:08 +0000

One more possible writing platform for #NaNoWriMo is a KIM-1 clone. Have to memorize the hex codes for ASCII characters. 45,000 words at 4 words a minute in hexadecimal is… 187 hours just to “type” it. Extra credit: decode this. Happy Friday! #commodore

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 07:09:02 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/giFZv2c9?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

https://imapenguin.com/my-serious-contenders-for-national-novel-writing-month-platforms-for-2022-nanowrimo/

Kivy-ios certificate errors fix

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 10:07:29 +0000

Pro tip: If your’e trying to build kivy-ios on Mac OS and get certificate errors:

CERT_PATH=$(python -m certifi)
export SSL_CERT_FILE=${CERT_PATH}
export REQUESTS_CA_BUNDLE=${CERT_PATH}

You’re welcome. #python

A little lunchtime fun. Here's a little program to examine characters from the character rom by location. #commodore

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 11:54:41 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/RGT4XPAI?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

It’s apparently Global Encryption Day. I’ve done quite a few ciphers on old computers, including SHA-256 in assembly (5 whole hashes per second). I really prefer encryption that can be done by hand. One time pads and the VIC cipher for example. Happy Saturday! #commodore

Sat, 22 Oct 2022 06:41:07 +0000

My PET it always in the background on video calls, so I started using @8BitShowAndTell ‘s scroller to send subliminal messages. Happy Friday! #commodore

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 12:31:31 +0000

This crap is why I started using Linux almost 30 years ago. Ads in my terminal window are my new least favorite thing. Poor form @Canonical, be better.

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 07:14:27 +0000

I often intentionally spend a week with a particular 8-Bit machine at a time. This week is my nicely yellowed 128, a computer I desperately wanted to replace my beloved C64 when it came out. Still, a delight to use. #commodore

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 08:28:36 +0000

A post over the weekend by @8BitShowAndTell has me thinking about how to do 10 PRINT on a PC-4. No backslash, hmm

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 11:13:15 +0000

MiniPet works pretty well on my 9 inch PET CRT. Now I'm working on a way to have both the original board and the MiniPET in the case at the same time. Everyone dual boots their PET these days right? Happy Friday! #commodore #10print

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 06:21:29 +0000

Stuck in the weeds on a couple things right now so I broke out a project from last year that I left hanging. Progress on Enigma in ML on the #c64 got my brain unstuck. #commodore

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 19:04:11 +0000

My submission to David Amos' Code challenge yesterday

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 14:25:15 +0000

The challenge was:

and my submission is:

https://videopress.com/v/N3DPchr9?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I don’t know who at Commodore in 1979 thought that riveting voltage regulators on was a good idea, but I’m grateful for all of the rivet work I’ve done on airplanes. Could be really intimidating if you’ve never drilled rivets before. Repairing a Twitter friends PET this evening.

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 19:55:39 +0000

Starting to think about National Novel Writing Month. If I use a VIC-20 for it and a tape deck, my working title for the novel could be "Self-Inflicted Pain." Would be fun to try. I'm reasonably sure it'll be the Apple II this year, though. #appleII #commodore #nanowrimo2022

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 10:59:15 +0000

Well that's pretty fun. I'll have to think about some 320x200 source images that will render really well at 40x25ish ;-) #commodore

Sat, 08 Oct 2022 07:27:00 +0000

I spend a ton of time on video calls these days. My tiny profile in a call has a PET in the shot, and the number of conversations this starts is wonderful. #commodore

Sat, 08 Oct 2022 06:44:35 +0000

Sorta listening on a conference call I'm not sure I need to be on. How about studying some code to do 32 C64 sprites? I think I will thank you. Happy Thursday! #commodore

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 14:38:26 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/RwhqasYp?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Success. This “untested” PET 2001-8N is now back in service. The whole thing was filthy and had some corrosion. Every keyboard plunger needed Cailkote and it had two bad linear regulators. Fairly easy repair. Happy Monday! #commodore #PET

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 09:47:57 +0000

Started with zero keys working and this morning every key works flawlessly. #commodore #PET

Sun, 02 Oct 2022 10:25:47 +0000

My phone learned a new trick.

Sat, 01 Oct 2022 13:15:48 +0000

Took me a long time to find a decent hard cover copy of this book. Fascinating story. Edwin Layton was quite the guy.

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 14:14:50 +0000

Not a single key on this PET keyboard worked so they are getting the full treatment. Be good as new after the 24 hour drying period for the conductive coating. Gave everything a bath while I wait. #commodore

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 12:48:04 +0000

My very reliable PET keyboard tester

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 11:15:51 +0000

Looking much better after a distilled water bath. Tomorrow I’ll sort out the lack of 5V power on the board. For now, we dry. #commodore #PET

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 19:53:01 +0000

Do WAAAYY more with less

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:43:17 +0000

Arrived today and I’m excited. Here @gregnacu reminds us that you can do SO MUCH MORE with the hardware you already have if you just think about everything differently. Thrilled to be putting this on my Ultimate64 this evening

If he can do this on a machine with 64k of RAM, imagine what you could do with that super computer in your pocket besides animated stickers and TikTok…

Best writing tool ever made

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 10:09:03 +0000

I need things in my life that only do one thing but are crazy reliable. This is the best writing tool ever created. Distraction free, two AA batteries last weeks, and highly portable. Basically a typewriter but has USB send to a computer file when you’re ready. Straddles the technology bridge perfectly. I own two of them.

Just a little silly randomness to brighten up my Thursday morning. #commodore

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 07:45:30 +0000

Someone needs a bath. #commodore

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 20:12:01 +0000

New to me PET 2001 and it doesn’t work. Makes me a happy camper. #commodore

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:21:55 +0000

Ever go looking through your stuff looking for a Tandy Cassette Deck and find something you have no memory procuring? Apparently I have a Pinebook. Huh.

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:05:39 +0000

Love my Romulator. I need maybe 3 more of them. Maybe 4. #6502

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 16:23:43 +0000

This week's nonfiction read. Quite good.

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 10:16:31 +0000

For the next couple days, there's a humble bundle of 21 Linux books by No Starch

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 06:46:26 +0000

Visualizing concepts

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 09:39:48 +0000

Sometimes when working on counters in Verilog, I have difficulty picking out the bit ranges I want to achieve and the scaling up and down I want. Looking at it visually and a little Julia scripting helps.

One can’t really have too many Verilog Books.

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 18:21:05 +0000

20 year old life coaches

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 10:04:31 +0000

At 47, I smile knowing that a 20 year old “life coach” claiming to be able to change my life doesn’t know what they don’t know yet.

Armed with this insight, what might a 94 year old know about life that I don’t even know that I don’t know yet?

The best computer hacking tutorial ever made.

Sat, 17 Sep 2022 13:39:35 +0000

Happy Friday from peak computing. #commodore #VIC20

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 06:44:12 +0000

My ideal cyberdeck

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 11:01:00 +0000

What I really want in my life is an 11 inch Linux laptop, ARM or RISC-V. That’s my ultimate Cyberdeck.

I don’t understand the TV in the bathroom at restaurants thing but I’m at a taco place on Florida that has one. Princess Leia watching you pee is unsettling.

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 18:47:06 +0000

Long tree searches on a Commodore 128. Some things are better explained and learned on older hardware. Easier to see what’s happening and feels less like magic.

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 10:19:54 +0000

Traveling to Orlando this week for work. Want to be in the right mindset for the rest of 2022, so this new book is my theme for the week.

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 07:59:47 +0000

I sold my airplane project and I feel really good about it. An enthusiastic guy outside of Charlotte bought it. I don’t subscribe to the “you must finish a book because you started it” type philosophy.

Sun, 11 Sep 2022 16:04:45 +0000

Workout done before 6am, so might as well move to some light reading. Much of this book I practice every day already, but getting the basics right is always a good plan.

Sat, 10 Sep 2022 06:35:32 +0000

I suppose it IS #septandy so I can spend 15 minutes this year with my Coco 2. Soon it’ll be #victober and all will be right with the world. Until then….

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 12:37:23 +0000

Twitter won’t let me post this because the file name is “time bomb”. What a bunch of candy ass billshit.

It’s September, time for the annual reading of my second favorite book

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 07:52:01 +0000

Why would they take a clean, natural, healthy food and turn it into an artificially flavored bastardization?

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 21:45:41 +0000

Everyone doesn't teach CIDR notation with a C64? No? I'm the only one? Okay. #commodore

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 10:51:55 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/fRHWFszc?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Have you seen XX show?

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 07:31:43 +0000

It’s becoming more and more common for me to be at some social event where I’m repeatedly asked the question “have you seen this show?”

I’ve not watched TV in quite a few years now. We don’t have any of the subscription services (okay, technically Amazon prime but only because you can’t exclude it to save some bucks), and I’m just doing other things.

It’s not that I don’t WANT to connect with you on this level, it’s just that I can’t.

A month not tracked

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 06:09:23 +0000

In 2012, I started a job as the lead product developer for a company that made devices for people with special needs. Starting that job coincided with the launch of the Raspberry Pi and the sudden influx of smart devices.

I started wearing a Fitbit soon after and have been wearing some sort of fitness tracker every day since then. Fitbits, Apple watches, pendants, chest monitors, Oura ring… you name it. I’ve worn it. For more than a decade. Until now.

I’ve been using a modified version of Ryan Holiday’s notecard system for a week and it’s already transformative. Analog for the win.

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 09:50:51 +0000

Details matter

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 08:35:46 +0000

I attended a demo yesterday where the sales guy mispronounced his SE’s first name. More than once. How you do little things is how you do all things.

This book has Verilog and VHDL side by side in the examples. Super helpful. #fpga

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 07:34:27 +0000

Been a while since of my episodes of “stupid races between old computery things“

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 16:46:54 +0000

https://www.vintageisthenewold.com/fast-basic-interpreter-for-the-atari-8-bit-computers-4-6-has-been-released

Haven’t read this one in a while. Oldie but goodie.

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 07:26:07 +0000

Sometimes the Sunday project chooses you. New water heater since the old one tried to flood the basement. Basic dude stuff.

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 19:09:23 +0000

Idle time and compound interest

Sat, 27 Aug 2022 09:33:34 +0000

You get a minute of idle time. That moment when you feel the urge to pick up your phone is an opportunity to do something else with that energy. If you look at your phone 60 times a day, is it compound interest or compound debt? Compounding is powerful. 365 hours is 9 work weeks.

Don’t have time to learn Spanish or guitar or any new skill? Can’t call an old friend because you’re too busy?

This game came pretty late in Commodore 64 history, but I'll never forget the look on my younger brother's face when he first saw it. And yes, the gameplay is still really awkward with a lack of mouse on the 64. Happy Friday!

Fri, 26 Aug 2022 11:21:46 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/bG0toYUQ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

My planner was super boring. Fixed.

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 16:21:18 +0000

I just looked at a calendar... it's almost #septandy. I don't know if I can do it.

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 15:35:08 +0000

We collect many old cookbooks. This gem from 1942 has a wartime supplement section and tips on a healthy weight. Example, a 5’8” thirty year old man should not be more than 154 pounds. Also sections for things like box lunches for “hard workers” and “a business girl”. Fun read.

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 13:11:59 +0000

Breaking in a C64 repair I did for a local friend with my favorite 8 Bit Maze generator. This one never gets old. Happy Friday! #commodore

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 08:25:09 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/jnNnzAeZ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

25 whole cents. AND this is better than ANYTHING on “tv” in 2022 by a long shot.

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 16:14:53 +0000

The peak

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 14:43:06 +0000

Anecdotally it seems like interest in the era of retro tech I’m most interested in, 1975-1985, peaked(plateaued ?) in the Spring of 2021. And I’m such a nerd now I want to back my hypothesis with data. I get into dumb things sometimes.

Just in case this game wasn't hard enough... try it on a Commodore with a single button joystick. Decrunching to the REU is a nice add on :-) #commodore

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 07:02:03 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/1AxUq4eh?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Adding the Genie framework to my @JuliaLanguage toolkit. The OscarsExplorer example is pretty neat.

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 09:54:30 +0000

Everyone has 3 keyboards on their #Commodore PET clone right? No? Just me? Okay then. #WoodPET build

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 15:14:57 +0000

Multiple Dispatch is kinda @JuliaLanguage 's super power. Never really grokked it until I followed this example. Mind explodey.

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 07:45:44 +0000

Pretty happy with the way this turned out. 5 coats of acrylic should hold the vinyl on the keycap labels. A PET with Cherry Black switches is a PET you could even write a novel on :) #commodore

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 13:12:33 +0000

Well this is tedious

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 19:18:06 +0000

Super underrated game

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 09:56:51 +0000

My arms are bendy

Sat, 06 Aug 2022 15:27:13 +0000

I can currently do 10 clean pullups in a row. My august goal is to get to 20, which is not easy for me. Many years ago, my cousin used to say, “my legs are bendy,” when he was tired and didn’t want to walk anymore. Well… my arms are bendy now.

As a long time Commodore guy, I've under appreciated the Apple 8Bit computers. Really quite amazing for the early 80s. This took just over 3 hours. Happy Friday!

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 06:33:36 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/3kgFYVRl?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Still testing the timing with the W65C02S-14 running on this VIC-20. Super expander cart seems to be fine and it can do math well enough. 90 minutes to complete this isn't bad for 1981. #commodore

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 11:05:16 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/yozBrzGy?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Giving the Julia Language another go for a new project. Lot's to love about it...

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 08:27:49 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/849DJ4PA?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

The VIC-20 palette voltages are kinda tricky. For this alpha version of the project I’m just going to have to be okay with this particular background blue for now. Funny, if you pick up 470 ohm resistors out of the box instead of 270 how much trouble you can make :) #commodore

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:09:15 +0000

Probably only funny to me… I was working out some resistor ladders for the VIC replacement project and got two values wrong. Think anyone would mind #commodore 64 colors on their VIC-20? Happy Wednesday!

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 17:53:08 +0000

I wonder if there's any value in writing a VIC chip and 6502 protocol decoder. Hmmm #commodore

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 10:35:39 +0000

New stretch goal: get the most accurate pixel timings on VIC-20s possible with equipment I already have. We'll have to resort to... dun dun dun... math! #commodore

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 11:19:19 +0000

Before day job two steps back on the VIC replacement project: since PAL was progressing nicely I switched to NTSC to catch up but broke something along the way. Hmm… that isn’t right AT ALL #commodore

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 08:16:19 +0000

I’ve always wanted an original Commodore PET 2001, but they are now crazy expensive. What’s a guy to do? I’ll just make one :)

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 14:09:53 +0000

Today marks the first time in history that a human has managed to wrestle a tent back into the bag they sell them in. Rainy day garage projects…

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 10:59:16 +0000

This might be my favorite thrift store find to date. And it’s fully working. We will add all the things.

Sat, 30 Jul 2022 10:18:15 +0000

No one is ever going to accuse me of being good at surface mount soldering. But they are at least on and it works :) #commodore

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 15:07:16 +0000

My all time favorite book is $1 at the thrift store. Never mind I already own like 7 copies…

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 10:18:05 +0000

I'm still SUPER tempted to use VGA instead of composite for the VIC-20 VIC replacement. Much of this is known but in multiple places. Probably will make a dedicated page for all of the calculations I do for myself. If others can use it, then cool. #commodore

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 19:42:05 +0000

Replaced the 65c02s adapter on the Vicky Twenty with @shieladixon’s board of who was very kind to send me a couple from the UK with a nice note and postcard. Not using a transceiver seems to be working fine on this board and definitely takes up less space. #commodore

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 15:50:28 +0000

Fixing a friend’s VIC-20 and I hastily assembled a character ROM adapter. I then spent an embarrassing number of Mississippi’s wondering why it didn’t work. Details Michael, details. #commodore

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 20:29:21 +0000

Good grief, these are still waaayyy too long. I’m gonna have to break down and buy an IDC cable connector crimper. Until then, let’s get the VIC-20 memory map more organized in my Verilog shall we? #commodore

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 18:35:41 +0000

Back on the VIC chip FPGA replacement this evening after a needed break. Having to level shift both directions between the VIC-20(5V) and the FPGA(3.3V) is a recipe for a crazy breadboard mess. Working on tidying it up. Looking better already.#vicsrevenge #commodore

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 19:29:55 +0000

Happy Thursday! #commodore

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 08:04:48 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/uKKZWodX?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

This is what I settled on for the @TexElecUSA #commodore PET keyboard arrangement using ANSI 104 keycaps. Now I need to get stickers printed but I’m very happy with the way this is turning out. Went with Cherry MX blacks on this one.

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 14:24:57 +0000

Today’s side quest: take these 208 ANSI keycaps and come up with a reasonable arrangement for my #commodore PET replica keyboard. Should be interesting.

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:59:29 +0000

Not terrible for an inexpensive signal generator.

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 16:50:05 +0000

14 pounds (not a typo) of the last of the local Mangalitsa we bought over the winter is spending all day on my ancient, beat up, hand me down smoker. It’s a hard knock life. :)

Sun, 17 Jul 2022 09:43:35 +0000

This afternoon’s festivities include soldering $60 worth of Cherry switches #commodore

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 12:29:39 +0000

More CPU testing. The 65c02s with the transceiver is consistently slower. Gonna have to break out the scope and look carefully at timing and propagation delays. Same machine, same code, different CPU setups. #commodore

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 12:34:53 +0000

Had my romulator for about a year. Unfortunately came pre assembled with square header pins which are VERY hard on sockets. Anyone have any adapter ideas for square headers? Can’t get them off without removing the cpu socket so I’m reluctant to desolder 80 pins if I can help it

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 09:23:17 +0000

Fun with strings anyone? Making and breaking codes Part 14 - VIC Cipher on the unexpanded Commodore VIC-20. Who needs more than 3583 Bytes of Memory? Not this guy. #commodore

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 07:35:00 +0000

https://imapenguin.com/vic-cipher-on-the-commodore-vic-20/

https://videopress.com/v/miK8n5EE?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Alrighty this VIC-20 is now running a brand new WDC65C02S manufactured recently thanks to the @AtticThe adapter. Now the only part left without an easy to source or modern replacement is the VIC chip. I did hear some nutball is making a replacement for that though. #commodore

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 13:42:55 +0000

Took me a minute to figure out what these are. There’s a 100 foot section of my daily walk lined by Rugosa roses. Sometimes called potato roses. Can’t wait to see what they look like when they bloom.

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 08:59:27 +0000

Been using these in one form or another for 40+ years and still not remotely tired of them.

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 07:27:47 +0000

Tough choice this evening. Both worth the time.

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 20:55:02 +0000

RGB green for the win! The real reason for the RGBtoHDMI purchase is for my MiniPET case build. Currently code named WoodPET. Coming soon to theaters near you. Er, my office. One of those. #commodore

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 16:00:56 +0000

I have tried about a half dozen solutions to get reasonable color 80 columns out of my flat Commodore 128. The RGBtoHDMI is hands down the winner here. #commodore

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 15:44:18 +0000

Most asked question of the drop in VIC chip replacement is: when will I be able to buy it. The trick is that I would be TERRIBLE at supporting a “consumer” product. Apparently “I find you too annoying to answer this question” is not a good tech support response. #commodore

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 09:11:10 +0000

Let’s say $75 retail and a generous 8% profit back to me (this is probably high). A niche product INSIDE a niche market… 1000 sold over a few years:$6000. Works out to like $1.25/hour PLUS the pain of tech support and entitled consumers. I’ll open source the design: my sanity

Friday VIC chip replacement progress: this is an NTSC VIC-20 without a VIC chip (or internal clock) running as PAL off of the FPGA (clocks and video)outputting composite correctly. No RAM access yet, but I'll take a square box at this point. Happy Friday! #commodore #vicsrevenge

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 09:25:43 +0000

How is today the first day I've ever heard of SpaceVim?

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 08:15:02 +0000

Green is the best color.

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 21:41:49 +0000

Not that I'm surprised… I need ONE 74HCT245N for a @AtticThe adapter. Do I have one in my huge parts inventory? Not one. But if you need 74LS245Ns, I'm your guy. Mouser has 12,500 back-ordered until May 2023. Sigh. #commodore

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 20:23:47 +0000

Not that I need another project, but I’ve been gathering things I need to make a PET 2001 replica out of wood. Working chicklet keyboard: check. Gonna disassemble and do a restoration and preservation session. Anyone have one that can measure the case for me? #commodore

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 11:10:29 +0000

Deep woods #Vicsrevenge VIC drop-in FPGA progress: Finally have an internal pixel clock 4.434Mhz driving a composite (no color yet) pulse with the correct timings for a 2µs character width (225.5ns per pixel). Probably doesn't seem like much but it matters a lot to me #commodore

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 10:02:43 +0000

Watch out for computers full of electronic debris. #appleiie

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 16:39:15 +0000

When I said “drop in VIC replacement” did you take that as “true to the original in every respect”? Because Composite video with the VIC-20 colors is a royal PIA. VGA is much more easier. I know, I know, there are no shortcuts. This is also why I gave myself a year. #commodore

Sun, 03 Jul 2022 16:43:37 +0000

Finally got me some real (r@re) punched paper tape. Actually have no idea what’s on these so I’m gonna have to break out the worlds worst paper tape reader to give it a go.

Sat, 02 Jul 2022 23:06:06 +0000

Lived here 10 years and gone for a walk 4-5 times a week (including winter). So I’ve probably come over this hill 2000+ times. Still not tired of the view around here. Happy Saturday.

Sat, 02 Jul 2022 07:19:15 +0000

Wow this book arrived crazy fast. Guess the Apple IIe is the vintage machine I’m keeping on my desk for July.

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 14:34:17 +0000

I need an ESP32 that's like an Arduino Mega. Can I have like 60 usable GPIOs please? Sigh.

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 08:38:26 +0000

I'm a decent 6502 assembly programmer (milage may vary) so I figured hopping onto an assembler on the Apple II would be a snap. It is... except I never learned ProDOS... got hung up there. Much reading and now I'm comfortable. #appleiie

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 10:58:11 +0000

Taking a break from a VMWare certification to have a little Apple IIe fun. I don't have a color monitor (my Apple monitor is Green) so to get color I HAVE to use my capture setup. Works pretty well ;-)

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 10:08:48 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/G2NnM4M4?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Wait, everyone didn’t save their Trapper? I’m the only one? Huh.

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 19:18:44 +0000

Designing composite video in FPGA for the 6560/1 VIC replacement project #vicsrevenge... this might be the most useful visualizer/synthesis tool I've ever seen. Load your Verilog and get a visual representation AND what amounts to a test bench setup. Brilliant! #FPGA #commodore

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 20:19:28 +0000

Today's side quest is to get back into computer vision. Might was well kit-bash it with reading paper tape right?

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 07:18:00 +0000

A year later and I finally soldered the keyboard header pins in. Coming soon :) #commodore

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 21:49:00 +0000

I blame the influence of @K0FFY_Radio for this purchase

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 14:25:37 +0000

I need the 80 column mode on my 128 for a long number project this week. July is my scheduled maintenance month for this machine so I might as well do that first since I have it out. No retrobrighting happens in my shop. This thing earned it's yellow ;-) #commodore

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:07:54 +0000

JiffyDOS on a VIC-20 is a strange animal

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 07:40:03 +0000

I forgot that I have this butane powered soldering iron. Very convenient for a single quick job. Gotta keep it in mind.

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 14:10:03 +0000

eBay, have you lost your mind? Literally no one should be interested in this.

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 11:18:58 +0000

I needed some window tint for the overhead window in the airplane, and it’s just a bonus that it is just the thing you need on a KIM-1 (clone) to increase the visibility of the LED display. Before and after is pretty stark. #commodore #kim1

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 17:09:47 +0000

Pulled out the FabGL board. Apparently I was running Windows 3.0 last time. Seemed more fitting to turn it into a VIC-20. And what’s the first game on the list in the distribution? Splatform by @8BitShowAndTell… That guy sure gets around #commodore

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 16:15:35 +0000

Squeezing @BrunoLevy01's RISC-V core onto an Icestick #FPGA is a lesson in "you really can do a lot with just a little". So many lessons to be learned. At 50Mhz Pi and Mandelbrot work really well. I'll leave the Icestick permanently hung off of this Raspberry Pi from now on.

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 11:03:44 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/JWmP4jI5?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

and the obligatory LED Matrix

https://videopress.com/v/rXGE2XYN?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

This is the best cure for writers block that I know of. There are no shortcuts.

Sun, 19 Jun 2022 16:43:55 +0000

There’s an add on to the romulator that uses an ESP32 to get rid of the need for a Raspberry Pi to flash it. But it does result in a strange tower of instability. I think I’m gonna just add a JTAG cable between them and lay it in the case out of the way. #commodore

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 13:02:18 +0000

Getting back to the 6560/1 drop in replacement project. Ended up just using a foam board to lightly double side tape everything on. This allows me to move the whole thing when I need the desk space for something else. Need to connect all the wires now #vicsrevenge #commodore

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 08:37:43 +0000

Put @adumont’s custom bios and 6502 Forth implementation on my CERBERUS 2080. I guess I’ll have to actually learn Forth now :) Happy Friday!

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 06:23:57 +0000

Happened to open Hacker News this morning and noticed someone submitted my article and I’m number 3 this morning. Since this internet is only for complaining these days, I think I will NOT read the comments.

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 09:11:48 +0000

Had this DIP-40 to IDC socket cable custom made and it looks fantastic. At least one part of the project will be neat and tidy #commodore #vicsrevenge

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 15:45:14 +0000

Broke out the Cerberus 2080 this morning to test out an idea on a 6502 at a fast clock speed. 8Mhz should do.

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:11:59 +0000

Ended up springing for the most up to date version of this book because… RISC-V. Lots and lots to study in here. #fpga #riscv

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 14:24:36 +0000

Another piece of unobtainium has been obtained. #fpga

Sun, 12 Jun 2022 11:36:23 +0000

This is just the summer book pile that’s on my nightstand. There’s another this high on my office desk. Good thing I’m a fast reader :)

Sat, 11 Jun 2022 14:16:16 +0000

Atari VCS/2600 composite video mod is pretty straightforward. What better game to smoke test with than Yars’ Revenge :) #atari

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 15:55:50 +0000

‪Picture is actually really decent (for a VCS) through the Retrotink. Another 2600 back in service. ‬

Before work this morning I got an okayish mod to the “worlds worst paper tape reader” working. Now can somewhat reliably read the sprocket holes and use them as a timing signal. Super happy at this point and I may call this “complete”. #kim1 #commodore

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 09:29:30 +0000

Same price for 1-25.125 Mhz clock as 16 of them. So now I have 15 spares...

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 06:45:10 +0000

Guy up the road from me called and said he found this unopened laptop in storage and do I want it? I literally just pulled the plastic off of an Everex 386. The screen contrast/over brightness needs work and the hard drive is toast. 40 pin DIP EEPROM is kinda neat.

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 19:30:43 +0000

Rereading this book today. Seems important at the moment for so many reasons.

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 17:52:09 +0000

I was feeling like living dangerously today so I broke out Schrodinger’s cat of computers. The cat is alive today ;-) #commodore #plus4

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 13:35:18 +0000

Broke out the PC-4 to use for my day job today. Post by @HeyBirt reminded me how great it is :)

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 10:13:15 +0000

Look who has developed a RAM fault. My least favorite machine in my collection.

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 11:47:28 +0000

Okay, so I got off on a bunny-trail working out how to get Jim Butterfield's Lunar Lander for the KIM-1 printed on paper tape. Back off man, I'm a scientist! #commodore #kim1

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 07:41:49 +0000

Waiting on some parts for the VIC chip replacement project so that’s on hold now this week. Might build this Super Snapshot replica board this evening. #commodore

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 16:27:25 +0000

I know you were just sitting there wondering if a VIC-20 will boot off of an external 3.3v clock signal. The answer is surprisingly: yes. Scope here shows activity on all of the RAM from the CPU. Neato! #commodore

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 14:36:35 +0000

This VIC-20 got HOT. Swapped the linear regulator with a modern switching ($9). Before: 46C drawing 2.3 amps. After: 26C drawing 1.03 amps. Much better. #commodore

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 09:20:17 +0000

I’m gonna need to set up a dedicated workspace for this #vicsrevenge project. My desk can’t look like this for a year. Hmm. #commodore

Sun, 05 Jun 2022 07:17:26 +0000

I'm collecting Verilog examples and tutorials. If you have recommendations, please let me know. Bonus if they are in book form. #FPGA #Verilog

Sat, 04 Jun 2022 16:07:29 +0000

Happy friday! How about a little 80 column PET love this morning? Zig Zag array will do nicely. #commodore #PET

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 06:54:20 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/BGPAuAep?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

With bi directional level shifters the final board will have less chips. VIC-20 system clock replacement from the FPGA. 3v logic input is yellow, 5v output is purple. Freq is correct. Shape needs work. Ringing is mostly breadboard parasitics #commodore #vicsrevenge

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 08:53:09 +0000

Feel super spoiled with 32 channels. #commodore

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 07:11:45 +0000

Romulator by @bitfixer is turning out to be a great troubleshooting tool for repairing VIC-20s. This is the second board donated to the #vicsrevenge 6560/1 drop in replacement project I was able to get working again in a few minutes with the Romulator's help #commodore

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 15:59:24 +0000

I'm sure there are libraries for this, but creating the MOS parts in KiCAD is helping me wrap my mind around everything. 6560/1 is this morning's project, I'll open source (Github) when I have them all done and correct #commodore #vicsrevenge

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 09:12:22 +0000

Least favorite keyboard I’ve ever used. Also pictured, an Atari 400. #atari

Sun, 29 May 2022 20:18:37 +0000

These are a few of my favorite things. #atari

Sun, 29 May 2022 15:25:16 +0000

At least this transformer is in a case with screws. Might be nothing more than this fuse being blown. #commodore

Sun, 29 May 2022 08:45:03 +0000

This first VIC-20 I received to repair just ate a transformer. What the hell is this? Looks like a solder blob dead short to me right? Good one is second same part. #commodore

Sat, 28 May 2022 15:56:52 +0000

Pro tip: riding lawn mower engines don’t start if your fuel cutoff solenoid goes bad. I didn’t want to cut the grass today anyway :)

Sat, 28 May 2022 14:10:09 +0000

Taking a couple day break from the VIC project until some 74LVC245s arrive. In the meantime, I think I’ll take a little detour.

Sat, 28 May 2022 11:06:25 +0000

Crazy good

Fri, 27 May 2022 13:32:14 +0000

I love the VIC-20, but sometimes formatting stuff on the screen can be challenging. Happy Friday! #commodore

Fri, 27 May 2022 07:53:41 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/FogfmjJ6?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Ever flip over to another virtual desktop and have to ask yourself more than once “wait, why was I working on this?”. Yeah. Thursday.

Thu, 26 May 2022 18:34:11 +0000

Wrote some scripts to create 32 and 64k ROMs so I can test sending addresses and reading the data bus without worrying about RAM timing with the CPU for now. Split the problem and tackle one half at a time right? Put a 'frozen' screen at A000 for now. #vicsrevenge #commodore

Thu, 26 May 2022 09:41:09 +0000

Even my new favorite calculator loves the MiniPET ;-)

Wed, 25 May 2022 16:45:02 +0000

My new favorite browser plugin. Your brain, like your body, is what you feed it. Don't let others (or algorithms) feed it for you.

Wed, 25 May 2022 08:02:11 +0000

I was just looking at my logbook and need a couple approaches for IFR currency. Do you think the FAA will accept this VIC-20 Simulator? It works surprisingly well. I'm just saying FAA, could be good enough. #commodore

Tue, 24 May 2022 19:57:43 +0000

One of my 2022 goals is to finish both of these including typing and understanding (as best I can)every example on both the C64 and VIC-20. Just finished the BASIC book, so slightly ahead of schedule. On to the Kernal book. I blame @8BitShowAndTell for this one :) #commodore

Tue, 24 May 2022 08:14:31 +0000

I know you were just sitting there thinking "What IS the clock divider setup to run a VIC-20 without needing the onboard clock circuit working? 1.10822Mhz is pretty specific." Well today is your lucky day. #vicsrevenge #commodore

Mon, 23 May 2022 08:57:40 +0000

Just thinking it would be nice to be able to read VIC-20 video RAM in real time. Then I remembered I have a Romulator (for a year, never used). Unfortunately the vram isn't implemented yet, but I can still dump the rest of memory to a file which is nice. #commodore #vicsrevenge

Sun, 22 May 2022 14:02:28 +0000

So many Mega 65 posts. This is like a Mega 66 so there. #commodore

Sun, 22 May 2022 06:41:48 +0000

Picked up a DM-42. I blame @svenpetersen191 for this one. I resisted the purchase as long as I could. Amazing how it’s almost exactly the same size as my very well worn HP-42

Sat, 21 May 2022 13:16:09 +0000

Two more boards donated to the VIC project arrived today. Awesome. #commodore

Sat, 21 May 2022 13:12:07 +0000

I don’t think I can get away with NOT level shifting from 3.3 to 5v on a VIC-20. Probably not… But there sure are nice and cheap tools for things these days. Need a completely configurable 3 output 8khz to 160Mhz clock generator? That’ll be 6 whole dollars please.

Fri, 20 May 2022 20:02:53 +0000

Beautiful VIC-20 board donated by the amazing @cmherndon79 for the 6560/1 project. This board will be the one that gets the prototype board for testing. #commodore #vicsrevenge

Fri, 20 May 2022 12:39:33 +0000

Well that.. DEFINITELY looks like a Composite video signal (PAL). Woot! Now on to the interlace math and the NTSC version. Urg, do we REALLY need interlacing? VGA is SO much easier... #commodore #vicsrevenge

Fri, 20 May 2022 06:48:51 +0000

Why spend 10 seconds sketching a timing diagram for VIC-20 video output signals when you can spend 20 minutes doing it on an actual VIC-20? Happy almost Friday ;) #commodore #vicsrevenge

Thu, 19 May 2022 19:02:20 +0000

Didn’t get a chance to post this earlier (work), but the next step in the VIC 6560/1 project is to create composite out on pins 2 and 3. This is at least starting to look something like a composite luma signal, kinda. One step at a time. Back to day job! #commodore #vicsrevenge

Thu, 19 May 2022 09:43:15 +0000

First time I've used this modeling software and was impressed. Working out NTSC Luminance timing logic is a big help after just a couple mins. 100Mhz clock on the FPGA so we can just count nanoseconds. Can export to Verilog after simulation. Most excellent #commodore #vicsrevenge

Wed, 18 May 2022 16:15:28 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/5w6wZ0OZ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Rated at 11.5 and puts out 11.9 under no load. Not bad for 41 years old. #commodore

Wed, 18 May 2022 15:15:38 +0000

Progress this morning before the day job kicks in: I have an externally clocked VIC-20! Internal timing being driven my an ICE40 FPGA. It’s a couple cycles slow but getting there. Now to start on video signals. The math makes my brain hurt. More coffee #commodore #vicsrevenge

Wed, 18 May 2022 07:14:42 +0000

One of the very strange quirks about NTSC and PAL Composite video on VIC-20s is the half frame interlacing and the offset odd numbers you have to "count". So how long exactly is each frame SUPPOSED to be… #commodore #vicsrevenge

Tue, 17 May 2022 15:50:35 +0000

Next step in the #vicsrevenge project is to create the two out of phase clocks that the CPU uses. This 6561 outputs pretty close to the spec. #commodore

Tue, 17 May 2022 06:41:41 +0000

I do buy legit copies of JiffyDOS from Jim B and even buy the official switcher when I need them. Sure I can burn my own with pirated copies, but a legit license is $8 whole dollars. Cmon man. #commodore

Mon, 16 May 2022 21:48:07 +0000

In case you're one of THOSE people who was just sitting there thinking "what ARE the startup values in the VIC chip registers on a VIC-20?" Well, you're in luck. #commodore

Mon, 16 May 2022 14:44:16 +0000

Gonna have to build some sort of test bench jig if I’m going to have 32 leads connected to the VIC chip at once without it being a wire hot mess. Good news it the DreamSourceLab 32 channel analyzer arrived and took about 60 seconds to set up. #commodore

Mon, 16 May 2022 11:20:50 +0000

Well this is good, turns out I do know how to create a B&W PAL (and NTSC) Composite/S-Video signal from scratch. My timings aren't quite right, but it's close. Good first crack though. #commodore #VIC20hacking #learnallthethings

Sun, 15 May 2022 09:20:53 +0000

Package delivered from

Sat, 14 May 2022 15:33:18 +0000

@svenpetersen191 today. Happens to be the very last VIC-20 A/V adapter he had. Works great as you might expect from Sven. #commodore

Actually read the manual for my scope yesterday. Turns out it’s crazy easy to trigger on a PAL horizontal scan line number. On 110 here you can clearly see the blinking cursor. Turns out RTFM is a good idea after all. #commodore

Sat, 14 May 2022 11:04:40 +0000

Yes, even the KIM-1 (clone) can count to a couple quintillion with ease ;-) #commodore

Sat, 14 May 2022 08:39:17 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/mXv47USZ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I read this cover to cover sitting by the river yesterday. Can’t recommend it enough.

Fri, 13 May 2022 09:54:38 +0000

Current situation

Thu, 12 May 2022 15:09:39 +0000

I think I've decided on a working codename. Logic analyzer ordered and shipped. I'm shooting for a working version in a year.

Wed, 11 May 2022 07:11:05 +0000

8 Bit processors can count to 18 Quintillion just fine. "Wheat and chessboard problem" in 6502/10 Assembly for my "learn something every day" task. #commodore

Mon, 09 May 2022 14:24:58 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/JlrCOowA?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

C64

https://videopress.com/v/9waA74TL?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Finally a reason to use 80 Column mode on a Commodore 128

https://videopress.com/v/02ynHmlZ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

And as expected the VIC 20 is WAY faster, but I’ll have to think about formatting a little to make it more readable. #commodore #vic20

https://videopress.com/v/lejsD6Be?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

And we definitely can’t leave out the PET 8032 #commodore #PET

I tell myself I have some lofty career aspirations to justify my deep dive into learning to code FPGAs this year. But I know deep down it’s so I can try making drop in replacements for things like this, which I found in my stash. It tests good in my only NTSC VIC 20 #commodore

Sat, 07 May 2022 20:16:23 +0000

I wonder where in my yard I should be looking for this package…

Sat, 07 May 2022 13:45:04 +0000

Think I found the color film I’m adding to all of my 7 segment displays to help them show up better on phone cameras

Fri, 06 May 2022 21:05:20 +0000

I own a couple dozen calculators. I checked and only two of them can multiply two 32-bit numbers and give me the full 64-bit product. The@NumWorks and TI Inspire. Oh, and a Commodore 64 if you can code in Assembly;-) #commodore

Fri, 06 May 2022 09:25:29 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/JrHkxq8v?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I own a couple dozen calculators. I checked and only two of them can multiply two 32-bit numbers and give me the full 64-bit product. The@NumWorks and TI Inspire. Oh, and a Commodore 64 if you can code in Assembly;-) #commodore

Fri, 06 May 2022 09:25:29 +0000

Always meant to read this series. Found em for a dollar so no time like the present.

Thu, 05 May 2022 18:36:33 +0000

Finally got around to doing the S-Video Mod on my Vicky-20. The results are pretty good. Probably about as good as you can get from a VIC-20 of any kind, so certainly nothing to complain about there. #commodore

Thu, 05 May 2022 09:16:47 +0000

https://imapenguin.com/vicky-20-s-video-mod-results/

Had some fun last night playing with SYS parameters and learning a lot. Here's extending BASIC to implement a PRINT AT equivalent on Commodore 64/VIC-20 to do the 100 Door problem. Again ;-)

Wed, 04 May 2022 12:22:07 +0000

My article is here: https://imapenguin.com/yet-another-100/

Writing an article and occurred to me I need to add a word to my Mac dictionary... #commodore

Wed, 04 May 2022 09:51:11 +0000

Picked up a set of gymnastics rings to add to my workout setup at home. I do enjoy these “users instruction enjoyment and importance” lost in translation comic books they included. These tapes are kindly prepared…

Tue, 03 May 2022 13:35:18 +0000

Next to the Corsham KIM-1 the KIM Uno looks crazy tiny (it is). I heard from questionable sources that it’s more about how you use it than the size so don’t worry little KIM Uno, it’ll all work out. #commodore

Mon, 02 May 2022 19:17:51 +0000

I built a paper tape reader from scratch without any reference designs. Someone pointed out there there’s a book from 1979 that has designs for this in it. Annndd I happen to own this book…. Sigh. Let’s tell people I wanted to do it the hard way on purpose shall we?

Mon, 02 May 2022 15:19:48 +0000

Alright, going outside for the rest of the day but I promised myself I'd go from novice to expert(ish) in @JuliaLanguage in 2022 so I needed a project I want to work on. Implementing a 6502 emulator seemed pretty natural to get started ;-)

Sat, 30 Apr 2022 09:49:15 +0000

Success! The world's worst paper tape reader: Decoding on the PAL-1(KIM-1 Clone), LEDs (because blinkenlights) AND VIC-20 at the same time!

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 09:07:23 +0000

Timing is tricky by hand, but I couldn’t be happier with this complete hack job that actually works. Are YOU keeping up with the #commodore?

https://videopress.com/v/qeNePDKX?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Success! The world's worst paper tape reader: Decoding on the PAL-1(KIM-1 Clone), LEDs (because blinkenlights) AND VIC-20 at the same time! Timing is tricky by hand, but I couldn't be happier with this complete hack job that actually works. Are YOU keeping up with the #commodore?

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:28:44 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/COUfW0cr?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Worlds worst paper tape reader mid week progress: Test creating the enclosure peices. Not thrilled with the PVC as a material. Might move to ABS or maybe even a hardwood, but this cheaply confirms my design looks good. Happy camper.

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 18:54:26 +0000

Being inside today seems like a silly thing to be doing.

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 16:31:42 +0000

Well that's pretty satisfying. Happy Wednesday from my PAL-1 (KIM-1 Clone)!

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 08:17:51 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/H0tA5Q48?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Worlds worst paper tape reader progress: this is just as good as drawing schematics right?

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 21:44:30 +0000

Made some changes to the Turbo Macro Pro / Super Snapshot Cheat sheet based on input from @K0FFY_Radio #commodore

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 11:38:00 +0000

https://imapenguin.com/downloads

Submitted some changes to the Commodore BASIC version of the Identity Matrix on @rosettacode so it displays better. The original was a copy of the AppleSoft BASIC and had way too much whitespace. If it looks good on a VIC-20, it'll look good on the other #Commodore machines ;-)

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 10:33:43 +0000

Took a break from @JuliaLanguage for a bit but I’m gonna try it for an ML project I’m starting. Sure is zippy

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 20:19:32 +0000

Picked two of these up from @CommodoreKazz for use in hooking up a VIC-20 and a 128 to the worlds worst paper tape reader #commodore

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:38:44 +0000

Worlds worst paper tape reader needs some custom parts so I pulled the X-Carve out of storage. Got it cleaned and calibrated. Figured making a sign was a good verification test as letters require then precision I’ll need.

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 17:32:28 +0000

I generally wear my mistakes as a badge of honor. But I made a mistake on the vertical stab that's gonna require me to probably have to rebuild it. Very expensive mistake. Sigh.

Sat, 23 Apr 2022 21:47:00 +0000

Happy 40th to the ZX Spectrum. Broke mine out today to celebrate.

Sat, 23 Apr 2022 14:05:44 +0000

I LOVE Mr Hildon's Inner Space Anthology. But every once in a while I get to a part that is... kinda wrong ;-) #commodore

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:13:44 +0000

Been a fan of Dave’s YouTube channel a long time and finally picked up his book. Really looking forward to this one.

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 21:14:56 +0000

Couple conference calls in a row this afternoon. I pay attention better if I’m doing stuff with my hands so I started building another Eater 6502 breadboard computer. Everyone has two these days right?

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 16:52:32 +0000

When I was a kid, the USR ports on my #Commodore machines were a mystery. Now, they are crazy useful and easy to understand. Always learning...

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 19:42:54 +0000

Worlds worst paper tape reader mid week update: I can get a pretty solid 1.4 volt square wave with cheap copy paper. Thicker paper will be closer to 2.4. Both are clear enough waves to be fully usable. Time to fire up the CNC machine to make the mounting brackets. Awesome!

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 11:25:15 +0000

Worlds worst paper tape reader update:This tiny LED at half this brightness creates a usable signal to this tiny phototransistor through ordinary copy paper. Very happy with the results. Now to build a dark enclosure and wire up 8 of them in a row. This might actually work :)

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 20:20:11 +0000

It was nice of Chevy to include rod holders in my truck.

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 10:01:40 +0000

Driving the LEDs on the Corsham KIM clone is cool too. It’s second RIOT is busy with the SD card board, so I’m using a 65c22. Still waiting on parts for the paper tape reader so I figured learning the 6522 was a good evening activity. #commodore

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 20:34:46 +0000

Whelp, that was harder than I thought to make manually. Already sketching out designs for project number 2: The world’s worst paper punch tape puncher ;-)

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 17:18:39 +0000

Figured that debugging in binary would be best so gotta wire up some blinkenlights

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 15:15:59 +0000

Waiting on some parts from Mouser for my "world's worst paper tape reader" project. I don't actually have any tape, so I'm creating it by hand. Might as well have a C64 assist in helping me punch the tape. ASCII format fits my brain the best on an 8 dot 1-inch tape. #commodore

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 07:45:11 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/8kM2ggZY?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Happy Friday from KIM-1s (and clones) everywhere. Thanks to @masterhit for taking the time preserve this one from the 70s! #commodore

Sat, 16 Apr 2022 13:01:38 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/blOJMxSN?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Watching a new acquaintance react to “I really love tinkering with old computers” has proven to be a remarkable method for judging someone’s character.

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 19:47:24 +0000

Super busy with day job today, but this evening starting to layout my first crack at the world’s worst paper tape reader, KIM-1 powered.

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 17:28:50 +0000

Well, I do have a CNC and a lot of aluminum. Paper tape punch might even be doable.

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 15:32:19 +0000

I’ve got it in my brain to build an 8 dot 1 inch paper tape reader. Because… science? I dunno.

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 10:42:16 +0000

Going back through my own Cipher series for fun. I figured Vigenère cipher is a good one to port to the KIM-1. BASIC first, next ML and making use of the seven segments and keypad somehow #commodore

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 15:45:09 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/ALA2LPEy?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

https://imapenguin.com/making-and-breaking-ciphers-with-commodore-64-the-vigenere-cipher/

Well @8BitShowAndTell has me down another rabbit hole. I suspect this one will be MUCH better than that time I had to endure watching Slipstream…

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 19:35:59 +0000

Had this tool more than a year and still use it all the time. Super useful.

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 13:58:52 +0000

April snow brings May flowers?

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 07:25:57 +0000

I AM SUCCESS! Now using my PET clone as the TTY terminal for one of my KIM-1 Clones with PETTERM. Both 40 and 80 columns look pretty good! Kudos to @K0FFY_Radio @tynemouthsw @ChartreuseK @svenpetersen191 and @HutchCA for the moral support ;-) #commodore

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 14:45:55 +0000

Exploring different ways to do visualizations over a slow TTY/Serial terminal. #commodore

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 08:59:09 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/i4ImlNXB?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Proof that older computer books (1976) just did it better.

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 18:09:25 +0000

Cutting my teeth on the TTY ROM routines on KIM-1 (clone). Here's my version of hello world: count 0-9 and newline after each. I've definitely got the hang of these now. Soooo what to make with it... #commodore

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 16:03:26 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/j9BeX2Im?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Right on the edge of being slightly dated, but still the best primer for this subject.

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 17:37:05 +0000

Sometimes I need to use a modern computer instead of a vintage machine as a serial terminal for KIM-1 (clones mostly). So I figure a retro font (Thanks Style!) and amber color at least get me in the right frame of mind. #commodore

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 16:30:07 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/B8g7DgP9?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Truck tailgates… endless uses. #1455- Camp stove platform.

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 18:31:35 +0000

First day of trout season. Haven’t found any trout but I have figured about where a half dozen smallmouths are.

Sat, 02 Apr 2022 11:44:20 +0000

A little ice on the tent is no excuse for coffee to be skipped. All good, I put my hands in the cooler to warm them up.

Sat, 02 Apr 2022 08:17:28 +0000

Tent camping near a creek in the mountains this weekend with Julie. Only going to get down to 31F tonight ;)

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 19:49:44 +0000

On today’s episode of learn something every day: RISC-V core running on a Lattice FPGA at 50 MHz driving a Max7219 with a 10x10 LED matrix using 100% open source tools. Building and deploying from a headless Raspberry Pi so completely portable. Feels pretty good :)

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:41:48 +0000

My colour Maximite has developed a RAM fault for no particular reason. It's surface mount, which I have a negative desire to try and remove and replace, so it is dead to me. Please, no more "modern retro" projects with surface mount. Bleh.

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 07:15:41 +0000

Another breadbin saved by a PLAnkton #commodore

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 15:46:38 +0000

When you don't really care if it works on battery power for more than a few minutes.

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 07:17:08 +0000

Cutting my teeth on HP-16c (clone) programming while listening to some new LPs we bought this week.

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 16:52:03 +0000

https://imapenguin.com/simple-exponents-on-an-hp-16c/

I'm all for a couple hours of burn in, but double digit days? I mean I guess you could... #commodore #vic20

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 10:13:23 +0000

Which Computer?

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 10:00:47 +0000

This week @8BitShowAndTell had me digging out my copy of Popular Science from March 1979. Mine has a VERY delicate cover, but so fun to look through. Using just this buyer’s guide, I’d have been torn between the PET and the Apple II.

https://videopress.com/v/N2AUtfoU?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Robin’s Video on it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYMBg71SmxI

Went together easily. I’m very pleased with this. Aluminum case and adjustable contrast and backlight are nice touches.

Sat, 26 Mar 2022 15:40:38 +0000

I’ve wanted an HP-16c for a looonng time. They are now in the $350-$400 range so I got a kit instead. Aluminum front and back plates, feels really nice.

Sat, 26 Mar 2022 13:24:54 +0000

Well that's new... hmm. #commodore #VIC20

Sat, 26 Mar 2022 13:11:41 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/8TG50QIS?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Oh yeah, @JohnKennedyMSFT just updated the VirtualKIM app so it displays correctly on iPad mini. Most excellent.

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:00:46 +0000

Needed a cassette player for my Coco 2 and KIM-1. Thrift store for the win.

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 16:12:18 +0000

Friday fun: Running James McClanahan's Sudoku solver on the KIM-1. Lowly 6502 solves this in around 20 seconds… not too shabby! #commodore

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 06:51:41 +0000

Finally have a working FPGA (Lattice) development environment with ALL open source tools on a Pi.

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 14:11:10 +0000

Took FOREVER to compile everything (4+ hours), but feels better this way. Now running a RISC-V core at 50Mhz outputting Mandelbrot in Assembly to the terminal. What a great setup!

This morning’s pre dawn learn something every day was Fibonacci 1-10 on the KIM-1… hand coded (ie the hard way) using the keypad and pencil and paper. Also iPhones REALLY don’t like to take video of red seven segment LEDs. It’s much brighter IRL #commodore

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 10:02:24 +0000

Learn something every day lunch break edition: soldered up the ROM expansion board for my PAL-1(KIM-1) to give Apple I integer BASIC a go.

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 11:58:00 +0000

I can now code like I’m Woz in 1976 ;-) Terminal from a C64, but a PET would be more period appropriate, hmmm… #commodore

https://videopress.com/v/ZYumKuet?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

This says “tamperproof scoring”… clearly they underestimate the raw processing power of the mighty VIC-20. Challenge accepted. #commodore

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 16:00:32 +0000

In the summer I don’t love that my hangar door faces east, it gets hot quickly. But in March when it’s 38 degrees (F) in here, that sun pouring in is super welcome.

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 08:22:59 +0000

I mean, knowing yourself well does seem like a sound strategy… #commodore

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 14:46:57 +0000

It’s best to put the shorter KungFu flash cart behind the others on an X-Pander. Gotta let the KungFu exercise its inner stealth Ninja chops. #commodore

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 15:04:14 +0000

Pretty cool thrift store find. Gemini on 8mm. Neato!

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 13:31:45 +0000

They are DEFINITELY not for sale, but I just looked up prices for the 42s… they are nuts. But having used both of these for many many years I get why they are still in high demand.

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 07:21:20 +0000

Today's quick "learn something every day" breakfast (which I don't eat) edition: Trying to get used the the non contiguous screen memory locations. I know there is some good technical reason they did this, but man it makes certain things more complicated. #appleII

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 06:37:07 +0000

Shifting gears the next week or so to something I’m less familiar with.

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 19:23:05 +0000

Always looking for a good biography I’ve not read yet. Just picked this one up. It’s a beast!

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 18:15:01 +0000

Studying the random number routines of various Commodore machines. Interesting how much of a pattern there is on the C64 compared to the PET. MUCH less random by default. SID vs VIA which is interesting. Identical code except screen location. More research to do... #commodore

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 11:57:01 +0000

Pi with logo is not only inefficient but also inaccurate. But it sure is fun!

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 13:13:17 +0000

Another one of my favorite ways to estimate pi. The PET did a good job with this one in just over an hour. #commodore

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 13:09:41 +0000

Yep, still satisfying. Gonna see how many people I can upset for one reason or another (Y'all need to relax) by posting all of my favorite ways to calculate pi on old computers today ;-) #commodore

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 07:14:00 +0000

Ever try calculating pi with only 6502 machine code (KIM-1) and no kernal or basic floating point routines? Not trivial. Happy Pi day!! #commodore

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 06:03:29 +0000

At some point over the last few years I’ve gone back to getting everything in print. Not even sorry.

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 08:14:03 +0000

Well playing in the snow is done…today’s learn something every day I broke out the 128 to learn some graphics techniques. I don’t spend NEARLY enough time in 128 mode so maybe this week I’ll do something about that. This is a tricky but fun one(about 40x speed) #commodore

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 17:59:12 +0000

Well I don’t need to do yard work today…

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 07:35:10 +0000

Keeping an eye on a large data migration that is taking place this evening so I can’t go anywhere. It’s progressing well enough that I had time to replace a failing PLA. Hey look, when I put it back together it still works :) #commodore

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 21:25:03 +0000

My slightly convoluted but perfectly serviceable way of getting green/amber out of my Mini PET 40/80 to a 4:3 LCD. Composite to VGA to color adapter to HDMI. Works well. And yes, I do have an Apple Green CRT, but this is a nice solution if you didn't for less than $50 #commodore

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 12:06:43 +0000

I know it's a little hard to see in the screen capture… I just completed Week 1 of @ShawnHymel's "Computer Vision with Embedded Machine Learning" on @coursera. It's pretty confidently identifying resistors and capacitors out of my parts bin. Neato

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 17:46:45 +0000

Some more unobtainium has arrived at my house.

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 17:01:14 +0000

A Patreon exclusive from @8BitShowAndTell released today has me following along on my 128 in 128 mode which is pretty rare in my office. My 128 spends most of its time as a C64 that takes up a hearty amount of desk space. Robin’s deep dives are always fantastic. #commodore

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 10:18:07 +0000

Good progress this morning. I forgot to take a picture of it assembled, but I did get the rudder and vertical stabilizer mounted permanently. More about the journey than the destination anyway. AND I even remembered where I put the hinge pin this time ;-)

Sun, 06 Mar 2022 15:34:06 +0000

First time I’ve been out to work on this in 2022. Warm weather helps ;)

Sun, 06 Mar 2022 08:46:59 +0000

Sometimes dead trees highjack your Saturday.

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 10:27:08 +0000

Some visualizations don't get old to see on "all the things". MS Basic on the KIM-1 Mandelbrot. 10x speed. #commodore

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 15:06:53 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/TyYQbE9c?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

In case you were just sitting there wondering how to land in Lunar Lander on the KIM-1 (clone) in just two actions… start the game, count 3 Mississippi’s, thrust to 1. When your speed hits EXACTLY 85, thrust to 6. Works on this Machine... We can all rest easy now. #commodore

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 20:07:00 +0000

At some point, my KIM-1 setups have become more complicated than a VIC-20 and I'm not even sorry about it. #commodore #problemsthatarentproblems

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 16:03:46 +0000

Today's "learn something every day" lunchtime edition: Studying this fantastic example of a custom stack implementation to keep track of recursive searches to solve mazes. I ported it to Turbo Macro Pro of course ;-) #commodore

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 12:37:24 +0000

I suspect no one is surprised that I started studying how to do Machine learning with cameras by detecting Commodore machines right? Eventually want to try detecting skin cancer, but that's a long road ahead. Never know when you might need a Commodore detector though #commodore

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 20:28:06 +0000

Going to spend a fair amount of my “learn something every day” time this week with the @openmvcam. Pretty nifty.

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 10:32:02 +0000

Someone asked me how to make a split color screen on the Commodore 64 in Assembly last night for... reasons. Easiest way I can think of is to squish the screen to 24 rows so the row count is even. #commodore

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 09:43:22 +0000

Today’s learn something every day is tricks with 7 segments on the Corsham KIM-1. Happy Sunday :) #commodore

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 07:21:13 +0000

Yesterday’s kitchen experiment turned out great. Had 3 pounds of leaf lard that we got 3 solid pints of snowy rendered lard from. Saved the last half pint and the cracklings as well (for science )

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 10:32:48 +0000

After a fair amount of bug hunting I got this Rubik's cube on the VIC-20 working. Now to do a solver in 1000 bytes (yes, in ML for speed) Does require a 3k expansion. #commodore

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 12:24:12 +0000

In Today’s learn something every day I’m making some improvements to a 40 year old Rubik’s cube game including adding a solver on the VIC-20. I forgot how hard it is to figure out which symbols to use sometimes when typing from printed listings. #commodore

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 07:37:34 +0000

In Today’s learn something every day I switched back to this book that I’ve committed to going all the way through in 2022. But to mix things up I switched from the C64 to the VIC-20 for a while. Why make it easy right? #commodore

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:42:12 +0000

Obligatory 2/22/22 on a TUEsday post.

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 20:13:38 +0000

I still get a kick out of the MS BASIC Easter eggs that go back all the way to 1977 (at least). MS BASIC for the KIM-1 if you press A for the memory size gives you the authors ;-) #commodore

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 16:06:19 +0000

Today’s “learn something every day, lunchtime edition” is a short one. Clock divider on an FPGA. This is really starting to click in my mind now.

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 14:01:53 +0000

Today's "learn something every day: Lunch break edition" is a transient planet finder (Pluto in this case) from @nostarch Lee Vaughan's "Real World Python" book. Learned a lot from this one. #python #poorpluto

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 11:36:25 +0000

Nope, still not tired of implementing Sierpinski on all the things #commodore #logo

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 09:52:09 +0000

Logo's recursion on the Commodore 64 is fast enough to be pretty useful. Neat. #commodore

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 08:38:00 +0000

Today’s “learn something every day” is Moore Finite State machine that implements a simple 4 bit counter on an FPGA. Green indicates the done state. Neato! Thanks to DigiKey for the tutorial.

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 10:29:49 +0000

This label order is SUPER confusing on the HP Prime since it can do both standard and RPN modes. I’ve got 30 years of muscle memory for the stack order and this label messes me up all the time.

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 09:01:02 +0000

I’m one KIM-1 clone away from having everything I need to make a 1977 style blockchain network ;-) Could always use a VIC-20 as the third… hmm #commodore

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 20:37:21 +0000

Julie and I are traveling again this weekend. I’m a very early morning person and she is not. Gives me a couple hours to invest my time or spend my time. My choice here is probably not surprising.

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 07:21:57 +0000

This book is much larger than I expected. #commodore

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 15:45:19 +0000

Now that I've got some extra ram on the KIM-1, it's time to try Microsoft BASIC on it (controlling from a C64 of course). Here's a breadth first search… not only works well, it's even pretty fast. #commodore

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 13:53:30 +0000

Putting a kettlebell ON my desk means it’s a constant reminder. Every hour during work it’s 20 push-ups and kettlebell work. Worked great!

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 21:02:06 +0000

I bought the PAL-1 to see if I'd like noodling with the KIM-1 platform. Turns out I like it enough to have now purchased all of the available expansions … AND the Corsham KIM-1 clone as well (ships later, chip shortage) #itsonlymoneyright #sevensegmentsarethefuture #commodore

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 17:05:56 +0000

If it’s above freezing my 3.5 mile daily hike is game on.

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 15:32:59 +0000

FedEx has just left this piece of unobtainium on my porch. Good luck getting one of these in 2022…

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 09:15:25 +0000

My Monday morning vibe...

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 09:05:42 +0000

This is hands down the weirdest thing I’ve ever found inside a used book I bought online. #commodore #maybetherearesecretsonit

Sat, 05 Feb 2022 17:42:36 +0000

The @Basic10L is usually about games. Since those aren't my thing, I started thinking about other interesting 10 liners. I can easily fit RC4 encryption in 10 lines with lots of room to spare. Wonder how I can expand on this… #commodore

Sat, 05 Feb 2022 11:20:50 +0000

Just home from a really good week on the road to a delivery of this fantastic book.

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 07:20:55 +0000

How much of a nerd am I? I’m pleased with my hotel room number for more than a couple reasons :)

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:48:43 +0000

How much of a nerd am I? I’m pleased with my hotel room number for more than a couple reasons :)

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:48:00 +0000

We don't need more "new" retro computers. But replicas… We DO need more of these. #commodore

Sun, 30 Jan 2022 09:09:09 +0000

My resting heart rate has settled right at 50 very consistently. Not too shabby.

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 12:28:11 +0000

It’s just before sunrise and I remembered that exactly 10 years ago today we jumped off a cliff. We uprooted our family from the DC suburbs and moved to the mountains of North Carolina. The view from our front door never disappoints even if you can’t really see the mountains this morning hardly at all.

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 08:27:55 +0000

I have been looking for a physical copy of this book for some time. The cover on it is a little rough, but the rest of it is in okay shape and usable. SUPER happy to have found this. #commodore

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 20:28:57 +0000

Occurs to me that using an Assembler on a Commodore 64 and then loading that program onto a KIM-1 isn't cross assembling. It's just assembling and loading. Not only isn't "cheating" but kinda feels good. #pedanticfridaythoughts #commodore

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 10:05:30 +0000

Only have 1 RIOT chip until my second one arrives from overseas so had to modify the classic Asteroid by Stan Ockers (1976ish) for the KIM 1. Another surprisingly playable game on such a simple interface. Loading paper tape format files over serial from a real C64 ;-) #commodore

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 18:30:26 +0000

Sooo many great programs to explore on the KIM-1. Spent a bit of time during lunch learning how the seven segments are wired. There is a surprising amount of example code out there with really clever techniques. KIM tribute to @8BitShowAndTell seemed appropriate #commodore

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 17:53:06 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/uvHeIuNM?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

I may or may not have written a quick python script to help me better understand the paper tape format and generate checksums for the lines in a hurry. Cheating? Maybe…

Got conferences and shows coming up the next few months so my badge needs updating. Converted Style’s C64 fonts to binary format and I think I’m getting close on the correct screen colors. I think I’ll also implement a 10 PRINT demo on it #commodore

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 15:38:39 +0000

Looking forward when I feel comfortable enough to do a 10 minute prototype for an idea on an FPGA platform. Microcontroller for now. Need to put in the work on learning FPGA better #therearenoshortcuts

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 13:37:58 +0000

At a party: “Play any sports?” Me:”Football for about 40 years.”

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 08:31:52 +0000

Did a full restoration of my wife’s Grandfather’s TI-58C. They are notorious for bad ram and this one needed replacing. Also converted it to a DC wall plug. Now accepts assembly language programs and the built in functions work. Very cool late 70s tech. But .27 amps, yikes!

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 20:53:06 +0000

These are a few of my fav-or-ite things.

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 15:58:32 +0000

I managed to enter all 196 Bytes of Lunar Lander by Jim Butterfield (BYTE April 1977) by hand with no errors on the first try. Such a fun game and a great way to learn 6502 Assembly programming the hard way. #commodore #shortcutsareboring

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 08:18:24 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/NXHzn96s?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

I’ll do most programming over serial from here on out. But from an 8 Bit computer thank you very much. These Striketerm settings work great with my serial adapter on my C64

Got this KIM-1 replica together in a couple hours tonight. Was a fair bit of soldering but now I can computer like it’s 1976. 17 instructions to do a counter. Tomorrow morning we’re playing Jim Butterfield’s Lunar Lander on this thing! #commodore

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 21:55:26 +0000

My KIM-1 replica came way faster than I expected. Should be awesome. #commodore

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 15:36:35 +0000

Mentioned yesterday I've been going through this Math for Deep Learning book this week. The examples are all in Python, so I've been reimplementing every one in Julia. This not only gets me to really think about what I'm doing, but strengthens both my Python and Julia chops

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 08:15:18 +0000

Tearing through this book during breaks this week. Highly recommended.

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 16:49:40 +0000

The Apple Lisa was released 39 years ago today. While it was a market failure it was crazy innovative. If you think about it, the computer you use today doesn't REALLY do anything more than this computer did.

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 09:25:09 +0000

This group in my collection contains some really fantastic articles. April 1977 was one of my favorite issues of the whole BYTE magazine run. Never mind that I was 2 years old when it was printed ;)

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 18:35:45 +0000

Well the fix was to reflow the solder joints around the connector. Must have had a cracked or marginal one. #commodore

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 17:24:09 +0000

Hmm, getting a fault on my MiniPET 40/80 on the IEEE port. Anyone know if this needs a loopback to pass or is this really a fault? #commodore

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 08:21:16 +0000

When picking up a new language (Julia this time), I like to solve new problems to get used to it or solve a problem I've solved in another language. Monty Hall will do nicely . Since Julia on an i7 is slightly faster than a 6502, I let the 64 do 1000 and Julia did 2^29 #commodore

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 17:24:30 +0000

This 1977 game on the KIM-1 is surprisingly playable and really fun. A whopping 196 bytes. The number of things I’ve learned from Jim Butterfield is staggering. Something to think about as I write and try to contribute even a small thing here and there. #commodore

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 20:29:56 +0000

Always wanted to add a python example the 100 Door problem article I did with the 8 Bit machines last year. Stumbled onthe fun Asciimatics library and then it was a snap.

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 11:37:09 +0000

https://imapenguin.com/a-visual-100-door-problem-in-python/

I’ve collected something like 30 calculators over the years. Most at least 30 years old. In the “modern” category I have 4 graphing calculators. In theory I should like the HP the most, but in practice the order of most to least used left to right is this. Even I’m surprised.

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 08:10:23 +0000

Got the offending RAM off no problem but I just realized I don’t have a socket that will fit here. Off to mouser…

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 20:40:26 +0000

In case you were just sitting there asking yourself “what DOES the inside of an HP-58c calculator from 1977 look like”

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 17:20:43 +0000

Professionally packed… just like this loose rattling around in a box. Sigh.

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 15:37:21 +0000

I've been on Udemy for a decade and started but never finished many courses. And this is now the second one I've completed this week. Learn. All. The. Things.

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 19:40:52 +0000

Creating a simple hello world DApp. Have I ever mentioned how much a loathe nodejs and Javascript in general? Urg.

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 09:19:56 +0000

This is gonna need some work. My shots at 25 yards are consistently grouped like this which ain’t gonna cut it. Practice practice practice.

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 16:30:22 +0000

So cool. Made a jet engine sounding cook fire with a handful of dry twigs. Science is awesome.

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 15:09:19 +0000

Pocket knives

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 08:53:00 +0000

I’m not particularly materialistic, but I do have a few prized possessions. My grandfather had several pocket knives. He used this one was used so long that it’s almost a toothpick from being sharpened so many times. I’ve carried a pocketknife since I was 4 (not kidding) and while very different, I suspect my current knife and what it means to carry one would meet his approval.

This numworks calculator is really fast

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 07:14:43 +0000

Doing a couple thousand-word article on the history and some usage of the Logo language, including code examples. Here's an example of some supporting stuff I'm creating for it. Fractal tree on Python (turtle) next to the same algorithm on a C64. Super fun. #commodore #python

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 21:28:30 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/IYv4V2K4?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

I've signed up for 43 Udemy courses over the years. This is the VERY FIRST course I've EVER completed to the end. And… I'm planning to go through it from start to finish again.

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 19:50:50 +0000

The Commodore 64 was introduced 40 ago at CES. You couldn't get one until about August, but you could argue that today is its 40th birthday. It was and continues to be a heavy influence in my career. This very C64 was in my bedroom for a decade. Still runs like a champ #commodore

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 09:57:52 +0000

I love a program example that starts with "contrary to most available literature about USR…". This book is SO dense I have to go slow to keep from missing nuggets (rushing is dumb anyway). Like pulling the return address off of the stack at the end. SOOO GOOD. #commodore

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 10:03:59 +0000

Okay, Julia's plotting syntax is SO much better. Kinda just fits the way I think without having to look things up. Might be my new goto language… #JuliaLang

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 08:29:15 +0000

Alright, resistors are all placed. I’m leaving two out until I decide if this is going to be a PAL or NTSC board. #commodore

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 20:50:45 +0000

I’ve had this 250407 replica board for months and haven’t built it yet. Time to get started. #commodore

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 19:19:23 +0000

I hate it when I break something that’s a result of my carelessness. And… I don’t have any spares. Sigh

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 14:11:34 +0000

Okay, now I can clearly see why I'm going to keep learning Julia. Python took 18 seconds to do 100k iterations. Julia (almost identical code, definitely same approach) took 706 milliseconds. Dayuummm.

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 07:51:28 +0000

In case you’re curious, 1000 iterations takes about 7 hours on a Commodore 64. So about four weeks to do 100k. Julia on a modern computer is slightly faster than Commodore ;-) 700 milliseconds… or a month. I might argue the month method is more fun #commodore

Completely unscientific and meaningless benchmarks are fun. My favorite BASIC program of all time is this maze from 1981 originally written for the Atari 400/800 and the PET. Turbo BASIC XL sure does help the Atari 800XL be the machine it really is. Impressive. #atari #commodore

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 16:08:42 +0000

These warnings exist because someone did it. I reserve ruining my broadheads by missing and hitting a tree… like a man.

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 15:43:34 +0000

Seriously my new favorite album. Listening through my late 80s Boze speakers in my office all day. @lukhash is amazing. Does anyone want to sell me their Vinyl copy?

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 13:19:38 +0000

Finally acquired an UnoCart (used, chip shortage and all that) for my Atari machines. Now I can properly try Turbo BASIC XL. This evening will be some completely ridiculous and shockingly unscientific benchmarking. #atari

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 11:37:40 +0000

Stealing my own Assembly code from my Enigma project for another project. Kinda love when you get to that point where you say "oh, I've done a bunch of the work for this already" #commodore

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 21:11:50 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/em78WGIT?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Working on the next article in my "ciphers on old computer things" series and reviewing some supporting code for a couple of the articles I did last year. Very simple code here but the BASIC built-in string slicing routines are fast enough for many fun visuals. #commodore

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 20:58:41 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/r0XNlWh5?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

I think this is the first time I've ever used the BIT operator in my life. No longer a virgin ;-) #commodore

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 13:00:47 +0000

Compute's BASIC Toolkit book example 3 is passing parameters to SYS. So satisfying to be just getting into the weeds with 412 pages to go in the book ;-) #commodore

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 10:31:18 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/pvvFlNYZ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

My linear algebra is really rusty so I'm going back and reviewing today. SO much better if you can visualize along the way and the tools for this these days are crazy good. How can you not love open source and the people who pour themselves into these libraries?

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 08:46:23 +0000

Still not decided on Assemblers on the VIC-20 so just doing it in the monitor for now. #commodore

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 20:04:57 +0000

Cold front will be here soon, so putting some miles in. We moved here 10 years ago this month and I still have to pinch myself that we live here.

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 15:03:19 +0000

I'm planning to go through this book this year on the 64 and VIC-20 at the same time. It may very well take me a good part of the year, but there really aren't shortcuts to anything worth doing. Means I need to re-evaluate VIC-20 assemblers again which is fun. #commodore

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 13:21:43 +0000

I eat broccoli sprouts by the fistful. If you grow then at home a quart costs like 3 cents.

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 12:59:07 +0000

Might not seem like much, but set out at the beginning of the week to get past the raw beginning stages of FPGA development. Button presses, LEDs, seven segments, counting… check. Super happy with my progress.

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 10:00:38 +0000

Spending some time learning @JuliaLanguage this week. Just realized arrays are 1 based instead of zero. I don't know Julia, this new relationship might not be working for me.

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 07:45:21 +0000

Went the fairly traditional route to get this @lukhash program from the album onto my 64. Played it onto a tape and into the datasette. Other than having to hook up one my PAL 64s, was a snap. Very very cool. But I NEED this on Vinyl now ;-) #commodore

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 17:01:18 +0000

This finally arrived today. I was disappointed the LP was sold out when I ordered it back in November, but having it on CD does make it easier to get the bonus track, a Commodore program, onto my C64 so there’s that. Awesome artwork @lukhash #commodore

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 13:59:47 +0000

Challenging by myself to do this part, but got the elevator on today and it has all the right clearances for good movement. Now to balance it. #myzenith750

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 12:16:07 +0000

Change of pace for the build today. Working on the interior which is currently a hot mess. #myzenith750

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 10:39:15 +0000

Adding @JuliaLanguage to Jupyter is easy, but it's interesting that labs still calls this an ipynb by default which can't be right…

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 18:51:50 +0000

Heh, this rabbit hole is brought to me by @somacdivad

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 15:42:57 +0000

It’s raining, so back inside this afternoon. In the interest of keeping to my principals, switching to a Lattice FPGA since at the moment it’s the best if you want a 100% open source tool chain. My Alchitry CU will do. BTW Digikey looks to have iCEsticks available mid Jan

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 14:10:22 +0000

We started this puzzle on Christmas morning. She just put the last piece in place. Julie did about 80% of it :)

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 13:18:46 +0000

Taking a break from FPGAs this morning to get the 5 of these I bought earlier in 2021 up and running. Got a lot of uses for these.

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 09:02:01 +0000

Feels weird to be walking around on Dec 28 in a T Shirt

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 20:59:40 +0000

Great first day progress learning FPGAs. Seven segment display counting from a Xilinx Artix 7 in Verilog and I even understand what's happening which makes it even sweeter.

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 20:28:03 +0000

My bow is 32 years old. It has zero fancy features. Shoots true. I’m finding many things in my life that I prefer to have less features.

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 16:40:22 +0000

I’m off all week and not a “relaxing is actually relaxing” kinda guy. I bought this a year ago and always meant to really get into FPGAs. No time like the present.

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 10:07:57 +0000

Easily my favorite food and stupid easy to make. Somehow I scored this at $6 per pound last week.

Sat, 25 Dec 2021 17:25:57 +0000

One of my favorite Christmas gifts… my wife found an unopened vintage Mastermind from the early 70s.

Sat, 25 Dec 2021 10:02:33 +0000

My twitter account was locked for this tweet which contained only a video of my own code. No music, nothing offensive.

Fri, 24 Dec 2021 09:29:37 +0000

Definitely have the hang of Logo on the C64 now. Since it's Christmas eve, I'm calling challenge from @101Computing done for now. I'll do more snowflake leg randomization here and there, but was fun to play with Logo this morning. #commodore

Fri, 24 Dec 2021 09:21:47 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/99tb07z2?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Yet another rabbit hole I'm down thanks to @8bitshowandtell. Been REALLY enjoying this book and through some patience (okay, A LOT...took like 6 months) I acquired a physical copy for less than highway robbery. #commodore

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 13:08:51 +0000

After quite a bit of work, I'm now getting a VERY good video signal out of this VIC-20(PAL). Even my cheap video capture device does a good job with it. #commodore

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 11:15:15 +0000

Today's beginner python challenge from @101Computing is a randomized snowflake challenge with Turtle. Since I'm not a beginner in Python (25 years), I figure Logo on the Commodore 64 was not cheating. Should be fun. #commodore

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 07:55:12 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/VWFvK00n?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Just pulling this one out of storage. It was my wife’s grandfather’s who was an aerospace engineer at Lockheed. Works great but needs a bath. Am I reading this price tag right?

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 21:55:47 +0000

Six month check on my Vicky-20 build: I’m going to either have to remove and replace most of the precision sockets or figure out a way to hold the chips in. Every few days the ICs work their way out. Maybe zip ties? Double wipe sockets for me from now on. Sigh. #commodore #vic20

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:51:19 +0000

This HP32SII has been in my bag every day for about 25 years. Simple, rugged and powerful. But this HP Prime is really growing on me… hmmm.

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 15:11:59 +0000

Working on "cracking" simple ciphers on old computers next. Letter frequency, then word frequency. Step one works well enough #commodore

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 12:55:07 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/6LE5T3kT?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Coincidence that this person shares my name. But I’ve found my 2022 overall theme.

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 10:34:29 +0000

Permutations of 1 to 9 in Assembly/Machine Language, BASIC, and Python. It only took 30 hours in BASIC ;-) (Python was 2 seconds without optimizing) You know, for science https://imapenguin.com/permutations-of-1-to-9-in-6502-assembly/ #commodore #python

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 08:58:26 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/KwClbczf?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Sonic for the C64 is out today. I happen to have a 64C in my collection that's PAL. So combined with the UltimateII+, its 1581 drive, and 16MB REU, this game runs very very well. #commodore

Sun, 19 Dec 2021 13:55:15 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/kRZ1VKDW?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Some people watch TV, I sort out graph theory concepts in a machine code monitor with my “laptop”. Like what you like and don’t apologize for it. #commodore

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 20:07:45 +0000

I was just thinking that this morning instead of being productive or doing holiday stuff I’d count how many times I can unintentionally hit the CAPS and break keys. #atari

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 08:41:53 +0000

A twin with actual head room. Now there’s a crazy idea.

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 20:07:22 +0000

What, that program only took... 29 hours. Don't ask questions ;-) #commodore

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 19:12:14 +0000

I really enjoyed Nick’s “Racing the Beam” so I figure this will be my next weekend reading.

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 14:48:11 +0000

Can you do #adventofcode with 40 year old machines? The answer is “some of it”. Even counting takes a long time, let's get into some of the details. https://imapenguin.com/can-you-do-advent-of-code-on-8-bit-machines/ #commodore

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 18:52:47 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/yvC6uW72?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Finally getting back to writing up some of the ciphers I’ve done but not yet published. Only took like a 5 month break (detour?) Tomorrow I’ll post the VIC Cipher on the VIC20 which does just barely fit on an unexpanded VIC. #commodore

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 21:10:43 +0000

Hard not to be in awe of nature sometimes. These burrs are particularly good at clinging to sweatshirts.

Sun, 12 Dec 2021 20:17:11 +0000

I have been doing Breadth and Depth First Searches on Apple II and Commodore for a couple months, so Day 12 of #AdventOfCode was doable (but slow) on a C64. END is a keyword in BASIC so I changed it to FIN #commodore

Sun, 12 Dec 2021 08:41:55 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/LUIGg4lq?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Airplane isn’t going to build itself even if it’s 38 in here. #myzenith750

Sat, 11 Dec 2021 20:18:00 +0000

We bought a whole Mangalica pig from a local farm, used a local butcher. Having the whole animal means you have to use scraps, everything. Made some “cottage bacon” with some pieces and happened to have decent ingredients for an English breakfast (dinner).

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 18:45:28 +0000

For #AdventOfCode Day 8 Part 2, figured it out in Python first to wrap my brain around how to do it iteratively. After an "ah ha" moment in sorting the unique segments it clicked. Python: 0.04 seconds and PET: 25 minutes.I could refactor it to be faster but not bad. #commodore

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 11:53:02 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/8s7SE01E?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Still having fun doing these #AdventOfCode puzzles in the morning. I changed the delimiter from "|" to a zero since old computers don't always have that character. Part one was a lot of data, but the PET got through it pretty quickly. #commodore

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 08:52:32 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/jZ1Gargo?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Something interesting I like to do on these long calculations is to compare machines to the fastest Commodore computer, the PAL VIC-20. In this case, the VIC-20 finished 48 minutes sooner than the NTSC C64. Very scientific of course 😉 #commodore

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 22:14:11 +0000

Part 2 of #AdventOfCode Day 7: my rough estimate is that my current code will run for… well a LONG time on a lowly #C64. So what to do… I know! Run the exact same code on BBC Basic on a 2.6Ghz i7 in 60 seconds ;-) Cheating? Maybe. Am I happy anyway? Yes #commodore #BBCBASIC

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 11:45:11 +0000

Might have to start doing these in Assembly starting tomorrow if I want to keep using 8 Bit (around 1Mhz ish) computers. Part 1 of #AdventOfCode Day 7 took almost 6 hours. Good thing I started it in the middle of the night ;-) #commodore

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 09:38:33 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/4z8x0Lfi?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Trying this out for more or less the first time ever. Feels awkward...

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 20:38:42 +0000

Been working on a magic square solver for a couple weeks now. My recursive backtracker in Python typically takes about 290 tries. Iterative approach on the PET I've got down under 100 tries (although it takes 15 minutes). Pretty happy with this. #commodore

Sun, 05 Dec 2021 11:48:07 +0000

Most of my favorite antidotes for a great many things cost no money at all.

Sat, 04 Dec 2021 12:32:39 +0000

Used my favorite VIC-20 for #AdventOfCode Day 3. Did need to use a RAM expander on the lowly VIC, but it worked out okay. #commodore

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 08:30:16 +0000

Quick look at the Biltmore Christmas decorations with my favorite person.

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 22:07:17 +0000

For the #AdventOfCode Day 2 Part 2 my 8 Bit platform is short a single digit to display the precise 2 billion+ answer (intentionally blurred). So my 1983 Tandy PC-4 got recruited for the assist. I’m counting this as fair play. #commodore #PET

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 08:51:55 +0000

Blurred my answers ;-) Weapon of choice for #AdventOfCode Day 2 is the #commodore #PET #AdventOfCode2021

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 07:52:54 +0000

The two best Christmas albums of all time. We have many, many albums and these two are the best.

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 20:14:31 +0000

The #AdventOfCode Day 1 part 2 was a three-measurement sliding window. See, who needs more than 8 Bits in a computer? I blurred the answer, no cheating ;-) Url if you want to participate is: https://adventofcode.com/ #commodore #C64

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:56:11 +0000

Doing the #AdventOfCode for December using my weapon of choice. Day 1 part 1 was a snap. If I don't print the lines (looks cooler if I do) it gets the correct answer in 31 seconds. Not bad for a 39 year old machine #commodore #c64

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 13:11:20 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/V94fzAzt?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Today's learn something every day: Back implementing manual stack and memoization on systems that don't REALLY do recursion. To help visualize loops, I started printing the status on every loop on a delay and reversing the stack pointer digit so I could follow it. #commodore

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 17:03:36 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/OHkgaUDM?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Christmas AND math. Sign me up.

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 15:28:08 +0000

Today's "learn something every day": Been studying recursion implementations in modern languages like Python. Taking this back to 8 Bit machines...this is the first time I've ever studied implementing a manual push/pop stack pointer combined with memoization. Got a lot of uses to ponder for this. #commodore #VIC20 #python

Sat, 27 Nov 2021 07:00:57 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/r0AKoUke?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

25 years together and she still takes my breath away.

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 15:25:24 +0000

Back to noodling during lunch with the "AI" computer player algorithm for this "connect five" game which I can still pretty handily beat. #commodore #appleII

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 13:25:29 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/L9D25Mgb?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Apparently it’s Fibonacci day (who makes up these days). Anyway, seems like a fun job for my crazy slow 1991 Sharp 9300C Hat tip to Andy Anderson for bringing this to my attention #FibonacciDay

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 16:02:04 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/xQNFOufO?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

This took me a while to figure out: All permutations of a naturally ordered string. In Python/Rust I'd use recursion, but on an 8-Bit you run out of space on the stack pretty quickly. Managed to come up with a working iterative version. Now I'll redo it in Assembly ;-) #commodore

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 07:57:24 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/l0IEcypx?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Writing some weighted depth first searches for some security software in my day job. Can't think of a better way to refresh my tree searches knowledge than doing it on a PET. #commodore

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 21:24:32 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/n7OEato9?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

I’ve never cared for the 80 Column hacks for the Commodore 64, but I love the Mandelbrot PETSCII program on the PET 8032 so much I could not resist. On this weeks episode of “Stupid Races Between Old Computery Things" PET vs C64(80 columns) vs 128 (10x speed) #commodore

Sat, 20 Nov 2021 09:07:42 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/3g9ZAxh8?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

I acquired this white TI nspire today. It’s disqualified from being on my episodes of “Stupid Races between old computery things” because it’s not old and with an ARM9 @ 396 MHz is more like a baby Raspberry Pi than a calculator. Still will be fun though.

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 17:59:28 +0000

Slipped out to the Christmas tree farm yesterday during lunch.

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 12:23:41 +0000

I'm always looking for something to do with an 80 Column PET. Mandelbrot in PETSCII might be cooler than any high res versions I've seen. Real-time took about 13 mins. #commodore #mathisfun

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 07:47:01 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/U89uHLnE?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Barnsley Fern on Apple IIe, Commodore 64, and TI-84. The 8-bit machine videos are sped up 300% to match the much faster calculator render speed so they complete at similar times. This was VERY satisfying to do. #TI #commodore #appleIIe

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 13:09:46 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/Cy4StzFh?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

I think today's learn something every day is going to be to take this Apple II Barnsley Fern (sped up) and port it to a #commodore

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 07:42:31 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/5G1cVJZb?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

What? I'm just sitting here thinking about how to best do recursive backtracking in BASIC... #commodore

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 08:28:20 +0000

I’ve had a train under our tree for 20 years. Caleb is moving to Texas right after the holidays so it seemed like a good idea to get him his own so he can start his own traditions. We happen to have two trees this year so…

Sat, 13 Nov 2021 20:18:00 +0000

Rainbow on the runway this morning

Sat, 13 Nov 2021 20:18:00 +0000

I do this same walk loop every weekday I work from home. Typically after lunch. It’s 3.26 miles. Just a couple shots from today as the leaves are really starting to turn now.

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 20:18:00 +0000

I have hunted for and acquired a lot of wonderful vintage technology pieces over the last year. This is easily my favorite of them. I use it every single day. 1962 was a good year for these.

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 18:24:25 +0000

What the hell? Did they use MT RAM? Another thing I really wish I hadn’t spent money on this year. Arg.

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 21:11:50 +0000

The amateur mathematician in me has to believe that there’s an excellent chance that I’m the only person on the planet doing #NaNoWriMo21 on a Commodore Plus/4. Living dangerously:)

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 19:01:07 +0000

Doing some AT backpacking this week. This is what the vertical looks like in the section we'll be on ;-) It's brutal #commodore

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 19:42:28 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/MiBkNjjb?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

With very little help from me, young guy I'm tutoring in math took this C64 book listing he found and "ported" it to his VIC-20 including sound. Pretty soon he wont need me. Awesome sauce. #commodore

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 19:27:23 +0000

Well @8BitShowAndTell I finally found my original C64 Pac-Man cartridge. Can confirm it has that same title screen bug. I did find one online that someone fixed. Well at least they fixed the fruit anyway. Put that version on my UltimateII+ #commodore

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 15:03:59 +0000

A young person asked me to help him port this to the VIC-20 so he can play it. I'm aware of a port already, but if we actually do the port together there's more opportunity to learn so we're gonna do that. #commodore

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 11:39:17 +0000

Very happy with progress this morning. So good to be back at this. Tail is back on it, closer to being permanently mounted. That skin on the front is going to need a fair amount of trimming next. #myzenith750

Sat, 06 Nov 2021 10:45:37 +0000

Was making a plaque on the CNC for my “wall of shame” to showcase stuff I’ve screwed up on this plane build. How’s setting the depth incorrectly and slamming the router head into it for irony? Scratch one plaque and expensive bit. Pro Tip: Screwing up is just learning.

Sat, 06 Nov 2021 08:35:57 +0000

Today is the first of 9 days off in a row for me. Despite the fact that it’s still dark out and 43 degrees (F) inside the hangar, gonna route some fuel and brake lines. #myzenith750

Sat, 06 Nov 2021 07:41:46 +0000

On a tip from @NoelsRetroLab I found these ROM adapter boards. Picked @PCBWay to manufacture 10 of them to me. I'm still blown away that they can make these and have them at my front door all the way to the US in 6 days. Incredible.

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 11:07:56 +0000

This morning's "learn something every day" is some polar plotting. R=1+2*COS(Z), pretty neat patterns from this one #commodore #c64

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 06:48:08 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/4aM5yCmH?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

I love these equation plots. A little lunchtime fun today to relax. This one only took 16 minutes to render, faster than I anticipated. #commodore #c64

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 14:11:45 +0000

Anyone aware of a scan of this book online? I see some others by him, but not this one. I just copied the Floppy to a disk image. Could scan it easily since it’s spiral bound. #commodore

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 13:26:43 +0000

Since I was scolded for taking out the Plus/4 yesterday, I figured I might as well fully get in trouble by powering it on and having it do something. #commodore

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 07:07:45 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/ZYdtCBQ8?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Another @8BitShowAndTell book recommendation arrived today. This will be a fun one.

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 12:34:03 +0000

The road to our house… At some point recently I had realized I have everything I dreamed about 15 years ago. I wonder what our next adventure will be.

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 18:38:31 +0000

Afternoon walk is starting to feel like November.

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 18:48:11 +0000

Well, it’s a good start. Just need to do that 29 more times. It’s not even 7am #NaNoWriMo

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 06:57:25 +0000

Same Sierpiński's Carpet program but with PETSCII instead of graphics. This is a job for a PET! (2x speed) #commodore #PETober

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 09:04:09 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/hMUUQlfF?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Sierpiński carpet on the Apple IIe took 3 1/2 hours. Here sped up A LOT. Machine language version is next and should be WAAY faster #appleii

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 06:47:39 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/GSgUcRhr?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

I’m doing #NaNoWriMo for sure, but looking for another thing in November to also dig deep on. I’m thinking about mashing these two concepts.

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 20:51:10 +0000

I LOVED @Ayliean's Tower of Hanoi video on @numberphile this week. I wanted to try it with some "soothing" sounds from the 80s with the SID from a Commodore 64 #commodore #c64 (sound on!)

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 09:51:22 +0000

YT Video is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGuRmqpr6Oo

https://videopress.com/v/WSCJ1GV2?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Warranties are for losers.

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 11:09:33 +0000

I just picked up this 386 laptop from a guy up the road from me. New in the box. I literally cut the plastic from the factory on it

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 09:28:09 +0000

TI-81 Screen pixel issue was a manageable repair. Took just a couple minutes. Reflowed the solder on all of the ribbon cables with the hot air station. She's all set for 30 more years of mathing.

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 19:50:23 +0000

Well this is sad. My TI-81 has developed a column of dead pixels. I wonder if I can replace the LCD.

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 08:59:16 +0000

Neither my son or the dog care that it’s way too cold to be in the river today.

Sat, 23 Oct 2021 15:55:50 +0000

A little lunchtime fun: I have my Commodore PET Tic-Tac-Toe "AI" playing against itself with about a 95% tie rate. A couple more tweaks and I think I can get it to 100%. #PETober #commodore

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 12:33:10 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/pqZEFAHn?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Started wearing a 30 pound weight vest on my daily lunchtime hike. Feels really good. Also I think this is the longest my hair has been since 1992.

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 14:37:07 +0000

A week diving deeper with the PET day 1(take 2): I stand corrected, the COMMODORE PET is a graphics powerhouse. Better graphics than any other computer invented since 1977. #commodore #PETober

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 19:49:33 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/67pt6z4q?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Have had a great week with the Atari 800XL and then another with the VIC20. This week my choices are:

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 13:50:22 +0000

You know the boat electrical repairs are getting serious when the bench power supply gets moved in.

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 14:50:49 +0000

Wrapping up a week with the VIC: Unexpanded VIC with a keyboard version of Breakout. Getting a fair amount of help from machine language here, but it's a very playable (and simple to code/understand) version. LOVED this week with the VIC and appreciate it even more! #VICtober

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 04:59:12 +0000

A week diving deeper with the VIC-20 day 6: Pretty much the best graphics of any computer ever made. #VICtober

Sat, 16 Oct 2021 15:47:41 +0000

I’m thinking seriously about doing #nanowrimo2021 with ONLY these tools

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 15:43:56 +0000

Or possibly this

Got an Apple II 80 col/64k expansion card failing a RAM diagnostic. I have at least 4 testers for this type of RAM and plenty of spares.

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 15:35:56 +0000

One bad RAM chip and it’s good as new.

A week diving deeper with the VIC-20 day 5: Smooth scrolling isn't too hard. Getting close to the end of my week with the VIC and I appreciate it even more than I did when I started. #VICtober

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 06:25:23 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/mleF1Peq?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

10 minute lunch break "learn something": More of the "AI" book - Breadth first searches are nice and zippy. Apple IIe for this one

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 13:02:02 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/okMy0wvJ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

A week diving deeper with the VIC-20 day 4: The VIC-20 is a graphics powerhouse ;-) #VICtober

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 11:54:17 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/tFq23tyF?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

On today's episode of stupid races between old computery things: A brute force tree solver on a Commodore 128 in 80 column mode vs a VIC-20. The 128 is easier to visualize what it's doing, but as expected, WAY slower. #commodore #VICtober

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 16:56:48 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/5prIt2Og?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

A week diving deeper with the VIC-20 day 3: While not as visually interesting, implementing tree searches to solve shortest path problems is fun for my brain, just maybe not your eyeballs. #VICtober

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 07:36:41 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/5Li4QrUU?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

I figured out the problem with my MiniPET/SD card access. This connector is already not making good contact. Going to work on a way to extend the base of my setup so that it’s not just hanging off the end. Or maybe just put feet on it. #commodore

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 06:45:17 +0000

This is a REALLY excellent book. I’ve been going through this a chapter at a time. Very little changes to get the code to work on Commodore machines too although I’ve mostly been using the Apple IIe. Great primer to modern AI techniques if you can believe that. I give it an 11/10

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 18:31:49 +0000

A week diving deeper with the VIC-20 day 2: Some people say the VIC is underpowered and you can't do interesting things with just a couple k of RAM. Whatever slackers! #VICtober #commodore

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 06:49:00 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/rf2lzFh3?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

For those who say "3583 bytes isn't enough to do anything useful", a decent cipher fits with 58 whole bytes free. Take that!

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 12:03:45 +0000

A week diving deeper with the VIC-20: Starting the week finishing up the VIC Cipher on an unexpanded VIC. It's not fast, but it's fast enough to be useful. One of the few of these I've done that's 100% in BASIC #commodore

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 11:39:41 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/vBnFcHIa?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

Since my MiniPET is down I’m shifting gears this week. This is one of my favorites anyway so I’m already looking forward to it.

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 18:34:01 +0000

Working on an old boat today. Just pulled these off of the deep cycle battery. Both red. One was on the positive and one was on the negative. They run under the floor… and the wire chasing begins because the colors sure aren’t right and they aren’t labeled.

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 15:00:26 +0000

This is week’s books to devour. Really looking forward to these.

Sat, 09 Oct 2021 12:00:37 +0000

A week diving deeper - PET: Cramming code into single lines isn't just for Perl programmers. Here are two one-line subroutines to convert hex to decimal and back. Hint: you have to use the shortened keywords to get them to fit in 80 columns #PETober #commodore

Sat, 09 Oct 2021 11:17:17 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/pifrnfxn?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

A week diving deeper with the PET: Since I have a fair amount of Commodore experience, seemed prudent to think about and work on text screen program UI concepts. A loan calculator is even a useful one to have on disk in 2021. #PETober #commodore

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 18:05:16 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/Dil2J2uy?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

Some thoughts on my week of "diving deeper" with the Atari 800XL.

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 06:59:25 +0000

I had a lot of fun and will definitely go back to it for another week in the near future to get even deeper. On to the PET this week!

https://imapenguin.com/a-week-of-diving-a-little-deeper-into-atari-8-bit-machines/

https://videopress.com/v/MLdJWFuy?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

New to me 1962 Olympia SM7. It’s in amazing shape. #lessfeaturesplease

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 15:25:18 +0000

My week with the Atari 800XL is over. I’m writing up my thoughts and some things I learned. In the meantime, this one is next. #octaci #PETober

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 13:13:27 +0000

Was just thinking “it’s 3pm and I’ve been super productive today, I wonder why…”. Oh right, that’s why.

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 15:03:54 +0000

Diving into Atari 8 Bit: Horizontal movement is pretty straightforward. Vertical is a little more tricky. Using an ML program and calling it via USR() makes it MUCH faster. Still having fun(ish). #octari

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 13:13:32 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/VzlP9A9H?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

Two of my favorite distraction free productivity tools

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 07:18:35 +0000

This chip is still on my desk. Even though I’m one of the people who has the thermal printer it goes in. The mystery was cooler than the reality. #commodore

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 07:17:18 +0000

Diving into Atari 8 Bit: XIO is completely new to me. Combined with joystick inputs to draw a "road". Pretty fun. #octari

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 13:34:07 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/KI2Oj0zT?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

Diving into Atari 8 Bit: More graphics learning and using TRAP which is very nice. Pretty impressed at how well graphics work even in BASIC. #octari

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 07:30:42 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/OhC3ySyv?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

Diving into Atari 8 Bit: I'm actually off today, but always 5 minutes to learn something. Quick color and plotting. Atari BASIC makes this stuff really easy. #octari

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 08:23:19 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/4lxHtWFw?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

Diving into Atari 8 Bit: Getting a handle on CTIA chip capabilities. Shading is a pretty cool feature #octari

Sun, 03 Oct 2021 07:25:02 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/T5HZbQOL?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

Diving into Atari 8 Bit: Reading joysticks is really easy, and Atari BASIC is good enough to make joystick movements smooth in BASIC. Neato #octari

Sat, 02 Oct 2021 07:25:00 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/xJxubqsx?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

A little lunchtime fun: revisiting this old maze listing to see if we can get it to be just a little more random. Atari BASIC sure is slow #octari

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 11:46:54 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/vs49nJxD?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

The 3.10a Firmware update for the Ultimate II+ seems to have resolved my long time C128 disk access errors on this particular machine. Neato. #commodore

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 16:50:26 +0000

This perfectly sums up what my study focus for October will be.

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 11:30:31 +0000

Test fitting the instrument panel trays. I may have found an actual use for TheC64 Mini. #commodore

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 07:34:18 +0000

Floppy emulator arrived today for the Apple II. Plug it in, turn it on. Works. Too easy.

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 15:24:34 +0000

In today’s episode of “stupid races between old computery things”: Apple IIe (128k RAM) vs unexpanded VIC-20 with a boring version of the 100 doors problem. Almost identical performance since they have the same processor running a very similar clock speeds. #commodore #apple

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 12:08:00 +0000

Here’s what the Apple II external power supply installation looks like. It’s dramatically cooler inside the case now and no Rifa caps to explode. Even still works

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 10:41:15 +0000

Spent most of the afternoon chopping wood. Time to move to figuring out how to get this Gotek floppy emulator into my Osborne 1.

Sun, 26 Sep 2021 16:26:38 +0000

Mead I start today will be ready in April. Always plan ahead.

Sat, 25 Sep 2021 15:35:40 +0000

A bunch of people have asked about my future proofing of the Apple IIe. The core of my strategy is this externally power supply that replaces the troublesome internal unit completely. Not “authentic” but it will keep a ton of heat away from the rest of the machine

Sat, 25 Sep 2021 12:19:22 +0000

Always loved a green phosphor monitor for the PET. Took a risk of tearing apart the universe by putting my MiniPET on an Apple monitor. Seems like we’re all still here so far. #apple #commodore #10Print

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 06:51:03 +0000

Well I’m trying not to be disappointed that it works. I do enjoy fixing them. But I love that I have this in my collection now. #10print

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 18:20:07 +0000

I was lightly scolded by @8BitShowAndTell for learning LISP on a machine with a lot of bits so this morning I've shifted back to a machine with the proper number ;-) #commodore

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 07:18:21 +0000

This morning's "learn something new every day" I'm learning a LISP dialect... finally. I've never been cool enough to learn LISP, but I can fake being cool

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 07:44:01 +0000

Some of my notebooks from 1993-2008 or so when I made the mistake of switching to mostly digital. 20 years from now I’ll bet you would be glad your notes/thoughts/journal today was on paper. Ask me how I know.

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 14:12:53 +0000

10 Minute Lunch break progress: I have this dumb idea to do a simple (insecure) blockchain as a teaching tool. My first crack at it is sorta working already ;-) #commodore

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 13:13:53 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/PdV4rfED?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

For a long time I’ve averaged reading two books a week. It’s almost as fun figuring out what to read next as it is actually reading. This next week will be:

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 17:39:11 +0000

Finally bottled the rest of the first batch of this winter’s mead. This is about 1/3 of the batch and will age until about November. It will mellow out a lot by then and the cloudiness will be gone. Two more 3 gallon batches are a month behind and still fermenting.

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 15:27:09 +0000

Doing a little French Broad River Kayaking with Julie today. Not too shabby

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 12:37:43 +0000

What kind of music do you guys like? All the kinds. Julie’s thrift store finds today fit right in

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 14:35:35 +0000

This socket is going to have to go. This is working its way out when it gets warm. #commodore

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 11:08:42 +0000

It’s #septandy day 15. I give up.

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 09:00:52 +0000

This keyboard layout is the recipient of a lot of criticism. If you use it for a while a lot of it actually makes perfect sense. #commodore

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 11:22:32 +0000

Is it #Septandy day 14 or only 16 more days with Tandy machines? I'm trying to like them… they are like a, uh, warm blanket. Yeah, that's it.

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 06:16:18 +0000

The Munsters are FAR superior to the Adam’s Family.

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 16:00:36 +0000

My number one productivity technology for creative work

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 10:49:24 +0000

It’s #septandy day 13… wondering a little if I can do this for 17 more days. The blue and white are pretty okay, why aren’t those the default colors? #mysteriesoftheuniverse

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 07:13:00 +0000

On #Septandy day 12 I’m trying unsuccessfully to tweak the video to make it more readable. Toxic green just doesn’t work that well.

Sun, 12 Sep 2021 08:30:12 +0000

Tonight’s double feature.

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 15:19:07 +0000

Playing around with colors for the Zenith and at the moment leaning towards an Army Jeep Green

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 12:47:17 +0000

The actual building is gone now, but I was in my office on the 10th floor facing south in the red circle on the phone with my wife.

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 08:55:26 +0000

This is a fascinating feat of engineering

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 08:38:14 +0000

On #Septandy day 11, I need a sanity break #commodore

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 08:37:20 +0000

We had a very late frost so our favorite orchard only had a 25% yield this year. We went out to support them and with much standing on our toes found more than a few.

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 18:27:00 +0000

It's #Septandy day 10. Today's program is a "timebomb" (with sound effects). Feels pretty timely for some reason.

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 07:32:04 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/2ktz1xrE?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

Super speedy delivery from Alissa at Viking Aircraft. They just started making these instrument mounting trays and saved me a ton of time getting them pre made from them. Excellent quality as always from them.

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 19:35:42 +0000

One of my first "real" programs was a blackjack game I made in BASIC on a Sharp 9300 calculator to impress my Adv. Algebra teacher. Since it's #septandy day 9, here's a slot machine on a "Tandy" PC-4

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 08:24:44 +0000

For #septandy day 8, learning GET and PUT in Coco BASIC which I'm not too familiar with. This is better than some of the generative art I've seen for many dollars on the NFT sites. If I do dumb things and "secure it" as "one of a kind" with a blockchain am I doing it right?

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 06:55:24 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/mgqHIpqe?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

On #Septandy Day 7 future value of investment planning in Toxic green is where it's at

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 08:36:38 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/wxT5d6ax?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

For #Septandy day 6: I'll bet there's an untapped market for abstract art with an #nft on 8-bit computers. Not that the Coco would be my first choice for this, but since I'm keeping with the #Septandy theme…

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 10:23:58 +0000

Starting to have that fall feel in here. Early morning wing root section work. The answer to when will the plane be done: when there are no more things left on the todo list.

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 07:18:46 +0000

So many great resources for learning how to do more with retro computers. My #Septandy day 5 choices

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 07:09:36 +0000

For #septandy day 4, I did the beloved 10 PRINT program. The Color Computer’s slash and backslash characters are a 5 × 7 region in a larger box of 8 × 12. It’s not a great character set to demonstrate this as a random “maze” or even really a clear connected pattern. Still fun.

Sat, 04 Sep 2021 06:55:50 +0000

In today's episode of "Stupid races between old computery things", we have a #Septandy day 3 duo of a Coco2 with and without extended BASIC vs a VIC-20. Curiously Color BASIC is missing the exponent function so we had to implement it. Will #commodore win?

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 07:00:00 +0000

https://imapenguin.com/pi-tandy-color-computer-2/

The PC-4 is a neat little handheld, but it isn't going to win any speed competitions. Simple "benchmark" on my Coco2 takes 39 seconds. Exact same code on the PC-4 took 3:35. But BASIC in your pocket is pretty nifty! #Septandy

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 06:10:14 +0000

It's September 1st. Getting the #Septandy train rolling. All aboard!

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 06:58:08 +0000

Well, thanks to @8BitShowAndTell this is on my VIC-20 today. Follow him on the YouTubes for Gorf goodness in a couple days (or on Patreon for sooner). All the cool kids are doing it.

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 09:15:13 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/KfGUy8SD?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

This evening I’m exploring the first CAD software I ever used seriously. Where’s a light pen when you need it?

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 17:22:00 +0000

Well I know what I’m adding to my Christmas list.

Sun, 29 Aug 2021 06:27:05 +0000

Time to up my game. I own a nice collection of various knives but not a proper bowie knife. Never leave home without it.

Sat, 28 Aug 2021 21:26:59 +0000

Gonna try to get through both of these this week.

Sat, 28 Aug 2021 12:44:22 +0000

Spent time dodging thunderstorms today. This was the one clearing that was long enough to get a shot of.

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 17:13:29 +0000

Early morning summer departures means bugs on the windshield.

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 08:19:09 +0000

Interesting that @VansAircraft and @SonexAircraft are working on high wing models. Apparently I missed some industry trend memo somewhere.

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 07:46:53 +0000

bow chica bow wow

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 08:24:15 +0000

Haven’t been flying much but we kicked off the rust for a couple minutes this morning after almost finishing the flaps on the zenith. Was nice to have my buddy Simon help with the building this morning.

Sun, 22 Aug 2021 08:18:00 +0000

I’m short a transistor to do a composite MOD on this Atari VCS/2600 so it’s the ol route the RF through a VCR trick for now #atari

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 19:16:48 +0000

Since I only eat once a day now, I had time to recap and heat sync an Atari 800 during lunch. Working like a champ

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 14:55:01 +0000

This morning the "learn something every day" was a maze walker in BASIC

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 08:35:25 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/2MoDucqM?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

The Selectric II restoration was a snap. About an hour, and it’s working like a champ. It’s built like a tank and probably has 100 years of life left in it. It’ll take me a little bit to get fast on it, but that sound is just so satisfying.

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 11:58:55 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/54BGQnln?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

Lunchtime fun "for science". I was playing with Atari Turbo-BASIC XL the 800XL and couldn't resist doing the same tests on a VIC-20.

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 11:56:39 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/ceuk4K6t?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

When someone asks why you are doing so and so thing... the answer is ALWAYS "for science".

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 14:49:35 +0000

My next restoration project isn’t a vintage computer, but it counts as vintage. Always wanted a Selectric. Mechanical pencil for scale. It’s huge.

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 14:46:09 +0000

Autobiographies

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 08:08:53 +0000

I really enjoy autobiographies. Most autobiographies contain all of the bullshitt that the person believes about themselves intertwined with some modicum of truth.

The other book I finished last week was Howard Scott Warshaw's. He contends that most people who say that E.T. is "The Worst Game of All Time" have probably not even played it. I have it, have played it, AND I don't think it's even close to the worst game of "All time".

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 13:51:11 +0000

Really enjoyed the 10PRINT book this past weekend. Who knew there were at least a couple hundred pages of things to talk about from just one line of code? For fun, during lunch today, I looked at many of the variations of it.

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 11:12:10 +0000

Available in print https://10print.org

https://videopress.com/v/d9Q9R60x?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

I’m probably going to hell for this

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 08:10:00 +0000

New life skill for me: yellow jacket nest removal. They sure are mean.

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 19:08:02 +0000

For the most part I’ve been sticking pretty close to the plans. Today’s deviation was to add some stiffening L angles to these pulleys. Once this section is riveted they’ll be hard to access and I didn’t like the amount of skin flex I was seeing.

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 08:35:57 +0000

Working on flight controls again before it gets too hot to be in here today.

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 06:43:55 +0000

While waiting on my date I worked on the next part of Nick Hampshire's VIC Graphics book. Multi Colored "fan".

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 20:16:39 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/vWkP0iJk?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

I didn’t go to Blackhat this year. A friend brought this back with her for me. If I had known this sort of thing would be there I definitely would have made the trip :)

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 15:17:22 +0000

This morning's quick "learn something new every day": Been going through Nick Hampshire's VIC-20 books. 2nd books is on graphics. #commodore

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 07:30:01 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/CTEZ3Khc?preloadContent=metadata

Lunch shenanigans: Now I'm on a quest to find the slowest machine I have that will run this "benchmark" (I call it the @NoelsRetroLab benchmark). The PC-4 is the current leader.

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 12:53:25 +0000

Installed BreakIntoProg's BBC BASIC Port to the CERBERUS 2080. On the Z80 at 8Mhz it runs this quick benchmark in around 11 seconds. Pretty neat.

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 20:37:01 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/2zQw6uYK?preloadContent=metadata

Trying something different on my Atari 800XL this week. The keyboard on the top has switches instead of a membrane. First time all of my keys have reliably worked :) #atari

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 07:48:28 +0000

Finished the 100 door problem on a bunch of systems. Atari 800XL, Cerberus 2080, VIC-20, PET, Color Maximite

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 08:43:01 +0000

A couple of these took longer than a 1200 word article on it might suggest. I had a great time doing it. #commodore #atari #C64Month #8bit https://imapenguin.com/just-for-fun-the-100-door-problem-on-several-different-systems/

https://videopress.com/v/E3i0Mdvw?preloadContent=metadata

Last of the 10 machines in the 100 door demo is CERBERUS. Is unfinished. Last because it's the hardest to do (for me). It's WAY too fast for the visual demo. Wasting a couple million clock cycles. Needs the result output and custom characters to be finished. Happy with progress

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 21:05:17 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/DS51CEUx?preloadContent=metadata

Taking a break from the cipher series for a bit. This weeks article will be on the 100 door problem done on 10 different systems. Wouldn’t be complete without a calculator in the mix would it? (PS, the VIC-20 is my favorite solution set so far). Also, TI-84’s BASIC is really fast

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 18:30:24 +0000

Old computers make good teaching tools in part because you see huge efficiency gains when changing your approach. Reducing your execution time from 30 minutes to 5 minutes is more satisfying than .003 seconds to .0003 seconds a modern system.

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 17:19:37 +0000

I’m on the prowl for a 386 desktop. Less bells and whistles the better.

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 17:18:16 +0000

Took months of patience but I finally picked up a copy of this book for a price that wasn’t highway robbery

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 15:57:04 +0000

Afternoon 10 minute break noodle: Atari BASIC is not my favorite but it works

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 15:38:46 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/Cgim7y06?preloadContent=metadata

10 minute lunchtime noodle: Taking a quick initial swing at @somacdivad's challenge this week on a VIC-20. Looks like I'll have to do the extra credit part now.

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 13:58:02 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/tpx0dApI?preloadContent=metadata

Since we seem to be on an early 80s book kick, my favorite from this time period is “Once Upon Atari”. Fascinating story and better writing than most small run books, most which could REALLY use an editors red pen.

Sun, 01 Aug 2021 18:10:12 +0000

Installing the elevator pulleys this morning. It’s a measure twice cut once kinda deal. Really not something I want to have misaligned. It was more like a measure 2^8 and cut once kinda deal. The other one is inside and upside down and required some gymnastics on my part.

Sun, 01 Aug 2021 08:56:39 +0000

Pre dawn tail work. Questioning my decision to be on a ladder before sunrise ;)

Sun, 01 Aug 2021 07:07:32 +0000

Waiting for my date to be ready gave me a few minutes on the PET. If you take two @8BitShowAndTell videos and mash them together... (this is Robin's game, not mine)

Sat, 31 Jul 2021 20:28:08 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/KgFDu9K4?preloadContent=metadata

Finished @BilHerd’s book in one sitting. Very cool to see many of these stories in one place.

Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:58:07 +0000

This such a flawed and also beautiful piece of hardware. I love everything about it

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 20:59:33 +0000

Turns out direct sunlight works. This is before and after on the Plus/4 Keyboard after 4 hours. AirPods for color comparison with an actual white.

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 20:00:48 +0000

On the left is a flawed but decent product I’ve used every day for three years. On the right is the worst product “upgrade” I’ve ever purchased. I can’t believe how they made it so dramatically worse in every way.

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 13:23:51 +0000

I have bitten off more than I can chew with this Maze article I've been working on for a week. It's stopped being fun which means it's time to shelve it. This morning, it's a blank slate for me.

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 08:41:36 +0000

Ported the Maze code to the CERBERUS 2080. Just like the Commodore Assembly version the maze is created instantly and the ball is too fast to see. Have to waste some cycles for the final article on this so we can see it. No SID here, so had to do an LFSR for random numbers ;-)

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 14:58:41 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/uwlJ7TQA?preloadContent=metadata

Ported the maze program to assembly this morning (you know, learn something every day). It's slightly faster, as in the screen capture device isn't even picking up the ball flying around ;-)

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 07:19:39 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/eAo5qIpc?preloadContent=metadata

On today's episode of "Stupid races between old computery things" we have a Commodore PET vs an Atari 400 doing the maze program from Compute! December 1981. The program was written for these machines, so it's a fair "fight".

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 19:20:00 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/gk5PTawx?preloadContent=metadata

I’m channeling my inner @8BitShowAndTell and fixing a bug in a listing in Compute! from Dec 1981. Atari version does not work as listed in the mag. My fix is on line 1020 here

Sun, 25 Jul 2021 19:31:24 +0000

The MiniPET does pretty well with the screen capture. I originally wrote this for the VIC-20 because you know, VIC cipher on a VIC... but I like using my own software for testing. A lot of people ask about the "chicklet" keyboard and I actually kinda like it

Sat, 24 Jul 2021 19:08:33 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/vAuzutgn?preloadContent=metadata

Weekend side project is learning Atari 8 bit disk stuff with my new SDrive.

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 16:59:33 +0000

I needed a change of scenery today. Was getting grumpy in my “office”

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:06:00 +0000

When you don’t have a spare DIN connector to test out a board sometimes improvisation is more fun.

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 18:17:17 +0000

New to me Atari 800XL. It was listed "untested", which to me means "cheap and almost certainly repairable".

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 14:02:17 +0000

Today’s learn something new every day is a deep dive into cellular automaton.

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 09:16:32 +0000

Steak and eggs for dinner, killer workout, and recapped/reassembled the Atari 400. Not too shabby.

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 20:18:00 +0000

I created a brute force version on a Commodore that's truly horrible, but it does work. Had to change the states to integers and borders to letters because of my system limitations. I'll get it in Github tonightish

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 19:00:03 +0000

I can walk to trout streams and do often. First cast. He's a little too small so he's going back to grow up.

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 18:59:23 +0000

Well I was shooting for completing it in a week. Or less than 24 hours. One of those. Works great @futurewas8bit #commodore

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 14:02:22 +0000

Still need to do the case and the key caps but I couldn’t resist trying a first boot of the MiniPET 40/80. So great. #commodore

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 12:34:37 +0000

This would be fine.

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 08:18:20 +0000

I made a clean spot. Sigh, now I’m going to have to do the whole thing.

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 07:25:30 +0000

It’s MiniPET 40/80 day. The first 10 are numbered and I have number 3! Pretty neat. These switches are gonna take quite a while to assemble and solder. As usual, fantastic packaging by @futurewas8bit I’ve been looking forward to assembling this for quite a while. #commodore

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 18:51:43 +0000

Today’s “learn something new every day” is pretty challenging.

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 11:21:24 +0000

Delivery from @FW4511 in the UK today. Thanks!

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 15:35:17 +0000

Just trying out my dual video capture. Might as well have a couple of them race. Atari 400 vs VIC-20 same program. Curious that the Atari has the same processor clocked higher but is slower in this version of BASIC. It sure was harder to type on versus the VIC. #commodore #Atari

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 13:51:00 +0000

Just trying out my dual video capture. Might as well have a couple of them race. Atari 400 vs VIC-20 same program. Curious that the Atari has the same processor clocked higher but is slower in this version of BASIC. It sure was harder to type on versus the VIC. #commodore #Atari

SVideo out on the Atari 400. Have to hold the cartridge port switch down when it’s out of the case to get it to boot but it’s working. #atari

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 09:13:24 +0000

Finally have a reason to use my iPad.

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 07:22:05 +0000

10 minute lunchbreak progress: Porting an old PET maze routine to the VIC-20 and Atari 400 for a project (also just for science).

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 10:56:20 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/jEzt60OX?preloadContent=metadata

VickyTwenty ended up being two things: The unsoldered pin on the character rom that was only making contact sometimes, and it turns out that the socket under the VIC was cracked. Not in love with these precision sockets, many chips fit loose. May have to change brands

Sun, 11 Jul 2021 19:45:21 +0000

Switching gears. My first dive into a 400.

Sun, 11 Jul 2021 17:57:17 +0000

Unity…

Sun, 11 Jul 2021 10:46:27 +0000

Troubleshooting a VIC-20 with a strange color memory issue. Is working other than this. I've swapped all 5 RAM chips.

Sun, 11 Jul 2021 08:56:50 +0000

This is the first "real" video out of my VickyTwenty. I used a video mod board to get S-Video out on it.

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 06:48:17 +0000

Parts order from retro8bitshop came today for my 250407 replica. I may start this one next depending on if/when the MiniPET 40/80 ever ships.

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 13:16:45 +0000

New to me Atari Tank. Hey, at least I’m keeping it 6502 in the house right?

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 14:21:03 +0000

Finally getting to the Romulator in a little bit. I'm thinking a VIC-20 will be the target for it tonight for first tests

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 14:20:21 +0000

Helping some students with math contests and they're having trouble visualizing cellular automation (Rule 30 in this case). Doing it nice and slow with a color change on the row being worked on was the trick. Old computers are still valuable teaching tools

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 18:53:37 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/sDoaQpNa?preloadContent=metadata

I’ve taken a long break from this project but it’s time to get back to it. #myzenith750

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 11:26:26 +0000

I almost never get landing shots because... well kinda busy. It's nice when someone is sitting in front and takes them for me ;-)

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 07:43:09 +0000

I love that someone else is hacking the CERBERUS 2080 bios. Working on some hacks to mine already. Too fun

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 19:49:31 +0000

Definitely my strangest flight path to date. Had us doing circles for weather for about 45 minutes

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 16:45:37 +0000

Hey it even works. I’ve got a bad 6522 so I ordered those WD “modern” replacements. It boots to a cart just fine without the one so I suspect that’s the whole of the problem. If not, VIC-20s are a joy to troubleshoot. My third favorite computer of all time.

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 18:21:32 +0000

I find this sort of evening activity pretty relaxing. #commodore

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 19:11:27 +0000

The Mechboard64 ended up in the Ultimate after much deliberation on my part. It's rock solid and I'm very happy with it. The keyboard it replaced is in good shape and will live on in the VickyTwenty.

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:01:41 +0000

Actually getting back on track with ciphers on the C64 this evening, but during my lunch I just wanted to make sure I could do a 3 line assembly program on the CERBERUS. Easy enough, but the removing SD card every time to make changes is gonna get old. Time to extend this thing!

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 12:59:38 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/gEnmhxbL?preloadContent=metadata

Patience and troubleshooting prevails! First boot of my CERBERUS 2080!!! Woot!!

Sun, 27 Jun 2021 16:46:42 +0000

Friday night bootloader burning. It’s wild around here

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 21:26:46 +0000

Since I'm waiting on 4 components that weigh a total of about .1 ounce for the Cerberus, I figure my lunch break can be used to make progress on one of my other 12 million boards to build. VickyTwenty, you're next

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 12:18:39 +0000

New to me TRS-80 PC-4. More things to do dumb races against the VIC-20

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 14:56:06 +0000

Who wants an old computer that looks new? Pre distressed jeans are a thing right? So starting next week I’ll be offering a product called “retro yellow”. I think it’ll be HUGE!!

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 13:09:14 +0000

Today on “dumb calculator races vs the VIC-20 I changed this to repeat 10 times for better comparison. A PAL VIC20 beats the TI-81 (z80 running at 2Mhz) by about 10%. A screen blanked NTSC C64 (POKE53265,PEEK(53265)AND239) is neck and neck with the calculator. #commodore

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 08:37:43 +0000

The mystery of the VIC-42 chip is much less interesting than I hoped. I happen to have an Alphacom VP42 printer. It has the chip in it

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 06:25:55 +0000

This week on “dumb calculator races vs the VIC-20” we add the TI-81. Its z80 processor is a much more formidable opponent than the Sharp 9300 from the same period.

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 20:48:44 +0000

Evening CERBERUS progress. Got all 56 10k Resistors done. I'll wrap up the soldering tomorrow with the taller components with the exception of a transistor I had to order. Still might be working by the weekend if I don't screw anything up.

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 20:46:43 +0000

And in other news, I bought a working working Plus/4. For now. I've doomed it by posting it here.

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 15:08:21 +0000

Lunchtime project... Composite video mod on my Coco2. I didn't even blow it up or anything. Haven't used this in many many years, the green is just as horrible as I remember ;-)

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 14:39:30 +0000

I started flying too late to have been required to use one of these. Modern equivalents are much faster, but I did learn how to use it. I love the big picture understanding of how things work in relationship with each other that only analog tools can reveal.

Sun, 20 Jun 2021 20:47:01 +0000

New to me UNTESTED Plus/4. Now those are some yellowed keys!

Sat, 19 Jun 2021 20:10:56 +0000

Morning progress. Couple hundred pins soldered. Not hard, but the pads are tiny so it requires some patience. All of the sockets are done.

Sat, 19 Jun 2021 08:33:19 +0000

As some have pointed out, the print routines are probably VERY slow on the calculator. I took them out and made the VIC code the same as what's on the calculator as close as I could. VIC-20 is still faster. Pretty fun. Next up, head to head with TI-81

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 11:02:51 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/iSu3Gvg0?preloadContent=metadata

What do you do when you have a bunch of 25-35 year old calculators than can run BASIC? I know what I'd do, I'd race them with a 40 year old computer. They have pretty similar RAM, but the VIC-20 beats a Sharp 9300c from 1991 easily #commodore

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 16:33:33 +0000

It’s 72F and low humidity today. Moving my office to the front porch.

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 12:36:58 +0000

My morning routine is to work out and then spend 15 minutes learning something new. This morning it's @TechTinkering 's tutorial on using screen memory as extra storage to do the 100 door problem on unexpanded VIC-20s. Good stuff.

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 07:26:04 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/MoRT6Wxt?preloadContent=metadata

The 250407 Replica by @bwack77 arrived today. It's amazing. I now have a trifecta AND the MiniPET 40/80 hasn't even shipped yet. This is gonna be A LOT of soldering...

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 12:36:53 +0000

Pro tip: AirPods are not machine washable. Sigh.

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 06:20:55 +0000

When you put VIC-20 CR machines back together, you have to keep the bottom RF shield because it helps with mounting. They are always terribly rusty so I paint them. Apparently my paint supplies are low and I have... white. No one is gonna see it anyway so white it is.

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 14:32:57 +0000

I’m not huge on multi tasking, but recapping a board during a conference call worked for my brain.

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 11:07:57 +0000

Oh yeah! VIC cipher decryption on an unexpanded VIC-20 is finally working! This was a lot harder than the encryption part. Now we work on cracking it

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 21:30:56 +0000

Well I have one of these mystery VIC-42 chips and it doesn't test "good" as a VIC or VICII on the backbit. I think this might be something we just have to make up a story about. "There I was, wire tying a Commodore 264, when I was attacked by a Spectrum…"

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 17:03:46 +0000

Mechboard64 is almost done. Need to print the key cap adapters and bend some piano wire. #commodore

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 13:56:00 +0000

I was an AT in the Navy which required extensive color blindness testing. But these things are practically impossible…

Sat, 12 Jun 2021 09:41:23 +0000

Rainy weekend project number 3. Let’s call this one “preparing for winter”.

Sat, 12 Jun 2021 09:39:47 +0000

Testing a new video capture device on the VIC-20s. Only one of them is good enough to probably be post-able. Something to work on

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 21:53:12 +0000

Rainy weekend project number 2

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 14:47:10 +0000

Going easy on myself with the next in the crypto series since I wanted to do a couple of these on the VIC-20 in Assembly which is new for me. Fibonacci in was simple enough. Now to do a Lagged Fibonacci.

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 11:39:12 +0000

10 Second review of this drop in RAM replacement for your 128: Works like a charm. If your RAM is already socketed installation is 4 seconds. One more future proofed item in the bag.

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 15:29:31 +0000

This sums up my retro theme for June 2021 #commodore

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 13:50:54 +0000

Interesting, removing this resistor and adding a 220uF cap across these two lines DRAMATICALLY improved this PAL VIC-20's picture. It's hard to tell from a photo of a screen, but this looks excellent IRL. Not 100% sure why this works...

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 12:47:52 +0000

10 minute lunch break progress: I think I’ve found a VIC 20 Assembler that fits my brain. Flashing screen warning.

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 11:38:00 +0000

More than one person gave me a hard time about using Monte Carlo to test my PRNG without a visual. Okay, here’s a squished PAL VIC circle and point plot of it :)

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 09:35:02 +0000

Why are PAL VIC-20 (CR) video output circuits wired like the left and NTSC like on the right?

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 11:16:32 +0000

Before morning workout progress: This is the last of these before the refactor to do large sets on an unexpanded VIC-20. This one cheats and uses a 128 to do 30k DIMs. #commodore

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 07:59:03 +0000

SUPER happy with this so far. Generating 100 random mod 256 integers with a Lagged Fibonacci Sequence, then test the distribution for randomness-Monte Carlo value for pi (is it in the circle?) on an unexpanded VIC 20 #commodore #embracecontraints

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 22:09:14 +0000

Well, that random distribution count really sucks. Gonna have to work on this algorithm a lot more… In 10000 iterations, 1 came up 358 times and 2 came up 1669 times. Bleh.

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 19:11:36 +0000

Sometimes during conference calls I do weird things.You know, like write a Lagged Fibonacci Generator (PRNG) on a VIC 20...

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 16:24:16 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/6cbFEQdK?preloadContent=metadata

Headed out for a holiday cookout, but while I'm waiting for everyone... I need top 500, 1000,10k and 50k English word files in SEQ files. Was simple enough

Mon, 31 May 2021 10:29:04 +0000

I’ve read a lot of marginal documentation over the years. This one is in the bottom 5 of all time. I’ve read it twice and I still don’t know how to do anything with it.

Sat, 29 May 2021 08:34:49 +0000

Done a fair amount of Commodore Assembly now but never on the VIC 20. No time like the present. Seems simple enough but I’m going to have to find a decent editor, the monitor method only works so long.

Fri, 28 May 2021 22:50:48 +0000

Another new to me VIC 20 “untested” and cheap. Looks good, packed well and passes tests. Sweet.

Fri, 28 May 2021 14:42:00 +0000

Back to implementing Enigma. These rings are obviously horizontal for testing, but top down they are left, middle and right. Middle should rotate when right(bottom) gets to V (the "notch") and top when middle gets to E. Making progress...

Fri, 28 May 2021 10:14:10 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/Q2hsGqR8?preloadContent=metadata

I'm doing a Pi computation demo over the weekend for some young people and want to do a couple on Vintage machines. Then I remembered that @8BitShowAndTell did one with Logo graphically. Perfect, I shall borrow (steal) Robin's demo as well.

Fri, 28 May 2021 07:19:30 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/dIxJYHIL?preloadContent=metadata

Just renewed my HAM radio license. N4LNX lives on for another 10 years ;-)

Fri, 28 May 2021 07:08:20 +0000

Earlier today I was annoyed when my truck’s software served me a damn ad. Then I remembered the flier in Pirates Cove from 1980. I guess this isn’t a terribly new idea. Be careful Chevy, or I’ll replace that software with a VIC 20

Thu, 27 May 2021 14:27:55 +0000

This little bastard was causing all kinds of gremlins to intermittently appear. Crazy how much better things run if the power into the board is clean.

Thu, 27 May 2021 07:47:08 +0000

Chased down a VIC-20 flickering screen for quite some time. Came down to this solder joint being weak. Reflowed it and all better

Wed, 26 May 2021 20:31:55 +0000

Finally properly badged. This is easily my favorite piece of “modern” hardware

Wed, 26 May 2021 14:26:11 +0000

Phew, this board is a mess. 3 bodges so far and here are the next 4.

Wed, 26 May 2021 13:01:32 +0000

Such a great series. I wish I had read these back then, but there’s no time like the present.

Wed, 26 May 2021 06:48:24 +0000

Pretty good lake view in the distance from our hotel room this weekend.

Sat, 22 May 2021 08:48:10 +0000

Here's a fun one. Another friend brought over a 128. It started up but it was acting really strange. Probed a couple voltages and they came in at 4.1... Deoxit in the power switch and its fixed. I'm basically a wizard.

Thu, 20 May 2021 17:43:23 +0000

Actually really busy with day job today, but had a 10 minute break and decided to put a 128 back together. I spent more than a minute scratching my head on a U4 failure message. Maybe I no fix hardware today huh? Sheesh

Thu, 20 May 2021 11:42:55 +0000

Morning workout math:

Thu, 20 May 2021 07:43:00 +0000

3 rotor Enigma…
- 6 Rotor Positions (3!)
- 17576 Rotor Settings (26^3)
- 100391791500 ways to place six plugboard cables

So… 10586916764424000 Different keys My benchmarks show a Commodore 8 Bit machine can COUNT to that number in 6749 years

My CERBERUS 2080 Boards came today from @JLCPCB and look great. A couple of these chips are backordered but I'm really looking forward to getting this working. I had to order 5...

Thu, 20 May 2021 06:52:05 +0000

I am looking for a manual or documentation for Vickit 4+5 on the @futurewas8bit Penultimate cart. Anyone have it handy? #commodore

Wed, 19 May 2021 14:14:40 +0000

Working on the Retro pinout project a little at a time. 128 pins captured and about 4500 to go. Thanks to all who have offered to help so far.

Tue, 18 May 2021 19:46:38 +0000

My new open source project: Collecting scope outputs on every IC on retro computer boards. I'll need lots of help from the community

Tue, 18 May 2021 11:11:40 +0000

https://imapenguin.com/the-retro-pinout-project/

I went right to getting the VIC working yesterday and am just now getting to the bucket of other stuff @TheGavNinja sent me. Lots to check out #commodore

Tue, 18 May 2021 08:37:35 +0000

These are the chips getting the dreaded X on them just from this evening. Sheesh

Mon, 17 May 2021 20:38:39 +0000

Brought another vintage computer back to life from the trash bin. Some probing around with the oscilloscope narrowed it down to a bad VIC chip. Desoldered, installed a socket and replaced it and it’s back in service.

Mon, 17 May 2021 18:07:31 +0000

The first spreadsheet I ever used was Practicalc. Seems appropriate to use it to hold a BOM for a new retro board build

Mon, 17 May 2021 07:28:32 +0000

Sunday morning Enigma work. Because reasons… #commodore #crypto

Sun, 16 May 2021 08:32:35 +0000

Six years ago today I became a licensed pilot ;-)

Sat, 15 May 2021 08:33:00 +0000

Just reading this book for the first time. It’s really good. Seems like a possible candidate for an @8BitShowAndTell book club.

Fri, 14 May 2021 08:34:00 +0000

Did you know that Bruce Schneier created a cipher for Neal Stephenson in Cryptonomicon(1999)? Uses a simple deck of cards, so naturally…Commodore 64! Should actually work on most 8 bit machines of the era with slight mods.

Thu, 13 May 2021 08:37:00 +0000

https://imapenguin.com/pontifex-from-cryptonomicon/

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but 3583 bytes on an unexpanded VIC-20 really isn't much. My Pontifex program doesn't fit ;-)

Wed, 12 May 2021 15:08:05 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/cFhYEdz5?preloadContent=metadata

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but 3583 bytes on an unexpanded VIC-20 really isn't much. My Pontifex program doesn't fit ;-)

Wed, 12 May 2021 14:52:38 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/bX05jQEE?preloadContent=metadata

Retro computer repair people problems… when you need an NTSC VIC and TWO PAL versions arrive first

Wed, 12 May 2021 14:24:33 +0000

It freaking works. I can't believe this thing actually works. #commodore #c64 #crypto

Wed, 12 May 2021 14:23:16 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/G1F9QfV0?preloadContent=metadata

I think screenshots from my scope desktop software is better than a photo of the scope screen. I'm going to start with pinouts of a Longboard 64 NTSC and organize the github repo. This would be much easier with two people in person. One to probe, the other to record. #commodore

Wed, 12 May 2021 14:21:29 +0000

I want to see scope pinouts of every pin on every chip on a VIC-20, C64 (long and short) and 128. If it doesn't exist, I may create this as a resource. Just power on and pin out, screenshot scope. Nothing running. #commodore

Wed, 12 May 2021 14:20:46 +0000

I will never take list/array slicing in my day job for granted again. Doable, but so messy. #commodore #crypto

Tue, 11 May 2021 07:56:57 +0000

Don't get impatient. Silly mistake. #commodore

Mon, 10 May 2021 11:39:49 +0000

Another 128 today. I’m not sure I understand this yet, but a wonky 8563 (80 column chip) was causing an issue on the CIA at U1. Took a while to figure this one out for a friend. When did I become my local 128 repair shop? I barely know what I’m doing #commodore

Sat, 08 May 2021 16:07:30 +0000

Out of all the vendors I deal with @futurewas8bit is one of the best. Consistent and great products. Penultimate+ and a 6502 this time. #commodore

Fri, 07 May 2021 20:42:26 +0000

10 min lunchtime progress: Running all rotors with 26 possible starting positions on a 3 Rotor Enigma with 5 rotors to choose from (I want this to finish in my lifetime). So 1,054,560 combinations in 71 seconds(BASIC takes 2+ hours). Not bad. #commodore #c64 #crypto #enigma

Fri, 07 May 2021 11:15:26 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/UcAXcRse?preloadContent=metadata

Least important applicance

Fri, 07 May 2021 08:02:30 +0000

Our dishwasher quit last night. We quickly determined it to be the least important appliance in our house which led to a family ranking of MOST important: 1. Well Pump 2. Hot water heater 3. Washing machine-All luxuries sure, but I find the well pump particularly important to me

On the couch so no screen capture. I’m sure there are efficiencies to do but it works. Moving to the next step: 3 rotor Enigma, 5 rotors to choose from First need all possible combinations. Tomorrow we’ll add 26 starting points to each and crunch numbers #enigma #commodore #c64

Thu, 06 May 2021 21:40:59 +0000

Forming a new club. I'm calling it "Folks who run calculations on all combinations of a 3 rotor Engima at 1.022727 MHz durning lunch breaks". Membership will be limited, so sign up early. #commodore

Thu, 06 May 2021 13:27:53 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/bqRFR2Us?preloadContent=metadata

Well that doesn’t look anything like a square wave. Bad multiplexer. Saved a Vintage computer from the scrap heap with good tools and a 79 cent chip that is still being manufactured

Wed, 05 May 2021 20:22:56 +0000

Because what I really need is another project… #commodore

Wed, 05 May 2021 16:44:07 +0000

Something is different...

Wed, 05 May 2021 16:43:24 +0000

That worked even better than I expected. #commodore #fixallthethings

Tue, 04 May 2021 15:17:55 +0000

This might be the worst non chicklet keyboard I’ve ever used.

Tue, 04 May 2021 13:52:39 +0000

10 minute lunchtime progress: Working on more advanced ciphers I need a modulo 32 rotater (wraps 32 bit numbers around by bit at a time). Took a few minutes to wrap my mind around it, but I got it. Step 1 of a bazillion for ChaCha(and AES) complete but I'm happy at the moment #commodore #c64 #crypto

Tue, 04 May 2021 10:43:54 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/JTSYMnMX?preloadContent=metadata

Implementing ChaCha… I need 4 eight bit ROLs, but the 6502 is really a 9 bit ROL. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to just to a CMP #$80 until now to set the carry before the rotate. Problem solved.

Mon, 03 May 2021 22:16:56 +0000

My first ever VIC-20 arrived. It seem salvageable, black screen, and you can't beat $25US... I don't own a dead test for a 20 so working on it old school. It was after I desoldered the horrible socket on UE11 that I realized I'm apparently out of 24 pin sockets. #commodore

Mon, 03 May 2021 15:04:20 +0000

Late lunch 10 minute progress: Next up is Pontifex from Cryptonomicon. Occurred to me while planning that I better do some card routines first so I don't bite off too much at once. So create a deck and shuffle (requires two different jokers to work) is done. #commodore #c64

Mon, 03 May 2021 15:03:50 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/4DbgbyHG?preloadContent=metadata

Today on my operating table is my very reliable Evinrude 50. Just changing the plugs, it’s not even sick or anything.

Sun, 02 May 2021 11:49:54 +0000

Had a young coder(11) ask me to do my BASIC prime number code program without Simons BASIC so she could do it on Dad’s VIC 20. Here you go Ms. Lisa. I hope you can improve it for us. Sorry about the lack of video capture. I’m on my front porch :) #commodore #vic20

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 21:41:06 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/XtxU6AxV?autoPlay=true&muted=true&persistVolume=false&playsinline=true&preloadContent=metadata

Tweet sized review of the @retrorewindca carts and harnesses: built solidly and they do what they are supposed to. This is machine number 4 back in service using them. #commodore

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 10:54:35 +0000

You haven’t REALLY lived until you try and demonstrate hash collisions using the bug repellent program from Ahoy! Magazine and a type in program called Salvage diver, then cross it with checksums and SHA-256.

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 14:33:06 +0000

https://imapenguin.com/finding-hash-collisions

Had quite a few ask about SHA-256 execution times in 6510/6502 Assembly. I'm seeing about 21 jiffies ($15 hex) on average. So 2.857 hashes per second on an unaccelerated Commodore 64. Not too shabby. Imma be Bitcoin rich!! In 50 trillion years.... #commodore #c64 #Crypto

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 08:36:42 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/wlJo71Bj?preloadContent=metadata

Ha! Reseated the ROMs and it works. I am basically a wizard.

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 17:58:23 +0000

Getting into the nitty gritty of the crypto series on the Commodore now. I want to demonstrate hash collisions. Only 1Mhz so I'm doing shorter hashes and looking for occurrences of collisions that result in english words.

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 17:53:21 +0000

Current mood

Sun, 25 Apr 2021 08:10:25 +0000

This TNC for Raspberry Pi just arrived. Plugged it in and not only did it fail to work, it got so hot I couldn’t touch it. Bleh.

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 16:53:12 +0000

Brought it with me today in case there was an opportunity to work on it. Had to take cover during heavy rain, so I was prepared to make use of the time AND I fixed the bug. Woot!

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 15:14:07 +0000

10 minute morning progress before heading out for the day: Tiny bug... this gets all the primes to 2^24 except 3,5,7,11, and 13. And I am really stuck on WHY. Not gonna win any speed records, but it's good demo code anyway. #commodore #c64 #crypto

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 07:27:44 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/vn1zl32p?preloadContent=metadata

I'm actually doing some fishing this weekend, but my other project is to work on the ISS to Commodore config. Step 1 is serial connection to Raspberry Pi which was simple enough #commodore #c64 #Space

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 11:44:09 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/xPDOnaCO?preloadContent=metadata

Youtube still has me in timeout. Isn't it lovely when they do that and you really have no idea why?

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 07:52:10 +0000

Happy Friday!

This took my Python script 207 seconds. My Commodore 64 just crossed the 24 hour mark. I'm hoping it finishes in time to post the article next week! Brute forcing all the primes between 1 and 2^24. But... it's for science! Yeah, that's it!!

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 18:53:01 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/hrfzjenj?preloadContent=metadata

10 minute lunchtime progress: Part 9 is on prime numbers. Following the SLOW BASIC version of this with an Assembly version. Next is printing in decimal and some speed work. Happy at this point though

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 15:06:19 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/yjXxa1dD?preloadContent=metadata

Since I'm not allowed to comment on YouTube today, here's the YMT/Elysium Bitcoin miner using the Ultimate64 in full turbo mode. Kinda cheating and feels dirty: 26 seconds. My stock Commodore 64 takes 24 minutes.

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 08:14:26 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/51gPVqQB?preloadContent=metadata

The Commodore 64 N.O.O.C.U.L.A.R futbal "project"... I can't say it's the craziest idea I've EVER had, but it sure is fun!

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 08:13:12 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/V7VP42Wf?preloadContent=metadata

Gather around the fire kids while Grandpa recounts tales of yesteryear. It was a time where brave men departed on grand adventures in their simulators...

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 08:12:02 +0000

In case you were wondering, SIMON'S BASIC modulus is 16 bit. Imma need to implement my own to do the next cipher which needs at least 2^24 to match my assembly version

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 08:12:46 +0000

Oh my, what have I started?

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 08:03:54 +0000

This cheat sheet gets a lot of use these days

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 08:02:55 +0000

15 years after we landed on the moon, a Commodore 64 running BASIC could find the prime numbers between 1 and 10000 in 16 minutes. Same algorithm in Python on a MacBook: 0.04 seconds. Rust: 0.002 seconds. What are you doing with this power? Nothing. Lame.

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 15:32:10 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/7eNALWdN?preloadContent=metadata

This satellite tracker is very cool. You have to hand enter the TLE data which isn't a big deal. It's in BASIC though so just oh so slow ;-) #commodore #c64 #hamradio

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 07:45:28 +0000

Gonna try to do a Commodore 64 to Commodore 64 Packet session THROUGH the ISS with @K0FFY_Radio. The only thing I was missing was a TNC, so I picked this one up that's a HAT for a Raspberry Pi. If it works, it'll be nice and portable.

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 16:25:56 +0000

Loving the collaboration between @DarrenFouldsand @8BitShowAndTell so much it’s my office theme today. Even running on a real floppy for the occasion.

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 16:23:53 +0000

Made a Python, Assembly and BASIC version of RC4 encryption on old computers. Other than questioning my existence on earth for a few days in the process, it went swimmingly!

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 16:21:32 +0000

Caution: Reading ahead https://imapenguin.com/making-and-breaking-ciphers-on-the-commodore-64-part-8-rc4/

https://videopress.com/v/vdZHUbPB?preloadContent=metadata

Oh. My. God. THIS mistake took me hours to see. HOURS. Okay, NOW I have a working RC4 in Python, Commodore BASIC, and Commodore Assembly. I need a drink.

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 09:12:01 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/89yWVQZq?preloadContent=metadata

RC4 in Assembly is still kicking my butt. This is close but wrong. The python and BASIC versions took and hour, I don't know how long I've been at this version this week, but I still don't have it. Sigh.

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 07:09:10 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/8ADtRfXN?preloadContent=metadata

Trying out a thing on Fridays I'm currently calling "The Nostalgia Files". In this first one I reveal my favorite book of all time.

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 12:10:00 +0000

Read it here.

RC4 in assembly... stuck on the nested loops with a double position swap. This one is making my brain hurt. I’m sure it will seem obvious once I get it but I’m putting it down for the evening.

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 19:11:00 +0000

Some new additions to our library

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 11:12:00 +0000

10 minute before work progress: Confirmed this is a working RC4 in BASIC with both a standard library and my python version. Assembly version is already about 60% complete. My first real stream cipher... super happy at the moment.

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 07:12:00 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/y1MMXz64?preloadContent=metadata

Am a little stuck with the next few ciphers so I’m turning to Bruce. This book weighs like 19 pounds. Light bedtime reading.

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 15:14:00 +0000

My controversial stance on modding retro hardware: I'm fine with modern drop in functional equivalents, but I don't want a replacement that implements extra features. I want the original experience extended past the life of some of the components

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 09:15:00 +0000

Way fewer people will read my long form posts than watch a video, but Reason number 27 why I put the bulk of my effort into long form posts on a platform I have full control over:

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 07:16:00 +0000

Exhibit #27

I truly love this movie despite its strange plot holes. This novelization actually does a good job of making sense of some parts of the plot the screen version misses

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 07:27:43 +0000

Package arrived from @FW4511 Is it weird that I really love the box? And I do need more Commodore Notebooks in my life

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 07:26:57 +0000

Visiting with a friend yesterday and he politely said, “This Commodore thing is close to obsession man.” “What do you mean?” I replied. He took my phone from my hand and turned it over. Okay, maybe just a little…

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 06:18:00 +0000

I kinda feel like I AM keeping up with the Commodore. #commodore #c64 #tigerbaron

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 19:25:00 +0000

I happen to have a RedBird TD2 AND a mobile Commodore 64 running Kennedy Approach which is an Air Traffic Control game. How cool would it be to make a game that interfaces with the RedBird? I have an idea for a data interface…

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 16:10:49 +0000

Working at the airport office today but I don’t want to slow down. Mobile 64 rig for the win. The next cipher to tackle is RC4. This one might take more brain cells than I actually possess.

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 16:07:13 +0000

Stuff to play with and then review from DIY Chris came today. Gal PLA, 4146 RAM tester, flash-able Kernal/BASIC/character rom chip and an adapter for these types of chips for my 866 programmer.

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 16:25:00 +0000

My 128 trouble maker is on the mend. I’m short two 4146s to test completely but mail should bring them soon. Socketed now and even recapped a lot of the Ceramics too. Lower checks out anyway :)

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 16:24:28 +0000

Turns out serial cable was attached to a Keyspan. Double win and it only took me a half hour to find. Now who’s gonna clean up this mess?

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 16:23:11 +0000

Desoldering 16 memory chips with 16 pins each is NOT something one should do when feeling impatient. I got them all without a single lifted pad. This 128 will live to fight another day.

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 16:20:00 +0000

The next two parts of the Cipher series are on Symmetrical Encryption and the algorithms take quite a long time to run at 1Mhz. Having a portable rig has been really nice.

Sat, 03 Apr 2021 21:16:26 +0000

After listening to an episode of @GUp80s with @DarrenFoulds and @8BitShowAndTell I've gotten back into one of my favorite games: Mastermind. So simple, but it's a good conference call thing. There's a great port of the IBM version to the 64.

Sat, 03 Apr 2021 18:01:52 +0000

My childhood best friend has never really been on social media and checks email every other week. I asked his wife the best way to chat with him. He overheard the conversation on the phone and sarcastically said “mail me a floppy”. I thought, well okay, 3.5 or 5.25? #thatwaseasy

Sat, 03 Apr 2021 08:12:25 +0000

10 Minute lunchtime progress: My 6502 experiment board is fully working. Love the way this turned out. #commodore

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 11:35:46 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/B6eREOs0?preloadContent=metadata

Well... this is new. Sigh

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 06:58:21 +0000

I haven’t done HAM radio stuff in a couple years now, but this combination may rekindle this interest. My call sign is N4LNX #commodore #c64 #hamradio

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 21:09:28 +0000

Off on a pre workout tangent this morning. Decided to dump the SID output for 16Mb to look for evidence of that 23 bit LFSR. I can't actually find repeats at all and this should be 24 bits. #commodore #c64

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 07:01:29 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/JrXartHy?autoPlay=true&loop=true&muted=true&persistVolume=false&playsinline=true&preloadContent=metadata

10 minute evening progress: This is moved over from the breadboard onto a compact (and neat) PCB. Last thing is the Arduino HAT daughterboard, but I'm thrilled with this at the moment. How it started, how it's going. It's got #commodore bones anyway ;-) 6502 is my favorite.

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 19:53:30 +0000

I’ve owned many many many laptops over the years. The one is my favorite.

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 18:28:50 +0000

10 minute lunchtime progress: Making headway in Cipher Series Part 6 where we talk about the magic of XOR in data integrity and then encryption. #commodore #c64 #retro #security

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 11:18:00 +0000

Strange flickering after I installed the JiffyDOS mod on my 128. Quite uncharacteristic of me, I did not inspect this switch carefully. Something seems off… :)

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 09:34:06 +0000

It just occurred to me that Choose Your Own Adventure is CYOA. Huh.

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 09:33:22 +0000

Almost finished with the 6502 board while listening to @GUp80s read choose your own adventure stories. Missing a latch switch. Where’s a Radio Shack when you need one?

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 22:12:55 +0000

The c0pperdragon mod has a default pallet that's just not my cuppa… luckily it's editable. How it started vs how it's going. MUCH better.

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 22:09:07 +0000

Recording a video response to the @8BitShowAndTell Easter egg(s) on the vinyl album video. I think I need a bigger desk. Let’s sell the house! #commodore #c64

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 19:02:16 +0000

And the answer is:

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 05:58:23 +0000

Okay, how long do you think this rig will run on an old 20 amp hour battery with the screen at full brightness? I want the 4 hour square. I gave it some work to do to keep it from sitting idle.

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 16:43:09 +0000

Cannibalizing an Easy Flash case for @adrianglz64 Snappy cart. The wifi module even fits. Time to get to work on this thing.

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 14:48:04 +0000

128 jiffy dos time. Maybe it’ll start playing nicer now. #commodore

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 14:47:12 +0000

Wyze watch came today. On the left: $20, on the right: $420. One of them will make it almost 24 hours on a charge. The other one will make it more than a week.

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 14:45:25 +0000

Still waffling on which machine to use in this. If I go with "TheC64" from @THEC64_RGL it's 5V like the monitor I'm using so an off the shelf phone battery makes this completely wireless. To use the Ultimate 64 I do have these voltage converters that would work.

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 14:44:42 +0000

Okay, I got both @8BitShowAndTell Easter eggs on the prodigal album. Finally. Yes, it’s what I did on a Friday evening (also my birthday). My wife helped. Took… a while and a whole legal pad page of notes to get. Well played Sir Robin. Video on it coming soon.

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 14:43:12 +0000

If you REALLY want to get into the weeds on how I figured out the @8BitShowAndTell Easter Egg(s) inside the Easter Egg on a 35 Year old album on a 35 year old computer then you're in luck, this video is for you!

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 20:18:00 +0000

https://youtu.be/aIcwLn-WK6w

Stillll working on this @8BitShowAndTell easter egg. I got one of the two...

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 08:10:51 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/bhixV50E?preloadContent=metadata

Still iterating on the portable C64 design. I’ve got a list of changes to make, but field testing today has been successful. #commodore #c64

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 10:32:39 +0000

Very cool delivery from @gregnacu, Commodore compatible controller with switchable fire button function and Chicken logo patches. Nice!

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 18:44:14 +0000

Well it arrived. Time to work on figuring out the easter egg @8BitShowAndTell put INSIDE the easter egg on this album. I don't have a direct input to a C64, so step one is getting this program on tape. Where IS my tape recorder anyway?

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 15:15:46 +0000

I’d be willing to bet that I’m the very first person to use a @rodemics Podcaster to extract a Commodore 64 program from a vinyl album and then record it to tape to be able to run it.

Huh, weekend todo list is done. That’s… strange. Stretch goal is to get my pack base weight under 13 pounds.

Sun, 21 Mar 2021 08:30:25 +0000

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. The problem child 128 is better every day

Sun, 21 Mar 2021 07:58:58 +0000

Considering ditching TheC64 for this and going with the Ultimate64. I have these two cases for it. Both will fit. A real C64 isn’t practical for power and fitting a cartridge in the back.

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 15:47:35 +0000

New to me 64C keyboard. Moving my Ultimate into a 64C case and want the keyboard to match.

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 15:46:38 +0000

What? 36 degrees F IIISSS above freezing. Time to power wash the boat

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 15:45:38 +0000

Working on the Snappy this morning for @adrianglz64 , why do I like this weird character thing while flashing it? Also, my capture device does an excellent job picking up the jail bars on this particular machine ;-)

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 07:34:12 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/cSJPg9HH?preloadContent=metadata

Fits in the case. Monitor and TheC64 are 5V. Both run off of a single split wall plug or a 10Ah battery. Need to design/3D print brackets(less foam please) and buy a right-angle HDMI connector. I can visit @gregnacu and his Ultimate portable in a cafe soon #commodore #c64

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 19:34:00 +0000

I've been trying to figure out what to do with my "TheC64". I have this pelican 1490 case and a 14" very thin monitor that will fit in the lid. I need some kind of mechanism to raise it up when it's open. Hmmm... #commodore #c64

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 10:15:43 +0000

For the first time in weeks I don't know what to make next. Blinking cursor is taunting me... #commodore #c64

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 06:18:00 +0000

Been avoiding this for some time.

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 08:43:02 +0000

Finally got this 128 sorted out. 4.95 volts on the board is WAAY better than the 4.61 when I started.

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 17:31:46 +0000

More C64 Badlines fun while on Zoom calls. Running @NoelsRetroLab benchmark with the screen on vs screen off (PAL). 2.4 seconds faster.

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 10:13:58 +0000

In High school (like 1991) my grandma bought me a bunch of electronics equipment from Radio Shack. I’ve upgraded almost everything over the years except my multimeter which finally went to multimeter heaven last week. Its replacement lacks the vintage charm though.Thanks grandma

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 08:53:03 +0000

10 minute lunchtime progress: Even if I set the CPU speed on the Ultimate to 48MHz it looks like the Part 5 cipher calculations will still take 190 hours to complete. Or... 380 days on a standard Commodore 64. I may have to rethink this one a little... #commodore #c64

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 16:43:51 +0000

The c0pperdragon ended up in the short board 64C. The installation was easy other than the momentary panic that I had bent a VIC pin(I didn’t).

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 16:42:00 +0000

I bought one of these but have two machines that can really benefit from it. Thus begins the internal dialog about which one. Shut up, I’m not talking to myself. #commodore #c64 #128

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 13:39:41 +0000

Only have time for so much. In addition to my code cracking work, I have time for one hardware project this week. These are my choices and I want to be all in on all of them. #commodore #fpga #6502

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 09:19:06 +0000

Figured I might as well have one of these too :)

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 08:56:00 +0000

Wow, added a 300 Ohm resistor to my S-Video Cable. What a difference! Also, like 2 cents.

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 08:55:00 +0000

Two years ago today we went out the SF to pick up the Baron. Seems like 10 minutes ago.

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 09:20:57 +0000

Super excited to be testing this Snappy cart for @adrianglz64 , definitely one of the more exciting projects I know about for the 64 at the moment

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 08:54:00 +0000

Okay, I need to get writing posts now because I'm two weeks ahead. Finished the code for Part 4: John Connors pin cracker from Terminator 2, only on an 8 Bit Computer. This one was SO fun and unlike the movie prop this actually sorta does some work. #commodore #c64

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 21:22:00 +0000

https://vimeo.com/520561939

10 minute breakfast progress part 3 of the cipher series: message "cracked". Now need to write the article. Only a week ahead of schedule at this point ;-)

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 07:27:30 +0000

Someone just pointed out that my ignite talk with the infamous VHS tape Shuttle Launch story was 11 years ago today. I decided to start SpaceUPDC that night. Where did the time go?

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 07:28:00 +0000

Late night playing airplanes last night

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 09:17:30 +0000

Replacement RF modulator for my 64C(PAL) is in. Smoke check time!

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 18:03:43 +0000

This evening’s project is an RF modulator replacement on this short board. It sure is tiny. #commodore #c64

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 17:46:23 +0000

Two months of eBay patience paid off. First edition.

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 14:42:09 +0000

I’ve been quietly working on an avionics product as a side hustle for quite some time. Today the hardware prototype build starts. #fpga

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 12:45:08 +0000

No, I’m not retro righting these two. In my mind, they earned this color. #commodore #c64 #tandy

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 12:00:40 +0000

This BASIC program by Raeto Collin West has been a HUGE help in understanding the SID controls. Allows you to toggle bits with the space bar in real time. Game sound effects are no longer black magic

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 11:54:22 +0000

This screen starts like this and gets better as it warms up. Time to hunt down some bad capacitors.

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 11:53:30 +0000

I'm VERY bullish on the Mega 65 in large part because they kept the C64 compatibility. It really could be my "one machine". With zero effort my standard dev environment just works (minus REU for now).

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 17:59:32 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/tZxXX8EJ?preloadContent=metadata

Going to take a short detour this evening to look deeper at the Mega 65. Rather than get to crazy with my keymap problem I just designated an old keyboard as the Mega emulator and put stickers in places that aren’t standard. Next is picking an assembler.

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 17:58:10 +0000

It took a lot of eBay patience to get a copy of this for a reasonable price. It’s been a wonderfully challenging read. Hat tip to @8BitShowAndTell for introducing me to it. #commodore #c64

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 12:25:47 +0000

Just ordered a couple RF Modulator replacements. One for my 128 and the other for this 64C.That's some impressive color bleed ;-) My breadbin got the @craig1black capacitor trick and it's working great. This 64C, not so much.

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 16:54:13 +0000

I'm thinking about replacing the RF Modulator on my short board (PAL). What is this crap on the board

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 16:53:25 +0000

Hmm, what next

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 08:27:12 +0000

I finished the SHA-256 project so much faster than I thought that I’m now sitting here wondering what to tackle next. It’s a strange problem to have.

Some things I’m excited about right now:

Learning FPGAs
Warmer weather so I can get back to building my Zenith
Helping people make better personal security decisions
My Ultimate 64 has been shipped (It’s on a slow boat from Europe)
Maybe getting into working on the Mega65? I dunno, I’m on the fence about that
Section hiking the Appalachian Trail again
Designing avionics?
Moving ALL of my important work off of proprietary formats. ALL. OF. IT. (I’m looking at you Evernote)

It's working which is incredible

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 07:43:09 +0000

My original goal was to have this working at all by March 31. When I started, it seemed daunting enough that I gave myself more than 6 weeks to get it done. It took 6 days.

At my lunchbreak I had it working as a script

https://videopress.com/v/YuQ8XXQs?preloadContent=metadata

And after work I refined it to take user input.

https://videopress.com/v/S9FeBUyz?preloadContent=metadata

My goal here was to learn it, not make a downloadable program for actual use. Something like CRC or MD5 works much better on a 6510 processor, this it much to slow to be useful.

10 minute before work progress: SHA256 project is creating results, but they are incorrect. Now for the bug hunt on 800 lines of Assembly in Turbo Macro Pro where you can only view 20 lines at a time ;-) Feels close. WAY closer than I thought I'd be in a week. #commodore #C64

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 08:42:09 +0000

I’m reasonably sure this is my original copy of this.

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 20:56:00 +0000

10 minute lunchtime progress: break from the SHA256 thing, the math is hurting my brain. Adding a "flour bomb" level to the game and I need some "exploding" bags of flour. Don't be intimidated by my artistic prowess. I have several minutes of art training. #commodore #c64

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 11:55:00 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/Ft98bEAJ?preloadContent=metadata

Urg, this has that bloated proprietary feel that my experience tells me that I will regret doing any serious work on. I don't do proprietary formats. Bleh. #FPGA

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 07:56:00 +0000

10 Minute pre workday progress on my SHA256 on 6502. I think I'm close to it rudimentarily working which is kinda nuts. 900 lines of code and 126 labels so far (yikes). #commodore #c64

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 05:52:00 +0000

The Mega 65 is the "new" project in 2021 I'm most excited about

Sat, 13 Feb 2021 08:08:23 +0000

But step 1 is apparently figuring out a usable keyboard in the emulator. This feels like working on XF86Config files in 1997, which was sorta fun back then I guess…

Finally getting around to soldering

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 22:56:49 +0000

This card duplicator saved my butt this morning. Something went wrong on my Ultimate II and it dumped huge files onto the card and corrupted my primary assembly files. I happened to have cloned the card last night. 20 hours of work saved. Phew. #commodore #c64

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 11:34:45 +0000

10 minute pre evening workout code progress: Well, now I'm down the rabbit hole. Steps 1-3 of SHA256 on a 40 year old computer down, about 300 steps to go. #commodore #c64

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 20:17:43 +0000

10 minute lunch break progress: Implementing SHA256 on a 6502 is going to be particularly challenging

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 13:07:00 +0000

Why do this? Because I’m an idiot, duh. Setting a goal to have this working by March 31. #commodore #c64

https://videopress.com/v/o2bEYckY?preloadContent=metadata

Going through Lance Leventhal's 6502 Book and combining some lessons

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 11:07:10 +0000

10 minute morning break “learn something” today: Going through Lance Leventhal’s 6502 Book and combining some lessons. String length and checksum today. I have this idea that I want to try and do SHA256 but I’m not even close to ready for that. #commodore #c64

https://videopress.com/v/kHOVOxVa?preloadContent=metadata

The article where I use a commodore 64 to do "slides" instead of 3 minutes with power point

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 07:52:29 +0000

This was one of those articles that took me down quite a few rabbit holes.

Simple, ‘unbreakable’ encryption with a pencil

The more complex the machine, the more things that can break. Left engine alternator today.

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 19:16:29 +0000

Tonight’s project will be moving the mess on the left to the neat and tidy on the right.

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 13:45:44 +0000

Seems silly to use a slide deck to convey ideas when a BASIC program will work perfectly fine.

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 20:31:09 +0000

The easy way is boring. #commodore

https://videopress.com/v/QcuYcn4y?autoPlay=true&loop=true&muted=true&persistVolume=false&preloadContent=metadata

Still working on this one. MUCH harder than I thought. This iteration is with REU, creating 512k random numbers (0-255), counting the occurrences and outputting as decimal counts. Takes 31 seconds on PAL, 38 on NTSC. hmm, I really should blank the screen during #c64 #commodore

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 07:59:00 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/i252P1aG?preloadContent=metadata

Pictures don’t really do justice to how wicked cool the white vinyl of this collection is. Perfectly complements the silver album cover.

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:12:56 +0000

Was chatting with someone about C64 startup states, so during a long con call this morning I played with dumping memory contents as decimal location, hex location, dec value, hex value. Too slow to be usable but was fun to do

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:51:00 +0000

https://videopress.com/v/LpmZtKym?preloadContent=metadata

Non helpful error messages. This is from last night, clearly the backlight is working or I wouldn’t have been able to see this…

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 07:50:53 +0000

Just opened a box in storage looking for something and found this little gem. Came out of my Dad’s 79 Suburban. Still works ;)

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 11:07:12 +0000

I'm trying to decide if I should fully embrace the chunky PESCII graphics or if I should spend time on a bitmap title screen. I think it's safe to say that I wont be taking anyone's graphics jobs away from them anytime soon. #commodore #c64

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 15:48:56 +0000

The graphics are still rudimentary and the landscape scroll isn’t quite as smooth as I want, but definitely making progress. Programming on vintage hardware(not cross assembled) is harder but more satisfying somehow. #commodore #c64

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 14:28:24 +0000

Figured out split screen scrolling on my own. After 90 days I’m ready to say that I’m graduating to intermediate level 6510/02 assembly programmer. It’s got the slightest glitch which I suspect will be worse on my PAL machine. Turbo Macro Pro lunchtime fun :) #commodore

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 16:42:14 +0000

Version 3 of my One Time Pad program on the Commodore is in progress. Used a tip from @8BitShowAndTell he helped me with for another project in this one and it's working. The rest of v2 to v3 should be easy (famous last words) #commodore #c64

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 09:58:34 +0000

Super happy with this working now. I was REALY stuck last night.

https://videopress.com/v/dagLz7jd?preloadContent=metadata

I don’t do resolutions, but I do focus on a theme sometimes. If chapter 46 of my life had a theme, this would be it.

Sun, 10 Jan 2021 18:29:44 +0000

I like working on the tail because it’s at eye level. #myzenith750

Sun, 10 Jan 2021 14:48:26 +0000

I haven’t been this pleased with a new keyboard since I got my Happy Hacker in 1999. Cherry Mx Brown switches for the win.

Sat, 09 Jan 2021 11:13:02 +0000

Welp, it's supposed to snow the next 15 hours, somewhere in the 5 inches range. I think I'll watch TV. HAHAHAHA, right. My 6502 Breadboard computer needs to be moved to some PCBs. Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to solder we go…

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 17:08:00 +0000

My “The64 mini” will be going into my airplane panel soon (I can’t bring myself to cannibalize one of my real machines) but for now it’s become the calculator on my desk. This 7 inch screen is also going into the plane. #commodore #c64

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 15:26:31 +0000

So far your score resets to zero if you don't stay VFR and the fire button changes the plane color. I made a list of gameplay I'm going to add a little at a time. It even sorta looks like a Zenith which wasn't easy with a 24x21 pixel sprite limitation.

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 09:58:08 +0000

Phone apps are cool I guess, but I’ve always been a hardware device person. These make regular rotations on my desk. Hat tip to my son for the mechanical stopwatch.

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 08:38:27 +0000

Persistence paying off

Sun, 03 Jan 2021 17:06:42 +0000

Combining several 80s programming books and magazines with 5 or 6 of @8BitShowAndTell ’s video walkthroughs to really accelerate my Assembly skills. Zero to being able to prototype in 3 months. Backgrounds, BCD scores, sprites, joystick and keyboard inputs all at once now. #c64

https://videopress.com/v/5E6Lv1A4?preloadContent=metadata

My sprites sorta look like my Zenith, not bad for the first crack at it. #commodore #c64 #myzenith750

Sun, 03 Jan 2021 10:40:55 +0000

Might as well put a Commodore in the airplane… screen design concept #1…

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 14:30:06 +0000

The new video series has been in production while on my "break" (I've never been good at breaks anyway). I've forgotten how long post-production takes even with great tools. Anyway, very pleased so far.

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 16:11:09 +0000

My Color Maximite 2 and Raspberry Pi 400 are sharing this 8 inch screen now. Perfect setup for both machines and doesn’t take up a ton of room.

Sun, 27 Dec 2020 15:54:20 +0000

How do you feel about snow Elli? I ate some.

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 14:33:54 +0000

Feel a little like Ralphie this morning. Merry Christmas

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 08:22:35 +0000

I haven’t been able to get over the USB-C only ports on my MacBook. Seems like a good idea on the drawing board, but practically it’s a mess. God forbid you want to use your laptop in your lap AND plug in an SD card at the same time. #willibreakittoday

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 09:27:17 +0000

For #doscember my favorite DOS software is STSPlus by the late Dave Ransom. This was a fixture on my computer screen for many years. Still works ;)

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 10:29:46 +0000

9am on the first weekday of Christmas vacation and finished my One Time Pad program on the Commodore 64. This is the first Assembly program I’ve ever competed to a 1.0 version. #Commodore64 #c64 #commodore

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 10:10:40 +0000

This centerpiece protected by trains.

Sun, 20 Dec 2020 11:44:21 +0000

My vacation time doesn't roll over to the next year, so starting in about an hour, I'm off until Jan 4th. Time to void some warranties!

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 16:24:34 +0000

After all there’s only 10 more sleeps ‘til Christmas.

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 08:14:14 +0000

The view

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 08:12:43 +0000

The view out my side window was much better than out the front tonight. When I’m by myself at night I’m grateful for fancy Bose headsets so I can listen to some music (very very low volume). I’ve got some instruments only playlists that work well for me without being distracting.

That’s a bug splatter at 15,000 feet. What kind of bug flies that high? Hopefully it wasn’t Tinkerbell.

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 15:35:08 +0000

In case you were wondering, RedHat 5.2 from 1998 will not boot on a @system76 Laptop from 2016 without some kernel trickery. I’m not giving up though.

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 18:17:16 +0000

Working on my project to recreate my first Linux install close to how I remember it. Would you consider it cheating if I replaced the marginally flakey 30 year old hard drive with an IDE to SD card adapter?

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 14:19:37 +0000

Looking like winter is coming.

Sat, 12 Dec 2020 11:21:50 +0000

I was telling someone that I never use my Commodore 128 in 128 mode, so playing @8BitShowAndTell’s“10 print racer” game on it checks that box AND I get to use the number pad just like on the PET he demoed it on. #Commodore

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 17:53:36 +0000

Recording time! Forgot how much work (and how fun) this is.

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 11:15:25 +0000

Not surprisingly this was WAAAYY easier in BASIC. Although it runs at about 1/100th the speed

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 20:49:06 +0000

I played around with programming Commodores as a kid, but only got so far. This is my first “real” software on the Commodore. Implemented generating one time encryption pads using a random(ish) generator. Never stop learning. #commodore #c64

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 08:36:08 +0000

I love Turbo Macro Pro, but sometimes I want to keep things in version control. Turns out exporting to ASCII files is only two steps. (this is @8BitShowAndTell code with my annotations while I was following his video) #commodore #c64

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 11:29:59 +0000

Urg, my “office” needs a cord organization and clutter intervention.

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 14:36:18 +0000

I guess we used to fly without @ForeFlight, I can’t live without it in the #tigerbaron

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 19:47:00 +0000

If you’re a pilot in winter this is what it looks like out your office window. #tigerbaron

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 11:01:26 +0000

Oh, one more December project… Getting RedHat 5.2 (1998) on a 486 Monochrome laptop with 4MB of RAM.

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 10:49:23 +0000

Brain, what’s the thing we’re gonna learn in December? FPGAs Pinky. FPGAs.

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 09:34:59 +0000

From the “always be learning department, December’s new tech to learn is FPGAs!

I’ll be continuing my quests to become intermediate with Commodore Assembly and writing some simple tools in Rust.

Oh, and that Maximite there needs some attention. How do people have time for TV?

I don’t have a portable Commodore and felt like coding in a different room so my MacBook is just gonna have to do for this evening. Do you suppose when they designed the Retina display they considered some yahoo using it for a 40 column display?

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 22:42:32 +0000

On the prowl for Nat’s Christmas Album on Vinyl. I have several of his other albums but missing that one.

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 08:29:49 +0000

Took a little modern electronics wizardry to get it working on an LCD but this is a surprisingly usable writing machine. Plus it has no internet which is its best feature. #commodore 128

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 08:02:44 +0000

Trying to decide which to have in my office setup next. Note that the RedHat 5.2 is from the first time they used that version number. So 1998. I’m leaning Amiga...

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:57:01 +0000

We're being invaded

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 19:31:00 +0000

Several of my friends brought up T-38s as their favorite 60s era jets to look for on eBay. Sometimes I wonder if Alexa is listening to us because over the weekend I counted at least 9 T-38s at the airport. And no, this is not a common occurrence to see them at all here.

What's your favorite fiction book?

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 11:12:13 +0000

Every year, for … well, I can’t even remember, let’s call it more than a decade, I’ve read “Cryptonomicon”. There’s something about late November and December that makes me come back to it.

I first picked it up in 1999 and tore through it. It’s long, and… what’s the word? Not tedious. Pedantic maybe? Stephenson has a way of taking what should be a 2 sentence description and turning it into 5 pages. While I’d get angry at most authors for doing this, somehow, it really works in this book. Pedantic? Maybe. Brilliant? Definitely.

Got some new office art. One of the best terrible movies ever.

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 09:43:01 +0000

Delivery for today was a CGA to VGA converter. A Commodore 128 in 80 column mode was my dream setup in 1986. Only took 34 years to put it all together and get myself one.

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 16:14:13 +0000

The day ended pretty okay. #tigerbaron

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:58:39 +0000

You can tell you landed somewhere up North when the pilot lounge has a fireplace in it. #tigerbaron

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 16:00:36 +0000

My quest for Super Snapshot on Commodore continues. Flashed it to an Easy Flash and it starts on both the 64 and 128 but is slow and crashes both systems.

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 15:41:28 +0000

Just a little light Saturday afternoon reading.

Sat, 14 Nov 2020 14:24:42 +0000

At some point over the last few years a quick 400 mile trip has become routine. 72 knot headwind this morning though so if you’re flying I suggest the opposite direction from the one I picked.

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 14:14:45 +0000

No such thing as too much Linux

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 16:16:58 +0000

Jeopardy for DOS: Godspeed Alex

Sun, 08 Nov 2020 17:51:04 +0000

I worked the night shift in the Navy on and off for quite a long time. We spent many many hours trying to pass the time waiting for airplanes to come back before we could go home. We played the Jeopardy for DOS game so many times that we had ALL of the questions in the database memorized.

Thanks for helping us through some long nights Alex. I fell in love with Trivia because of you.

Not often I fly this plane so close to the ground #tigerbaron

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 15:39:35 +0000

Are they multiplying? A friend heard about my adventures in learning 6502 Assembly and donated his 128 to my cause. In 1987 this is was my dream machine. Looks good next to my C64. #alwayslearning

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 17:59:03 +0000

My color Maximite 2 came today. It’s insanely fast.

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 16:56:12 +0000

This is a modernish processor running basic. Yes BASIC. I’m blown away by how fast it is. I can’t wait to dive into some projects with this.

Let’s draw random circles, randomly sized, with random colors.

If you’re not familiar, a Commodore 64 could draw EACH ONE of these circles in BASIC in about 10 seconds.

Flashing screen warning if you’re sensitive to such things.

https://videopress.com/v/5Wfogyxe?preloadContent=metadata

Commodore 64 on a flat LCD will never stop feeling slightly wrong

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 16:42:35 +0000

I’ve never used SUSE in all of my years of being a Linux guy. Time to give it a whirl

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 17:23:50 +0000

Hello Pennsylvania. I don’t know how well it comes across on video, but you could have easily been fooled into thinking this cloud layer was the frozen ground in the Arctic. TV and Internet would have you believe the sky was falling. Well I was there. It’s not.

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 17:11:12 +0000

Some people doodle. Some people play solitaire. I wire stuff together.

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 08:11:49 +0000

Test fit of the tail. This whole section will probably be permanent by tomorrow. One step at a time.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 09:48:28 +0000

Once again, popsicle sticks to help with laser alignment to the rescue. Thank you kindergarten teachers for the popsicle stick skills.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 08:12:23 +0000

My co pilot is prettier than yours.

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 14:05:08 +0000

Probably shouldn’t eyeball the tail alignment huh? Let’s use a “laser”!

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 09:42:54 +0000

Even better than DOS WordPerfect on a MacBook is Word Writer 5 on my real Commodore 64.

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 16:01:48 +0000

It doesn’t even have memory to render the Facebook logo. So peaceful.

WordPerfect for DOS on a MacBook Pro. So wrong but so so right.

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 07:38:15 +0000

Role models

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 13:10:50 +0000

I vividly remember my Grandma helping me fish several radios out of a dumpster and then covering her coffee table with newspaper so I could take them apart to see how they worked. I’m guessing I was about eight. Be her.

Caleb is back to working full time at the Biltmore winery to help put himself through school. He brings home a bottle of whatever they are making every day as an employee perk. Any guesses what they’re making this week?

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 18:45:11 +0000

I have to apologize for violating my personal policy of only using social media to share cool things I’m doing with friends and family. So here’s the current state of one of my many projects.

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 08:32:40 +0000

I have to apologize for violating my personal policy of only using social media to share cool things I’m doing with friends and family. So here’s the current state of one of my many projects. I naïvely thought I’d finish it in a year, and I just rolled into year four. But it’s closer to being finished today than it was yesterday and that’s something. #myzenith750

I promise I enjoy this. A lot. My face is a liar.

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 18:32:30 +0000

With a little bit of work, Commodores can be displayed on HDMI screens

Sun, 27 Sep 2020 08:54:27 +0000

Well there’s your problem.

Sat, 26 Sep 2020 18:52:43 +0000

Old waste gate on top, new one on the bottom. Works way more better now.

I'll never complain about 40 columns again

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 11:54:50 +0000

I’ve been eyeing an Altair remake. I don’t know why, I just love being close to the metal on machines. I’m a little too young to remember the Altair and I don’t recall ever seeing one in person.

I do however understand how it works and am fascinated by what it must have felt like to run programs you came up with and saved on paper tape on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8InWiihlIQw

My Uncle ran his business on a Commodore VIC-20 for many years and I still have the Commodore 64 that I used until I graduated High School in 1993. I don’t recall when it went from being my Dad’s computer to mine, but I don’t think he minded me stealing it terribly much.

A person was detected

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 08:18:37 +0000

Notification says “a person” was detected on your driveway camera. You say person, I say hummingbird. Let’s agree to disagree peacefully shall we?

Both of my 80s vintage computers are in good working order. Here is the other one.

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 07:04:57 +0000

We just pretended to fly today #tigerbaron

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 14:19:27 +0000

Bad turbo on the left engine, rejected the takeoff and went home.

Choosing wisely at 4am

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 09:13:10 +0000

Last night I awoke at around 4am, a simple bathroom urge needed to be attended to.

Upon returning to bed, I found I couldn’t fall back asleep. So I picked up my phone to get a hit of dopamine from whatever completely meaningless thing is on the internet at any given moment. A half an hour later, the person least surprised by the fact that this had not helped me fall asleep was me.

Things you cannot buy

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 16:30:04 +0000

Back to building. Loving the 59 degree morning. #myzenith750

Sat, 05 Sep 2020 06:39:14 +0000

Mountains to sea trail day

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 17:50:08 +0000

Appalachian Trail day

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 17:46:00 +0000

Biltmore bikes

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 21:11:20 +0000

Broke out the bikes on Sunday. Now my butt hurts. #weirdproblems

Added a kettle bell and a backpack to my daily walk now

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 13:55:52 +0000

In 700 hours of flying I’ve been vectored over my house one time. Thanks a lot clouds.

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 21:29:28 +0000

(And yes the wavy picture is because phone camera shutters have trouble when propellers are in the frame)

Dodging thunderstorms. Again :-)

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 07:40:25 +0000

When you’re flying pretty much anywhere on the east coast from June to August the radio chatter is filled with “Request 10 degrees to the right for weather”. Yesterday I heard an American pilot say “Yeah, we’re not going through THAT.” Ha.

X Carve is back online and making airplane stuff

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 08:33:28 +0000

Yeah we live here. Perfect morning for a long walk alone.

Sun, 14 Jun 2020 09:56:14 +0000

These flexible grip mats are my new favorite thing. #myzenith750

Sat, 13 Jun 2020 09:04:53 +0000

Finally have a more permanent place for the X-Carve CNC. Time to make custom airplane parts :-)

Sun, 07 Jun 2020 08:23:11 +0000

The same thing we do every morning Pinky #myzenith750

Sat, 06 Jun 2020 07:45:31 +0000

Flying, again

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 08:15:15 +0000

Social distancing but this lady keeps sitting in the seat next to me.

Very different Fridays

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 08:22:33 +0000

Funny how two Fridays in a row can be so different. A week ago I flew past The Grove Park Inn in a B-17 and this Friday Julie and I celebrated our 19th anniversary there

Checking things off of bucket lists

Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:40:59 +0000

I am BONE tired. Spent the last 5 days (aka 2 months) helping hundreds of people check things off of their bucket lists. There are stories to be written down, but for now how about a beer and lots of pictures? [gallery ids=“924,923,922,921,920,919,918,917,916,915,914,913,912,911,910,909,908,907,906,905,904,903,902,901,900,899,898,897”]

First "REAL" 3D Maps with my 3DRobotics Solo

Thu, 10 Mar 2016 19:23:51 +0000

Switching gears lately in my other life to work with Blueridge Forestry on a mapping workflow for them. Making this map of a local closed landfill turned model airplane field really was a snap.

A hard left turn for me

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 14:13:52 +0000

I think a lot about direction lately. My trip to Daytona to meet with other EAA leaders has really solidified what I’m looking for.

This sums it up perfectly in so many ways:

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_AztwklyIc&w=854&h=480]

Hey, once upon a younger year
When all our shadows disappeared
The animals inside came out to play
Hey, when face to face with all our fears
Learned our lessons through the tears
Made memories we knew would never fade

What does a UAS pilot do to prepare for a huge snow storm?

Thu, 21 Jan 2016 20:57:39 +0000

He files for a 9 mile radius NOTAM for the whole weekend over a really beautiful part of the country. That’s what.

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“800.0”] * the actual flying will be a small subset of this airspace but since they make you do a center point with a radius it has to be filed like this[/caption]

It's just an old beat up truck

Wed, 28 May 2014 17:20:42 +0000

Its just an old beat up truck
Some say that I should trade up
Now that I got some jangle in my pocket
But what they don’t understand
Is it’s the miles that make a man
I wouldn’t trade that thing in for a rocket

-Dierks Bentley “I Hold On”

Ray Bradburry on Critics

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:01:26 +0000

I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.

Archived Comments

Madison Doornbos (2013-03-09 08:33:52):

Madison Doornbos liked this on Facebook.

Wesley Faler (2013-03-08 15:52:58):

Wesley Faler liked this on Facebook.

Julie Doornbos (2013-03-08 16:47:56):

Julie Doornbos liked this on Facebook.

Oats

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:20:31 +0000

Whoever came up with the idea of selling oatmeal at fast food places as a genius. And yes, Starbucks is fast food. What’s the food cost for a 1/2 cup of oats and some flavoring? Like 4 cents. I’ll bet the cup they serve it in costs as much as the food.

I don’t understand why you’d pay $3 for this on your way to work. You know you can grab a packet of instant oatmeal out of your pantry and bring it to work right? Microwave it in your coffee cup. It’s probably about 15 cents that way.

Odd Hours

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 09:21:06 +0000

odd hours, a photo by dizee on Flickr.

Those are some interesting hours…

We're getting our 3D printer today... I wonder what we're going to print first...

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:56:42 +0000

We have priorities you know.

A comment on Sprint Customer Service

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 09:25:13 +0000

I hear nightmare stories from people all the time on AT+T’s customer service… Yesterday afternoon Julie and I noticed a sudden loss of cell service at home. We have identical phones (other than color) and we’re both on Sprint. We’ve been happy Sprint customers for about 6 years now, and issues are rare.

I’ve worked on cell towers over the years and am an expert in radio communications, so I’m pretty patient with this stuff. We forget sometimes that we’re talking on two way radios when we use these things. Radio signals are subject to all kinds of potential interference, and the cell carriers have thousands and thousands of towers to manage. Many of them are in very remote locations, and since we live in the mountains, it’s especially remote here. The cellular system is complicated, and sometimes I’m amazed that the whole thing works at all.

I used to do a little

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 14:26:55 +0000

Just had my first cup of coffee after cutting caffine out completely for several days. You know that G&R line from Mr Brownstone

I used to do a little but a little wouldn’t do it, so a little got more and more

Yeah, that was me.

Now 1 cup has me looking like the road runner.

About a year ago at the NewSpace conference Chris Radcliff told me that he doesn’t use energy drinks because it’s using energy you don’t even have yet.

My 30 second Prometheus review

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 22:41:16 +0000

Just walked out of the theater… It was a movie that never really figured out what it was. You can’t replace characters we connect with, a solid main storyline, and story pacing with special effects. Felt like something Damon Lindelof would write. Oh wait, he did write this.

Ridley Scott should have gotten JJ Abrams instead.

The company tonight is pretty good

Wed, 30 May 2012 19:22:58 +0000

Sitting at a tapas bar next to Red Whittaker and across from Rob Kelso. Woot!

Google. Shell. EVADot.

Tue, 29 May 2012 08:11:18 +0000

from Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/LNbzZvnXbx/

Monsters season their meat with salt made from human tears

Sat, 26 May 2012 16:16:16 +0000

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/io9/excerpts/~3/HGjbM47rsMI/monsters-season-their-meat-with-salt-made-from-human-tears

No ITAR for Firefly

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:57:30 +0000

Heard back from the State Department this week. Our Firefly board is NOT subject to ITAR. Woot! Buy one or seven please! http://bit.ly/JicCJe

Come and see us at SXSW - we were picked as a panel!

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:45:15 +0000

Today SXSW announced the panels chosen to be a part of the 2012 conference. Ours was officially chosen!

Come and see us present “How to win friends and influence space exploration”.

Woo hoo!

Archived Comments

Tim Bailey (2011-11-03 19:40:00):

I’ll be there!!

The blinking cursor

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:45:25 +0000

Nothing triggers writers block for me like a blank word processor screen and a blinking cursor.

Nothing cures it quite like a notepad and a walk.

Suffered a minor casualty at NewSpace 2011 last week :-(

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:13:34 +0000

Just 2 feet from the floor, my poor phone wasn’t strong enough to withstand the impact. Our dog Brandy spent some time reflecting on the short life of this phone (plus she’ll pose for a picture when there’s a treat in her future)

THE Recipe: Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:42:45 +0000

Hello Everybodies! This is Julie, Michael’s wife. I’ve hacked* his site because I need to tell y’all something. Something very important.

Something important about cookies. These cookies, actually.

They’re very important. Exceedingly important.

They contain elements from the three major food groups: liquor, chocolate and bacon.

You see what I mean? Don’t be a Scrooge. Make the cookies.

The fate of Tiny Tim rests in your hands.

The things you’ll be needin’:

We're moving because of the people we become when we're where we're going

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:27:50 +0000

We’re moving. We just got back from a holiday weekend at my parents house. Long time residents of the Chicago area, two years ago they built their dream home in North Carolina, picked up their lives and moved to the mountains. They spent quite a bit of time during the process and some time after the move wondering if this was the right decision. It was a bold move that many of us don’t ever have the courage to take.

Colorado Springs

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:43:21 +0000

In 5 days I took 4 pictures. What is wrong with me!?

those kids don't need no stinking school

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:32:38 +0000