I write about the past, present, and future of technology across three sites. imapenguin.com explores retro computing and programming fundamentals, milkcrunch.com covers modern software development and engineering culture, and evadot.com examines commercial spaceflight and the new space movement.
Posts
- This is the correct layout of cursor keys. All other layouts are inferior.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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).
- 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!
- 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.
- If I am remembering correctly, I graduated boot camp in San Diego 30 years ago today.
- 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.
- 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?
- Found this receipt in this book being used as a bookmark. Decided to keep using it as a bookmark. Happy Friday!
- A rare occasion where I prefer the look of the beige model.
- Rail Fence Cipher on Commodore 64 and TI 99/4A · imapenguin
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- What a super interesting book.
- 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?
- Keys are all unstuck. That. Was. Tedious.
- 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.