peter

peter, 10 months ago to retrocomputing

One of the machine's I've been after for ever was the Apple IIc, probably after seeing it in use on a beach in the film 2010 the year we make contact by Arthur C Clarke.

Well, I managed to get one really cheap. It arrived today & it's in excellent condition.

It's an NTSC machine but with a modern PSU so it works in the UK. Also means the composite output is colour (PAL is mono).

Now I need to learn how to use it #retroComputing #retroApple #apple2c

peter, 11 months ago to retrocomputing

A BBC Microcomputer model B in its original box.

The box is a bit tatty (good side in pic) & it needs a clean (original owner was possibly a smoker?), But otherwise it looks in decent condition.

The original Securicor delivery sticker is still there, was delivered in the afternoon of the 9th February 1987

#retroComputing #bbcMicro

BBC Microcomputer model B with manual

peter, 8 months ago to random

HTTP2 rapid reset ddos attack

This one sounds nasty in how it abuses the http2 protocol to overwhelm a server.

https://blog.cloudflare.com/technical-breakdown-http2-rapid-reset-ddos-attack/

#rapidReset #ddos #http2

peter, 10 months ago to retrocomputing

A stack of blank IBM punch cards.

Got these to go in a display of old media I want on a wall, along side a mainframe tape, 8", 5.35" & 3.5" disks & cassette which I already have.

Should try for a 3" disk to complete the set.

#retroComputing #retroMedia #mainframe

peter, 9 months ago (edited 9 months ago) to retrocomputing

I never thought I'd see myself buying disk boxes for 2.5" ssd's but now I've started using them like floppies 💾 it's sort of like I've gone full circle.

#modernComputing Vs #retroComputing

peter, 9 months ago to security

Another data breach, this time it's Freecycle

https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/05/freecycle_becomes_the_latest_data/

The charity became aware on August 30 that user data had been "exposed" and issued urgent advice to all members that passwords would need to be changed. It also warned users to beware of an uptick in spam emails due to the details extracted.

#dataBreach #security

peter, 9 months ago to random

Sir Michael Parkinson: Chat show host dies aged 88 #rip

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66411604

peter, 9 months ago to retrocomputing

Ah, Dave's Garage covering his Altair 8800 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EBLDzGMYyc

At 12:30 in and he covers the bootup sequence with the switches on the front to get it into Basic

Then he does a Prime test on it, comparing it against a 3970x threadripper just for fun...

#retroComputing

peter, 9 months ago to random

Was in a conf call just now, so to be different I streamed a live stream from Kenya into the background.

Right at the end was this Elephant who conveniently was looking at the camera over my shoulder just as if they were part of the call

An African Elephant joining in with me in a conference call...

peter, 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago) to random

Time for a fun poll...

What type of Printer do you use?

#poll #printer

peter, 9 months ago to RaspberryPi

Earlier I was tidying up part of my home office where there was some crap that built up.

Found a box with a BBC model B inside.

Thought wtf is this doing here as I store them elsewhere.

Went to put it back to where it should have been & wtf, they were all there.

Seems I found a BBC micro I didn't know I had.

So I now have 4 BBC model B's - thought I only had 3.

I've done this with #raspberryPi before but never with a #retroComputing machine

peter, 1 year ago to random

If you have a NABU computer from 1984, there's now an interface to allow you to use a USB keyboard with it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93LBVhSx8cs

#nabu #retroComputing

peter, 8 months ago to random

Unusual eBay item... this time a CRT

Sampo 9519 Tri-Screen 19” Color TV from 1981.

Odd thing here is that it has two additional 5" screens on the side

via ebay https://www.ebay.com/itm/285131222925

#crt

peter, 9 months ago to 8bit

The Advanced Disk User Guide for the #bbcMicro

Another decent book from Oxfam #retroComputing

peter, 11 months ago to Astronomy

With today's APOD (Astronomy Picture Of the Day) being about The Ñandú in the Milky Way, here's a short video covering it from an Aboriginal perspective.

Through Our Eyes - Dhinawan 'Emu' In The Sky with Ben Flick

https://area51.media/w/5ZZG5kVcRuGReq7p9sdm7w

#astronomy #apod

NB: Video is Creative Commons Attribution licence (reuse allowed)

The BBC had a longer version of this a few years back

peter, 10 months ago to RaspberryPi

Last October I preordered the ClockworkPI uConsole...

Well I just had the notification from FedEx, it should arrive on Tuesday 😂

So hopefully I'll finally have a portable 4G capable #raspberryPi - it'll only been 9 months since I ordered it to getting it

#linux #clockworkPi #uConsole

peter, 11 months ago to android

Android users in the UK are unknowingly calling 999 from their phones causing hundreds of silent calls to the Emergency Services.

This is the option in Android 12 where pressing the power button 5 times will make a 999 call.

You can turn this off in settings.

I didn't know of this "feature" but found my phone did have it enabled.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-65962942

#android #emergencyServices

peter, 10 months ago to 8bit

This is something I've not seen before, not even heard a rumor of it being done.

A replacement power supply for the BBC Micro - using USB-C !

Not affiliated with them but never seen this before https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364356212896

#bbcMicro #PowerSupply

peter, 11 months ago to random

Just found out a friend died last night.

Don't know how old he was but he was in his 70's I think. Known him for years

He wasn't unfit either, would see him walking to the shop's regularly & that's a 2-3 mile walk, multiple times a week.

Don't know the details yet other than they found him on the floor.

Sad thing is they've not been able to contact family yet, hence why I'm not naming him.

Doubt they'll see it here but last place to find this out is on social media

peter, 10 months ago to random

Saw this on a mailing list & just checked but it seems that Twitter has done another API cull around 9pm UK time last night.

This time it seems that weather stations cannot now post to Twitter.

Some that I know that were still over there all stopped at 9pm last night.

peter, 1 year ago to random

Happy 5¼" floppy disk day!

A few disks in my collection.

On the left for #MSDos a printer driver disk along with Home Office Workstation for IBM PC, Tandy & compatibles

Center is the demo disk for the #commodore 1541 drive and Novaterm 9.5 (it & modem arrived the other day).

On the right is Acornsoft's Elite for the #BBCMicroComputer and a DFS disk with a couple of #BBCBasic programs on it.

peter, 10 months ago to retrocomputing

A tip if you want some #retroComputing books... Oxfam.

I give them a visit every so often and in the middle of their book section you can sometimes find some interesting retro books in there.

Saw some for the #bbcMicro #c64 #amstradCPC and a few others just now.

https://onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk/reference-computing-internet/category/reference-computing-internet

Their search engine isn't that great but browsing you'll find some interesting stuff.

For example I just picked up Assembly Language for the PDP-11 so should get that some time next week.

peter, 1 year ago to random

The Commodore 1670 modem for the #c64 with 3 5.25" floppies with Novaterm 9.5

#retroComputing #commodore #commodore64 #modem #modems

peter, 1 year ago to random

The Xerox PARC file system archive is now available at the #computerHisstoryMuseum

It contains a large archive of material from 1970 to the late 1980's including innovations like #ethernet

The background of this is available here https://computerhistory.org/blog/a-backup-of-historical-proportions/

Direct link (requires registration)
https://info.computerhistory.org/xerox-parc-archive

#xerox #parc #archive #retroComputing #computingHistory

peter, 10 months ago to voyager

This is good news...

A signal from Voyager 2 has been detected by NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) over a week after communications with the distant probe were lost, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on Tuesday.

https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/02/voyager_2_signal_detected/

#voyager #voyager2