A famous Apple collector from down under, send us this funny piece…
In addition to making progress on my Working Smarter for Mac Users eBook and online course last week, I managed to write both a column and an editorial for Mac Observer, something I rarely have the time or inclination for. The column is: A Usable Stand-Up Desk for $25? Yes! And, in fact, I thought the $25 stand-up desk—called Oristand—was so cool I made a video of assembling one in under 30 seconds. The editorial is: Microsoft OneDrive Drives Me Nuts, and it includes a hilarious (and totally appropriate) Microsoft…
Retroconnector, the maker of modern connectors and 3D printed cases inspired in Apple II and retro computers, now offers Retro inspired jewelry, desktop gadgets, cases & docks. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RetroConnector?section_id=18668490
Ultimate Micro unveils the new A2DiskController! It’s a clone of the Apple 3.5″ Drive Controller card which allows 800k and HD 1.44MB 3.5″ Floppy Drives to be connected to your IIe and IIgs systems. It a great option to allow users to connect 3.5″ Floppy to their IIe, and the only one currently available. Here’s the link to their store product.
This month on Open Apple, we sit down with legendary Apple II programmer, Bill Budge. In addition to being an icon of Apple II gaming and graphics, he is the number-one-requested guest by listeners of the show. Mike and Quinn are very excited he was able to make some time to talk to them, and hope you agree it was worth the effort. Bill is, of course, the author of such seminal classics as Raster Blaster, Pinball Construction Set, and…
Ultimate Micro just announced two new products soon to be available: The IIgs ROM0 to ROM1 Adapter v2.0 is a redux of the v1 adapter where I used to Machine Pin Sockets stacked together to allow use of a standard ROM in the IIgs. There is hidden benefit to these new v2 Adapters however. Since they use a standard EEPROM, users can now do firmware development for the IIgs very simply. https://www.ultimateapple2.com/catalogzen154/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_17&products_id=99 SRAM SOJ to DIP Adapter and it is…
I was understandably excited when not one but two printer makers offered me an opportunity to test their new initiatives for making inkjet printer ink more palatable to consumers. Epson’s approach features five new “EcoTank” printers, which include huge ink reservoirs that are big enough for up to two years worth of ink—the equivalent of 20 sets of ink cartridges. Hewlett-Packard (HP) has a radically different approach, offering the Instant Ink program, “designed to save consumers up to 50 percent on the cost…
So… Having confessed to being a serial procrastinator, I’m curious: What are your biggest rabbit holes—the things you find yourself doing instead of real work. Mine include (but aren’t limited to): guitars, social media, Logic Pro or GarageBand, and that damn Strike Skilz bowling game I keep playing on my iDevices. I’d love to know what your rabbit holes are… so I can help you figure out the best way to avoid them when you’re working. That’s all for now. Thanks…
A few years ago I acquired a Franklin 500 computer. This was one of the few Apple //c clones that had extras and enhancements, as well as a “brick on a leash” power supply just like the //c. The excitement lasted me just a couple of days, then the power supply died. I looked around forums and groups in search of a replacement, but being such a ‘rare’ item, there were no replacements. I put away the computer but always…
March 2016 This column is being (metaphorically) penned on Leap Day, a day similar to Sadie Hawkins Day (November 13) in which historically the ladies may ask the men without violating polite norms–hardly an issue in our day, though originally somewhat sexist. It’s also spang in the middle of the great American ask/catch–candidates trolling for primary votes, while the rest of the world watches a system seemingly self-destruct in vitriol, venom, slander, and name calling. Ahem. wasn’t democracy supposed…
This month on Open Apple we sit down with Peter Lount, co-developer of Gemstone Warrior and Gemstone Healer for the Apple II. Canadian programmer Peter and his partner Trouba broke new ground in video games by combining fast action combat with procedurally generated caves and dungeon content. Gemstone Warrior doesn’t get credit for being the predecessor to Blizzard megahit Diablo, but it should. Peter talks about tuning his rendering engine, including rewriting huge chunks of it overnight to meet a…
Or, “How I learned to get stuff done after learning I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).” I’m tryin’ to think, but nothin’ happens.—Curly Stooge So here I am, trying to write the first piece for my new Working Smarter for Mac Users blog and newsletter. But, as Curly Stooge was so fond of saying, “I’m tryin’ to think, but nothin’ happens.” Then, the little voice-inside-my-head starts in with, “Just play a little Real Racing 3 and your creative juices will flow like wine.” Once…
David Greelish has released his 2014 compilation of the Historically Brewed / Classic Computing newsletters as a PDF. Historically Brewed was a 1990’s publication that was published by The Historical Computer Society. The book contained all nine issues of the Historically Brewed and the premier issue of Classic Computing. This book offers an interesting look back at the history of some of the biggest names in the computing revolution including Altair, Xerox, and Byte and contains items from Apple community…
FEBRUARY 2, 2016 — KansasFest 2016, the 28th annual Apple II convention, is now open for registration. Users, programmers, hobbyists, and retrocomputing enthusiasts are invited to Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, from Tuesday, July 19, through Sunday, July 24, for six days and five nights of sessions, demos, announcements, contests, and camaraderie. Mike Harvey, a business executive, salesperson, technologist, project manager, entrepreneur, programmer, and best known in the Apple community as the founder and publisher of Nibble magazine, will…
Why is it that supposedly hard-headed evidence-based fact-found business and IT decision makers seem so driven instead by emotional and personal considerations? Take the stock market, for instance. The one predictable thing about it is that it always overreacts, whether on the up or down side. Never has this been more apparent than lately, where every titbit of “news” sends it on a wild gyration, up several hundred points one day, down likewise the next, with no time or effort…
This month on Open Apple we sit down with Henry Courbis, co-proprietor of Ultimate Micro, serial entrepreneur, and Open Source guy. Henry is boldly going where no hobbyist has gone before, by making Apple II hardware his real day job. If anyone can do it, Ultimate Micro can! We talk massive modem phone bills, phreaking, warez, and statutes of limitations. You know… for a friend. Henry talks about how hardware first appealed to him, and how he has leveraged his…
Brutal Deluxe Software has added four new cassette tapes to the Apple II Cassette collection. The new tapes include titles from Creative Computing, ITT, Heuristics Inc, and SoftTape. There are now a total of 638 tapes in the collection. For more information, check out the Brutal Deluxe Apple II Cassettes Collection at: http://www.brutaldeluxe.fr/projects/cassettes/
from the KFEST Comittee JANUARY 12, 2016 — KansasFest 2016, the 28th annual Apple II convention, is scheduled for July 19 – 24 in Kansas City, Missouri. Mike Harvey, a business executive, salesperson, technologist, project manager, entrepreneur, programmer, and best known in the Apple community as the founder and publisher of Nibble magazine, will join us with a keynote presentation. Harvey started his career as a salesperson for IBM and continued with various roles at other major technology companies, including…
Marina, the newest TCP/IP project for the Apple II series, is now fully compatible with the new Uthernet II card from a2RetroSystems. The January 2016 edition of Marina, available today, adds an Uthernet II driver, improvements to the Berkeley Sockets API, and many other changes and improvements which are noted at the end of the Marina user’s manual. In addition, several advances toward a working TCP implementation are in this new edition of Marina, and it is hoped to have TCP fully working…
FROM THE CSA2 This message to advise the community that an update of Peersoft has been posted on my Web site. This is version 1.5.6 which is a preview of version 1.6 due to be released this autumn^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hwinter^H^H^H^H^H^Hnext^H^H^H^Hthis year ;-). The download ilnk is http://bgilon.free.fr/apple2/Peersoftv1.5.6.zip . Two domains have been covered within this release: a) enhanced syntax and semantics: a.1) with a new integer subtype (byte) and the introduction of optional unsigned integer arithmetic; a.2) a new loop construct syntax…
