Some things are just Weird....

Let me start by saying that I've always had a little bit of an obsession (not that kind you pervert!), with oddities. All manner of oddities really; such as British cars, Italian appliances,German stereo equipment, but the ones that I really love to play around with are computer oddities. Old ThinkPads, magneto optical drives; need I say more?

Back in the old days...say 1970's and early '80's, most anything in the computing world was odd. You'll find this is pretty much true of any "new" product category. Standardization and commoditization (is there such a word), hasn't taken hold and you get all manner of wild ideas. Back in the good old days of "personal computing", when people routinely constructed them out of kits and guys started companies in their garages, there were lots of really interesting products. Don't believe me? Just spend a little time at this website:

http://oldcomputers.net/

See what I mean! Lots of weird stuff. But its one particular type of computer that's always had a strange hold on me: it's the "Portable Computer". What's so weird about that you say? You don't think I used those quotes accidentally did you? If you'll Google that, you'll come to a definition that doesn't mean the common everyday "laptop" (which are really "notebook" computers anyway), but a classification that really means a full desktop, complete with monitor crammed into a case that looks suspiciously your mom's sewing machine.
The Compaq Portable introduced in Nov. of 1982. Yeah, yeah, I know there were other portables, such as the Osborne1 (first truly portable computer), and even the IBM 5110 & 5120, but the Compaq was the first to be fully compatible with the IBM PC. Oddly enough, I have a connection with this little (I use that term loosely since it weighed 28lbs) machine. My first job out of college was for a cotton company could be considered bleeding edge in those day. We not only has a mini computer (complete with disk-packs), but a PC AT, PC, and a Compaq Portable! Although it was never used anywhere but in the office, it was the coolest thing ever (at that point anyway) with it's fold down keyboard and onboard monochrome green CRT.
Just like this one, but ours had a hard drive in place of one of those floppies. Maybe its because I was never allowed to work on that one, I don't know. Anyway, I've been a little CooCoo over these quasi-desktops ever since.

Fast forward another 15 years or so, and I'm actually teaching myself to work on computers. Two areas that I don't know much about is servers and laptops. Of course one of the truisms of the computing field is that anything involving servers, is that they and anything having to do with them is expensive. So, I find myself gathering parts to get an old IBM PS/2 MCA (Microchannel Architecture) server up and running so I can get some practice on an actual server OS. I can't afford Windows NT4, or God Forbid Netware, so I get an old copy of Windows NT 3.51 and one of those giant Sybex manuals. Why the heck IBM PS/2!?! If you read my other blog you already know why: it's well built (duh...IBM), and it's cheap, because PS/2 has failed miserably in the marketplace and they are trying to get out from under that albatross as quickly as possible! After a year or 2 of plugging away at this, miracle of miracles I manage to get a job in IT!

And you know what? When you are around computers 24/7, you learn where to find them cheap (or free) and you end up with computer stuff literally up to your eyeballs. At this point, my obsession rears it's ugly head and I find the Holy Grail of PS/2-dom: the IBM PS/2 P75 "Mobile Server"!!!
OK, this image is really of the P70 (which was a 386 and I had one of those too), but the P75 was physically identical with the exception of the backside that was significantly expanded. What you can't see in this image is the really cool/weird red screen, because it was....wait for it.....PLASMA! Mine had a 400Mb SCSI HDD in it and a whopping 32Mb of RAM! Let me tell you that RAM for these boogers aren't easy to find or cheap when you do manage to find it. Anyway, after several years of toting this 30lb monster around in all the various moves during my Higher Ed days, I gave in and sold both the P75 and partially working P70. But I never forgot it.

Years later, the dormant obsession (along with a few other things) were stirred up from watching a relatively cheesy computer movie called Hackers where a bunch of "elite" high school kids get their jollies...you guessed it...hacking into computers. Anyway, the protagonist (played by Johnny Lee Miller who was briefly married to Angelina Jolie) used one of those portable computers for his exploits. I know; sick isn't it, that the lasting thing I get out of this movie was a computer and not the pre-augmented Angelina Jolie (although I must say that see looks great in this flick).

OK, finally to the nitty-gritty. These types of computers are usually used by professional networking specialists or the military out in the field where conditions are rough, but they need full-on desktop power. Therefore, they are rare as the proverbial hen's teeth, and tend to be pricey when you find them. Don't believe me? Just do a search for Dolch on eBay and see what you find. But never the less, I'm on the trail of one now. There seems to be a barebones, case and screen only on eBay that's affordable. If it remains affordable, I'm going to try and snag it and put new guts in it.
It looks something like an older version of this. I know.....weird! Stay tuned!

The Trailing Edge

I’m going to give this a shot to see if there are any other old curmudgeons out there who think the same way I do and might find it interesting. What's "interesting"…..that might be the question that you are asking? Well, the concept is; as much as I love technology, I often feel like it’s so driven by profit making and “innovation” that very good, if not better performing technologies are push out of the marketplace by things that are newer and/or better marketed items. So I’m going to try and do this blog about those things. The “trailing edge”, quite literally are things are not only, NOT leading/bleeding edge, but are about to or maybe even having fallen off of the “wing” all together! Of course, I’ll be drawing from my own interest and experiences, but I’m really going to need help in a participatory way from others of you who have experience in area that I’m not well versed in. An example would be my friend Eric who was a big Amiga believer/user and knows far more about it than my miniscule puddle of knowledge in that department. So, yes, I would love to have “guest” bloggers on here as well as my misc. ramblings!

So, my first and maybe most emotionally attached topic? The vinyl record of course! Yes; I’m the proud owner of 2 turntables, as well as an accumulation of some parts (read- non-working turntables). And yes, I have actually bought some vinyl records in the last 6 months since we have that favorite of old geeks like me; Half Price Books. I could happily go down there and spend all or most of an entire day in their flagship store on Northwest Highway, off of 75 (Dallas). They not only have old stuff (like records), but books about the old stuff as well! My ideal day would be to spend the morning of a Saturday at the computer flea market downtown, eat lunch at some random diner or dive, then the afternoon at Half Price Books! That is of course, after securing royal blessing from “the boss” and I don’t mean Springsteen!

The fact of the matter is that I think “Vinyl” is a victim of a culture change and not supplanted by a superior medium. It represents a conscious decision to “listen to music” (meaning, by definition, you are serious) in order to devote the time to that activity. Let me break down the steps:

1. Turn on your rig so that it has time to “warm up” while you look for the album(s) that you intend on listening to.

2. Peruse you collection of albums until you find just the right one(s) for that time. Oh, did I forget that you should have already opened your bottle of wine so that it can breathe while this is going on?

3. Put the first album on the turntable, and go through your cleaning ritual. This is of course an important part of the process since it all helps you get into “the mood”, builds the anticipation, foreplay…whatever you want to call it. Let the platter spin and cue up the track, but don’t drop that needle so that the belt gets nice and warmed up on the idler/spindle, while you go and pour the wine, and cut the cheese (maybe I should have gone with “slice” the cheese).

4. Come back with your wine/beer/Coke, whatever, drop (not really “drop” but you know what I mean), and enjoy the bliss for 20 minutes or so….until it’s time to flip sides.

5. Start the process all over again until the stress in your life has been removed by the magic.

Today’s digital medium has no ability to do these things for you. You spin the dial of your iPod, select the track and punch the button, or more likely, you find a previously created “playlist” and click on it, then walk around the house doing various chores until you run out of time. There’s no comittment to devote the time and energy to relaxation and entertainment. Its like, when you go see a comedian; why do you laugh at the same jokes that you see on forwarded emails which are merely amusing? Because you are invested and EXPECT to laugh! Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPod and its ability to hold my entire library of music in the box the size of a shaver, but its not only the impersonal delivery of the music, but the lack of investment in the process that leave it uninvolving. Yes, yes, I fully understand that it’s really not that good in terms of delivery and fidelity, but I really think it’s all the other “stuff” around it that makes it seem cold.