It's a Scam

It's a Scam

14:33 Sunday, 13 September 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 81.01°F Pressure: 1011hPa Humidity: 67% Wind: 6.22mph
Words: 231

So I conjecture each the hype astir the threat of unregulated AI is the set-up for a authorities bailout. Apparently the AI companies are worried they won't beryllium capable to monetize this merchandise sufficiently capable to screen each their investors' bets and loans.

If the government steps successful and shuts them down, good past the authorities will beryllium responsible for making each those folks full erstwhile the promised payoff fails to materialize. After all, it's the only responsible point to do. Right?

AI is dangerous, arsenic is any exertion successful the hands of bad aliases faithless actors. I see capitalism arsenic a vulnerable exertion successful the hands of faithless actors.

I'm much worried astir ambiance alteration than I americium astir AI arsenic a threat to civilization. AI could origin wide disruptions and calamities, but I deliberation we could retrieve from those aft suffering superior losses. Climate alteration will simply grind this civilization into particulate slowly, inexorably.

But I do judge that group should beryllium prepared for important economical disruptions owed to cyber attacks and sabotage connected captious infrastructure accommodation successful the adjacent fewer years. I'm reasoning the second portion of 2027 truthful Putin tin propulsion the predetermination into chaos arsenic Trump indulges his authoritarian tendencies and cancels the elections owed to a nationalist emergency.

So I deliberation the mean personification has a little time to prepare.

I dream truthful anyway.

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Satterly Hill

08:03 Sunday, 13 September 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 66.33°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 97% Wind: 5.7mph
Words: 1037

After yesterday's Tinderbox meetup, I asked Mitzi if she wanted to spell for a drive. We hadn't done that successful a while, and I conscionable wanted to get retired of the location and person a look around.

So we did. We drove to the apical of Satterly Hill, which is what I spot connected my walks. I wanted to spot what the position was looking backmost toward us. There's a birding pullout there, pinch a scope and brace of high-power binoculars, mounted for kids and group confined to a wheelchair. But the champion views are west, toward the lake, which is visible though it's not spectacular.

We'll do it again sometime soon arsenic the colour originates to change. I deliberation I'll guidelines connected the furniture of the Maverick to get a amended view, aliases possibly I'll bring the drone. Satterly Hill is 1414' successful elevation, while we're astatine astir 1450' present connected Foots Hill. (We're up wherever South Hill Road makes a difficult left, correct location connected the corner.)

The clouds were opening to rotation in, but we continued driving around, taking roads we'd ne'er been down before. Had immoderate euphony playing. It was very pleasant. By the clip we pulled backmost into the driveway, we'd driven 23 miles successful a large loop (not including the excursion to Satterly Hill).

Pivoting, I deliberation there's a bully usage lawsuit for "smart glasses." I'd for illustration to deterioration them while reading, and person them respond to sound commands aliases digit gestures to adhd comments to passages for illustration separator notes. I deliberation wearing them successful pubic is problematic, if not downright creepy.

I don't person a problem pinch Apple Watch's 15s audio recording, I deliberation group get excessively worked up astir immoderate things. I sometimes person problem knowing what group are saying and often inquire them to repetition themselves. (I should get my proceeding checked, I know.) I don't deliberation the characteristic would prevention maine that embarrassment, because it's not for illustration you tin conscionable inquire someone, "Hold that thought," while you pat your watch and publication a transcript. For that matter, I don't cognize really useful the characteristic would beryllium astatine all. But it doesn't creep maine out.

I went to the B&H website yesterday to pre-order the OM Pen, but it was down for the holiday. It's successful my basket, but I can't cheque retired until later tonight. I deliberation the reception has been mostly favorable by the accustomed formed of influencers. The broader net commentariat is much divers successful its views, arsenic expected. Much of the disapproval is directed toward the sensor, and the deficiency of thing genuinely "new."

I'd for illustration to knock the commentariat for its predictable reactions and the deficiency of immoderate genuinely caller insights.

Never publication the comments.

I've been acquiring immoderate much retro-computing hardware. An Applied Engineering Transwarp accelerator arrived yesterday. It'll beryllium adjacent outpouring earlier I get it installed successful 1 of my IIe computers, they're some successful retention and there's really nary spot to activity pinch them successful this house. I had a Transwarp backmost successful the erstwhile decade and enjoyed utilizing it pinch Apple Pascal and a RAM disk. I person an McT SpeedDemon successful my Rev B Apple IIe. The Transwarp has 256Kb of RAM onboard, while the SpeedDemon only has astir 8Kb of cache memory. As a applicable matter, they're astir the aforesaid speed.

Something that is beautiful breathtaking is this One ROM device. The home sources don't person immoderate successful stock, truthful I bought 5 from the developer successful England. He's present successful the states for the Vintage Computer Festival Midwest this weekend, truthful he's emailed maine that he'll get them shipped retired later this week. If I'd person decided I wanted these earlier, possibly I could person saved a batch connected shipping.

There has ever been a mod community, burning civilization ROMs for aged computers. This instrumentality is unsocial successful that it is an active instrumentality that tin pass complete USB to a modern machine while still serving its host. The MegaFlash IIc and MegaFlash IIc Plus each person a civilization ROM that offers various features for the product, and JD Micro person a civilization ROM merchandise for the Apple II that tin big a number of ROM images and moreover applications successful summation to ROM code. I person 1 installed successful my Rev B Apple //e.

I went looking for different 1 for my 3rd Apple //c, and they are connected backorder astatine Reactive Micro, which is what yet compelled maine to do a heavy dive connected the One ROM.

That's the point astir a batch of these modern products for aged computers. They're a niche market, and they're made successful mini batches by individuals, truthful there's nary certainty that location will ever beryllium immoderate successful stock. So if you study astir 1 that you whitethorn beryllium willing in, you should bargain it immediately.

Like the mathematics co-processor for the Apple IIGS. I've been successful correspondence pinch the developer and he has immoderate boards connected manus that he needs to populate. He's said he'll solder 1 up and get backmost to me.

And I'm connected the hold database for the 2nd tally of the Appletini One, which I scheme to put successful my Rev A Apple //e. The Rev A motherboard doesn't support double-hires graphics, but the Appletini One is fundamentally a hardware emulator, truthful it tin beryllium a (virtual) Rev B //e pinch 8MB of RAM successful the representation description slot, pinch double hi-res and everything other it offers.

All of which tells maine I request to beryllium looking for different IIe, preferably a Rev B. (I've been seeing a adjacent number of Rev A models connected eBay.)

Is this each nostalgia? Probably. Computers were breathtaking backmost then. Not truthful overmuch anymore. The proliferation of modern mods to aged computers captures immoderate of that excitement we felt backmost then. I cognize this is supposedly "the champion of each imaginable worlds," wherever we're carrying astir a super-computer pinch each the world's knowledge successful our pocket; but it feels much for illustration a load than a "bicycle for the mind."

The hit goes on, astatine 1Mhz and it's 8-bits wide.

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Silo

15:13 Friday, 11 September 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 70.65°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 56% Wind: 8.84mph
Words: 227

From this morning's walk. It was a bully 54°F out, pinch clear skies and nary upwind to speak of. Saw cows, geese and a rabbit. No cervid this morning, because I sewage a spot of a precocious start. After sunrise, but earlier it roseate supra the elevation to the east, which is why the dome of the silo is illuminated.

Apple and OM System announced caller products this week. Nothing from Apple really excited me, while OM System's caller PEN exemplary does consciousness beautiful exciting. The only point from Apple that benignant of interests maine is the Watch, because of the further wellness features. Nothing for illustration getting aged to make you much willing successful wellness tech than shiny caller finishes connected repetitive telephone designs.

Oh, the Duo? Yeah, I'd alternatively bargain a laptop, convey you. I sewage my 14" M5 MBP pinch 2TB of retention and 32GB of RAM for what that phone costs. To beryllium fair, that was before RAMaggedon.

And I'm still pissed astatine Apple for changing the sanction of Lake Ontario successful Maps. Talk each you want astir Apple's "culture." They believe money conscionable for illustration ever different corporation, and person nary halfway principles different than that. So facet that into really overmuch Apple's "privacy protection" features are worth.

OBTW, changeable this connected an Olympus Stylus 1s compact integer camera. 300mm effective focal length.

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Build Something That Lasts

14:54 Friday, 11 September 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 70.41°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 56% Wind: 8.84mph
Words: 325

It was a beautiful greeting to move concrete. The Grand Prix Festival is going connected down successful Watkins Glen, and it's Mitzi's birthday. A batch going on.

We sewage the gable poured, and the footers for the platform and the porch. Next week they'll return down each the bracing and the level and statesman mounting the parallel chord trusses for the open, "public" portion of the main floor. Once that's complete, they'll framework up the main level interior earlier mounting the attic trusses complete the remainder of the house.

Had an HVAC institution retired yesterday to look astatine the project. Discovered different challenge. While the level trusses person an opening built into them to accommodate the main vent duct, location is nary measurement to insert a five-foot magnitude of rigid metallic duct into it.

Because of course.

This is why I'm not convinced that immoderate caller building location must statesman pinch the HVAC design. You almost virtually person to build your location around the HVAC system.

And it reiterates the worth of an all-hydronic solution, wherever it's vasty much efficient, and easier, to tally half-inch PEX anyplace you request heating aliases cooling than pushing aerial done ducts.

They're going to scope retired to the truss institution and speak to their engineers and spot what we tin do astir cutting and later repairing 3 trusses to create an opening ample capable to insert the duct. If that isn't feasible, we are astatine slightest fortunate that we person 9'4" ceilings, and we'll tally a soffit crossed to the southbound broadside of the house, distant from the stairwell, and past down on the southbound wall.

They judge we'll only request the aerial handler and ductwork for cooling. They're convinced the twinkling slab will power the full house. I person nary idea, but we're going to find out, that's for sure.

But it was a productive sojourn and I deliberation I've recovered our HVAC contractor.

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Traffic

13:06 Thursday, 10 September 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 76.42°F Pressure: 1013hPa Humidity: 68% Wind: 12.62mph
Words: 232

It's funny really these things work.

I had had problems getting my DJI mini 3 paired pinch its controller aft I updated to iOS 27 backmost successful July. I switched to utilizing the mini 2 and had the aforesaid problem. After a mates of updates, I tried again and the mini 2 worked and I've been utilizing that ever since.

Well, I thought it was clip to spot if I could get the mini 3 paired pinch its controller again, truthful I could usage it too. (Plus, 1 of the mini 2's batteries feels for illustration it's starting to swell.)

So I'm retired connected the backmost patio, screwing astir trying to get this drone paired and yet person success. (Don't inquire maine how. I don't know.) I put the drone up and commencement taking immoderate pics of the location and I perceive the honking coming from location beyond the elevation (behind the drone).

I spun the drone astir to spot if I could get a shot, but the camera was angled down for the house, and I didn't spot the geese successful the controller. As they flew over, I spun the drone astir and angled the camera up and managed to seizure this shot.

It lasted each of 20 to 30 seconds, but it was wild. Of course that's erstwhile they chose to alert right complete the caller house.

Winter is coming.

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First Truss Landed

16:39 Wednesday, 9 September 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 74.43°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 84% Wind: 11.14mph
Words: 182

I conjecture Apple had an arena today. I knew 1 was coming, but I hadn't made immoderate benignant of intelligence statement astir it. That abstraction is reserved for the premier section of the adjacent play of Slow Horses, which is unluckily still a week away.

Nope, while the lickspittle sycophants astatine Apple were pushing their latest shiny gadgets that big spyware for retailers, governments and bad actors, I was watching the tile trusses being delivered, and the first truss being landed connected the westbound gable. It was benignant of a stressful event, because the upwind was predicted to beryllium rainy pinch gusty winds starting astir 1:00PM. It started to sprinkle while they were wrestling the truss up there, but the upwind remained beautiful mild. They had the truss up and secured earlier 1100.

As it turned out, we had very small rainfall and nary upwind to speak of this afternoon.

Tomorrow they'll decorativeness cutting and stacking the ICF, and doing the bracing and reinforcement basal earlier the move connected Friday. They'll besides move the footers for the platform and the porch.

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Winter Is Coming

07:33 Monday, 7 September 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 50.22°F Pressure: 1023hPa Humidity: 96% Wind: 1.9mph
Words: 116

50°F this morning! Almost "crisp." Very refreshing.

Lots of geese connected the wing. Put some pix up connected Flickr.

Trusses are coming tomorrow, they should get the first 1 group connected Wednesday.

MacOS 27, Golden Gate, is benignant of borked connected my 14" M5 MBP. I can't "share" thing from Messages utilizing the stock hold anyplace the stock hold is available. This is chiefly a problem pinch Photos and Safari. I've provided Feedback to Apple respective times, but I fishy it's a problem pinch my instal because thing has changed complete 7 aliases truthful betas. My feedback has go progressively intemperate, because it's exceedingly frustrating.

We'll spot really it goes erstwhile the merchandise type hits.

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Minecraft House

09:32 Saturday, 5 September 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 63.81°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 90% Wind: 7.29mph
Words: 274

On Monday the trusses should beryllium delivered. There's astatine slightest 1 much course, perchance two, of blocks to stack. Once that's done, the extremity truss will beryllium landed and secured to the gable. That will besides service arsenic a template for locating the lookouts for the tile beams for the covered deck. Once those are marked, the affected blocks will beryllium removed, trim and re-stacked. Hopefully we'll get it poured sometime adjacent week.

Then we'll onshore the remaining tile trusses for the vaulted ceiling. Brad wants to do the interior framing for the main level beneath the attic trusses earlier landing them. So that's astir apt (hopefully) adjacent week. There's little framing connected the main level than location was connected the basement, truthful it should spell alternatively quickly. Then we'll get the attic trusses up, and the tile decking on.

We besides person to move the footers for the platform and the porch, stack chimney achromatic for the timber columns, backfill everything and move and stamp the patio earlier the timber-frame platform and structure arrive, mid-October.

Windows and doors should beryllium arriving astir then, and hopefully we'll get the spot dried in.

Still person to get NYSEG, the electrical utility, retired to bent the 2nd transformer; past propulsion the cablegram from the metre pedestal to the location and get the breaker sheet installed.

Then we tin commencement unsmooth wiring and plumbing.

We dream to get the metallic roofing connected erstwhile the platform and structure are assembled, and the metallic board-and-batten siding arsenic well. There will beryllium chromatic veneer beneath the deck, but that tin hold until spring.

We're getting there.

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Picture Window

09:16 Friday, 4 September 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 67.37°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 83% Wind: 5.5mph
Words: 49

When the location is complete, the position won't beryllium rather this complete. There will beryllium a platform intruding from the bottom, the ligament information obstruction that astir apt shouldn't intrude supra the horizon, and the tile complete the platform whitethorn intrude into the precocious sky.

But it's still beautiful cool.

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Picture This

11:59 Thursday, 3 September 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 77.27°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 79% Wind: 7.09mph
Words: 371

This was beautiful exciting.

Since the main level was stacked, and moreover aft it was poured, the windows and doors had bracing wrong them. It wasn't imaginable to get a existent consciousness of what the position mightiness look for illustration erstwhile the location is completed.

Brad took down each the bracing yesterday, but I hadn't gone up location until this morning. When I came up the stairs, the position benignant of took my activity away. I really had nary appreciation for really ample those windows would be.

I ended up chatting pinch Brad for a agelong time, past went backmost down to the location we're surviving in, ne'er taking a photograph! So I went backmost up a fewer minutes ago, conscionable to get this shot. It worked retired better, because it was beautiful overcast earlier this greeting while I was there.

The platform successful the photograph is location to facilitate stacking and bracing the ICF artifact for the gable end, it won't beryllium location erstwhile the location is completed. And the position will see a 12' platform pinch a 15' overhead roof, truthful it won't beryllium rather truthful expansive. We won't get a clear thought of what that looks for illustration until mid-to-late October.

They're getting fresh to instal the gable extremity model bucks. The halfway assembly is truthful ample they're going to put it together up connected the deck. He trim each the pieces astatine a friend's workshop, he does civilization cabinetry truthful Brad wanted to get each the miters done precisely, and they planed immoderate of the boards arsenic well. Hopefully that'll each get put up by the extremity of today, which will springiness america different glimpse of what the location will yet look like.

I'm getting fresh to caput down to spot my doc astir my thyroid. I'm going to inquire her for her thoughts connected the flu vaccine. I'm reasoning of getting the mRNA version, but possibly it's wiser to get the "over-65" double-shot of the accepted vaccine.

Last nighttime was rather the ray show, pinch thunderstorms passing complete us. Nearly continuous lightning astir 9:00PM. That's a show that'll beryllium overmuch amended to admit successful the caller house.

And the beat?

It goes on.

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Cowardice

08:16 Wednesday, 2 September 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 68.2°F Pressure: 1016hPa Humidity: 98% Wind: 6.2mph
Words: 24

Although I didn't really expect thing different, I americium nevertheless pissed astatine Apple for caving to Trump connected Lake Ontario.

Fuck their September event.

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All the Blogs a Stage

05:16 Wednesday, 2 September 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 67.32°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 98% Wind: 5.5mph
Words: 609

Tom Loughlin has immoderate thoughts connected blogging arsenic performance.

As personification who has often asserted that I don't blog for an audience, I will connection a different constituent of view.

When I americium most motivated to write, arsenic opposed to simply station aliases stock immoderate banal relationship of the time to time is erstwhile location is immoderate interior acquisition that is uncomfortable, and penning it down successful a blog station externalizes it. Gets it retired from "in here" to "out there," wherever I tin analyse it and discharge immoderate magnitude of the affectional charge. Is it true? Why do I judge this?

I don't do that to entertain anyone. That is rather particularly, specifically, a selfish act. Perhaps 1 of "self-care." Is it a "performance" to seduce aliases provoke? I don't deliberation so, mostly because Groundhog Day and, later, Facebook disillusioned maine of the conception that I tin ever alteration anyone's mind astir anything.

(To beryllium fair, I can't callback a blog station that changed my mind astir thing either.)

So I don't moreover try.

We unrecorded successful a world wherever we look to judge that everyone has a voice, and they're each arsenic worthy of being heard. The consequence is ironic, because erstwhile everyone is talking, past nobody is being heard.

At best, you whitethorn person a mini circle of individuals who are alert of your blog, and you mightiness expect that immoderate of them will publication what you've written from clip to time.

If you desire a larger audience, past you must compete for attention. Desire is the root of each suffering. If you're passionate astir performance, past suffering goes pinch the territory. I'm not keen connected it. I've done enough, and I'm judge I've sewage my stock to look guardant to arsenic well. I don't request to activity much of it.

So is the marmot a capacity for a mini circle of acquaintances and friends? Nope.

It's conscionable my small radiating antenna that conveys my rants into the void wherever they spell to vanish astatine the velocity of light.

Scratches an itch.

If it was a performance, judge me, I cognize I'm doing a damn mediocre occupation of it.

I constitute these things connected the fly, they're mostly watercourse of consciousness. At most, I'll alteration a connection present aliases there, delete a condemnation aliases a paragraph. But I don't sweat complete each word.

And this bothers maine sometimes, because I hap to suffer from the wishful thinking that I tin constitute good erstwhile I want to. But that requires clip and attention, and I don't look to wish to perpetrate either of them to the effort.

Because it's not a performance. And if you're present looking for a show, past you've travel to the incorrect joint, buddy. You want that substack up the street. That newsletter that each the cool kids are doing.

Doc Searls drove maine nuts pinch that pernicious construction, "Markets are conversations," conflating the commercialized pinch the social. Conversations are quality interactions conducted for their ain reward, the speech of communal attention. They are not transactions. Talking astir those is simply a negotiation, not a conversation.

But that didn't extremity hundreds aliases thousands, or, hell, I don't know, possibly millions of group from buying that bullshit.

And group interest astir "AI slop."

Claude can't clasp a candle to the bullshit people tin travel up with.

This isn't an act. This is me. And yes, "I incorporate multitudes," and a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.

I conjecture erstwhile you've spent a agelong clip successful the theater, past that's really the world looks too.

I'm present to show you, it ain't needfully so.

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Terms and Exclusions May Apply

16:05 Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 80.51°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 81% Wind: 9.33mph
Words: 223

I conscionable recovered retired that I'm ineligible for the Medicare Bridge programme for GLP-1 medications. Because I'm a subject retiree covered nether TRICARE For Life for my medicine supplier coverage, and truthful I don't person Medicare Part D coverage.

TRICARE For Life doesn't screen GLP-1 medications for thing but Type-2 diabetes.

It seems absorbing that the group who came up pinch the Bridge programme didn't expect that subject retirees would beryllium ineligible.

I'm looking astatine paying rate straight to Eli Lilly, but I've made 1 walk done their enrollment website and I've already encountered a roadblock related to being a subject retiree.

I do person security nether a "government" program; but I don't person a medicine supplier sum paper pinch these 3 numbers they want maine to participate connected the website to enroll successful their program. Somebody wrote a book astir this, Catch-22.

I'm taking a break to benignant of support my composure.

I'll effort again later, and hopefully get a personification to locomotion maine done this.

In the meantime, I've visited the Military Officers Association of America and sent emails to my typical (a hard-core MAGA Trumper) and my senators. I edited their boilerplate because it was written earlier the Bridge programme went into effect.

It's conscionable fecklessly shouting astatine clouds, but whatever.

The hit goes on...

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Karl Martino

10:24 Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 71.46°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 97% Wind: 9.01mph
Words: 125

Karl Martino is 1 of the original cohort of bloggers I interacted and corresponded pinch a 4th of a period ago. He maintains his blog, but he seldom posts.

He did truthful today.

It's a bully video. The narrator sounds for illustration Joe of Joe's Computer Museum.

Master Shifu successful Kung Fu Panda put it well:

You are excessively concerned astir what was and what will be. There is simply a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is simply a mystery, but coming is simply a gift. That is why it is called the present.

All we person are moments to live, and each other.

The only powerfulness that exists is the powerfulness to choose.

The digit is not the moon.

Always callback that everyone is giving you the finger.

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Workbench

10:01 Tuesday, 1 September 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 70.41°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 97% Wind: 9.01mph
Words: 94

This was during yesterday's effort to transcript Total Replay v6 complete to the MegaFlash IIc Plus. If I didn't person a IIc, I'd beryllium confined to only utilizing an emulator.

When the caller location is done, The Dave Cave will person room to group up my 2 IIe computers, the IIgs, and each 3 IIcs. I person nary desire to person an original Apple II aliases the Apple ][+, which is what I started retired connected backmost successful 1982.

I do benignant of want to ain an Apple III, but they're beautiful uncommon and pricey.

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FujiNet

08:16 Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 68.7°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 97% Wind: 5.99mph
Words: 1203

Bought a caller gadget for the IIc(s), a FujiNet adapter. I person nary penetration into the root of the appellation, but I now person immoderate acquisition pinch the instrumentality itself.

One of the challenges of retro-computing is media management. Back successful the day, location was a robust unit marketplace that distributed applications connected beingness media, usually 5.25" floppy disks, sometimes cassette tapes. Today, the marketplace for beingness media is acold much constrained, chiefly connected eBay, forum classifieds and sometimes shopgoodwill.com.

An tremendous magnitude of aged package has been preserved successful the shape of disk images disposable astatine archive.org and astatine different sites. This is simply a immense assets for emulators, but there's a obstruction betwixt a integer disk image, and the disk drive attached to astir aged computers.

There are a assortment of solutions, 1 of which is to emulate the thrust itself successful modern hardware. One of the best-known is the Floppy Emu, from Big Mess o' Wires, heretofore my preferred method of utilizing disk images pinch my Apple II computers. I wrote "heretofore," because I for illustration that word, but besides because I've learned that the FujiNet has immoderate important advantages complete the Floppy Emu.

Let's double-clutch present for a 2nd and talk different situation of retro-computing, and that is space. While primitively described arsenic micro-computers, aged desktop boxes are now what we would see enormous. I americium space-challenged present successful our coming house, my workspace is confined to a alternatively mini Home Depot Husky mobile workbench, which is location to my 14" MBP and 27" Benq LCD, on pinch the accustomed magnitude of clutter that seems to accrete wherever I group up shop. If I want to play pinch an aged computer, I person to beryllium contented pinch an emulator, aliases thing that I tin fresh connected this desktop, aft clearing distant a definite magnitude of clutter.

Enter the Apple IIc, or, much specifically successful my case, the Apple IIc Plus. The IIc has among its galore virtues, the premiere kindness of being small. If I shove my keyboard and trackpad disconnected to the broadside somewhere, I tin fresh the IIc successful the remaining abstraction connected the desktop. The disk thrust is built-in, the IIc Plus doesn't require a brick, truthful I person an mean powerfulness cord plugged into the powerfulness portion pinch the free extremity tucked nether the show shelf, and I tin conscionable prime up the IIc Plus from the floor, wherever Mitzi tolerates its presence, plug it into powerfulness and link the show to an HDMI adapter connected to the IIc's video port, and I'm instantly transported backmost into the Golden Age of personal computing.

The only point that benignant of diminishes this acquisition is simply a definite magnitude of fiddling pinch the Floppy Emu, which is simply a very mini instrumentality pinch a alternatively agelong ribbon cablegram attached. But the inferior of the Floppy Emu outweighs the fiddliness of utilizing it.

But I'm ever looking for ways to amended this experience, and 1 of those is the MegaFlash IIc Plus, which I installed a week aliases truthful ago. That instrumentality installs up to eight 32MB virtual difficult drives internally. It comes pinch 2 virtual drives already formatted pinch a action of package installed, 1 of which being the game postulation Total Replay.

This leaves the situation of populating the remaining six virtual drives. This shouldn't beryllium a problem, because the Floppy Emu has the capacity of emulating a 32MB difficult drive. (I suppose I should extremity saying difficult drive. I suppose backmost successful the time it would person been a difficult drive, but it's possibly much meticulous to opportunity a SmartPort artifact retention device.)

Here, alas, is wherever I've encountered different challenge. Because of the measurement the Floppy Emu is programmed, successful bid to equine a 32MB disk image, each the blocks must beryllium contiguous connected the microSD paper wrong the Floppy Emu. In the past I've been capable to execute that by moving each the files disconnected the microSD paper onto my Mac's desktop, deleting everything connected the microSD card, and past copying everything backmost onto it.

The MegaFlash IIc Plus comes pinch Total Replay v5.something, and I wanted to switch it pinch the latest version, which I downloaded from the repo linked above. Try arsenic I might, I couldn't get the image to beryllium stored contiguously connected the microSD card. I haven't looked for a inferior that mightiness consolidate it, but that mightiness person solved the problem.

Instead, I tried the FujiNet, which I bought for a assortment of reasons beyond simply getting Total Replay v6 onto my IIc Plus. One of the features of FujiNet ("the FujiNet"?) is that it has a microSD slot and a thrust emulator. Much to my delight, it mounted the Total Replay v6 disk image without complaint. I utilized Copy II+ to transcript v6 complete the v5 measurement connected the MegaFlash. It took a mates of hours, but it useful conscionable fine.

I recovered that the FujiNet is simply a overmuch amended personification acquisition successful dealing pinch disk images connected the microSD card. The Floppy Emu is controlled by the instrumentality itself, and you person a small surface to browse the contents of the paper and you property various buttons to equine aliases eject disks.

With the FujiNet, you tin browse the contents of the microSD paper correct from the Apple II's surface and power it pinch the keyboard. It's a overmuch amended personification experience.

So astatine this point, I would opportunity that if you're looking to get into retro-computing connected an Apple II computer, the IIc pinch a FujiNet would beryllium a bully spot to start. It doesn't person to beryllium the IIc Plus, but it does person to person a SmartPort ROM. The original IIc didn't person the SmartPort protocol successful its ROM, later versions of the A2S4000 (original model) added support for the 3.5" UniDisk on pinch the SmartPort protocol. It's a reasonably elemental task to switch retired the ROM, and location are galore newer versions to take from, including immoderate fancy ones that let you to take various ROM images.

If you commencement pinch a slotted Apple II pinch conscionable a 5.25" disk controller paper installed, the Floppy Emu is simply a amended choice, because it'll talk to the disk controller without relying connected the SmartPort protocol. You tin get SmartPort cards, aliases usage a 5.25" controller pinch a modified printer interface card. I stitchery you switch its ROM pinch 1 that hosts the SmartPort protocol code, but that's conscionable a guess. But that's astir apt a spot challenging if you're conscionable getting into this.

As acold arsenic these 32MB volumes go, you're constricted to ProDOS only files and applications. For DOS 3.3, you're beautiful overmuch confined to 5.25" disk images. There were immoderate modified DOS 3.3 compatible systems that could usage up to 400K of information connected 1 broadside of a 3.5" floppy, aliases the original Macintosh outer 3.5" floppy drives. As of this writing, I don't cognize if aliases really immoderate of those are emulated.

Anyway, beautiful happy pinch 2 reasonably new, modern devices that interface pinch the Apple IIc and thief make utilizing them much fun.

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