The Surface (non-pro) was an interesting device. Running windows RT 8.1 and sporting a 720p display, from the outside this was a half-decent productivity tablet. It came with a fully usable version of Microsoft office, could share peripherals with the (far superior) surface pro, and was priced to sell. Sadly, the locked-down operating system meant the software landscape was barren, the hacking scene was anemic, and the technology quickly became outdated.
There’s a pretty well known rule around my house: “If I buy one TV, I need to get rid of two.” I know the math of this doesn’t seem to work out in theory, but in practice it does. Between giveaways from friends and what I find myself, there’s always a steady stream of television related projects coming through.
TLDR; I’m allowing all but two of my android apps to sunset off of the app store in the beginning of the year. You’ll still be able to download them all and their source code from GitHub.
The other day I was south of Seattle perusing some lesser known thrift stores. Just your typical Saturday morning, when I spy a very cool thing: A TI-99/4A retail box.
When it comes to modern retro gaming, there’s a whole world of emulation options out there. Dosbox runs on anything, and even your phone is powerful enough to emulate modern consoles. Still, for some of us that’s not enough. There’s something magical about playing on original hardware.
Dissatisfied with the current stand of the boom box world, I set about to see if I could do better on my own. The end result is a boombox so loud, so RUDE, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen or heard before, and it wasn’t particularly difficult.
As it usually does, this all started in the thrift store. I was perusing the usual DVD racks and furniture when something caught my eye. It was an ion USB turntable, the kind with no speakers. These types of cheap turntables clutter the electronics sections of most thrift stores, as the replacement needle is generally more valuable than the turntable itself. Nevertheless I decided to take a look.
If you’re anything like me, you hate to see old technology go to waste. I’ve often heard folks lament as I perused the electronics section at a thrift store, “oh that’s a cool TV, but there’s no connector!” Pshaw I say to them, it’s got one of the best connectors in the world. It’s got an antenna. This is a quick tale of one such occurrence, that ended with me purchasing an 80s era pocket TV.
When it comes to video games, there are two guaranteed ways to get me interested. One: have an awesome soundtrack. Two: competitive racing. While I never considered myself particularly good at either music or racing, the combination really gets my motor running. That’s why games like Rock and Roll Racing, Burnout, GTA, etc hold such high regard for me. They mix quality racing (or open-world style racing) gameplay with real tunes, real composers. So when I saw Road Rash, I knew I was in for something special.
