Nostr notes by Matthew Sparby

That’s exactly what I got. Oh well. It was a pretty good price ...

2026-03-27T22:36:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…5am8
_________________________

That’s exactly what I got. Oh well. It was a pretty good price anyway. And it’ll let me play whatever is on some of these discs that were recorded with MDLP.

Hehe. It’s going to save me time. I want to rip a bunch of ...

2026-03-27T22:03:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…pcw0
_________________________

Hehe. It’s going to save me time. I want to rip a bunch of these Japanese MDs I got and that’ll go 4x faster with that web tool.

Also, I didn't know about the Web Minidisc Pro project until ...

2026-03-27T17:01:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…dvzt
_________________________

Also, I didn't know about the Web Minidisc Pro project until reading your post. So... I *might* have just ordered a NetMD unit. ;)

Nice work on the repairs! I was all-in on Minidisc back in the ...

2026-03-27T16:25:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…kv38
_________________________

Nice work on the repairs!

I was all-in on Minidisc back in the late 90s and recently started listening to them again as part of my physical media rotation (CD, Cassette, MD, vinyl, DAT, etc.)

Who wore it best? ...

2026-03-22T17:45:42Z

Who wore it best?

It’s now -18°F (-28°C) and still falling.

2026-01-23T03:34:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…2ap7
_________________________

It’s now -18°F (-28°C) and still falling.

The temp has dropped to 0°F here. The forecast says we won’t ...

2026-01-22T20:32:56Z

The temp has dropped to 0°F here. The forecast says we won’t get back above zero for the next 96 hours.

After 27 hours with this printer, I’m suitably impressed. I got ...

2026-01-02T02:26:30Z

After 27 hours with this printer, I’m suitably impressed. I got my first 3D printer a little over 12 years ago. I’ve had several different models over the years but this is the first one that “Just Works”. It’s weird to get excellent prints every time without having to tweak every little thing.

That's how much I received last night from the FB class ...

2025-11-08T17:18:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…w52a
_________________________

That's how much I received last night from the FB class action settlement.

Nostr event nevent1qqsphgwuwyjcgq5lth7z7s47jlxcu63ex2e4x7qd2wgxmkaw73ugthqzyq9zharfer6ken0gxuvw2ehjd0yna9fhgyynszq9k3h00hfexx7s6zm70nc

2025-11-08T17:15:04Z

Four dollars and one cent.

Here's the note on the computer. ...

2025-08-03T22:31:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…k2dm
_________________________

Here's the note on the computer.

I was really tempted by this Heathkit system at Free Geek Twin ...

2025-08-03T22:26:18Z

I was really tempted by this Heathkit system at Free Geek Twin Cities today but I just don't need ANOTHER major project system added to my queue.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

Dear unnamed YouTuber, I enjoy your videos. They demonstrate your ...

2025-07-10T23:46:38Z

Dear unnamed YouTuber,

I enjoy your videos. They demonstrate your skills in your craft. I don't have any problem with the fact that your videos are sponsored by a company whose service you actually use. You deserve to be rewarded for your work. I like to support creators. But then I went to your Patreon page to support you and find all of the images you use on there are AI generated. Hmm.

It's the end of an era. This is the last of my Radio Shack ...

2025-06-20T01:09:31Z

It's the end of an era. This is the last of my Radio Shack branded desoldering braid.

Already checked and rechecked all traces. Next step will be ...

2025-06-15T22:32:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…7fuy
_________________________

Already checked and rechecked all traces. Next step will be swapping out the 74S08N. If that doesn't work, I don't know where to go next.

This Commodore PC10-III motherboard is killing me. It only sees ...

2025-06-15T22:29:46Z

This Commodore PC10-III motherboard is killing me. It only sees 512k instead of 640k. Swapped out the 41464 chips, old ones all tested bad but still only sees 512k with new chips. Swapped out 74S10N. Old one tests bad, new one installed, still only 512k. ARGH!

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

I had a lot of vintage computing stuff planned for the long ...

2025-05-27T02:17:07Z

I had a lot of vintage computing stuff planned for the long weekend. Those plans were interrupted for a good cause. Our foster dog, Miss Ruffles, got to meet some people on Saturday and today, she got to go with them to her forever home! Hooray!

#Dogs

I usually clean battery damaged boards in my ultrasonic cleaner ...

2025-05-02T21:57:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…dhxs
_________________________

I usually clean battery damaged boards in my ultrasonic cleaner with PCB cleaning solution.

Back in 2011, I bought a NOS Commodore PC10-III but I was naive ...

2025-05-02T13:29:42Z

Back in 2011, I bought a NOS Commodore PC10-III but I was naive about batteries. I did remove the battery about 6 years ago but it had already started to leak. I cleaned it up a bit and thought things were fine but I just realized that it now sees only 512k of RAM.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

Nostr event nevent1qqsx6qk8jky6ss88jqcrjmz3af2kcsudds7w34qwtlcwuqf20fwxjzqzyq9zharfer6ken0gxuvw2ehjd0yna9fhgyynszq9k3h00hfexx7s6x9gev0

2025-04-21T14:56:04Z

Motivate me.

6 years ago I got an IBM PS/1 Consultant computer. I used the ...

2025-04-16T02:48:29Z

6 years ago I got an IBM PS/1 Consultant computer. I used the recovery floppy creation tool on its HD with a Gotek to make image files. Just found them again and checked to see if they'd been uploaded to internetarchive (npub1umd…wfr7) yet. Of course they had. 6 years ago. By me.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

Hi, I'm Sadie! But you can call me the Fediverse Chonk 😎 ...

2025-04-15T17:15:29Z

Hi, I'm Sadie! But you can call me the Fediverse Chonk 😎 I'm a proud American Foxhound from Minnesota (11 y/o) I'm currently taking a nap in the family room hoping to get an extra treat later today.

#DogsOfMastodon #dogs

I was excited to find this disk on the 'free stuff' ...

2025-04-14T20:41:04Z

I was excited to find this disk on the 'free stuff' shelves at Free Geek Twin Cities yesterday, sadly, it is unreadable.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #FarSide

Anybody know where I put all of my spare Compact Flash -> IDE ...

2025-04-08T23:08:17Z

Anybody know where I put all of my spare Compact Flash -> IDE adapters?

Got a new printer so I redid the artwork that covers the electric ...

2025-04-05T20:57:22Z

Got a new printer so I redid the artwork that covers the electric service panel in my lab. Looks much better now.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

Congratulations! You've graduated from Dunning-Kruger and ...

2025-03-07T16:43:47Z

Congratulations! You've graduated from Dunning-Kruger and landed a new position with Imposter Syndrome.

The sysop of one of the BBSes I spent a lot of time on when I was ...

2025-01-26T22:14:54Z

The sysop of one of the BBSes I spent a lot of time on when I was a kid has posted a video about resurrecting his BBS from the old floppy disks. What a blast from the past!

https://youtu.be/goYLHx7IdkU?si=iVsGEZ9_EruyHwcw

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #C64 #BBS

I went to Ikea for the first time in years. I guess I waited too ...

2025-01-07T16:50:54Z

I went to Ikea for the first time in years. I guess I waited too long. They're over me now.

I needed something to cover up the large electric panel on the ...

2024-12-23T22:27:47Z

I needed something to cover up the large electric panel on the wall in my lab. This seemed like the most obvious choice. I'll need to have someone reprint the screens on an inkjet, though, as my color laser did a terrible job with the C64 and CPC colors.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

I have a MacBook Air but I don't use it much. I've just ...

2024-12-23T16:53:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…nwkc
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I have a MacBook Air but I don't use it much. I've just become so frustrated with the UI. I can trace the path of deterioration back to the introduction of Aqua. If they had stuck with the UI design from Mac OS X Server 1.0, the world would be a better place. 😁

I had to resurrect my 17 year old Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro tonight ...

2024-12-23T01:53:55Z

I had to resurrect my 17 year old Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro tonight in order to export a 20 year old iMovie project.

Mute and block features are good but if those don't work, ...

2024-12-20T15:45:31Z

Mute and block features are good but if those don't work, there's another product you can use for dealing with those pesky a-holes.

I can't tell if you're just commenting on the snow or if ...

2024-12-20T15:26:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…2pta
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I can't tell if you're just commenting on the snow or if that tree is in an undesirable orientation.

Nostr event nevent1qqspwdau60rae8u2qjhcjac7cgtn9e6tdspar44sxwuqq7kszkku6vgzyq9zharfer6ken0gxuvw2ehjd0yna9fhgyynszq9k3h00hfexx7s6rn4yz9

2024-12-05T03:21:31Z

Ravage vs Laserbeak... FIGHT!

Dear #VintageComputing / #RetroComputing YouTubers, please stop ...

2024-11-23T02:08:13Z

Dear #VintageComputing / #RetroComputing YouTubers, please stop apologizing for long videos. In depth content is good.

A friend buys out abandoned storage units and I help them sort ...

2024-11-18T01:36:44Z

A friend buys out abandoned storage units and I help them sort stuff when there are #VintageComputing or #RetroGaming items. Wasn't expecting to come across this game but here it is. Chase the Chuck Wagon for Atari 2600.

Troubleshooting an IBM 5162 PC XT 286 system that won't POST. ...

2024-11-17T03:34:26Z

Troubleshooting an IBM 5162 PC XT 286 system that won't POST. I've put in the Supersoft/Landmark Diagnostic ROMs but what I get is this blue screen with black bits that moves a bit. No beep codes.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

I bet the Germans already have a word for it.

2024-11-15T10:17:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…s252
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I bet the Germans already have a word for it.

Oh, yes. Another example is old hard drives. I absolutely love ...

2024-11-14T14:09:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…n53n
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Oh, yes. Another example is old hard drives. I absolutely love the utility of the modern BlueSCSI devices but when I use them in old Mac systems, I find that I miss the comforting sounds of the stepper motors moving the heads.

the move away from tactile media is sad.

2024-11-14T12:55:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…244e
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the move away from tactile media is sad.

Really excited about this addition to my collection. It looks ...

2024-11-11T05:07:34Z

Really excited about this addition to my collection. It looks like an ordinary 13 inch TV but it's not. This is a multi-standard unit. It supports both PAL and NTSC. And its tuner is PAL so I can test old Speccy and ZX81 systems.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

Any #VintageComputing / #RetroComputing people planning on ...

2024-11-05T03:43:52Z

Any #VintageComputing / #RetroComputing people planning on streaming Tuesday night to give people something to distract them from doomscrolling?

My friend Adam bought this Radio Shack TV Scoreboard pong game at ...

2024-11-02T21:15:36Z

My friend Adam bought this Radio Shack TV Scoreboard pong game at Free Geek Twin Cities today. I always forget how much fun pong can be.

#RetroGaming

You know what I definitely didn't need? Another #TI99 system. ...

2024-11-02T20:42:23Z

You know what I definitely didn't need? Another #TI99 system. But the price was too good and I wanted the external floppy drive and the RS232 card in the PEB.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

My #Amstrad #CPC464 just died on me. It was working fine and then ...

2024-11-01T00:02:37Z

My #Amstrad #CPC464 just died on me. It was working fine and then it froze up. Now this is what I get when I power it on. Anybody have any suggestions?

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

Cartridge port isn't working on this #Atari 65XE. I think I ...

2024-10-28T00:19:50Z

Cartridge port isn't working on this #Atari 65XE. I think I see why...

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

A bonus item that came with that CPC 6128 today was this Amstrad ...

2024-10-26T04:03:10Z

A bonus item that came with that CPC 6128 today was this Amstrad MP-3. No, it's not a music player. It's a TV tuner that you could connect to a CPC monitor. Sadly, I don't have the requisite monitor so I don't know what I'd use this for.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #Amstrad

Got my capture setup dialed in. I can record pixel-perfect from ...

2024-10-26T01:43:41Z

Got my capture setup dialed in. I can record pixel-perfect from my Sun SPARCstations now.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #SPARCstation

I did but I'm afraid I don't know enough about SCSI to ...

2024-10-21T04:52:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…6rzn
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I did but I'm afraid I don't know enough about SCSI to decipher the log content.

Still can't get my BlueSCSI to work properly with my ...

2024-10-21T04:01:36Z

Still can't get my BlueSCSI to work properly with my SPARCstation 1. I can use it to emulate the CDROM drive to install Solaris on an old physical drive but it fails when trying to partition any virtual HD from the BlueSCSI. It's funny seeing CDE in 1-bit.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

Can't seem to get Solaris to install on this Sparcstation 1 ...

2024-10-20T02:38:55Z

Can't seem to get Solaris to install on this Sparcstation 1 with a BlueSCSI. Keep getting this error when it tries to create the root filesystem.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #Sparcstation #BlueSCSI

I have a bunch of time to kill in Seattle on Wednesday before I ...

2024-10-14T17:09:16Z

I have a bunch of time to kill in Seattle on Wednesday before I fly back to Minnesota. Since Connections Museum (npub10yr…pvwm) is only open on Sundays and that other museum is gone, what would be a fun, nerdy thing to do for a couple of hours?

Testing capture from my Tynemouth Mini PET 40/80 from ...

2024-10-12T22:03:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…745q
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Testing capture from my Tynemouth Mini PET 40/80 from Rod Hull - www.tfw8b.com (npub10t6…7nj2) running LEMONADE!

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #Commodore

My capture devices don't seem to be capable of properly ...

2024-10-12T20:16:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…8hr9
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My capture devices don't seem to be capable of properly handling the output of my SparcStation 5 running OPENSTEP 4.2. It cuts off like 10 or 20 pixels vertically. I decided to just let it cut off the bottom so I don't lose menu stuff at the top of the screen.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #SparcStation #OPENSTEP

Spending my day tinkering with various capture devices to see ...

2024-10-12T19:57:47Z

Spending my day tinkering with various capture devices to see what it takes to record the output of different vintage computers. Here's a screenshot of the initial POST splashscreen on an SGI Indigo workstation.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #SGI #Indigo

ahem 🎶🎤 Modem, Modem, Modem 1200 baud modem Keep that ...

2024-10-10T17:58:37Z

*ahem* 🎶🎤

Modem, Modem, Modem
1200 baud modem
Keep that dial-up modem
Online!

Though fiber may be better
I want touch tones forever
It's ringing so hang on for the ride

That carrier I'm missin'
Beeps and squeals and hissin'
Call waiting interrupting my line

Plug 'em in!
Hook 'em up!
Load 'em up!
Log 'em on!
Type 'em in!
Dial 'em up!
ONLINE!

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #Modem #BBS

East Lothian Sunset #Scotland #Dunbar #Spott #Edinburgh #Sunset ...

2024-09-26T18:42:13Z

East Lothian Sunset

#Scotland #Dunbar #Spott #Edinburgh #Sunset

I'll have much more to say about my visit to the Edinburgh ...

2024-09-25T11:56:28Z

I'll have much more to say about my visit to the Edinburgh Hacklab in due course but I wanted to share this now. Over the last several years, my vintage computing hobby has started to skew heavily toward systems from the UK that had limited, if any, availability in the US. This led me to spend a lot of time watching old TV shows like The Computer Programme which was hosted by Chris Serle and Ian McNaught-Davis. "Mac" left us about 10 years ago but Chris passed away last week. While visiting the Hacklab, shortcolin (npub18vp…pwxu) and cicely (npub1urh…hamz) helped me set up a BBC Micro with the bespoke Microvitec CUB monitor. While I do have a Beeb in my collection at home, the monitor is something I had only seen in photos and on TV until now. It is such a beautiful artifact of its time and I hope to get one someday. For now, I decided to take advantage of my time with this one to type out a brief tribute to the late Chris Serle.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #BBCMicro #ChrisSerle

I'm too tired to form words right now but I wanted to thank ...

2024-09-24T23:01:06Z

I'm too tired to form words right now but I wanted to thank shortcolin (npub18vp…pwxu) and cicely (npub1urh…hamz) for being such wonderful hosts tonight at the Edinburgh Hacklab. We had a fantastic time. I'll write more about it tomorrow when I regain consciousness.

Oreo Coke is such a weird juxtaposition. I kind of like it but ...

2024-09-19T23:07:56Z

Oreo Coke is such a weird juxtaposition. I kind of like it but only in small amounts. A bit too rich.

Any idea what's wrong with your PSU?

2024-09-09T15:48:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…gqqp
_________________________

Any idea what's wrong with your PSU?

Here's one of the devices that followed me home from #VCFMW ...

2024-09-09T01:18:46Z

Here's one of the devices that followed me home from #VCFMW this weekend... an R4000 #SGI Indigo.

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing

Nostr event nevent1qqsvd30k957nwl2jgsmaakckxjalgjgey3vq4rhuj4xhtqmg7ganmggzyq9zharfer6ken0gxuvw2ehjd0yna9fhgyynszq9k3h00hfexx7s6lkn0k5

2024-09-04T03:14:56Z

White Claw is just the current generation's Zima, right?

it's 91°F here with a dewpoint of 78°F. Walking from my car ...

2024-08-26T18:06:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…qx8w
_________________________

it's 91°F here with a dewpoint of 78°F. Walking from my car to the front door was utter misery.

Holiday booked. I'll be planning to visit the Edinburgh ...

2024-08-09T01:48:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…j29y
_________________________

Holiday booked. I'll be planning to visit the Edinburgh Hacklab on Tuesday, September 24th.

I'm going to exist. Just watch. I'm going to exist so ...

2024-06-08T16:44:03Z

I'm going to exist. Just watch. I'm going to exist so hard.

That is EXACTLY the kind of suggestion I was hoping for!

2024-03-01T18:14:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…vldf
_________________________

That is EXACTLY the kind of suggestion I was hoping for!

Contemplating a week's holiday in Scotland. Never been. ...

2024-03-01T03:07:25Z

Contemplating a week's holiday in Scotland. Never been. Don't want to spend the whole time doing typical tourist stuff. I'd like to find some more 'ordinary' places to go as well while we're there.

"Lucky: A love story in two frames" #DogsOfMastodon ...

2023-08-26T19:15:21Z

"Lucky: A love story in two frames"

#DogsOfMastodon #Saluki #RescueDogs #FosterDog