test-drb December 2000

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

192 participants
490 discussions

World's Crappiest Drives (was Re: A&J Microdrive)

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

Mike -- Thanks for the very helpful information about this drive. The "documentation" consists of a user's manual with no technical data. The connector on the TS2068 version is different than what you describe but otherwise it seems the same. There were actually two versions for the TS2068, each using a slightly different tape. Both types seem to be equally unreliable. The tapes self-destruct if you look at them the wrong way. In fact, these are absolutely the crappiest storage devices I have ever seen used on any computer. Any challengers for worst storage device? Glen Goodwin 0/0

23 years, 7 months

Professors worry that engineering students don't tinker enoug h...

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> In most of the US, putting "engineer" near your name doesn't require that > you hold an engineering certification. For instance, my official title > at my day job is "senior software engineer" but I've never taken a single > software nor engineering course, much less certification exam, in my life. False. In most states of the U.S., if you represent yourself as an engineer of any kind, and you are not a licensed engineer, you are committing a crime, albeit a misdemeanor. Texas is leading the nation in trying to change this. -dq

23 years, 7 months

q: old dial-up MUD-like commercial game?

by ryan＠hack.net

Just having a moment of nostalgia here.. Anyone remember having a multi-player D&D/MUD like game dial-up service in their city? I'm thinking around 1985 or earlier... it was some sort of a timeshare system with 8/16/24 ports that people could dial in to at an hourly rate and play. As I recall it was some sort of franchise and we had one here in Milwaukee (414 area code) that was quite popular- I believe it was called Sceptre, but I'm not sure if that was the name of the game/world/town, etc. Just wondering what kind of hardware & software was hosting this game; it was quite addictive (or perhaps I was mesmerized by trying to use an 80-column terminal on a C64). Thanks, -- ------------------------------------------------------- Ryan K. Brooks V: 414-908-9011 r(a)hack.net F: 707-885-4944 Chief Scientist / Time Warner Telecom N9YBX

23 years, 7 months

dalnet #classic_computers IRC channel

by dwollmann＠puttybox.com

Just set up #classic_computers so a few of us from another channel could talk classics without getting kicked for being OT. Drop by if you'd like to join in. If there's enough interest, I'll keep the channel active for a while. dalnet, #classic_computers David Wollmann, aka 'converter' converter(a)dalnet-perl.org

23 years, 7 months

ST82500N: Need jumpers/switches

by msg＠computerpro.com

Greetings: Anyone have operating and maintenance info for CDC/Seagate ST82500N 'Sabre' SCSI drive? This unit is a module about two feet long and has a hex keypad and display front panel and beaucoup dip switches and jumpers on various boards. It is also tagged 'PA8U1B'. The HDA uses 8in media (19 physical heads); the entire unit includes locking pins at the rear for a drive bay, and weighs about fifty pounds (includes integral power supply). The previous owner (a large firm) did not remember it's original application but instead used it as the only drive on a Sun 470 (and didn't remember how it was physically mounted). It works and we can extract data from it, but it is set to target 0 and we must change that; also the front panel controls allow for various reconfigurations and tests; we'd like to know those too. We'd like to know which computers included this drive as an option; certain VAXen for sure but what about CRAY, CDC, SGI, etc? Thanks, Michael Grigoni Cybertheque Museum

23 years, 7 months

Data Archival

by jforbes＠primenet.com

The key ingredient here, is that the data are stored on several hard drives...as I replace hard drives, there is a folder in each called "archive", which collects the info from the previous hard drive...and this archive folder is also copied to other computers via the lan. I wound't trust anything to only one copy, be it on a hard drive, floppy, cd, tape cartridge, or even a book stored in the basement :) Jim Sellam Wrote: > On Thu, 7 Dec 2000, J Forbes wrote: > > > It seems to me that nowadays we buy new hard drives with a few > > times more capacity every year or two. We also have several > > computers, many networked (at home, this is). > > > > I think that we may just keep all the info on hard drives, with > > an occasional CD-R backup, and it will get duplicated so many > > times over the years that we would be hard pressed to lose any > > data. > > And then one day the box it's stored in gets bumped a little too hard, or > when you try to fire it up in ten years something on it blows, or...? > > I can think of worse ways to archive data, but I wouldn't want to trust > anything long term to a hard drive. Unless you kept the data "alive" > meaning you kept it stored on a computer that is constantly being > backed-up and in service. > > Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival

23 years, 7 months

CD's as parabolic mirrors?

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On December 8, Megan wrote: > >I remeber reading that a hologram of a lens would refract light in the > >same was as a real lens would. This concept has formed the basis for > >the flight-of-fancy holodeck/holosuite concept from Star Trek. > > <ot> > The holodeck supposedly uses both hologram projectors and transporter > technology... I suspect it should also use shield technology, too... > </ot> The Trek world's holodecks don't have anything at all to do with holographic lens technology. They use a combination of holography (for background scenes and "wall extension") and transporter-style matter synthesis for "solid" objects. Yes, though, holographic lenses do work, are in widespread use, and have been around for quite some time. The most recent consumer application for them jumped out at me at a hamfest last summer. Some guy had dozens of cases of new, really cheap & cheesy handheld laser pointers. The more expensive ones (like $8 instead of $5) came with these little interchangeable "caps" that you could screw over the beam exit end. These different caps contained holographic lenses which would project different patterns or pictures or whatever on whatever you pointed it at. Yes, there are some of those things on the market that simply contain a piece of what looks like miniature slide film...but if you look around, you can find the ones with the holographic lenses. They kinda look like plastic diffraction gratings when viewd in normal light. -Dave McGuire

23 years, 7 months

Order-of-magnitude (OT)

by mmcfadden＠cmh.edu

I believe the order-of-magnitude knowledge was very necessary if you used a slide rule. Since the slide rule allowed you to compute the significant digits the operator had to know the order of magnitude. I graduated from college before handheld/battery calculators. My physics/calculus class was more how to write the equation and derive an approximate answer than a specific answer. My grandfather gave be a slide rule when I was in 4th grade, 1962. Slide rule battery never runs down. Slide rule can be used to scrape ice off windshield. Slide rule doesn't mind hot and cold temperature. Slide rule also visible in direct sun light. My kids don't understand why approximations and knowing the order-of-magnitude are useful. Very useful for determining the expected cost of gas when filling up. Also useful for mowing, raking leaves, hauling dirt, sailing, flying and buying groceries. Of course I also worked for my grandfather in an orchard selling apples, no cash register just a cigar box and a coffee can for the tax, 3 cents on the dollar. If you couldn't figure the bill and the tax in your head you were useless. "Being comfortable with math is a way of life and an attitude" Mike McFadden mmcfadden(a)cmh.edu

23 years, 7 months

Apple I on History Channel tonight at 7pm

by dogas＠bellsouth.net

History's Lost and Found show airing this evening... http://www.historychannel.com/ontv/ Cheers - Mike: dogas(a)bellsouth.net

23 years, 7 months

Classic Cinemaware Games

by jeff.kaneko＠juno.com

On Tue, 5 Dec 2000 10:01:37 -0600 (CST) Dan Linder <dlinder(a)uiuc.edu> writes: > I think in "Youngster Lingo" (tm) "ROMs" = "Games" due to the > popularity > of NES, etc, emulators, people go looking for "ROMs" instead of > Games - > it's sort of like "warez". :) > > - Dan I always thought the sort that would go looking for 'warez' would be on the hunt for 'ROMz' . . . ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

23 years, 7 months

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test-drb December 2000