Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Apr 30, 2022 15:08:27 GMT -8
Here's the PowerBook G4 867 MHz Titanium with 768 MB of RAM in its place of honor atop my father's old rolltop desk.  Larger ViewDirectly above it (on the top shelf of the desk) is an Atari 130 XE that was basically given me by a client (that is, he has never asked for it to be shipped back to him after I photographed it for him). The photo exaggerates the aged yellowness of the keys, but not by much. This is a future project (when summer and the hot sun comes) for "Retrobriting." This is a process whereby you take a clear plastic container (the more sun, the better, and from all angles), fill it with enough water to cover the item (keys, in this case), and pour in about a half bottle or so of hydrogen peroxide. You then cover the lid with clear cellophane or (as I often do) a piece of glass. For best results, you need both the UV of the sun and the heat. It's possible to do this indoors, of course, using UV lights. The process takes maybe three or four hours. You should turn the items a couple times to try to get an even exposure to the sun. The technique is itself controversial (possibly objections based on junk science and some misconceptions). It would appear that you are not bleaching the items in question because the plastic (in my experience) does return to the original color and will whiten no further – once it has somehow (theoretically) counteracted the oxidation of the plastic. But I digress. It is possible that this rolltop desk predates the telephone (invention, 1877, widespread use, I don't know). So I don't know if the 1" hole (out of view) behind the Powerbook was a part of the original desk or something my father added...who indeed did have at one time an old telephone ( like this) on his desk. And it really worked. The hole proved convenient because through this hole I threaded (with no small effort using a piece of string and weighted washer) the power cord of the PowerBook, the power cord of the external 2 TB Iomega FireWire drive, and an Ethernet cable. The FireWire drive was completely gratuitous. But perhaps this entire computer is. But I had that drive sitting around. And it allowed me a place to install OS X Panther (10.5). OS X Tiger (10.4) resides on the internal SSD. And because almost nothing uses FireWire anymore, I just had to make use of the drive somehow. The PowerBook has one port for it. And I think I've discovered the problem with the backlight of the keyboard not working. I think the problem is that there isn't one. I had first read an old review that trumpeted the innovative (first ever on a laptop apparently) back-lighted keyboard. Later (much later) I read elsewhere that only some models had the backlight. So there you go. So far I haven't done much with it other than play some games. I got both Stella (the emulator for Atari 2600 games for both Mac and PC) and Atari800MacX (a couple good ones for Windows are Atari800Win Plus or Altirra...I run both) running on it. A gamepad of some kind is recommended. I use the Logitech Dual Action and/or their F310. They both are almost identical. But the Dual Action works well on old Macs (and the F310 doesn't). I've got the F310 working on a Windows 10 machine and on my 27" iMac running OS X Mavericks. But I can't get the F310 to work in XP or on the PowerBook G4. The 15" screen on this old PowerBook is sharp although not particularly saturated in regards to color. But for a laptop of the time, it was the best….until better (and higher resolution) came along in subsequent models. The moral to this story is that I didn't know that I needed this PowerBook. And, actually, I really don't. |
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Post by artraveler on May 1, 2022 11:34:37 GMT -8
That is a beautiful desk, from a time when good furniture was not only functional but had style.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 2, 2022 6:46:44 GMT -8
And you can put a lot in it. But I don't think it has any secret compartments. There is one door (on the far right) that locks. (It used to be the gun chamber.) The main (wide, flat) drawer hidden behind the chair also locks. And when you roll the top down, you can lock that as well. Amazingly, we found the keys which were stashed elsewhere.
Note the period-inauthentic 70's chair. We still have the large wooden chair that he used with it but it's so yuge that it wouldn't fit well in the space where the desk is now.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 2, 2022 10:27:28 GMT -8
Do you know how much crawling around on one's knees it takes even to make a little change? I think you do. Move one thing and a whole cascade of events unfolds. Here's the desk reconfigured with a pair of speakers that I had attached elsewhere (and were then replaced by speakers attached elsewhere elsewhere...but the XP machine really doesn't need anything right now).
These are $100.00 Edifier 1280T speakers. And they sound like $100.00 speakers. They're just okay for music but pretty much overkill for desktop speakers for a computer. The nice feature these have is two inputs for sound...that can both be playing together, if you want. So I have the Titantium PowerBook hooked up as well as an old iPad for Apple Music. Works great. Sounds just okay...like a $100.00 set of speakers. Moved the Atari 130XE because it looked a bit ugly sitting there. When I retrobrite the keys on the keyboard, that will help make it a better display piece. Unless I buy some longer cables, I have a few showing for now. It think it's fine for now.  |
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 3, 2022 13:03:08 GMT -8
The desk (and computer) that Time would not forget continue to be upgraded and augmented.  I had a couple years ago ran an Ethernet cable to the back room (where this desk is) to the iBook. I think it was a 50 ft. cable. The iBook serves as a print server. But I needed a hub or switch (and I couldn't offhand tell you the difference between them) in order to hook up more computers to the network. So I added on a TP-Link 5 Port 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet Switch (just to the right of the orange iBook). I had purchased one of these several years ago and it works fine. So now I can transfer files to the PowerBook G4 Titanium over the network. And, of course, there's nothing better than a whole lot of Sinatra albums for that first transfer. You can see the cover art for various of his albums presented on the iTunes screen. And playing right from a digital file (rather than via Bluetooth via Apple Music via the old iPad you see on the far right) does sound better. No surprise there. |
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 4, 2022 6:19:16 GMT -8
I watch a fair amount of YouTube videos on repairing and restoring old computers. Inevitably, in the comment section someone will say, "Thanks for keeping it out of the landfill."
There are not enough hobby desks and retro rooms to make even a small dent in keeping old computers out of a landfill. Steps have been taken by manufacturers to ease the recycling of the components but it's still a big task.
I want to say "Thanks for your meaningless virtue signaling, asshole." But I don't. Why bother?
But it's interesting that Apple, in particular, are perhaps the worst contributors to the landfill given that their computers are extremely difficult (if not impossible) to upgrade. It wasn't always this way. You used to be able to fairly easily upgrade the essentials (memory, processor, hard drive, video card) – even on some laptops.
Now everything is pretty much bolted down and impossible. So to "upgrade" in most cases it means to buy a new computer. You might therefore find it amusing to see Apple's response to the recent wave of "right to repair" pressure being put upon it by some activists.
What a wonderful statement of corporate cynicism. Yes, as some obsequious commenters have pointed out, a person could buy this equipment (instead of renting it for a one-off fix) and make a business out of it. Then all the machinery (with a learning curve established) would not be so cumbersome and over-the-top.
But what remarkable assholes they must have at Apple to come up with this "right to repair" plan whereby you rent these two yuge suitcases of equipment for fifty bucks and then try to work your way through a repair using their incomplete instructions. As Luke notes, it's as if Apple is saying, "Well if you really want to repair your own computer, then fuck you." Luke's language was more measured.
Amazingly, it actually costs (according to Luke) $7.00 more to go this "right to repair" route than if you'd simply taken your computer (phone, in this case) to an Apple Store.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 4, 2022 7:06:06 GMT -8
This YouTuber really lays bare Apple's cynical move:
Here's another interesting video on the subject:
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Post by kungfuzu on May 4, 2022 9:38:37 GMT -8
Looks like an advertisement for a later-day "Leave it to Beaver."
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 4, 2022 13:59:25 GMT -8
If the Beaver had access to a computer in 1960, it might have been a DEC PDP-1, particularly if his father worked in or around MIT.  |
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Post by kungfuzu on May 4, 2022 17:35:53 GMT -8
I can just see Ward working at that desk.  |
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 6, 2022 10:38:07 GMT -8
You will not likely want to wade through this entire video. He could have edited it to about 1/3 the length and made the same point.
But as a long-time Mac user, I can verify completely what this guy is talking about. His truisms regarding Communism (and how it relates to the Apple cult of fanboys) is exact. Some of his best observations come in the first two minutes or so.
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Post by kungfuzu on May 7, 2022 10:05:34 GMT -8
You are right. He talks too much about nothing. I stopped watching between 1/3 and 1/2 of the way through the video.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 7, 2022 11:40:58 GMT -8
I watched a few of this guy's videos before tiring of him. But he does make some yugely good conservative points. It's just that there is so much blah-blah-blah in between.
Clearly the guy loves holding court and hearing himself talk. And mostly he's right-on and saying critical things that we would agree with. (He hates how people play the victim and parse everything through race, class, and gender.)
But he needs an editor. Oh well. My hunch is, though, that this guy has never voted for a Republican president and probably won't ever. That's just a hunch. What I do know is that the world is full of people who hate political correctness, woke-ism, etc., but keep voting for it.
That one video about Mac cultists, although not brief, is surprisingly insightful regarding Mac fanboys. Artler has mentioned many fine books regarding mobs, cults, and groupthink. But one need only spend a few months interfacing with Mac enthusiasts to understand the phenomenon.
Apple's official forums used to be called (and may still be called) "Apple Discussions." My friends and I would always refer to it as "Apple Delusions." You have no idea how deep this phenomenon is (at least historically) in the Mac/Apple universe. It's certainly less so these days with the passing of Steve and with so many outside-the-Mac-beltway users coming in via the iPhone.
But they are still there. Steve Jobs could have taken a shit on their desk and called it an "upgrade" and Mac fans would have been marveling out how amazingly well this new software worked. I give this blowhard credit for at least acknowledging this fact. He's at the forefront of the "right to repair" movement. His basic shtick is "Don't settle for being abused by a corporation. If something is broken, demand that it be fixed instead of making excuses for the company."
I can't argue with that. I (and others) have been saying that regarding Apple for decades now.
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Post by kungfuzu on May 7, 2022 14:07:54 GMT -8
As I recall, Rush commented on this phenomenon.
Not having ever used an Apple device, I must admit that I have no idea what this is all about. I will take it even further and profess some bemusement at the idea of anybody getting all excited about computers in general. Yes, they are, or can be, very useful, but they essentially just tools. Perhaps they are more than that to some people. I can imagine that some people see them as some sort of inspirational artistic work, much like the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Perhaps Jobs is the equivalent of Michelangelo to these people and the machine is a depiction of God.
A discussion I had with my wife this morning exemplifies the irrationality of the Apple crowd. Mrs. Flu recently got a new TCL(?) smart phone and is learning the many things which she can do with it. This cost less than $100. I will bet it does the same things a new iPhone does, but that iPhone can costs hundreds of dollars. I don't get it.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 7, 2022 15:17:22 GMT -8
Oh, you unwashed heathen. You unbeliever. You must be a Microsoft troll. Go back to your crappy Win-doze.
Maybe you should go back and watch that full video, and some of the others where he takes on Apple, the Apple Store, their sometimes horrible business practices regarding repair, and just the all-around denial factor of Apple fans.
I enjoy my Mac, Apple history, and the lore surrounding the computer/movement. But I never worshiped the company or Steve Jobs. In fact, it's the kind of business where the more you know about them, the more you despise them. And I really do despise Apple.
I upgrade, on average, about every 8 to 9 years (going on 11 now). I don't fork over my money haphazardly just to have the latest and greatest. I'm very careful. And you have to be very careful about Apple products because these guys are conmen and sharks. It's likely that whatever you buy could, A) Have a major flaw that you find about only later; B) Is not upgradably so you have to be very choosy what you buy; C) Will be made obsolete soon enough by Apple themselves.
PC's are infinitely upgradable, although eventually the newest of the new chips/RAM might require the latest motherboard version. But, by and large, you can keep specing them up with various upgrades.
With Apple, the computers (especially today) are locked down tight. Upgrades are all but impossible so you need to buy as much as you can afford and then live with it a while (thus going on 11 years for my 27" iMac, although I did replace it recently with a used model). If you need a repair, then you're screwed. There is no Louis Rossmann computer fix-it shop that I am aware of in my area. And depending upon the Apple Store is a little like taking a 16 year old pregnant girl to Planned Parenthood: It's a cultish atmosphere...even by liberal standards.
Jobs no doubt used this blind-follower aspect of Apple fans. But he himself was enormously hard-headed about stuff. But dealing with other Mac cultists online, you only need to hear "Well, my computer doesn't have that problem...it must be something you are doing" five or six times before you realize you're dealing with a cult.
Why? Yeah, it's just a tool. But people these days (as Louis noted) have very narrow worldviews. They are agreeable to them because it makes them feel safe (as he says) because it explains the way the world works. But if you say something that goes against this worldview, you then have to be destroyed. Good insight by blow-hard Louis.
All the garbage occurring on Facebook and Twitter was foretold 30 years ago via the brain-dead liberal Mac cultists who treated Apple like some religious institution that was beyond criticism.
Strange thing is, I do love my Macs. There is a style and elegance to them lacking in all PCs. PCs are indeed just "tools." Macs have a right to claim to be something more. But, Jesus, not that much more as some people have it.
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 20, 2022 13:54:08 GMT -8
I took a step forward in making this new (old) PowerBook G4 Titanium into something useful.
Actually, I didn't do it. I quite discovered by chance that there is a private (non-Apple) project called "Sorbet Leopard."
Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) was the last official release of a Mac operating system for Motorola-based "PowerPC" Apple computers. I have this also installed on my PowerBook which has the Motorola G4 processor. At this time, Apple was in the middle of switching to Intel processors because Motorola just was not able to supply the type of modern processors that Apple needed.
The next major release of OS X was called "Snow Leopard" (10.6). This would be for Intel computers only (which Apple has just come out with). Any PowerPC computer (such as my PowerBook G4 Titanium...thus the "power" in "PowerBook") would be left behind.
But never doubt that power of a thousand geeks banging away at the keyboard. I know little about how this was developed, but apparently Apple internally did indeed have a PowerPC version of Snow Leopard in-house but it was never released. Somehow somebody got hold of this, modified it significantly, and released it as "Sorbet Leopard."
I installed it today. Although it won't turn any old computer into a speed demon, it did do the major job of allowing you to connect to use the world wide web somewhat effectively. Included with Sorbet Leopard is Safari 11, which is quite a few generations up from the Safari version 5 that is far as you can go on Leopard.
I'm logged into my usual account on my PowerBook G4 running Sorbet Leopard because I think it's secure enough to do so. There are a lot of people into retro computing and they are doing amazing things with these old machines.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Jun 1, 2022 17:38:43 GMT -8
I have gone completely bonkers now and updated the PowerBook G4 Titanium with another 500 GB of memory bringing the total to 1GB, which is the maximum this machine will apparently allow. When I received this computer as a gift, it had only a bare 256 MB in it which wasn't really workable at all (at least for OS X). That extra memory gives the cache files for the system and such more room to breath. Using the Sorbet Leopard install almost exclusively, I found that it does the internet rather well, if about at half speed. But it works on most sites. And I've downloaded some interesting games include a version of Minecraft called " ClassiCube." This is apparently based on the early or "classic" version of Minecraft. You build things out of blocks. Admittedly, this is a game for usually young boys. But it's been fun to fiddle around in. I've often watched my nephews (when they were younger) play this. They have since moved onto the most violent sort of combat games...so violent (and pointless) that they make me cringe. But certainly Minecraft is neither violent nor pointless. I imagine more than a few architects will have been inspired by the game. And this ClassiCube version runs wonderfully on the PowerBook G4 Titanium, getting about 52 frames per second which is very playable. If you have a Steam account you can pick this up for about $4.00 for your PC.  |
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 19, 2022 9:11:50 GMT -8
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 21, 2022 6:41:17 GMT -8
Thanks for the heads-up. I'm installing Apple's latest update now.
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Post by artraveler on Aug 21, 2022 6:55:01 GMT -8
I alway look for an update when Safari starts giving me 404s on site I use daily.
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