Video Fridays: Retro Computing Enthusiasts are Masochists

For some reason I have been watching a lot of these retro-computer hardware enthusiasts videos. I think it’s an odd mix of nostalgia for the days when I was up to my elbows upgrading and disassembling my PCs and reminding myself that I have better things to do with my time than slave over antiquated technologies that got rid of for a reason. I got to be pretty good at upgrading hardware as long as it didn’t require anything more complicated than my Phillips head screwdriver. These guys replacing capacitors and soldiered components… yeah, like I said, there was a reason that I moved on from my 8-bit CP/M Kaypro luggable computers to my new M3 MacBook Air.

2007-12-27 PC Recycling — **Working on my PCs circa 2007**

More power to these guys. Forty years ago, I couldn’t imagine having the income to be able to afford having a personal computer and somewhat stumbled into this hobby because I could see how it would help with my writing. But the tech at the time was so primitive that I need to learn how to support the personal computer “hobby” if it was going to be at all useful towards my writing. It was a bit of circular reasoning where I ended up doing far more technology tinkering than actual writing and when I did write, it was all about trying to troubleshoot whatever technology gremlin was vexing me. Ugh. I used to visit a local Apple Store and Fry’s Electronics every Sunday to remind myself of all the technology I had at home that I wasn’t fully utilizing and that I didn’t need to buy anything else. That worked surprisingly well for quite a long time and I only fell victim when there was an actual leap in some technology. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

Now I watch videos, kind’a “window shopping,” vicariously enjoying their tinkering without having to get cramps in my fingers or spending the hours needed for these projects. I recently posted a video of a guy who designed and 3D printed a case that looked a little like the original 1984 Macintosh where he used an iPad mini as it’s screen and case fit over the time of his current Mac Studio. That’s an interesting way to deal with the nostalgia of wanting an original Macintosh. Then today I saw another video where the guy 3D printed an original Macintosh case and pulled together modern components, like a 10” LCD screen and motherboard from a thin-client to create what he called a Brewintosh. It was an incredibly elaborate construction to mimic an old Macintosh, including programming it so that it would run old Macintosh programs from the original floppy disks. This was way beyond my skills set, but a good example of some creative approaches to how some of us scratch our nostalgia itch. I think I’ll just run an old screen saver or something. Enjoy.