Here’s a question you didn’t ask, but you’ll like the answer. Is the classic transistor radio earphone, used by millions of kids under their bed covers at night, still being made? Yes, and you can get one for less than a buck-fifty.
Category: Tech
Looking Back on Looking Back
A 1996 history of computers. Curiously for that year, the Internet isn’t mentioned, despite an onscreen appearance by Arpanet innovator Bob Taylor. At that time the minicomputer industry, that had been a driving economic force here in Massachusetts for 25 years, was on its last legs.
https://youtu.be/OSQld7xVMn0
I became an Amazon customer in August, 1996. My first order was a gift for “Rose is Rose” cartoonist Pat Brady who, to my surprise, wasn’t familiar with Winsor McCay.
Between Two Ears
Behind the high school version of me in the picture above was a pair of Realistic MC-1000 speakers from Radio Shack. MC-1000’s are now a butt of jokes in audio circles, but only my steady girlfriend had more of my undivided attention than my stereo system did at that time.
Consumer Reports gave the MC-1000 a Best Buy rating. I bought a pair with money earned working at a restaurant (following my night working as a carny). At the time they cost $100. That’s equivalent to $600 today, which will still buy a very good pair of speakers.
When I quit the restaurant at the end of high school I was earning $1.85/hour, or about $11.50 today. The summer after graduation I worked for the town’s school system at the incredible rate of $3.00/hour, or $18 when adjusted for inflation. I could easily have been killed by an accident that happened while doing unsupervised and dangerous work for that job, but I escaped unscathed.
Even with the money spent on girlfriends, comic books and related items, and the stereo and records for it, I managed to save $2500 for college. That’s $15,000 in today’s money, which wouldn’t get anyone past their freshman year at even a public 4-year college.
P.S. to mih — We met 50 years ago this month. You were the one who told me I should get a job.
Droning On And On
90 seconds in Minneapolis, and it isn’t about the George Floyd murder trial. Background on the video is at this link, and note that you may be sent to YouTube to watch it.
Screen Size Matters
I have spent uncountable hours of my life babysitting Windows operating system updates and restarts. I spent most of today doing more of the same on the previously mentioned Dell all-in-one computer. My son ran a factory restore procedure on the machine, which itself took many hours, and now I’ve reversed that process.
I’m pleased that the compact Bluetooth keyboard is working as well with Windows 10 as it did for me with the Lenovo Yoga 3 tablet, running Android 6. It was my ultra-portable setup that I used in Arizona. It was also ultra-affordable, with a total cost of $165. Since then the tablet has been used in my bedroom and the keyboard has been idle.
The idea behind this new setup is to try a Wacom Intuos Medium digital drawing tablet, which I should be doing this time tomorrow. So there’s no need for a full-sized keyboard and mouse.
A Dusty Record
Do records sound “better?” Here is a comparison that is completely invalid in every technical sense, but is nevertheless worth hearing.
First, the official copy on YouTube.
Now from vinyl, that may have been, for all I know, mastered from a digital source.
On my Logitech Z-3 computer speakers I’m hearing the same difference I’ve always heard between CD and LP.