fiddlepaddle

I have been trying to upload a .jpg (4 Kb) when posting. I click BROWSE to find the file on my computer, click OPEN and the file name shows up (/home/xxx/smallstack.jpg). Then, when I click UPLOAD, it says UPLOADING FILE... for a few seconds, then comes back with "Manage Current Attachments (0)" and no longer asks me if I want to browse. I thought this is how I did it a few months ago, but I can't seem to get any further. I'm using ubuntu 8.04, firefox 3.0.5. Also tried konqueror 3.5.10, and it just continually says "Initializing attachments..." when the page comes up. Have I used up too much photo space or something (under 300k)? I've tried reducing the size of my .jpg and also deleting older attachments. I don't know what else to try...

I have some of those boxes, a couple that hold NES, a couple that hold SNES, and one or two that hold either SNES or N64. I got them all at thrift stores, where they tend to sit and get discounted eventually. I don't use them though, since I can't get enough to make it much use for me. I guess I could keep my favorite games in them next to my desk. I hadn't thought about using them as a stand for my Sega CD...that's a good idea...

2600/7800 carts are also just about the perfect size for use as adjustable size trestles when putting up different HO slot car track layouts that have lots of over-and-under stuff.

What the heck was the Colecovision team doing at the NYU Medical Center?

Yes. Gamecube, N64, SNES all have compatible video plugs and can be used either with RF mod switch or with YRW output cables.

If you don't want to go to all that trouble, you can also just take the cover off and spray some WD40 or silicon spray into various holes around the potentiometer without taking it apart. I did this several years ago to an otherwise good-looking pair and they've been working great ever since.

About a zillion, give or take...

Just out of curiosity, why would anyone want a hard wired power adapter for the 7800? There are systems that are hard wired but they have a built on the board power unit. Like the Intelly. It's not a bad idea just not practical. I think he threw the suggestion out there as a stab at a solution. Unless you can't wait for a power supply to come in the mail then you never know. Well, it's just a way that a person could get the 7800 working right away, without waiting for any deliveries, and possibly without spending any money. Regarding physically pulling the wire out, there are many simple solutions to that, including tying the cord in a knot inside the unit. Obviously, it wouldn't be stock, but some people don't care about that, as long as it works.

New spring, new switch, new 2600...?

Wonder what this lady looks like today?

You can use a generic power adapter, but you won't find any connectors that fit. Instead of buying a compatible replacement, you could solder the wires from the power adapter right to the circuit board. Be sure and look up the specs, and double check your work before turning the power on, though.

There are a couple ways to look at this book. One is as a paean to a videogame console both Nick and I know and love. Another is as an introduction to an influential machine to those that don't know it as well as many of us do, indeed a machine that many people see as just a retro fetish object. I hope the book can serve both purposes. As for dry and academic, I suppose it's a matter of taste. We wanted to write a professional book with accessible appeal directed at a broad audience. I think those of you who give it a chance will find a large number of observations that go far beyond mere name and number. Indeed, I wonder how anyone could draw conclusions based on the introductory chapter, given that its main purpose is to set up the rest of the book Sorry. After re-reading my post I decided I was little harsh. I guess I was being dry and academic myself. I'd like to add that I did actually read the entire two sample chapters, which I wouldn't have done if it hadn't been interesting. The text is clear and well written, professionally presented, and the price for a hardcover is reasonable (under $16 at Amazon). My comments were referring only to the introductory chapter, not the whole book obviously, since I haven't (yet) read it. I still think it reads like a textbook, though. This is not a criticism; I read a lot of textbooks.

I've got one like that. Plays fine, but no sound.

Yeah, I got my first 5200 and 2600 about the same time in 1982, came to the same conclusion, and did the same thing... I loved Space Invaders in the arcade that I didn't want it for any of the home consoles since they were so inferior. I just finally got 5200 Space Invaders last year. Still haven't even dug out the 5200 and played it yet! I always thought Activision was just being cheap by doing minimal work in translation to other platforms. Once I started collecting for the collection's sake, though, anal stuff like "completeness" became more important than game play when it came to the decision of whether or not to buy the game. Funny how our interests evolve over time, huh?

I wish I could still bum around with MY grandfather...

The sample chapter reads like a high school text book; very dry and academic. Any conclusions seem obvious, sort of like listening to Mr Rogers talk about his sweater.

We've never met, or even really interacted, but I've read a lot of your posts, so I feel like I should say I'm glad to have you back here with your wisdom and setting-'em-straight-ed-ness.

I've been collecting for a long time, mostly garage sales and flea markets, and I don't have Fatal Run or Klax yet... By the way, what is a car boot? Mine has tyres, and I wear a baseball bonnet sometimes when I drive with the winders down. Seven-to-one !?! Has the dollar dropped THAT much?

How about an atari mod with a VCR clock installed between the joysticks, flashing: 00:00

Tengen Tetris has a good two player variation, if I remember right. Also, Twin Eagle is a pretty good two player shooter.

That looks kind of cool...

True. Someone should really hack that code so it works better. Tempest Yeah, how in the world did that get by research? In 1991 or 1992, I reviewed that game in my newsletter Zap! and said it might be the worst control in history. I still think that. The controls may be a bit sensitive, but once I started playing Hyperchase, it became my favorite game on the Vectrex back then.

That's interesting... I have had success in areas including CA, OR, NM, AZ, TX, KS, IN, IL, OH. Haven't really tried the south east though. I have the best success in upper income neighborhoods. Maybe that has something to do with it? The Atari was pretty expensive back in the old days...

If you don't care which games you get, which is probably true if you don't have any yet, you will get the most bang for your buck by going to garage/yard sales. If you go early, and go to 50 garage sales over a few weeks, I'm sure you'll run across a few, most likely with games. Remember that people holding garage sales are (usually) mostly interested in clearing stuff out, not so much in making money. Ebay sellers are usually in it for the money. Go to Ebay once you decide to fill in the holes in your collection (if you really decide you need to). In the last 12 months, I've been to maybe 100 garage sales and passed up countless game systems including several Atari 2600s. They regularly show up at thrift stores (like Salvation Army) as well, but usually cost more. Game stores often have them also, but not all areas of the country have good game stores. Probably one of the best places to get lots of good stuff in person is by going to a game show or collectible show, but prices will be all over the board. Also, if you can identify other collectors in your town, most will have many duplicates they will probably let go cheap. Sometimes you can find these people at garage sales also, but you have to ask. I really like garage sales because I also find lots of other cool stuff, and often meet interesting people.

They could look good or professional, but they could never look authentic, since the 7800 never had them in the first place.