This idea is "Out There", even for me! (If you can believe THAT!) ;)

[Omega-TI]

Okay, I have a friend that thinks I'm a stark raving lunatic for devoting so much time and energy in "an antique computer that does not have enough memory to do anything useful". Well now, I guess no one is perfect and it's, "Different strokes for different folks." in his case. Anyway I countered his "useful crack" by showing him Stuarts new Internet browser as an example of a very useful program, although it's still in it's infancy." I didn't think he grasped what I was telling him, especially about it's potential for bit mapped graphics, but he raised an eyebrow and brought up something else I had told him in the past... Tursi's image conversion program.

 

He said, he doubted the TI would have the capability to convert a graphic file into bit mapped code that Stuart's browser could display. The fact is, he's probably right and it's an "Out There" concept, but hey, a stock Model T Ford can't do a 120mph either, but hobbyists still have fun with them. I also did not remind him that Tursi's program runs on the PC.

 

 

[+Schmitzi]

hmmm, maybe you could pull him a hair crest with the PeriBox ?

 

Edited February 16, 2015 by schmitzi

[matthew180]

Sorry, I have no patience for people like that. What someone considers "useful" is completely subjective, and when it comes to hobbies you can throw everything out the window. Nothing has to make sense or be justifiable beyond that a person wants to do it and/or derives some enjoyment from it - whatever *it* happens to be.

 

To you friend I would suggest that he go study a modern CPU and realize that "RAM is the new disk" and there is only 32K to 64K of L1 cache in which your program needs to run to maintain performance. Hmm, sounds like an environment we know very well. By working with old resource-limited computers we are actually getting really good at making the fastest possible software on modern computers. Not to mention a very easy to use environment that cuts the crap and lets you get down to business quickly. Computers still work the same and there is much you can learn from an old computer that you can directly apply to a shiny new one.

[+OLD CS1]

I generally just ignore that kind of crap. Everyone has their own thing and this just happens to be mine.

 

Though I will say this: the experience and knowledge I have at this level gives me more of an insight to modern technology and lends a certain intuition into troubleshooting that many of my colleagues lack, for which they often lean on me when they get stuck. Those who know me "get it," and those who do not know me either learn or piss off. (Something I tried to impress upon TI-Sissy in regards to her boyfriend and brother.)

 

As an aside, I think this is what also prevents me from being a "gadget guy" and more cynical and critical toward technology and how it gets used and abused in modern life. Even simple things, like all I can think when confronted with a 128GB microSD is, "it's about damn time."

[PeBo]

There are all kinds of computers and devices that do useful stuff...and they seem to be turning the entire population of the planet into screen-glow zombies who, it would seem, can no longer do useful stuff themselves.

 

So, the next time your friend says that your vintage computer can't do anything useful, might I suggest you tell him that it does something VERY useful. Something current tech fails miserably at...

 

It makes you use your brain.

Edited February 17, 2015 by PeBo

[+OLD CS1]

It makes you use your brain.

 

/thread

[Tursi]

The TI can convert images to fit itself - GIF Mania was loading GIFs thirty years ago. It can't do a brute force search in a reasonable amount of time, but neither can it ray trace or calculate fluid dynamics quickly. Everything is a tradeoff between time and results.

 

I would have burned him by noting that my image converter only works because it does what the PC is good at - being really, really fast but dumb, it just tries every possibility till it finds one that looks right.

[Willsy]

It's still teaching me stuff.

[Omega-TI]

hmmm, maybe you could pull him a hair crest with the PeriBox ?

 

 

Ouch.....