Blog · corpus.blog/blogs/michaeldoornbos.com/posts
michaeldoornbos.com
michaeldoornbos.com
2023
Really loving Pocketbase for my personal database. The Python library is a little behind, so I forked it and updated it to bring it current with the new API syntax. Now to import the last 15 years of finsihed books from a CSV file :)original ↗
13 Jan 2023
I’m about to let some air out of this sealed package from the 90s. Should I play Nirvana or something while I do it?original ↗
12 Jan 2023
Took me an hour this morning to troubleshoot my Corsham board. Turns out the ribbon cable was bad. All better now.original ↗
12 Jan 2023
Move over iPhone. My new (in the box) planner even has a dedicated secret button. It’s where I’ll keep all of my passwords from now on and it’ll still be more secure than LastPass :)original ↗
6 Jan 2023
Our neighbor’s ducks are laying eggs faster than she can eat them. This is a good thing for us :)original ↗
5 Jan 2023
I try to spend a month with a particular retro computer at a time. January 2023 is the Corsham KIM-1 clone.original ↗
4 Jan 2023
Bo dee do we. Boop beep. Somehow this has survived in my possession for 43 (ish) years and even works.original ↗
2 Jan 2023
2022
Still on the prowl for an HP-16C. My replica is cool. Similar in size and it does feel solid thanks to the aluminum construction, but nothing beats the key feel in the voyager series.original ↗
31 Dec 2022
29 Dec 2022
More Atari VCS/2600 programming fun this week. Hats off to the folks who made decent games with 128 bytes of RAM.original ↗
29 Dec 2022
For no particular reason I've been learning Atari VCS/2600 Assembly this week. It is pretty challenging with no built in fonts and it makes the 3583 Bytes in a VIC-20 seem like a luxury. Anyway, counting up a score was satisfying.original ↗
27 Dec 2022
Off of work for a while now. I relax by studying and/or outdoor activities. As the temps are plummeting in the US this week, going to be more study than outdoors. On my current list are these two gems.original ↗
21 Dec 2022
Figured I should take a stab at #VCCC2022 this week. I've got the algorithm I want, now to rewrite in Assembly and shrink it ;-) Happy Monday! #commodoreoriginal ↗
19 Dec 2022
17 Dec 2022
Put a 128 motherboard and PET next to it so we can appreciate how big this 6510 die shot is on my wall. Amazing.original ↗
15 Dec 2022
Still working on iOS animations before the day job starts. This morning's project was pretty fun.original ↗
13 Dec 2022
10 PRINT is cool, but there are soooo many 1 liner possibilities. Need to try this on the VIC-20 next. #commodoreoriginal ↗
13 Dec 2022
Time to cartridge ROM dump following along with an @8BitShowAndTell video. You know, for scienceoriginal ↗
11 Dec 2022
I love that HP still makes the 12C. I never have one out of arms reach. 41 years and running and the CPU is very 6502ish. Make RPN great again.original ↗
8 Dec 2022
I did #AdventOfCode Day 6 on a #commodore VIC-20 today just for a change of pace. Pretty fun.original ↗
6 Dec 2022
I spent WAAAY too long today figuring out #AdventOfCode Day 4 on the Commodore 64, but it works. Took me 10 minutes to write my solution in Julia this morning and 3 hours this evening to write it for the #commodore. Probably can't spend that kinda time on work days, though. Fun!original ↗
4 Dec 2022
Got a Coco1 from @K0FFY_Radio today including some other goodies. Doing the ol route the RF through a VCR trick to get that soothing toxic green screen. This is now in the running for the worst computer in my collection and I couldn’t be happier about it.original ↗
3 Dec 2022
I did #AdventOfCode Day 3 in @julialanguage because it's Saturday and I needed to knock it out quickly. If I have time this evening, I'll try it on a retro computer.original ↗
3 Dec 2022
In December, I am adding SwiftUI to my skillset. Not bad for a first pre breakfast session.original ↗
2 Dec 2022
These are a few of my favorite things…Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashesSnowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes… Happy Friday!original ↗
2 Dec 2022
Alright, part 2 of #AdventOfCode Day 1 went to my Commodore PET 2001. Only took 58 seconds to do it, including reading the 2200+ data points from a floppy disk #commodoreoriginal ↗
1 Dec 2022
Been asked several times today if #AdventOfCode2022 is possible on vintage computers. The answer is "some of it". Today's was doable. Takes a minute to read 2200+ inputs from a floppy, but it worked. #commodoreoriginal ↗
1 Dec 2022
Well @8BitShowAndTell made me get the paddles out for a deep dive Ultimax cartridge/LeMans Patreon exclusive. Don’t tell anyone I’m using my #Atari paddles on a #commodore though okay?original ↗
1 Dec 2022
Well, #AdventOfCode2022 is off to a good start. I'm using @JuliaLanguage this year, and I realize I'm not nearly as good at Julia as I thought. The month's challenges will be hard, and that's great.original ↗
1 Dec 2022
I have 3 Raspberry Pi 4s that are being used for tasks like FPGA development. They are unobtainium these days but I do have 8 Raspberry Pi 3s. Any fun uses for these you can think of? Putting Homeassistant on 1 so that leaves 7 left. Happy Monday!original ↗
28 Nov 2022
Can’t say I didn’t get my money’s worth out of this thing. Waaaay better than modern phones.original ↗
27 Nov 2022
A year ago I got suspended from Twitter for posting this video because the post had the word “snowflake” in it. Ahh, the memories #commodoreoriginal ↗
22 Nov 2022
My favorite album this year is by@lukhash. Bought the CD last December, but the vinyl was sold out. New pressing was announced and ordered on Jan 28. Supplier screwed up many times. Those with patience finally received this gorgeous record this week #Commodore game is on side 2original ↗
22 Nov 2022
Did @somacdivad's weekly code challenge in BASIC this week. Because, uh, science or something. It's a “peculiar English dialect in which the numbers of letters in successive words follow the digits of the number π.” Pretty fun. #commodoreoriginal ↗
21 Nov 2022
20 Nov 2022
19 Nov 2022
Working on a code challenge from @shieladixon. Part 1 is total permutations 1 to 9 as fast as I can manage on a #Commodore. Here's an NTSC C64 doing it without printing in 48 seconds. Part 2 is a little harder, have to give it a think.original ↗
19 Nov 2022
18 Nov 2022
Christmas tree farm day. You know the day when the animals wonder why we’re bring a tree into the house. Crazy hoomans.original ↗
17 Nov 2022
I get asked a lot about how to do the “off screen” images on the SwissMicros calculators. The short short version is crop your photo to 400x240 and run this little Python. Then just copy it over usb to the offimg folder.original ↗
16 Nov 2022
I need to pay attention to details more. I meant to buy 10 SN74LVC245A’s and bought 100. If you need me, I’ll be looking around the shop for a couple dozen more things to level shift :)original ↗
16 Nov 2022
Everyone uses @JuliaLanguage to create data statement sets to do calculations on vintage BASIC machines right? I can’t think of a better use for modern computers than the assist for their elders. Happy Monday!original ↗
14 Nov 2022
I forgot that I DO have one calculator that can do very large exponents. But calling it a calculator is kinda a stretch. More like an ARM computer running python in a calculator costume. Still a fun device, though.original ↗
14 Nov 2022
Family game night tonight is @theRealKiyosaki ‘s Cashflow game. Who knew doing finances could be such fun?original ↗
13 Nov 2022
I am success! Now to make this WAY faster. But still, pretty neato. Can do up to 2^847 before we overflow in this iteration. Stretch goal is 2^5000, but getting there. #commodoreoriginal ↗
11 Nov 2022
In the age of endless selfies and pictures of our food, it's weird to think that I spent 6 years in the Navy and have maybe 6 pictures from that time. Happy Veterans Day to all Veterans and the families that tirelessly supported them.original ↗
11 Nov 2022
Back to some video generation with FPGAs this evening. VGA instead of composite this time.original ↗
9 Nov 2022
Not sure why it never occurred to me to try my favorite retro demo program on an 80 column PET. Universe wrong now righted. Happy Wednesday! #commodore #PET #retrocomputingoriginal ↗
9 Nov 2022
Just making sure I remember where the overflow is. Back off man, I’m a scientist. #commodoreoriginal ↗
7 Nov 2022
I stumbled into @JuliaLanguage in January. Spent this year being in love. Last night a young man I tutor asked “what does 2 to the 5000 actually look like?” Julia makes this crazy easy. And @8BitShowAndTell has me thinking I need to do this on a #commodore noworiginal ↗
6 Nov 2022
When I fly a retractable gear plane, I check that my gear is down at least 3 times. At the final approach fix, at IFR mins (even on a clear day) and once across the runway threshold. Those that fly with me often know my routine. I wont end up like this poor guy. Hopefully.original ↗
4 Nov 2022
Mobile computing peaked with this model. Everything after it is a productivity suck. Both of these beauties are getting battery replacements this evening.original ↗
3 Nov 2022
Most aspects of life were better before smart phones and always on internet. Something I’m reflecting on as November begins.original ↗
1 Nov 2022
One more possible writing platform for #NaNoWriMo is a KIM-1 clone. Have to memorize the hex codes for ASCII characters. 45,000 words at 4 words a minute in hexadecimal is… 187 hours just to “type” it. Extra credit: decode this. Happy Friday! #commodoreoriginal ↗
28 Oct 2022
27 Oct 2022
A little lunchtime fun. Here's a little program to examine characters from the character rom by location. #commodoreoriginal ↗
25 Oct 2022
It’s apparently Global Encryption Day. I’ve done quite a few ciphers on old computers, including SHA-256 in assembly (5 whole hashes per second). I really prefer encryption that can be done by hand. One time pads and the VIC cipher for example. Happy Saturday! #commodoreoriginal ↗
22 Oct 2022
My PET it always in the background on video calls, so I started using @8BitShowAndTell ‘s scroller to send subliminal messages. Happy Friday! #commodoreoriginal ↗
21 Oct 2022
This crap is why I started using Linux almost 30 years ago. Ads in my terminal window are my new least favorite thing. Poor form @Canonical, be better.original ↗
21 Oct 2022
I often intentionally spend a week with a particular 8-Bit machine at a time. This week is my nicely yellowed 128, a computer I desperately wanted to replace my beloved C64 when it came out. Still, a delight to use. #commodoreoriginal ↗
20 Oct 2022
A post over the weekend by @8BitShowAndTell has me thinking about how to do 10 PRINT on a PC-4. No backslash, hmmoriginal ↗
17 Oct 2022
MiniPet works pretty well on my 9 inch PET CRT. Now I'm working on a way to have both the original board and the MiniPET in the case at the same time. Everyone dual boots their PET these days right? Happy Friday! #commodore #10printoriginal ↗
14 Oct 2022
Stuck in the weeds on a couple things right now so I broke out a project from last year that I left hanging. Progress on Enigma in ML on the #c64 got my brain unstuck. #commodoreoriginal ↗
12 Oct 2022
I don’t know who at Commodore in 1979 thought that riveting voltage regulators on was a good idea, but I’m grateful for all of the rivet work I’ve done on airplanes. Could be really intimidating if you’ve never drilled rivets before. Repairing a Twitter friends PET this evening.original ↗
10 Oct 2022
Starting to think about National Novel Writing Month. If I use a VIC-20 for it and a tape deck, my working title for the novel could be "Self-Inflicted Pain." Would be fun to try. I'm reasonably sure it'll be the Apple II this year, though. #appleII #commodore #nanowrimo2022original ↗
10 Oct 2022
Well that's pretty fun. I'll have to think about some 320x200 source images that will render really well at 40x25ish ;-) #commodoreoriginal ↗
8 Oct 2022
I spend a ton of time on video calls these days. My tiny profile in a call has a PET in the shot, and the number of conversations this starts is wonderful. #commodoreoriginal ↗
8 Oct 2022
Sorta listening on a conference call I'm not sure I need to be on. How about studying some code to do 32 C64 sprites? I think I will thank you. Happy Thursday! #commodoreoriginal ↗
6 Oct 2022
Success. This “untested” PET 2001-8N is now back in service. The whole thing was filthy and had some corrosion. Every keyboard plunger needed Cailkote and it had two bad linear regulators. Fairly easy repair. Happy Monday! #commodore #PEToriginal ↗
3 Oct 2022
Started with zero keys working and this morning every key works flawlessly. #commodore #PEToriginal ↗
2 Oct 2022
1 Oct 2022
Took me a long time to find a decent hard cover copy of this book. Fascinating story. Edwin Layton was quite the guy.original ↗
30 Sept 2022
Not a single key on this PET keyboard worked so they are getting the full treatment. Be good as new after the 24 hour drying period for the conductive coating. Gave everything a bath while I wait. #commodoreoriginal ↗
30 Sept 2022
30 Sept 2022
Looking much better after a distilled water bath. Tomorrow I’ll sort out the lack of 5V power on the board. For now, we dry. #commodore #PEToriginal ↗
29 Sept 2022
29 Sept 2022
29 Sept 2022
28 Sept 2022
Ever go looking through your stuff looking for a Tandy Cassette Deck and find something you have no memory procuring? Apparently I have a Pinebook. Huh.original ↗
26 Sept 2022
21 Sept 2022