tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34111467947381806972011-11-27T15:36:12.919-08:00From Apple II to Socket AM2, listen to me ramble on retro computing, gaming, and software development.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.comBlogger101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411146794738180697.post-53308689456866745102010-01-26T23:42:00.001-08:002010-01-27T00:19:51.513-08:00

When i was a kid, the MT-32 was the bee's knees of computer audio. At the time, you were limited to the Adlib FM (an 8bit ISA FM synthesis affair) or if you had parents that could shell out $900, the Roland. Unfortunately, I could afford neither at the time and eventually waited nearly a decade before I found this one at a garage sale for cheap. For those not in the know, it's essentially a

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411146794738180697.post-21277651540962079292010-01-19T22:47:00.000-08:002010-01-19T22:56:08.062-08:00

OSX isn't my primary platform, but I like to keep up to date on the goings-ons of Cupertino. I've decided recently to relegate my unibody macbook to desktop duty. One of my 2010 resolutions is to shun wires wherever possible, so off I went to the local Apple Store. After irritating the sales person by whipping out my Motorola Droid, I'm $150 poorer, but with two less exposed wires on my

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411146794738180697.post-56739999833127168912010-01-03T21:31:00.001-08:002010-01-03T21:42:30.446-08:00

So I've had this neverending quest to concentrate the embodiment of every geeky goal i had as an equally geeky child into a single space. Some of you may know this as a "man cave". Inspired by Blake Patterson of the ByteCellar, the Dos Attic has undergone three or five versions - each striving to be a balance between clean uncluttered workspace and a portal to nostalgia. I have yet again torn

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411146794738180697.post-46686857000807564562009-12-19T17:11:00.000-08:002009-12-20T12:52:07.126-08:00

No doubt by now you’ve been bombarded by ads for the Motorola Droid, fueling the hype behind this phone. It’s true that many amongst the reviewer and marketing ranks alike are touting the latest Android 2.0 based google-powered handset as the iPhone killer. Ordinarily one would write off the hype – except Apple has seen fit to pick up the gauntlet and respond with a series of their own

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411146794738180697.post-4390454792614075732009-12-19T17:09:00.000-08:002009-12-19T18:02:29.546-08:00

Apps / Android Market vs. Apple App Store Bottom line, the applications experience on the droid doesn’t come close to touching the iPhone with Apple’s App Store. Not. Even. Close. This is the take home point. The main reason is quality. Apple’s stringent nature (approval Nazis at the App Store, closed hardware, closed OS, a single maker of all devices, etc) ensures a quality mobile

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411146794738180697.post-42601140841473392352009-12-19T17:07:00.000-08:002009-12-19T18:01:42.112-08:00

Browsing/Email Mobile Safari continues to be the gold standard in mobile web browsing. Its faster than the browser on the Droid, it renders more accurately, and it supports multi-touch. Side by side, even with the faster network the Droid will serve up pages slower. To zoom, you have to double tap on an area of the page you wish to see in greater detail, or click on one of two onscreen zoom

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411146794738180697.post-78073194509409936532009-12-19T17:05:00.000-08:002009-12-19T18:58:34.889-08:00

GPS/Navigation The Droid’s integrated Google powered navigation system is every bit as good as a dedicated GPS. It supports voice commands and will issue turn by turn instructions. Since its all running on a smartphone on a data network, you have access to traffic data as well. To navigate, simply press the voice command icon and say “Navigate to xyz”. The phone will automagically launch the

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411146794738180697.post-63637092193624796432009-12-19T16:48:00.000-08:002009-12-19T18:59:35.159-08:00

Fit, Finish, and Form Factor As many reviews have stated: the iPhone 3GS is a sculpted piece of glass and plastic. The Droid is heavy, solidly built brick with straight lines. Aesthetically it’s like comparing a Lotus Elise to a hopped up Lancer Evolution. One has beautiful swoopy lines and the other adheres to a form-follows-function motif. Both are equally attractive yet in different ways.

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411146794738180697.post-78793956581194431632009-06-23T23:10:00.001-07:002009-06-24T00:04:21.301-07:00

There's nothing quite like taking 320x200px images and blowing them up to poster sizes. What began as an abundance of blank, unadorned wall space in my Vintage Sierra Cave (more on my unwholesome Sierra On-Line fascination in future posts) has exploded into all out 8-bit nonsense in 24x36 scale - prompted by a 40% off poster print sale at WinkFlash.It was a little tricky getting it right. I

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411146794738180697.post-18992087370915857502009-01-12T13:39:00.000-08:002009-01-12T14:37:56.069-08:00

Back in the day.. way back before the advent of the MPC standard, those of us in PC Land were relegated the beeps and bloops of the charming yet limited PC speaker. Of course my friends with their Amigas and Apple IIGS's were light years ahead of the curve.Technically not my very first sound card (that was an Adlib unit that sported 11 FM channels with very faux-sounding instruments), the

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560086074501862677noreply@blogger.com0