Nostr notes by Dave🌱

Quickly running back and forth through the five stages of grief ...

2026-10-11T08:18:05Z

Quickly running back and forth through the five stages of grief as I spend some more time with #FreeBSD.

I can't help but be both very interested in the OS, environment, and community as a whole, and rather confused/annoyed by the approach that you must do nearly everything by hand.

Much of what's described in the handbook, while good, feels like stuff the OS should just come with as its sane defaults, or handled by a utility for example.

Anyway. I just started the chapter on Jails.

If you've woken up to automatically following me over here; ...

2026-07-23T05:54:37Z

If you've woken up to automatically following me over here; hi, hey, hello. As part of my journey to reduce international spending and hosting complexities, I've decided to switch back to my previous Mastodon account here, and will be shutting down my self-hosted 68k.social snac instance in a bit.

I like it, and think the domain name is super cool too, but I just can't really justify keeping it for the time being. If things change later on, I might try this again. But for now, this is good.

I'm very happy with the results. I went in not knowing if I ...

2025-03-25T06:35:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…0u8p
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I'm very happy with the results. I went in not knowing if I was going to be able to succeed at all. This thing is just so brittle, and I had never attempted to replace a polarizing filter before. Given that I now have an almost fully working #PowerBook #5300C (sans working speaker, future project!) is so cool.

Move over, Jeff Goldblum. I now I have the power to save the world 🤓

Alright, that's the end of my nerd-spam. Hope you enjoyed it! 👋

#MARCHintosh #Apple #Macintosh #RetroComputing

For example, I left the filter larger than the display as I ...

2025-03-25T06:25:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…0h4h
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For example, I left the filter larger than the display as I wanted to make sure it would cover everything fully and no dust could get in. I went a bit too far and this caused some parts of the filter to bend ever so slightly by the plastic frame of the display.
This doesn't cause stress on any of the parts, it just means the light reflects a bit differently in some places, which if you know what you're looking for can be obvious.
#MARCHintosh #Apple #Macintosh #PowerBook #5300C #RetroComputing

So, what does the result look like? Pretty good, I think! Even ...

2025-03-25T06:22:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…954p
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So, what does the result look like? Pretty good, I think! Even with the filter not directly applied, the result is quite clean and clear looking — especially keeping in mind we're dealing with a 30 year old active matrix LCD display with aging backlight.
It's definitely not perfect, though, and I have some ideas that I'd like to do next time I open this laptop up — as its speaker isn't currently working, which I have to fix too.
#MARCHintosh #Apple #Macintosh #PowerBook #5300C #RetroComputing

While I was here I used a bit of epoxy to sort of glue up a small ...

2025-03-25T06:12:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…gwhh
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While I was here I used a bit of epoxy to sort of glue up a small broken part as best I could. It came to me in this incomplete and broken state so there's only so much I can do. It's something, at least.
The combination of now brittle plastics and very poor design decisions really do have this thing exploding parts left and right. If you want to work on these, a 3D printer is probably essential. Which, sadly, I don't have.
#MARCHintosh #Apple #Macintosh #PowerBook #5300C #RetroComputing

Fortunately it was easy to remove this, err, mistake in ...

2025-03-25T06:04:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…vpcs
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Fortunately it was easy to remove this, err, mistake in confidence. You saw nothing!
For my second attempt I chose an easier route; Leave the protective film covering the film's adhesive on and simply attach the film to the sides of the display, and have it sort of hang in front of the screen.
I'd be sacrificing a bit of display quality, but I can revisit attempting to do it right again once I obtain the tools and/or skills.
#MARCHintosh #Apple #Macintosh #PowerBook #5300C #RetroComputing

Another week later to get the 45° filter variant. Since I could ...

2025-03-25T05:57:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…5v20
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Another week later to get the 45° filter variant. Since I could only find (reasonably priced) adhesive variants shipped to where I live, I thought I'd try to see if I could actually get it to stick reasonably well. However, as mentioned before, I totally lack the skills (and tools!) to do this reasonably well, so the result was.. abysmal. So many bubbles! Who needs Marine Aquarium when you've got me slapping on this bad boy. Yikes.
#MARCHintosh #Apple #Macintosh #PowerBook #5300C #RetroComputing

With that success under my belt, I felt hopeful. The next step ...

2025-03-25T05:51:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…xgqt
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With that success under my belt, I felt hopeful. The next step was to find out the polarizing filter's orientation, as that varies by display. I wasn't able to find this online for this specific model, so I thought I'll just order a few in the obvious orientation choices. Easy.
I initially didn't order the 45 degrees variant, because I thought; surely it's not 45 degrees, right? That'd be a silly number.
Right?
It was 45 degrees. 🤦
#MARCHintosh #Apple #Macintosh #PowerBook #5300C #RetroComputing

But I digress.. the residue has to go, and no amount of alcohol ...

2025-03-25T05:34:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…yfpj
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But I digress.. the residue has to go, and no amount of alcohol was doing anything to it. I found this recommendation for a certain cleaning liquid designed for this very purpose, so I ordered that and gave it a try. To my surprise, it worked amazingly well.
I put two paper towels on the display, drenched these in the liquid, let it sit for a bit, and then wiped everything off. That's it, super simple. The screen looks gorgeous!
#MARCHintosh #Apple #Macintosh #PowerBook #5300C #RetroComputing

And the smell! Don't get me started on the smell. I did this ...

2025-03-25T05:28:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…g84n
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And the smell! Don't get me started on the smell. I did this in front of an open window wearing a mask, but still had to walk away. Just the act of removing the film awakened this positively vile chemical stench that just can't be right.
Kind of terrifying we're normally sitting in front of this (while warm from being powered on!). I wonder if this stuff slowly seeps out too over the years? Yikes.
#MARCHintosh #Apple #Macintosh #PowerBook #5300C #RetroComputing

I mention scary because have you ever tried to apply a screen ...

2025-03-25T05:24:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…gje2
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I mention scary because have you ever tried to apply a screen protector to a phone display? Yeah, well, I suck at that. This would be that, but bigger *and* required removing the old polarizing filter without, you know, destroying the display in the process. I know what I'm doing, I lie to myself.
Anywho, in for a penny.. Fortunately the filter came off fairly easily. But by golly did it leave a *ton* of glue residue behind. Hoboy.
#MARCHintosh #Apple #Macintosh #PowerBook #5300C #RetroComputing

Even though I completed this particular challenge a few months ...

2025-03-25T05:15:01Z

Even though I completed this particular challenge a few months ago, I hadn't shared it yet; Restoring the display of my #Apple #Macintosh #PowerBook #5300C suffering from vinegar syndrome.
This was the "scariest" #RetroComputing project I have tackled yet, especially as the 5300C is one big brittle plastic design disaster. Even just *glancing* at it has parts snap off and explode left and right 😅

But, I digress. Here's what we were dealing with.
#MARCHintosh

#Sunday I (finally!) started #CircleOfBlood (aka #BrokenSword ...

2025-03-19T06:23:09Z

#Sunday I (finally!) started #CircleOfBlood (aka #BrokenSword #ShadowOfTheTemplars). Even though the "reforged" version came out, I wanted to play the original as I found a new old-stock in box one last year. I can't believe this game is nearly 30 years old.
I chose my #Apple #iBook #G3 and sit comfortably on the couch. The battery I have rebuilt for it last year seems to be holding up well — and, perhaps more importantly, hasn't exploded yet. 😄
#MARCHintosh #RetroGaming #RetroComputing #OS9

I had to reinstall #Mac #OS9 as I was suddenly running into some ...

2025-03-18T03:39:10Z

I had to reinstall #Mac #OS9 as I was suddenly running into some weird boot issues, but then again it was a nice opportunity to get a clean OS install going on my #G4 #iMac.
I tried the OS9 9.2.1 CD that came with the original #OSX, but that did not work. I guess it is missing some iMac-specific bits. Regardless, my burned 9.2.2 "universal" installer CD worked beautifully.
And of course, I had to install #SereneScreen #Marine #Aquarium.
#MARCHintosh #RetroComputing #Macintosh #Apple

Every time I find an open source or other kind of community ...

2024-12-30T02:57:05Z

Every time I find an open source or other kind of community project that has their official forum on #Discord, I cry a little 😢.
I know bulletin boards have gone out of style (sadly), but is this really the best/easiest choice? #Matrix is a thing too, after all. Are Discord's spam/moderation tools simply better or otherwise easier to work with? Or is this just one of those self-fulfilling "because everyone is on Discord, we should be too" type things?
#FOSS #OpenWeb

A cute 10" #monitor I had ordered from #AliExpress came in ...

2024-12-12T05:22:44Z

A cute 10" #monitor I had ordered from #AliExpress came in last week. It's a 4:3 display with a resolution of 1024x768. Not perfect with devices that expect to only output "TV" resolutions , but its aspect ratio is what I was looking for. It's quite nice, actually.
It supports higher resolutions too, internally down-scaling them. It happily takes 1080p for example, although you'll see some scaling artifacts of course. #RetroGaming #VintageComputing #Eyoyo #Sega #MegaDrive #Genesis #DesertStrike

Along with a recent eBay purchase the seller was kind enough to ...

2024-12-05T03:30:27Z

Along with a recent eBay purchase the seller was kind enough to gift Unreal Tournament '99 for Mac (not boxed, but still!).
I installed it on my iMac G4 (OS 9), though sadly, performance is quite poor — as in, 12-16fps poor. A never-finished unofficial OS X "port" performs better but has graphical artifacts.
Is there anything that can be done to improve things? According to the minimum specs it *should* run better.
#ClassicMac #Gaming #MacOS9 #UnrealTournament #UT99 #RetroComputing #RetroGaming

Does anyone here have any interest in re-playing the #Commandos ...

2024-11-25T03:11:41Z

Does anyone here have any interest in re-playing the #Commandos games from yesteryear? I have #Steam keys for #BehindEnemyLines, #Commandos2 (HD Remaster), and #Commandos3 (HD remaster) that I'd like to give to someone who has fond memories of these titles and doesn't have access to them anymore. I'd love to hear your favorite memories of these games, too. Let me know! :-) #RetroGaming #Strategy #RTS #Gaming #Eidos #PyroStudios

Hi there. #BirdWatching #Magpie #OrientalMagpie ...

2024-09-27T02:41:44Z

Hi there.

#BirdWatching #Magpie #OrientalMagpie #NaturePhotography #Birds #BirdWatchers #NaturePhotos #Wildlife #Seoul #SouthKorea #Nature #BirdsOfMastodon #Photography #Birding #BirdPhotography

oh yes I can absolutely believe that. I wanted to like it, and ...

2024-09-22T14:36:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…l0ty
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oh yes I can absolutely believe that.
I wanted to like it, and parts of it I did truly enjoy. But overall it kept reminding me of those amazing drum solo sessions. Those that on a technical level truly show off their prowess, but to anyone but those who are 100% "into" that it just comes across as a bit of an unrelated mess that fails to be a coherent musical piece — or story.

Which, in a way, it isn't trying to be. I guess I wanted it to. My loss, sadly.

Left Hand of Darkness was one of the books I have read this year, ...

2024-09-21T20:55:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…zvr4
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Left Hand of Darkness was one of the books I have read this year, and I quite enjoyed it. Later parts gripped me and actually had me not wanting to put the book down. I kind of felt sad when I completed the book and had to leave its world behind.
But maybe the writing style just doesn't click for you? I personally struggled to crawl my way through Cloud Atlas for example. It was such a drag and it actively annoyed me, even though I could enjoy some concepts of it.

If you want to give this game a play too; The original DOS ...

2024-08-21T06:37:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…46s5
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If you want to give this game a play too; The original DOS version is available for free (!) on #GOG (https://www.gog.com/en/game/shadow_warrior_complete)

A "definitive version" with apparently remastered visuals etc. is for sale for $10 (https://www.gog.com/en/game/shadow_warrior_classic_redux), as is the 2013 reboot (https://www.gog.com/en/game/shadow_warrior) (and sequels).

If you'd like to try this on your classic Mac or emulator, I added the bin/cue ISO to the Macintosh Garden for you to enjoy: https://macintoshgarden.org/games/shadow-warrior

#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #RetroGaming

Unlike Duke 3D, #ShadowWarrior requires a #PowerPC Mac at ...

2024-08-21T06:33:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…46s5
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Unlike Duke 3D, #ShadowWarrior requires a #PowerPC Mac at minimum. I don't know how well it might run on my #5300C, but my #iMacG4 has no problem running it, of course.
I gave it a very quick try yesterday as I was curious, and immediately got killed twice in a row. Bringing a sword to a gun fight seems like an unwise idea, but I have been told you soon obtain a gun too, hopefully making it a bit easier for me and my apparent complete lack of gaming skills these days 😅.
#RetroGaming

Yesterday this still mostly (there were a few holes) factory ...

2024-08-21T06:21:43Z

Yesterday this still mostly (there were a few holes) factory shrink wrapped 1997 #ShadowWarrior for #MacOS came in, developed by #3DRealms of #DukeNukem3D fame.
I must admit I have never played this game before, so when I saw it pop up on eBay I wanted to get it so I can give it a try.
The box is quite attractive looking, with Lo Wang on the cover being embossed. Unfortunately there's no goodies in the box, though, which is kind of unfortunate.
#VintageComputing #ClassicMac #RetroGaming

It is the year 2024 and I have ordered a PCIe card to add ...

2024-08-21T05:53:11Z

It is the year 2024 and I have ordered a PCIe card to add parallel and serial ports to my #Linux desktop, so I can hook up an #Iomega #ZIP100 disk drive — assuming this one I have ordered arrives in a working state, that is. It does appear like the SCSI and Parallel port variants appear more reliable than the USB one. Fingers crossed.
Time marches forward relentlessly. But that doesn't mean you have to also move forward technologically! 😄
#VintageComputing #RetroComputing #Nostalgia

I remembered the name and had to look it up. First; ...

2024-08-19T06:36:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…c7w9
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I remembered the name and had to look it up. First; congratulations! I hope the planning will go well (I found the right link right after, don't worry 😂)
Last year when I first did some work for this endeavor I actually gave Zola a try. Its no-dependencies and promised speed sounded appealing.
This time I opted to go with the more well-known name. I don't know if I end up changing my mind, but at least it should be easier to find a working hugo-to-something tool if needed.

Last weekend I've more seriously started working on porting ...

2024-08-19T06:19:50Z

Last weekend I've more seriously started working on porting my site over from #Ghost to #Hugo. I've had the idea to switch to a statically generated setup for years, but the process is a bit daunting. There's a ghostToHugo tool that helps a bit, but it's not been updated in years and doesn't support some Ghost editor features.
I'm going to take my time with it as I need to make a modified theme and manually make each post work, but I'm glad I finally started with it. #SelfHosted #Blog #Blogging

Possibly somewhat odd question: Does anyone happen to know if ...

2024-08-16T02:04:19Z

Possibly somewhat odd question: Does anyone happen to know if there is any place/person that sells new (so still sticky) labels for ZIP disks and 1.44mb floppy disks? #VintageComputing #RetroComputing #VintageMac #Macintosh #FloppyDisk #ZIP100

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences! It's ...

2024-08-09T01:33:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…hu4x
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Thank you so much for sharing your experiences! It's fantastic to see folk like yourself doing this and writing about it.
Thanks to you I now know Lunacy is a thing, what an amazing find! I had no idea there was an app out there that natively supports importing Sketch files, that was basically the one reason I still had to boot up my old Mac every now and then. Thanks so much!
Small side question: Do you have any plans to add RSS to your site? I'd love to add you to my feed reader 😄

New server, time for an updated #introduction! Hi~👋 I'm ...

2024-08-05T04:13:32Z

New server, time for an updated #introduction!

Hi~👋 I'm Dave, #WebDev by day and enjoyer of #ClassicMacintosh and #RetroComputing. From Europe but living in #Korea.
I share my adventures with #ClassicMac, my lovely #iMacG4 and #ColorClassic, about #Linux related things as that's my primary OS, older PC #games too with a #Thinkpad X61 I use for casual retro #WinXP and #DOS gaming.
Most importantly, I post photos of our lovely doggo every now and then #DogsOfMastodon :)

Please do say hi ☺️