Snapcircuits is good fun

I got one of these snapcircuits kits and they're quite fun to play with, hooking up things together and seeing what they do.

It's quite a clever system, "snapping" circuits together.

http://www.snapcircuits.net/

C-Jump board game

I came across this game today. Learn programming by playing a board game with C-Jump!

https://www.amazon.com/c-jump-Computer-Programming-Board-Game/dp/B000E0G442

I like the comments on amazon.

http://www.c-jump.com/

Usborne computer books from 1980s

http://www.usborne.com/catalogue/feature-page/computer-and-coding-books.aspx

I really liked the Usborne books back in the 80s. Now they have them available as PDFs on their website. Cool.



http://www.raspberrypi-spy.co.uk/2016/02/usborne-releases-1980s-coding-books-as-free-pdfs/

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2446950/get-your-retro-on-with-15-free-seminal-1980s-usborne-coding-books

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/01/usborne-books-teach-children-code-lisa-watts

Portege r400 keep losing wireless from standby

The built-in wireless on my Portege r400 keeps disappearing after resuming from standby in Ubuntu 16.04.

It comes back after reboot just fine, but it's kind of annoying.

dmesg gives me:


[ 3405.001081] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Microcode SW error detected. Restarting 0x82000008.
[ 3405.001094] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Loaded firmware version: 15.32.2.9
[ 3405.001130] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Start IWL Error Log Dump:
[ 3405.001136] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Status: 0x000302E4, count: 1
[ 3405.001140] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Desc Time asrtPC blink2 ilink1 nmiPC Line
[ 3405.001369] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: SYSASSERT (0x5) 4194070648 0x008B6 0x017B8 0x00320 0x00000 65

[ 3405.001388] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Read idx for DMA queue txq id (4), idx 9, is out of range [0-256] 41 41.
[ 3405.001395] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Read idx for DMA queue txq id (4), idx 10, is out of range [0-256] 41 41.
[ 3405.001403] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Error Reply type 0x00000000 cmd UNKNOWN (0x00) seq 0x0000 ser 0x00000000
[ 3405.004120] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Can't stop Rx DMA.
[ 3405.006131] ieee80211 phy0: Hardware restart was requested
[ 5300.018813] wlp2s0: deauthenticating

and another time

[ 3184.320135] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Queue 2 stuck for 2500 ms.
[ 3184.320150] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: On demand firmware reload
[ 3184.325905] ieee80211 phy0: Hardware restart was requested
[ 3184.374096] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: BSM uCode verification failed at addr 0x00003800+0 (of 900), is 0xa5a5a5a2, s/b 0xf802020
[ 3184.374105] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Unable to set up bootstrap uCode: -5
[ 3184.420924] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: BSM uCode verification failed at addr 0x00003800+0 (of 900), is 0xa5a5a5a2, s/b 0xf802020
[ 3184.420930] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Unable to set up bootstrap uCode: -5
[ 3184.467646] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: BSM uCode verification failed at addr 0x00003800+0 (of 900), is 0xa5a5a5a2, s/b 0xf802020
[ 3184.467652] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Unable to set up bootstrap uCode: -5
[ 3184.514382] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: BSM uCode verification failed at addr 0x00003800+0 (of 900), is 0xa5a5a5a2, s/b 0xf802020
[ 3184.514387] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Unable to set up bootstrap uCode: -5
[ 3184.561111] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: BSM uCode verification failed at addr 0x00003800+0 (of 900), is 0xa5a5a5a2, s/b 0xf802020
[ 3184.561117] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Unable to set up bootstrap uCode: -5
[ 3184.601146] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Unable to initialize device after 5 attempts.
[ 3184.601160] ------------[ cut here ]------------
[ 3184.601250] WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 5129 at /build/linux-xK5wks/linux-4.4.0/net/mac80211/util.c:1818 ieee80211_reconfig+0x1d5/0xef0 [mac80211]()
[ 3184.601254] Hardware became unavailable during restart.
[ 3184.601257] Modules linked in: cpuid rfcomm drbg ansi_cprng ctr ccm bnep wacom_w8001 serport btusb btrtl btbcm btintel bluetooth snd_hda_codec_realtek arc4 snd_hda_codec_generic snd_hda_intel coretemp iwl3945 snd_hda_codec iwlegacy snd_hda_core mac80211 snd_hwdep kvm snd_pcm gpio_ich snd_seq_midi snd_seq_midi_event cfg80211 irqbypass pcmcia snd_rawmidi snd_seq yenta_socket snd_seq_device pcmcia_rsrc snd_timer pcmcia_core snd lpc_ich soundcore joydev input_leds toshiba_acpi sparse_keymap serio_raw wmi shpchp toshiba_bluetooth toshiba_haps tpm_infineon mac_hid parport_pc ppdev lp parport autofs4 hid_generic usbhid hid i915 e1000e psmouse i2c_algo_bit drm_kms_helper syscopyarea sysfillrect ptp pata_acpi sysimgblt fb_sys_fops drm pps_core video fjes
[ 3184.601368] CPU: 0 PID: 5129 Comm: kworker/0:2 Tainted: G W 4.4.0-31-generic #50-Ubuntu
[ 3184.601372] Hardware name: TOSHIBA PORTEGE R400/Portable PC, BIOS Version 1.50 03/14/2007
[ 3184.601418] Workqueue: events_freezable ieee80211_restart_work [mac80211]
[ 3184.601423] c1acd967 f27fb110 00000286 d37f3e40 c13a689f d37f3e80 f8b9fb58 d37f3e70
[ 3184.601434] c1070317 f8b9fd08 d37f3ea0 00001409 f8b9fb58 0000071a f8b61c95 f8b61c95
[ 3184.601444] fffffffb f4cf0a44 f4cf0420 d37f3e8c c107038e 00000009 d37f3e80 f8b9fd08
[ 3184.601454] Call Trace:
[ 3184.601467] [] dump_stack+0x58/0x79
[ 3184.601476] [] warn_slowpath_common+0x87/0xc0
[ 3184.601529] [] ? ieee80211_reconfig+0x1d5/0xef0 [mac80211]
[ 3184.601581] [] ? ieee80211_reconfig+0x1d5/0xef0 [mac80211]
[ 3184.601587] [] warn_slowpath_fmt+0x3e/0x60
[ 3184.601639] [] ieee80211_reconfig+0x1d5/0xef0 [mac80211]
[ 3184.601647] [] ? mutex_lock+0x10/0x30
[ 3184.601693] [] ? ieee80211_scan_cancel+0x91/0x1c0 [mac80211]
[ 3184.601737] [] ieee80211_restart_work+0x5f/0xa0 [mac80211]
[ 3184.601745] [] process_one_work+0x121/0x3f0
[ 3184.601750] [] worker_thread+0x37/0x490
[ 3184.601756] [] ? process_one_work+0x3f0/0x3f0
[ 3184.601762] [] kthread+0xa6/0xc0
[ 3184.601768] [] ret_from_kernel_thread+0x21/0x38
[ 3184.601773] [] ? kthread_create_on_node+0x170/0x170
[ 3184.601778] ---[ end trace 4a55b647ba02b52e ]---
[ 3184.602108] wlp2s0: deauthenticating

My Optiplex 760 died

Poof! All of a sudden my Optiplex 760 just stopped working. I got an amber flashing power button with diagnostic leds 1 and 3 lit up. I thought it might be the memory but removing it doesn't seem to change anything.

Pressing the test button on the power supply doesn't light up the led, so it must be the power supply. Apparently, this is a common problem with these Optiplex 760s.

Just after I get everything set up so nicely.

Looks like I'm off to ebay...

Gateway M255-E doesn't want to boot from USB

I got an old Gateway CA6 M255-E laptop and it just doesn't want to boot from a USB stick with Ubuntu or Knoppix.

The DVD drive is a little screwy but after multiple attempts it will boot a Knoppix 7.7 DVD and it allowed me to switch to a USB flash drive that had a knoppix 7.7 iso image with "knoppix64 bootfrom=k77.iso".

I think since the DVD is so unreliable I'll try a Network Installation of Ubuntu.

It's really silly that a system doesn't want to boot from USB, I mean this system was made in 2006...and it's PhoenixBIOS. It just tells me "missing operating system."

At least I was able to get past the BIOS password.

Fat transponder keys on a keychain

One of the things I hate about these transponder keys is how fat they are. They just don't lay nicely together.

If you've got two of these things on a keyring they just don't want to fit in your pocket. I like to stick my index finger through the keyring and with these new transponder keys my index finger just doesn't fit any more. It seems that the keys are about twice as long as a normal key: 1/2 is the transponder, 1/2 is the keyblade.

I thought this was the age of miniaturization.

Tektronix storage tube terminals were cool

I liked the Tektronix displays in Battlestar Galactica and how they would glow brightly at the location where they were drawing.

http://www.starringthecomputer.com/computer.html?c=298

Storage tubes were an interesting solution to the problem of how to store screen data: the screen IS the data storage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storage_tube

Ubuntu 16.04 on a Portege R400 works well

I got an old laptop Toshiba Portege R400 that had a bad hard drive. After getting a 1.8" ata100 hard drive on ebay, I installed ubuntu 16.04.



So far, no problems. Even the tablet stylus works. Sweet.

The biggest problem was making the flash drive to boot into the installer, as it doesn't have a cd-rom drive. So I fire up my ubuntu 14.04 machine and run Startup Disk Creator and supply the ubuntu 16.04 i386 iso file to write to the flash drive.

Upon reboot with the freshly fixed flash drive there's a funny text message, something like "gfxboot.c32:not a COM32R image".

typing help got me to an information screen.

hitting the TAB key lists all of the boot possibilities, like "live".

Despite the error message, I was able to get into the installer, can't remember exactly what I typed, as it started and I was happy.

By today's standards it's a bit slow and limited by 2GB ram but it's cute.

I miss the old computer magazines

I remember how much I used to enjoy the old computer magazines. I'd always make a bee line for the magazine section of the book store for the latest issues.

I'd read each issue from cover to cover, looking at each and every page, drooling over all of the new hardware and software that I didn't have. I'd type in the programs to see what they'd do. I can't remember exactly which magazine, but they'd have a short two liner basic program that was called "So what did you expect?".

I miss Softalk, Nibble, Compute!, inCider, .info, Creative Computing, BYTE, Amazing Computing, AmigaWorld, Amiga Transactor, Electronic Games, Electronic Fun with Computers and Games, Videogaming Illustrated, PC Magazine, Computer Shopper, C+VG and a bunch of others. I especially liked the imported Brit magazines.

I loved to read stuff like "Roomers by the Bandito".

Sadly, I've gotten rid of virtually all of them over the years. It's cool that you can find a lot of these online now.

F18a on an Apple IIGS

Here's the neatest thing I've seen today: An f18a put on an Apple IIGS.

Apple II Game Vindicator by HAL Labs

I remember this game Vindicator primarily because it had a unique feature: it had a built-in sprite editor.

I tried to figure out how to get back into the editor after all of these years, furiously typing CTRL+everything but finally I found the answer: When you are in the level and joystick selection screen, type ESC.


The only feature that would've been really neat would be to save to disk because all of your edits are lost upon reboot.




Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio.







Type ESC at the "Hit space to start" screen to get to the editor.



Sprites #0 and #1 are your man.



Sprite #31 is the chopper. Get to da choppa!




And trying to take a screen shot of gameplay with Alt+printscreen activates the smartbomb (disruptor) and everything blows up.









By the way, if you type ENTER at the level/joystick selection screen, it will cycle through keyboard/joystick and gizmo. What was a gizmo?

edit: The gizmo was an atari joystick to apple adapter.



Sprite #3 is a blue 500



If we shift it to the right it becomes orange




If we set the high bit (using the line of colons on the right of the image) it turns green



and shifting it one over it turns purple

The wonderful world of transponder car keys

So I got a new car. It's actually an old car but it's the first time I've had to deal with transponder keys. The seller only had 1 of these transponder keys. If you don't know what a transponder key is, it has a radio chip that talks to the engine and the engine won't run unless it gets the correct id from the key.

If you only have 1 key and you lose it, you are in trouble because you can't start the car and it will need to be towed to the dealership. So make that copy as soon as possible!

With my particular car, if you don't have 2 transponder keys with the car, you can't easily program another key to add to the system. My cunning plan of buying cheap transponder keys off ebay and having them cut won't work because I don't have that second key to do the programming.

Dealers and locksmiths have special equipment to program the car to initialize and add the coded keys.

There is a workaround: You can have clone keys made of one of your transponder keys. I went to Lowe's hardware and they have this little box called the Ez-clonethat will duplicate the transponder chip id onto a "blank" transponder. So for $75 I have a perfect clone of my original key.

The only disadvantage is that I still can't add more "unique" keys (that have unique transponder ids) to my car myself but it doesn't really matter as long as the clone keys that I have work.



Here's an article from Consumer Reports about these newer car keys. These keys can really get expensive in a hurry.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/07/car-key-replacement-for-less/index.htm

Car key replacement for less
A dealer replacement and programming will cost $200 or more

Ebay return system is annoying

I've bought a few things off ebay and this is the first time I've had to send something back. So I make a return request and the seller replies to my return request. It says in the message, "to reply go to the return detail". I go to the return detail and there's no way to reply to the message.

So I send end up sending a direct message, having to look up the seller's user id. What a stupid system.

Equal Temperament

I just finished watching Howard Goodall's Big Bangs episode on the invention of equal temperament. It's fascinating stuff where western music is based on the 12 tone octave system.

You've got 12 tones in an octave and the tones are mathematically derived as to the 12th root of 2. I never knew this before and it was very well presented.

It also makes sense of the circle of fifths.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_root_of_two

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths

Stupid password on Autoview 1000R

I like to play with old hardware. I got an Avocent Autoview 1000R and guess what, it's got a password on the OSCAR on screen display. I can access the serial port configuration and "reset to factory defaults" but it doesn't take the OSCAR password away.

I can access the box from the AVWorks configuration program but it doesn't change the OSCAR password.

Stupid lousy password... I guess it's useless.

Roadrace game in basic

I remember back in the day, our school had these Commodore Pets. The "big thing" was to write our own Roadrace game in BASIC. Looking back now, I don't even see a LOCATE statement or HTAB/VTAB for Pet BASIC to position the screen cursor.

From the screenshot, this looks pretty close.

http://www.gamebase64.com/game.php?id=22474&d=30

Running with no load

My Dad always told me that revving an engine with no load was a bad idea. He said that all of that kinetic energy has to go somewhere, and without a load, the engine wants to fly apart.

All of the technological development in the modern world has hypercharged our social systems. We keep pumping more energy into the system and it's got to find a way out.


There doesn't seem to be a proper outlet for all of this power. Without a load, our society is beginning to fly apart.

Crap libreoffice macro function to do code128

so it's way too hard to do by hand, why not write a simple macro to convert a string to code128 table b for the font from http://grandzebu.net/informatique/codbar-en/code128.htm

and BEEP! my barcode scanner likes it.


function calcstring(x as string)
a=x
checksum = 104 'symbol for 209
for position = 1 to len(a)
checksum = checksum+(asc(mid(a,position,1))-32)*position
next position
checksum = checksum mod 103

calcstring = chr(209)+a+chr(checksum+32)+chr(211)
'start code B, then string, then checksum, then stop code
end function