Category Archives: Just Rambling

Let’s Talk About Capacitor Failure

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Blake Patterson

I spend a good deal of time these days on various telnet BBS that are (naturally) focused on vintage computing. As such, much of the discussion being had in the message bases is in the form of help / advice … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Rambling | Tagged , , , , , | 38 Comments

Ray Tracing Is No New Thing

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Blake Patterson

In the world of modern PC graphics hardware, all the buzz right now is about a rendering technique call ray tracing. This is mainly due to the release of Nvidia’s RTX development platform and Microsoft announcing its compatible DirectX Raytracing (DXR) … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Rambling | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

A Unique Work of Art for My Office in D.C.

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Blake Patterson

Just a quick post to share a recent addition to my office (full disclosure: it’s a cubicle) at my workplace in Washington D.C., a framed plotter print — artwork created by Paul Rickards. For quite a while now I’ve been … Continue reading →

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To Upgrade, or Not to Upgrade, That Is the Question

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Blake Patterson

The other day I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, the Retro Computing Roundtable, when the host topic really struck a chord in me. In this episode, no. 148, Paul Hagstrom was hosting and his topic for discussion … Continue reading →

Posted in Amiga, Apple II, Just Rambling | 5 Comments

My January 1986 Macworld Is Missing Page 13

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Blake Patterson

The reason why is a funny little story. I grabbed a few computer magazines from the 1980s off of my shelf the other day and sat down to flip through them, as one does. Shortly after opening the January 1986 … Continue reading →

Posted in Amiga, Just Rambling, Macintosh | 8 Comments

Have a Helping of 8-bit Holiday Cheer! (2016 – 2011 Editions)

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Blake Patterson

‘Tis the season, and that means it’s time to push out the sixth annual Byte Cellar vintage computer Holiday demo video roundup so everyone can feel that warm, fuzzy, pixellated holiday glow. With scanlines. Enjoy! I’ve been a computer geek … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Rambling, Multi-Platform | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

33 Year Old Roll of Film Offers a Glimpse of My Vintage Computing Beginnings

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Blake Patterson

I got my first home computer on Christmas morning in 1982. It was a TI-99/4A with 16K of RAM. My parents purchased it from a sewing machine retailer. In the years that followed, I moved on fairly frequently to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Apple II, Atari, Down Memory Lane, Just Rambling, TI-99 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Remembering the Opening of the First Apple Store, 15 Years Later

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Blake Patterson

Yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the opening of the first Apple retail stores, one at Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Virginia and one at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California. Together the stores saw nearly 8,000 people and $600,000 in … Continue reading →

Posted in Apple, Down Memory Lane, Just Rambling, News | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

KFest Funk Gonna Give It To Ya!

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Blake Patterson

I get closer and closer to attending KansasFest every year. All the after-reports I hear on the various retrocomputing podcasts I listen to confirm it’s the ultimate blast for a hardcore Apple II fan. I was talking about it with … Continue reading →

Posted in Apple II, Just Rambling | 3 Comments

Computers Are Funny (Or Were…)

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Blake Patterson

I have started a new photo microblog of sorts over at Tumblr, and if you’re reading this site, you may find it of interest. It’s called Computers Are Funny, and I thought I would give readers a quick heads-up. From … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Rambling | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment