Thursday, November 11, 2004

Big Al And The Obsolete Technology

I normally do quite well when it comes to buying appliances, gadgets and gizmos. I've never owned a Betamax VCR or a Sinclair C5 (a ZX81 and just about every version of the ZX Spectrum, yes. But a C5, no).

That's not to say though, that I haven't accumulated an abundance of antiquated appliances. Far from it. Here are just a few of the Completely Redundant APpliances currently cluttering up Chez Big Al.
  1. No fewer than three VCR's. None of which are ever used anymore, since the advent of the DVD recorder. The one in my bedroom isn't even hooked up to a TV anymore. Basically, it's a clock.
  2. A black-and-white portable TV. Purchased when I was 11, for use with the ZX81.
  3. A colour portable TV. Doesn't work properly - only displays pictures in B&W.
  4. A hand-held scanner. Actually, I never got this to work, but was too embarrassed to take it back to the shop.
  5. A US Robotics Sportster 14.4K modem. For that ultra-slow internet experience.
  6. A flatbed scanner. There wasn't really much wrong with this, other than its apparent inability to withstand a frustrated kick or two.
  7. A Casio solar-powered watch. A watch, powered by sunlight. In Scotland. Bad move.

8 comments:

liz said...

Have I mentioned the TRS-80 that's hiding in my closet? I probably have, because I'm inordinately proud of it.

liz said...

Hey, are those VCRs...darnit, can't remember the designation...the kind that can't run US tapes, and we can't run yours, or are UK VCRs also incompatible with European tapes?

(Sorry for the incoherence. I'm very incoherent. Feverish, exhausted, etc.)

Big Al said...

TRS-80? What's one of those? *cough*

Big Al said...

Ah, yes. The VCR's use the PAL system, which works in the UK and Europe, but not in the US. They would probably still work as a digital clock though.

liz said...

Oh, think bigger, man--way bigger!

The thing is, my last trip over the pond, I picked up some movies for me (Norwegian) and my sister (German), not realizing that they would be incompatible with our VCRs, duh.

I've been considering going on eBay to find a EuroPlayer (as they are known in my individual dialect) to see if I could network it to my own VCR to transfer them. If that would work...it seems like it could be made to...

Of course, I also am still dreaming of someday getting the TRS-80 somehow hooke dup to the Internet so i can download some truly old-school games.

In all my spare time, of course.

Big Al said...

This is all getting insanely technical! I bet you could find a TRS-80 emulator somewhere on the net. I had a ZX81 emulator a while ago, and enjoyed playing Space Raiders on it. Firing lethal upper-case I's and dodging the lethal asterisks.

liz said...

Insanely technical...or...TECHNICALLY INSANE?! 8)

That's odd...is Space Raiders similar to Space Invaders but more low-tech?

Big Al said...

Similar to Space Invaders, but different enough to avoid being sued. Mainly by having extraordinarily crap graphics. Mainly because it was on the ZX81. It was published by Psion, back in the days before they started making Organisers and the like.