The Silicon Underground

Desktop keyboard drawer: Unheraded retro accessory

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 13:03:55 +0000

I don’t look for vintage computers in the wild nearly as much anymore as I look for vintage computer accessories. I was very happy to find a vintage desktop keyboard drawer less than 6 miles from home. Vintage computer whatzit On the long running PBS TV show This Old House, they will play a game… Read More »Desktop keyboard drawer: Unheraded retro accessory

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Marx train set #25000

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:03:10 +0000

Marx train set #25000 is perhaps the quintessential O gauge 3/16 scale set from Louis Marx & Co., featuring a classic 999 locomotive and tender and a consist of 3/16 scaled tin lithographed freight cars. The locomotive and tender A Marx 999 locomotive with a 2-4-2 wheel arrangement led off the set, with a metal… Read More »Marx train set #25000

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Milwaukee tools at Lowe’s

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:03:37 +0000

Milwaukee is a popular brand of power tools, often used by professionals and one of the biggest rivals of DeWalt. Meanwhile, Lowe’s is the second largest home improvement store chain in North America. It would be natural to expect Lowe’s to carry Milwaukee tools. But the relationship between Lowe’s and Milwaukee is complicated. Lowe’s sells… Read More »Milwaukee tools at Lowe’s

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Where to buy steel wool

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 13:03:12 +0000

Where to buy steel wool isn’t a difficult question. It’s clear from the Google search results that any hardware store, home improvement store, and even one of the large discount store chains carries steel wool. But finding it in those huge 100,000-square-foot stores is another matter. I’ve even heard people lament that nobody seems to… Read More »Where to buy steel wool

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What is a dataframe in Python?

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:03:52 +0000

You’ll frequently hear the word dataframe thrown around, sometimes by data scientists or Python programmers. It can be an intimidating subject but it doesn’t need to be. Let’s talk about what a dataframe is in Python, in lay person’s terms, and how you can use them. What a dataframe is in Python Think of a… Read More »What is a dataframe in Python?

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Marx train set #26259 from Montgomery Ward

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:03:03 +0000

Marx train set #26259 is a somewhat unusual set, dating to the mid 1950s. Marx sold it through Montgomery Ward, and it is something of a transition set. The cars didn’t exactly match the locomotive and tender. The locomotive and tender A Marx 999 locomotive led off the set, with a plastic Santa Fe tender… Read More »Marx train set #26259 from Montgomery Ward

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Fast Copy: Best and fastest copier for Windows?

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 13:03:55 +0000

People sure have strong feelings on their Windows copy utilities. Each of the command line utilities has their own strengths and weaknesses. But when it comes to copying with the GUI, a lot of times we just settle for Windows Explorer. Fast Copy is a utility that provides GUI ease of use with the power… Read More »Fast Copy: Best and fastest copier for Windows?

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Atari Jaguar won’t power on? Try this

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 13:03:19 +0000

The most common problem with an Atari Jaguar is not being able to power it on. Usually this is due to user error rather than a hardware fault, so here’s how to quickly fix the problem. First things first: the Atari Jaguar power adapter Before proceeding to my quick fix, I want you to check… Read More »Atari Jaguar won’t power on? Try this

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FreeDOS on physical hardware

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:03:04 +0000

Vintage computing has gotten expensive. One way to enjoy the vintage computing experience on a budget is to install FreeDOS on aging physical hardware that isn’t quite old enough to be collectible, building what some people call a time machine. I had someone ask me on Mastodon to walk them through the process. The goal… Read More »FreeDOS on physical hardware

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Marx 556 caboose

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 13:03:54 +0000

The Marx 556 caboose was a staple of Marx’s 6-inch line, running from 1937 to 1952. All the variants are minor and only the lighted version is rare or valuable. The 556 is a good car for toy train operators, and also makes a nice Christmas train or display piece because of its color choices.… Read More »Marx 556 caboose

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