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Monitor stand for retro computers

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 9, 2020September 25, 2022

In the 80s, when all-in one computers like the Amiga 500, Apple IIc, Atari 520 and 1040ST, and Tandy 1000EX and HX were popular, monitor stands helped us keep our systems organized. It’s hard to find a monitor stand from the period now, but there’s an acceptable modern substitute, or you can make your own. If you make your own, you can make it suitable for 8-bit systems as well, letting you stack your disk drives next to a monitor with the system unit underneath.

Amiga Bridgeboard: The PC compatibility option

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 5, 2020April 15, 2026

A photo of someone’s newly acquired Amiga 2000 turned up on a vintage computing forum recently. It was sporting two 3.5″ drives, but also had a Chinon 5.25″ drive in its lower bay. Someone asked what the 5.25-inch drive was for. I responded it’s a good sign the system has an Amiga Bridgeboard in it. The Bridgeboard turns a big-box Amiga like a 2000 into an odd hybrid Amiga-PC clone.

First released in 1987, the Amiga Bridgeboard consisted of most of an IBM PC clone on a single full-length card. It had its own ISA bus, but it was also able to access some Amiga functionality, not just to provide IO but also to provide ways to share data between the two systems.

Why are some books so cheap on Amazon?

Dave Farquhar Careers November 4, 2020October 31, 2020

One question I get a lot, as a former Amazon bookseller, is why some books are so cheap on Amazon. Namely, how can books sell for a penny? And why do they sell that cheap? I can tell you nobody wants to make a living selling books for a penny, but it is possible to do so and turn a profit, if a seller is careful and the market conditions are right. Here’s how they do it.

My plank wood ceiling

Dave Farquhar DIY November 3, 2020May 9, 2024

I have a combination home office/man cave that I work out of. It’s a basement room the previous owner never finished. I fixed some mistakes and adapted it to my own needs. One thing it always lacked was a ceiling. After weighing my options, I decided to use wood planks. Call it rustic. Call it cheapo. Or whatever else you want. Rustic planks are in now, and for a do-it-yourselfer, planks offer a compelling option.

What is RS-232?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing, Servers and Networking November 2, 2020March 19, 2024

Many vintage computers have RS-232 ports, and some current equipment does too, especially network switches. But what is RS-232? And why did it only partly fall out of favor? And what about RS-232C? I’ll try to clear up the confusion.

GFCI vs AFCI

Dave Farquhar DIY October 29, 2020October 11, 2020

GFCI and AFCI are both safety measures, but they are distinct and not interchangeable. Let’s compare and contract GFCI vs AFCI so you can be sure you’re getting the right thing.

If you don’t know, buying combination GFCI/AFCI outlets or breakers is an option, and it’s not a bad idea. But if you can’t afford the higher price for a combo unit, or want to maximize convenience, knowing GFCI vs AFCI is important so you get the right safety feature for your application.

How to mount a power strip

Dave Farquhar DIY October 28, 2020October 11, 2020

Power strips are a necessity when you don’t have enough outlets, but they can be unwieldy. One way to get them to stay where you want is to mount them to your wall, desk, workbench, or entertainment center to keep them out of the way. Here’s how to mount a power strip.

I used this trick to mount a power strip to my train table, my desk for my work computer, and to a monitor stand I made for one of my retro computers. It works well. This allows me to keep it where I want it, whether that means completely in reach in the case of a workbench, or out of sight but very easy to reach, in the case of my retro computer monitor stand.

Qualys severity vs CVSS

Dave Farquhar security October 27, 2020October 17, 2020

I’ve spent a little more time than I would like studying severity models in vulnerability scanners. One question that comes up occasionally is Qualys severity vs CVSS, or any of its competitors, for that matter. Let’s take a look at how Qualys severity compares against the industry standard.

Qualys’ severity score predates CVSS, which is now the industry standard. The two have similarities but there are various reasons for choosing one over the other.

DIY wood crate shelves

Dave Farquhar DIY October 26, 2020November 25, 2020

I needed some shelves for my office. Most of the ready made shelves I could find wouldn’t fit in the space I had. So I made some myself using cheap wooden crates. Here’s how I make DIY wood crate shelves that are attractive, functional, and reasonably durable.

You can buy three wooden crates for $36 and they will make a shelf that’s equivalent to a $40 particle board shelf in terms of storage space. But the crates give you more options in terms of versatility, both in the way they look and the way they work. And while I wouldn’t call them super strong, they’re at least as durable as particle board.

Why are some books so expensive on Amazon?

Dave Farquhar Saving money, scams October 22, 2020January 16, 2023

Books are expensive, but some books are a whole other universe of expensive. There are generally three reasons for that. I don’t think I’m giving away any deep, dark secrets, so I’ll explain why some books are so expensive on Amazon. Like, $800 expensive, sometimes. Better yet, I’ll also explain how to know if the book you’re looking at is overpriced, or if it typically does sell for those high prices.

Some books legitimately are extremely valuable and expensive. But sometimes low-demand books get caught up in price wars that drive prices up due to short supply.