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Atari PC1: The Atari IBM-compatible

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 31, 2019April 22, 2024

Atari made a line of PCs in the 1980s, which seems contradictory because it is. Atari was known for doing its own thing, not for copying the rest of the industry. In the context of the time, it’s possible to understand why Atari did it. But in hindsight, it’s easy to see why the Atari PC1 was a mistake and how it impacted the rest of the line.

Atari made several PCs, including the 8088-based PC1, PC2 and PC3; the 286-based PC4, the 386-based PC5. But their lack of expandability and difficulty competing on price limited their appeal.

Are laser printers good for home use?

Dave Farquhar Hardware May 30, 2019August 27, 2022

Are laser printers good for home use? I recommend them. Their upfront cost is higher than a low-end inkjet but they tend to be more reliable and economical in the long term, especially on the extremes. If you print only occasionally, consider a laser. If a ream of paper lasts you about a week, consider a laser.

Laser printers tend to be very reliable, but not all of them are designed with service and repair in mind. But generally speaking, the cost of owning and operating a laser printer is lower than that of an inkjet.

Baseball card junk wax era

Dave Farquhar Baseball May 29, 2019May 11, 2019

The baseball card junk wax era refers to a period of time in the 1980s and 1990s when Topps and its competitors made far more cards than the market could absorb. Excruciatingly high demand prior to 1994 propped up prices somewhat, but prices did not recover after the 1994 baseball strike.

People argue about when the junk wax era started. It could be as early as 1981 but was certainly in full swing by 1987. The end was definite, in 1994, when players went on strike and Bud Selig, the acting commissioner of baseball, cancelled the World Series.

Epyx Fast Load mods

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 28, 2019May 17, 2022

It’s not uncommon to find modified Epyx Fast Load cartridges. This cartridge was super popular in the 1980s, but there were generally one or two reasons to modify it by adding a button, a switch, or both to it. Both were common Epyx Fast Load mods to make the cartridge more useful.

Usually a switch on a Fast Load cartridge is intended to disable it, while a button is probably to reset the computer. Both were common modifications that tech-savvy owners made to save wear and tear on their computers.

Remove paint from toy trains without chemicals

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 24, 2019May 12, 2019

Someone asked me the other day how to remove paint from toy trains without chemicals like paint stripper or oven cleaner. It can be done, but there’s a reason a lot of hobbyists like me use chemicals.

Without using chemicals, you have to use abrasive methods to remove paint. That usually means sandblasting or bead blasting.

Why hackers hack the government

Dave Farquhar security May 23, 2019May 2, 2019

Someone asked me recently why hackers hack the government. That’s a little more complex question than why they hack other people. Governments are complex, so that means there’s more reason to hack a government than to hack a corporation or a citizen.

Government hackers generally have three motivations behind them: Money, activism, or espionage. The motivations depend based on who is doing the hacking.

Qualys showing the wrong time in its user interface

Dave Farquhar security May 22, 2019April 30, 2019

It happens every year when Daylight Savings Time (Summer Time in Europe) starts kicking in. Qualys displays weird times in its user interface and it gets hard to figure out what time scans outside your local time zone are actually going to run. So here’s what to do about Qualys showing the wrong time in its user interface.

Qualys factors Daylight Savings Time into scheduled scans as long as you select the DST checkbox, but it doesn’t factor it into the user interface if you specify your local timezone. Setting your timezone to Auto will fix that.

How to fix loose dresser drawers: An illustrated guide

Dave Farquhar DIY May 21, 2019October 17, 2022

A loose dresser drawer probably won’t ruin your morning. But it certainly doesn’t help. Eliminating sources of frustration makes the morning go better, so here’s how to fix loose dresser drawers.

Loose dresser drawers are almost always caused by damaged or missing parts, often from trying to force an overfull drawer to open or close. Once you repair or replace the guides or glides, the drawer stays in place and operates smoothly. The process only takes a few minutes, costs about $3 per drawer, and requires no tools other than a screwdriver.

Windows ME vs Windows XP

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 20, 2019June 19, 2025

Windows ME vs Windows XP isn’t much of a battle. You see, it’s a comparison of one of Microsoft’s most hated operating systems and one of its most beloved. XP, at the time of its release, was Microsoft’s best effort to date. But one reason it seemed so good was because it followed something so terrible.

New Marx/Ameritrains trains

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 17, 2019October 30, 2021

Marx Trains, also variously known as New Marx, Modern Marx, and Ameritrains, was originally the brainchild of Jim and Debby Flynn, a husband and wife who collected Marx trains, especially the tin variants. They produced a line of tinplate trains in the same style of vintage Louis Marx tin trains. Marx stopped making trains out of tinplate in 1972. But what happened to Marx Trains, or New Marx?

Marx Trains had a run of about 15 years, from 1992 to around 2007, with a brief resumption in 2012. The trains had a small, dedicated following but did not achieve the market penetration of larger rivals like MTH.