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Coleco Gemini: An Atari 2600 clone from 1983

Dave Farquhar Retro Gaming July 31, 2017June 20, 20251980s, atari, atari 2600, CES, Jay Miner, NES, sears, video game

I spotted it on page 597 of the 1983 Sears Christmas catalog. “Two big names play the same games,” the headline boasted. Next to the venerable Atari 2600, Sears presented the Coleco Gemini video game system, an Atari 2600 clone.

In 1982, Coleco built an add-on to make its Coleco Vision game system Atari 2600-compatible. Atari sued. Coleco poked the bear by making the Gemini, an outright clone. Sears had sold Atari 2600 clones before, but they were actually real Atari 2600s with a different label on them, supplied by Atari itself. The Gemini was more of a true Atari 2600 clone.

Command line for active directory users and computers

Dave Farquhar Windows July 28, 2017September 13, 2023

Sometimes it’s faster just to type a command than to dig around in the start menu. That’s especially true for many sysadmin tasks. Knowing the command line for active directory users and computers can save you a lot of time.

90s computer brands

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing July 27, 2017July 11, 2025

Some 90s computer brands are the same as today, but a lot more companies played in the field than now. Profit margins were higher then, so industry consolidation wasn’t the matter of survival that it is now. The most popular computer brands of today were among the most popular brands in the 90s, but some popular 1990s computers no longer exist in any form.

Here’s a look back at some of the brands of old, including some famous PC brands, some not-so-famous, and some notorious. The 1990s were certainly a make or break time for many of them, arguably just as volatile as the merciless 1980s had been.

Toner vs drum unit: Laser printer consumables

Dave Farquhar Saving money July 26, 2017September 18, 2018hp

Someone asked me about laser printer consumables, specifically toner vs drum unit. That’s a fair question. The drum unit is the gotcha consumable that people sometimes forget about.

Vinyl plank flooring on walls

Dave Farquhar DIY July 25, 2017March 13, 2021caulk, kitchens

Someone asked me about using vinyl plank flooring on walls recently. It’s an interesting idea, except for one problem the person brought up: vinyl planks falling off.

The adhesive on vinyl planks works better with gravity helping out. On walls, the gravity is working against it. Here are some tips that will help give you better results with vinyl plank flooring on walls.

How to fix a lamp cord

Dave Farquhar DIY July 24, 2017March 13, 2021

If your lamp stops working but the bulb is good, or your lamp cord gets damaged, it’s time to replace it. The cord, that is. Not the whole lamp. Here’s how to fix a lamp cord.

Even if you have to take the lamp completely apart, the project should take less than an hour. The easy fixes only take a few minutes.

Commodore 256: The 8-bit that never was

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing July 21, 2017November 15, 20241980s, amiga, CBM, commodore, commodore 64, DEC, IBM, IRA

In 1985, Commodore followed up on its best selling Commodore 64 with a model with twice as much memory. The design of the 128 offered the possibility of following up with a Commodore 256. It never happened. Instead, Commodore moved on from 8-bit machines after the 128. Here’s why.

1981 Fleer baseball cards

Dave Farquhar Baseball July 20, 2017February 6, 20231950s, 1960s, 1980s, 1990s, 202, 216, 28, 29, 32, 41, 483, 5, 514, 547, 7, 79, AVG, baseball cards, cardinals, cardstock, Fleer, New Jersey, Topps, willie wilson

It’s just my opinion, but I think 1981 Fleer baseball cards get less respect than they deserve. It ended Topps’ 25-year monopoly on baseball cards and, frankly, I think it’s a nicer set than the Topps or Donruss sets from the same year.

Yes, compared to the smooth and polished Topps, the Fleer set at times looked like amateur work. But they didn’t make as many mistakes as fellow upstart Donruss did. And they tried some things with their set that Topps had been unwilling to do. The 1981 Fleer baseball cards got some critical accolades at the time, and frankly I think it’s an underrated ’80s set. It didn’t contribute a lot to the most valuable cards of the 1980s, but it certainly helped shape the decade.

What salary do I need to buy a house?

Dave Farquhar Saving money July 19, 2017July 3, 2018college education, computer security, estate sales, interest rates, IRS, mortgage, oakville

What salary do I need to buy a house? I struggled with that question in my 20s and it probably kept me renting a year or so longer than I really needed to be. Then again, considering the housing crisis of 2007-2008, renting a year or so longer was a small price to pay to avoid potentially making the biggest financial mistake of my life.

One of the reasons for that financial crisis was not enough people asking that question. A second reason was banks being dishonest about the answer. For the record, I think buying a house is a good idea and it’s worth it. But you have to be sane about it to keep from getting into trouble.

Dyson vacuum cleaner repair/rebuild

Dave Farquhar DIY July 18, 2017June 13, 2022

Our Dyson DC-14 pet vacuum started making a terrible loud, high-pitched noise one day. It still worked, mostly, but the noise was obnoxious enough that you wanted hearing protection while using it. And when I investigated further, I found the vacuum brush was not spinning either. I finally got around to fixing it.

A Dyson vacuum cleaner making a loud noise, a high pitched squealing noise, and the vacuum brush not spinning are all symptoms of the same 1-2 problems. The clutch is engaged and possibly damaged. It’s also possible the filters are clogged.