Roof Trusses
Current Wx: Temp: 53.42°F Pressure: 1021hPa Humidity: 49% Wind: 6.13mphWords: 326
The Rifa cap has been removed, the motherboard cleaned and everything put back together. Had a brief scare when I plugged in the power supply and turned it on and the computer gave me a low note tone rather than a cheerful beep! Recalled that the IIe will go into a diagnostic routine when starting up without the keyboard attached.
Plugged in the keyboard and got my cheerful beep!
Did my banking this morning. Criminals are why we can't have nice things. It's basically very difficult to transfer large sums of money to third parties electronically. So, Fedex!
Didn't have breakfast this morning, and didn't really feel hungry even around noon. Figured I'd better eat something, so I had a banana, a bowl of tomato soup and a handful of nuts. This tirzepatide really does kill your appetite, and it somehow keeps me from even really thinking about food. I did have "intrusive thoughts" about food, mainly cookies and ice cream, but also subs and pizza. Whenever I had to go run an errand, I thought about what food place I liked was nearby. I wouldn't necessarily make a special trip to get a sub from Jerlando's, but if I was in the neighborhood...
Except cookies. For some reason, I thought it was ok to drive three miles into town to spend $3 on a cookie! Did that once or twice a week, which wasn't too bad. It's not like I did it every day. But I would make a slice of toast and put some raspberry jam on it! (Nearly every day.)
I don't even think about it now. Except to notice that I'm not thinking about out it.
Pretty amazing. And very welcome.
Roof decking still hasn't arrived, but the crew is busy doing other stuff.
Now to clean off the table again and set up the IIe and begin "testing." (Because "testing" sounds so much more responsible than "playing.")
The beep goes on...
✍️ Reply by emailEnshitification, Nostalgia and Sentimentality
08:07 Tuesday, 6 October 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 39.31°F Pressure: 1023hPa Humidity: 87% Wind: 6.24mph
Words: 786
What is the appeal of "retro"-anything? It's not just nostalgia, because I don't think young people would be embracing film imagery the way they are today.
I shot film when I got into photography, because I had to. Mainly slides, because who could afford prints? I loved photography, but I think the Apple II came along and stole my heart. I've probably mentioned before that what drew me to personal computing at first was you could put text on a television!
I guess I'm kind of a "visual" person. I have that hyper-whatever thing where I can visualize things in detail in my head, and I like looking at things, and TV was one of the first things I ever looked at. In black and white, naturally. (You'd think that might translate to some artistic ability. Alas, no. Maybe I never tried hard enough.)
But I don't hold any sentimental, nostalgic feelings for film photography. I'm mostly happy with digital, though I'm disappointed with the culture around it. Which is, almost by definition these days, "online culture."
I think young people are jaded with digital imagery because they grew up with it, it's everywhere around them, and now it's often generated by automated means. I can see why they feel that film is more "authentic," and that photography as a creative experience is richer using analog means, at least at first.
My daughter shoots weddings as a side hustle, and all her clients want digital and film, and she shoots 8mm movies and edits them together into a kind of montage.
Retro-computing is mostly old (white) guys like me, though I'm not sure that's always going to be the case, at least for people who genuinely enjoy computers.
The Apple II was the prototypical "personal computer," the "hacker's choice," at least at first, because of the slots. In that way, the II was kind of a blank canvas, not only for software, but hardware as well. Today, computers are becoming just like the old corporate mainframe. You have to be a member of the "priesthood" to really do anything with them that isn't printed on the label.
Yes, I know about Linux and the Raspberry Pi and micro-controllers and all that, and if a person is sufficiently motivated, they can use all that with the help of AI and accomplish some pretty amazing things. Of course, I wonder how long it'll be before that'll become like digital photography? The only "authentic" experience is writing "on the metal."
Apple was once two guys in a garage. (Ok, it was never really just two guys in a garage, but let's enjoy our myths while we can.) Today it's a gigantic corporation with a global supply chain, shareholders, a board of directors, and whose customers are just suckers ripe for the picking (metaphor fail) who must be protected from bad actors (and competitors).
I guess that's why I love the old Apple II. I noticed that it was two years ago today that I was investigating one of my Apple IIes that I'd recently purchased. Here I am again, two years later, doing the same thing.
I don't think it's nostalgia, it's more like self-care. "An elegant weapon from a more civilized age." Or words to that effect.
More and more each day, I feel unhappy, uneasy, using my Mac. It's not exciting anymore. Hasn't been for a long time. I feel as though I'm complicit in something wrong. Not just wrong for all the social media ills, or for the attention-robbing digital platforms, or the privacy invasions. It's all of that and something else I don't think I can put my finger on.
But I'm not going to switch to Linux.
Screw that. I'm too old to learn a bunch of new stuff that isn't rewarding in its own right just to do mundane stuff I can do now, albeit shedding bits of my soul in the process.
We fuck everything up. It's money that does it. Greed. Gotta have it though.
Until the wheels fall off, that is. Which is probably sooner than anyone expects.
Anyway, gotta go shower. I'm waiting for 84 Lumber to deliver the roof decking. Brad's off with his guy buying other stuff. I'm to let them know where to put it. I asked Brad where he wanted it, and it turns out there's actually no place where it'll be convenient. Ken's coming back today to get rid of a couple more mounds of dirt, and he's going to dig the hole to set the septic tank, so pretty much anywhere is going to be in the way.
I'll go to the bank when Brad gets back.
✍️ Reply by emailMoon & Jupiter 10-6-26
Current Wx: Temp: 36.43°F Pressure: 1022hPa Humidity: 88% Wind: 5.53mphWords: 29
It's chilly out there. Saw the Moon and Jupiter and thought it deserved a shot.
Banking this morning, then maybe I'll get the power supply out of the IIe.
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