The Penciler

Fun with Google Scribe

2010-09-17T12:11:00.001-07:00

When you start with "A" and then continue with the space bar and chose the first suggestion every time, what kind of sentence structure do you get?

You get this:

"A new study finds that the proposed method is based on the seller 's handling of the case and the relevant law and any other information that results from a study of the effects of the drug in the treatment of the subject areas below and select the most appropriate way to deal w ith th e in for rm a t i o n s o r e a s t e m p l e t e r n a t i o n s o r e a s t e m p l e"

After a while it breaks down to single letters that seem to form spaced out words that run into each other. It continues like that in a repeating pattern. Very interesting.

http://scribe.googlelabs.com/

Start with other letters, numbers or symbols and see what you get.

How to import custom doc sizes from Photoshop CS4 to CS5

2010-08-09T09:58:00.001-07:00

I know a lot of people make custom document size presets in Photoshop and rely on them to create new projects. Here's how to import them across versions of Photoshop in Mac OS X.

First locate the older version X's "New Doc Sizes.psp" file in "~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CSx Settings/". Open the "New Doc Sizes.psp" file in Text Edit as plain text (don't turn on the Rich Text feature). Select all of the presets with Command+A then press Command+C to copy.

Go to the newer version Y's "New Doc Sizes.psp" file in "~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CSy Settings/". Open the "New Doc Sizes.psp" file in Text Edit as plain text (don't turn on the Rich Text feature). Select all with Command+A then press Command+P to paste. Press Command+S to save. Then quit out of Text Edit with Command+Q.

Open up Photoshop CSy (the newer version) and voila! You have your old file sizes!

In this instance I imported from CS4 to CS5 and it worked! :) CS4 was CSx and CS5 was CSy.

Week 4 of college life

2010-07-27T17:13:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I'm late in posting this, but I have to mention this at least once. I'm enrolled in Rasmussen College of Business (or School of Business or whatever they're calling themselves now) and I couldn't be more happy. Well, I could if I'm hired by a studio after this.That would make my day.

I'm taking a Multimedia Technology course which is a 4 year A.A.S. degree. So far it's started out very well and I'm having a lot of fun. I'm also taking English Composition and I'm burning my brain out on it. I've never been a formal writer really. But I hope I get better. At the very least to pass the course, at the most to actually learn how to write a story so I can write my own comic book. See how those two compliment each other? I'm also taking Success Strategies and that is an online course; A course that is so much a breeze I wonder if I'm doing it right. I'm getting good grades so I must be...

First quarter so far. I expect to graduate in 2014. They always say make sure you plan for an on-time graduation. I'm not sure what they mean by that exactly, they're kinda cryptic, but to me all that means (if I'm interpreting it right) is ace your courses and take responsibility for any costs and obligations and you'll graduate. Cake. With chocolate frosting and sprinkles on top. Easy. Just do it. I wondered why they make it sound so hard for people to do, but I notice as time goes on I see which students are taking it seriously and professionally and which are simply not showing up (still treating it like high school). So that's what they must be indirectly referring to. And it helps if you're interested in what you're learning. If you're not then it'll be a struggle.

I hope it's like this still in 3 years or 4 years. I'm having so much fun. And I get a "free" software package. I say "free" in quotes because we all know it's not really free unless the government grants (the money you don't have to pay back) cover it. If it's covered by loans, you'll pay, it's just over a length of time. lol I just hope my loans cover it all and I can pay some of it back in time to keep a good credit score. But I get Adobe CS5 Master Collection! WOO! And of course the obligatory Microsoft Office 2008 which I'm becoming more and more used to.

Well, wish me luck! I need some extra luck along with hard work just to push me over the top (or fling me so far over the top I'll need a parachute to come back to the top). :)

LEGO 10213 Shuttle Adventure designer interview

2010-05-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

Why I am Using Google Buzz as An Alternative to Facebook

2010-05-08T04:14:00.000-07:00

A very interesting piece on why Google Buzz is better.

Why I am Using Google Buzz as An Alternative to Facebook: "The Internet is a big place, and there are a lot of opportunities for me to find places to spend time. But I am increasingly spending my time in Google Buzz. Google Buzz made sense to me from the first day it was launched, and it continues to improve. This is not a surprise to those of you who have been using the service in the last few months, but I thought I would explain why I am choosing to devote more of my social networking activity there, and why I think it is critical that the product succeed."

[ link ]

Does Ubuntu Capture the “Mac Vision And Spirit” Better Than Mac OS X?

2010-05-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Does Ubuntu Capture the “Mac Vision And Spirit” Better Than Mac OS X?: "
A week ago, on April 29, Linux distro Canonical released Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) in Desktop, Server and Netbook editions. It featured a new look that some rate more attractive and up-to-date than Snow Leopard’s. “Lucid Lynx’s” new graphics card drivers and other consumer-oriented innovations front a Linux-based operating system package containing all the essential productivity applications you need, all for free: a web browser, office suite, media apps, instant messaging and much more, and is being pitched as an open-source alternative to Windows and Office or Mac OS X and the iApps. Ubuntu’s core applications are all free and open source.

The Register’s Gavin Clarke reported last week that with Lucid Lynx, Canonical is hoping to entice Mac and Windows users to switch, quoting the company’s COO and blogger Matt Asay asserting that changes in the consumer-oriented Ubuntu 10.04 LTS edition will cause “Apple fanbois” to reconsider their love for Steve Jobs, while “milk-fed Windows users” will be less inclined to run screaming to their retailer to return their Ubuntu PCs.

Given Apple’s increasingly evident distractedness from Mac OS development as it concentrates more and more on the mobile space with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, some are also suggesting that Ubuntu captures the traditional “Mac” spirit and vision better than the actual Mac OS does these days.

In an April 28 essay anticipating the imminent Ubuntu 10.04 release, ServerWatch’s Paul Rubens said that Apple is fading from relevance in the computing space as it focuses more and more on phones, web tablets and other consumer gadgets, and that if you’re an old-style Apple fan (by which he means a fan of real Apple Mac computers, not so much the new Apples-R-Us toys and games company), there’s no need to fret because while Apple may not “get” it anymore, it seems Canonical does. He asserts that during the past 12 months Ubuntu has evolved into something that’s powerful, easy to use, and far more stylish than Snow Leopard, which he thinks is not really that surprising when you consider that Apple is far too busy with its iPhone OS to bother much with updating OS X. Rubens says that Ubuntu is innovative, forward-looking, stylish and fun, and rapidly becoming everything that OS X might’ve been had Apple not decided to turn its back on it and become fixated with iPhone OS — “except for being overpriced and closed.”

The concept of desktop Linux possibly better capturing the early-days essence of Mac culture isn’t entirely new. A decade ago I reported on another user-friendly Linux GUI project by a startup called Eazel. The Eazel team was spearheaded by a who’s who of Macintosh alumni. Staffers included Mike Boich — former head of Macintosh evangelism for Apple Computer; Andy Hertzfeld — lead programmer for original Mac OS development in the early ’80s who wrote much of the code that became the iconic Macintosh GUI; Susan Kare who did the graphic design for the original Mac OS Finder icons; Darin Adler who had been technical lead for System 7 development at Apple; and Bud Tribble — first software architect on the Macintosh project and manager of the original Macintosh software team. Mac people all from way back. Arguably, that bunch had a more purebred Macintosh “pedigree” than the folks who were developing OS X at the time.

I suggested back in 2000 that there was a case to be made that the thinking behind Eazel may well be truer to the original Mac essence than OS X itself. I wondered whether OS X would retain enough distinct classic Mac-ness, that je ne sais quois that made the Mac a Mac for many of us veteran users, to sustain the dogged loyalty that had characterized the Mac community through thick and thin for 16 years up to that point? Or would it be so NeXT like, or much, much worse, Windows-like, that hitherto Mac loyalists might be tempted to stray into other pastures? As it turned out, the Eazel project eventually withered on the vine, as it were, and we Mac OS fans adapted to OS X, which turned out to be a very decent computing environment, but lately there are rumblings that Apple is losing interest in the Mac OS with its focus shifting primarily to the mobile space.

Indeed, in his April 29 philippic against Adobe Flash, Steve Jobs appeared to refer to “the PC era” in the past tense, “implying that the computer and mouse paradigm is passé, with the mobile era being about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards (notwithstanding that ironically the iPhone OS environment is anything but ‘open’).”

Not so with Ubuntu, which is committed to traditional desktop and laptop computing, and where the ‘free’ in ‘free software’ is used primarily in reference to freedom, and not to price — although the company says it’s committed to not charging for Ubuntu, and that the most important thing about Ubuntu is that it confers rights of software freedom on the people who install and use it, freedoms that will enable the Ubuntu community to grow, continue to share its collective experience and expertise to improve Ubuntu and make it suitable for use in new countries and new industries.

What do you think? Does Canonical with Ubuntu have a realistic shot at convincing significant numbers of Mac OS and Windows users to switch?

"

Use an Ubuntu Live CD to Test Your PC's Memory [Ubuntu]

2010-05-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

Use an Ubuntu Live CD to Test Your PC's Memory [Ubuntu]: "

If your PC has been experiencing strange system crashes, or even the dreaded Blue Screen of Death, it's worth running some tests to check your system hardware. Luckily the Ubuntu Live CD has some tools built right in. More »

Steam for Linux next on cards after OS X?

2010-05-04T04:57:00.000-07:00

Steam for Linux next on cards after OS X?: "
Linux and gaming haven’t always been the most familiar of bedfellows, but that could all change should Valve bring their Steam client to the OS. Hot on the heels of a confirmed OS X Steam launch date comes news that Phonorix have discovered several unreleased Steam Linux binaries that are apparently being actively developed.

“Less than two weeks ago we reported on the Mac OS X Steam client confirming the existence of a Linux client and then found more Linux references too. We then found the unreleased Steam Linux binaries that were under active development. Some still didn’t believe the existence of a Steam client for Linux with Source Engine support, but it’s something we have said for nearly two years based upon our sources and then the emergence of these binaries.” Phoronix

The binaries don’t currently run, but some Phoronix forum members have dug through and managed to get the above screenshot working. What it proves is that Steam is running natively under Linux, though it’ll take some time before you can actually play games via the system.

Valve are yet to publicly comment on the Linux Steam client, though they’ve also done nothing to disguise the work-in-progress files since they were first spotted around two weeks ago. It seems likely they’ll get the OS X Steam launch out of the way before focusing on the new platform.

[via Gear Diary]

What Would You Need to Ditch Cable Television? [Ask The Readers]

2010-05-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

What Would You Need to Ditch Cable Television? [Ask The Readers]: "

People across the U.S. are rethinking the necessity of premium television service, in light of increasing costs and an overall trend towards frugality. Have you cut the cable recently? What tools or content would you need to live without a standard subscription? More »

Free Getting Started with Ubuntu Manual Helps Out Linux Rookies [Ebook]

2010-05-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

Free Getting Started with Ubuntu Manual Helps Out Linux Rookies [Ebook]: "

Numerous commenters and emailers have written in to recommend that both newcomers to Ubuntu and those looking for a particular fix check out Getting Started with Ubuntu 10.04, the first in a planned series of community-edited manuals that will accompany each successive Ubuntu release. It covers all the new stuff in Ubuntu 10.04, the basics of setting up multimedia access and the apps you want, and a lot more, and it looks pretty darned nice for a Linux manual. It's a free PDF that should work on most e-book readers. [Ubuntu Manual] More »

How to Troubleshoot Your Friends’ Computers From Far Away [Troubleshooting]

2010-05-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

How to Troubleshoot Your Friends’ Computers From Far Away [Troubleshooting]: "

You're the computer whiz in your circle of friends and family, which means, inevitably, somebody is going to call for tech support. If you can't fix it in person, these are the best approaches we've found for troubleshooting from far away. More »

Vintage-Style DC Character Posters on the Behance Network

2010-05-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

Vintage-Style DC Character Posters on the Behance Network: "This is a personal project, featuring DC comic characters presented in a vintage poster form."

Give a Major Award to the Maker of this Atari Lamp [Cool]

2010-05-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Give a Major Award to the Maker of this Atari Lamp [Cool]: "

One year later, the Atari 2600 Joystick Lamp gets a worthy companion - this combination of a dead VCS, 10 cartridges, and a boxart lampshade. Put it in the living room window so people can see it from the street! More »

The Best Improvements in Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx [Operating Systems]

2010-05-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

The Best Improvements in Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx [Operating Systems]: "

Ubuntu 10.04 is out today, and there are quite a few improvements in 'Lucid Lynx,' a long-term support release. What's worth checking out, beyond the geeky guts? A pretty nifty social manager, a great music store, faster boot-ups, and more. More »

Donate Your Old Electronics to Skip the Hassle of Selling [Charity]

2010-05-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Donate Your Old Electronics to Skip the Hassle of Selling [Charity]: "

Selling your old electronics gear can be a hassle. Skip the haggling and annoying question-obsessed eBay buyers by donating your gear to charity. More »

Play Super Mario Bros. As Mega Man, Link, Samus, And More! [Hot Flashes]

2010-05-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

Play Super Mario Bros. As Mega Man, Link, Samus, And More! [Hot Flashes]: "

What if you could play the original Super Mario Bros. with other classic video game characters, controlling just as they did in their own titles? Well now you can, with Simon Belmont, Link, Samus, Mega Man, and Bill from Contra. More »

Of Floppy Disks, HFS and Snow Leopard

2009-10-28T03:17:00.000-07:00

Recently I started investigating the HFS issue in Snow Leopard. The issue is that now Leopard along with Snow Leopard no longer writes to or creates HFS volumes. This includes anything that can hold data. From floppy disks to USB flash drives to hard drives. Doing some investigative work specifically for floppy disks I found out several interesting things and ways around this problem.

1) Most modern USB floppy drives can read 1.4MB floppy disks (aka HD) and 720K floppy disks (aka DS/DD). But not 800K disks (typically HFS or ProDOS formatted) that were formatted on the floppy drive era of Macintoshes.

2) If you format a 720K floppy through Disk Utility on a pre-Leopard/post-Classic machine in Mac Standard with a modern USB floppy drive you can use that 720k Mac Standard (HFS) floppy on modern Macs. But that floppy will be read as a 300 or so kilobyte (I think it was 324K) floppy if you insert it into a floppy drive era Mac running Mac OS 9 or below. I'm guessing that there is potential for data corruption there due to the storage reporting difference. Most floppy drive era Macs can read 800K HFS or ProDOS floppies, 720K DOS floppies (FAT12) or 1.4MB floppies in compatible formats. Most floppy drives used in non-Mac x86 machines can only read 720K and 1.4MB floppies. This is how USB floppy drives work too. Note: I'm only talking about your basic floppy drives. Not the SuperDISK drives from Imation which hold (I think) 120MB or 140MB of data.

3) You can use the command "dd" in the Terminal to save an exact copy of an HFS formatted FDHD under any Mac OS X. Or for that matter any UNIX-like computer that can mount HFS volumes (there may be an equivalent in Windows if you use MacDrive by MediaFour). Then you can restore, essentially formatting and cloning, HFS FDHD's on your Mac OS X machine. This is how you do it:

First unmount (do not eject. There IS a difference) the nested volume under the floppy drive in Disk Utility (you can do this in the Terminal as well, I just forget the exact command). This will keep the floppy drive device active. Then type this in the Terminal:

dd if="/the path of the input file or device" of="/the path of the output file or device"

Typically you want to use the device path in one option (ie: /dev/disk1 or /dev/disk2 or wherever the command "df -h" tells you) and the image file path in the other option. Depending on whether you want to restore from an image file to a floppy or create an image file from a floppy.

Examples:

To image a floppy disk.

dd if=/dev/disk1 of=/Users/[user name]/Desktop/BlankFDHD.img

Or the other way around to format, restore or clone a floppy disk.

dd if=/Users/[user name]/Desktop/BlankFDHD.img of=/dev/disk1

If there are spaces in your path then use quotes around the path. The brackets and the words in brackets ([]) are to be replaced by your user name on your computer.

Sadly this cannot be done for HFS formatted 800K floppies as I mentioned earlier as most USB floppy drives don't see 800K worth of floppy. Most of those drives have an FDHD 1.4MB mode and a 720K mode and that's it. I don't have a floppy drive era Mac running Mac OS X to test though so that may be a possibility if you can find a SuperDrive (the floppy drive Apple use to call the SuperDrive) driver for Mac OS X.

Essentially what you're doing is using an image file of a blank HFS formatted floppy disk made from a single HFS floppy to make more HFS floppies. Really just cloning blank floppies. The one scenario I can see this being used in is if you are using a Leopard Mac OS X Macintosh and you are nowhere near a Mac capable of formatting in HFS and you have a lapfull of floppies you want turned into HFS floppies for your museum quality vintage Mac SE back home. Not a likely scenario, but hey, if you want your HFS floppy formatting on your Leopard machine, there it is. BTW, HFS is the same as Macintosh Standard in Disk Utility. HFS+ is Macintosh Extended and its variants. Make sure you're using an HFS floppy that's using the full space of the floppy before you make that image file. A corrupted floppy can waste kilobytes of space. When formatting on, say, a Mac SE and you see the "Updating..." progress bar eat up your floppy's space. It's trying to make the floppy usable by formatting around the bad sectors so in the end you get a 1.2MB (or worse, less) out a 1.4MB FDHD which when formatted is supposed to give you 1.3MB in HFS format. In short, format your HFS floppy on a pre-Leopard/post-Classic Mac (Disk Utility is a lot better than the in-OS "Erase Disk" option in the Special menu on a Classic Mac. It gives you a full capacity floppy [nearly] every time). Also note that dd is a raw data copier. It copies exactly what it sees. If it sees a 1.0MB HFS floppy instead of a 1.4MB HD capacity/1.3MB readable HFS floppy like it should then it makes a 1.0MB image file not a 1.3MB one (which is 1.5MB in the Finder as a file). This will clone 1.0MB floppies and that's not what you want.

And of course you can use dd to "burn" those floppy image files you get from the net onto floppies.

Why would you want to do this? Well, if you don't have floppy disks or a floppy drive and/or a vintage Mac then this doesn't apply to you. Why would you want to fool around with HFS when HFS+ (or insert your favorite file system like ext3 or ZFS) is so much better? AGAIN, if you don't have floppy disks or a floppy drive and/or a vintage Mac then this doesn't apply to you if you'd rather use non-legacy formats. Trust me, I know why you'd want to use non-legacy formats. This is often the route I'd take if I didn't have to deal with vintage hardware (along with a paperless office and using solar energy instead of grid energy). But there are a lot of people out there who still enjoy playing around with the older formats and hardware and to them this is important. This isn't a "what's better" HOWTO. This is a "what's compatible" HOWTO.

Test

2009-10-25T04:35:00.001-07:00

Testing the Blogger widget on iMac.

About my pet peeves:

2009-10-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

Forums. And comment threads on sites like YouTube. This link will give you more of an idea why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnkFYTSeT_U

I take it further. I just don't believe in forums and comments. They're just magnets for negativity and people with chips on their shoulders looking to prove a point tothe rest of the world. They take everything to extremes, take everything personal and are oblivious that others may not be as serious as they are. I have occasionally posted in comments lately, but I don't go back and reply or "defend my position" as if it's necessary. Not that I'm saying I'm always right (I say stupid things, mainly for silly-fun-time reasons). If I'm wrong then I'm wrong, but I'm not going to waste my time fighting with someone I don't know just to feed their need for attention and conflict because they can't stand it that other people may not have the same opinion as they do (real or perceived). These people are the people who watch Jon Stewart or read the Onion and have to take everything said as a challenge for debate. And that's sad. Because they will never admit they're taking things the wrong way. There's a name for personalities like this. It's called "douchebag".

Well... At least you have my Twitter feed there...

2009-06-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

If anybody cares, it's been a while since my last post. Site's not dead! I just can't think of anything to post... Kinda busy making art...

Made some Ubuntu posters.

2009-05-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

Check them out! :)

http://the-penciler.deviantart.com/

SuperNews: Celebrity Twitter Overkill

2009-05-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

Heehee! :)

Started posting at my new DeviantArt page

2009-05-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

This first one is my old Wild Bill Hickok drawing from 2004

Wild Bill Hickok by ~The-Penciler on deviant ART

My Computer Museum: Apple IIe

2009-05-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

A while ago I became obsessed with getting my Apple IIe back up and running in my Wall-O-Vintage computer collection. I thought I'd share the resources I used to do that. :)

ADTPro
Simply put is a data transfer utility for floppy disk back up. That means that you can transfer data between your modern computer and your Apple IIx (I use the term IIx to signify the range of Apple II's. II, IIe, IIc, etc) writing that data to 5.25" floppy disks. This is done by connecting your computer to the Apple IIx by one of 3 or 4 methods. 1: Serial, 2: Ethernet crossover cable, 3: audio (set at normal distortion-free levels). The 4th method is my favorite. Or 4: through a USB to serial adapter. The reason why I listed that separate is because essentially your adding a serial port to your computer through USB and the utility doesn't know any different. You will need the SuperSerialCard (SSC) adapter for Apple II's installed in slot 2 of the Apple IIx you're using if you decide to go the serial route. Or you will need an Ethernet adapter in your Apple IIx. Most people, if they have neither, opt for the audio route (very slow). However SSC's are very easy to find since there are quite a few companies still making them (as clones of the original spec), sometimes better than the original. Places to buy these things will be listed at the end of the post.
http://adtpro.sourceforge.net/

A USB to serial adapter
Usually these come in the DB9 variety and are primarily meant for old PDA's that use a serial connection. Most likely you will find you have to buy a DB9 to DB25 connector adapter unless you had the foresight in finding a USB to DB25 serial adapter. They're also great for old serial modems (Mac or PC. "Mac," since most "Macintosh" modems are really PC serial modems in disguise and all you have to do is adapt the DIN connector to a DB9 connector or toss aside the Mac cable and connect the adapter directly to the DB9 port on the modem). Really anything requiring a serial connection. Most of these adapters are by default, being very basic and standard types of hardware, supported by most operating systems (OSes) and in turn the Java app ADTPro will see them since the OS sees them. I'm using the adapter that came with the Collectorz application/barcode scanner set I have.
http://bit.ly/EPZFv

Ziotek Adapter Thin DB9 Female to DB25 Male ZT1310142
In case your adapter ends in a DB9 (9 pin) instead of a DB25 (25 pin) connection and it didn't come with an adapter here is a connector changer that will solve your connector woes. The connector on a SSC is a DB25. Item # 131 0142
http://www.cyberguys.com/product-details/?productid=742

You will also need at least 1 (ONE) Apple 5.25 Floppy Drive to even start using ADPro. I use 2 for games that require a second floppy disk. Just follow the directions on the ADTPro site and you'll be off to the races! And depending on what kind of floppy drives you have you will need floppy disks that are compatible. Usually this means not using the 1.4MB (MegaBytes) 5.25" floppies in the original Apple 5.25 Floppy Drives as they were sold before the 1.4MB floppies came out for x86 PCs. You will run into errors using ADTPro if you use the wrong floppy disks. That isn't to say that there aren't floppy drives that can use 1.4MB 5.25" floppies for the Apple II line of computers. There are, I know there are (I'm not crazy! I know there are! Get me out of this straightjacket! LOL just kidding), I just haven't been lucky in finding them. What you need are the old 720KB (KiloBytes) single-sided 5.25" floppy disks. I have many 1.4MB ones and I was lucky that I still had working 720KB ones. 1024KB = 1MB. So 720KB x 2 sides = 1.4MB approximately.

You will also need a source for old Apple II disk images. Don't ask me as that's a legal gray area that I won't venture into. I have my sources. I suggest Google-ing for them. Though most of those old Apple II apps are abandonware and have fallen into public domain. Some haven't though (especially the office apps), so my refusal to show you where to get them stands.

If you have any apps on old 5.25" floppies you'd like to back up onto your modern computer's hard drive ADTPro is great for doing that as well.

What ADTPro is NOT is a server for simply using floppy disk images on your modern computer's hard drive as a replacement for a physical Apple 5.25 Floppy Drive. Essentially using your modern computer as a virtual floppy drive for your Apple II by connecting your modern computer to the floppy drive port on an Apple II. It's a good idea and there are ways of doing this, but the link I had for that is lost to me. I had a link, but unfortunately I didn't save that link. Basically you'd use ADTPro in conjunction with this method (if the method didn't already do it) in order to make the floppy images for the image server to use. ADTPro IS a server, but it's mainly for writing data to and reading data from physical floppies, not simply to send data to the Apple II as a virtual floppy drive. ADTPro is often confused as a way to virtually use floppy disk images in place of physical floppies. It's just a back up utility. You still need physical (real) floppies and floppy drives.

Here is that hardware source I promised:
http://www.reactivemicro.com/

Firefox Poster Sample

2009-05-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share something I did last night. Currently looking into how to publicize this. Hope you like it. :)

From The Penciler