Notices by tom jennings (tomjennings@tldr.nettime.org)

You cannot write good code in a hurry.

"Ten years ago, we had Johnny Cash. We had Bob Hope and Steve Jobs. Today, 10 years later, there's no cash. There's no hope. There's no jobs."

I found Phil Karns (ka9q) cp/m code for NOS, his tcp/ip stack and clients (in sn all in one program). It has been on a well lnown retro site for some time, but not findsble via web search somehow, and its not just me not searching well. Which is a separate story.

Its written in C, eith the Aztec compiler (very nice tool). It sll compiles.

It has as serious hardware integration with the Zilog SIO and Timer in a Xerox 820 that would need adaptation, but thats acreaons le project. Without the actual SIO chip there would be no HDLC and attendant functions but in 2026, no loss.

Doesnt compile under MP/M -- not enough memory. NOS is pushing things.

Its clean snd readable code.

The Little Garden ISP ran on the DOS version of NOS, we pushed it hard, it had few problems. As a router, with four modems, we hung four customers each full /24 subnet, on one low end single floppy DOS box feeding w router to the net. We called it "nail up" as opposed to dial up; stsy connected round the clock.

Im not gonna pursue it at this time, ive got other things to do first.

If someone here had the skills, and would bring it up, id provide them with a free fZ80 machine in exchange....

The partially prepped software bundle will be downloadable tomorrow. With compiler. Dev on CP/M is rough, you should know thet before you start.... MP/M is almost a joy. But since the task is narrow the device driver -- which will be firmware in thr Teensy 4.1 therefore gcc -- could be tested in an easy standalone program under MP/M which would be kinda fun and not gruelling at all. I'd help with that.

Very briefly and decades ago there were attempts, mainly by computer magazines, to work out data-transfer methods involving printed paper sheets with optically encoded data. The goal then was to use a reader that could be constructed at home, eg no more than a photodiode on a stick and a bright light. The magazine could encode computer data and print it on magazine pages. None of it caight on for long, but its still and interesting idea.

But now we have cheap hi res laser printers and hi res computer cameras in every pocket.

What could we do today? How much data could we reliably (emphasis on RELIABLE AND ERROR TOLERANT, OVER CAPACITY) on a sheet of Letter or A2?

A code that would work on odd shapes? Rectangle, square, long strip, intermittent chunks?

A code that works when output as a movie? Large number of frames, optically read? Then we could go phone handset to handset without requiring radio permission.

Its likely such things exist already. Ive never come across them but i dont do much internetting that's not narrowly pointful these days.

@dlakelan

Segway? A classic solution in search of s problem, and emblematic of one of tech's social problems.

The technology itself was at the time quite amazing. And most tech folk stopped there.

It was a social disaster. Its position in the world was something like enhanced pedestrian, not streetable. They took up more room in ped space than a wheelchair, but their users were well off abled nerds.

Segway gave nothing to people with mobiity issues. We gladly give up abled convenience to support folks in wheelchairs etc (most of us anyway), but Segways were toys for the already privileged demanding even moreaccommodation.

Technically clever gadgets should not take priority of peoples daily needs. We need systems thinking not toys for the rich.

Look at the tiny niche they live in now; mall and airport security guard mobility.

@inthehands

@Anne_Delong

mastodonhelpteam@mastodon.cloud

@teledyn

Oh yes! Not a very clever one. Be dure to click "receive funds"! Lol

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BTW, the very first BBS in San Francisco CA was Kinky Kumputer, run by Bill (last name forgotten). A phone phreaker, he had a PBX in his house. Phone number was a memorable MAN-KINK. Area code 415. Homebrew software I think.

Sex and much nerdity. Bill was a cool guy. He moved to Japan. No idea where he is now.

I need to update the notable BBS list on wikipedia.

Put RedHat in your killchain.

Every traded corporation does evil when their market is evil and growth is the goal.

@timbray

They can't. In 2026 it's not even a good fantasy.

The way these corps treat data, im gonna delete my acct now/soon, though it provebly won't ever be deleted in fact. And its an empty gesture anyway.

@psf

Interesting. I vehemently do not use computers like that, lol, the pop on, type one note, pop closed. I sometimes do such things on my phone, which i feel is a flaw in my thinking

Im very much sbout paying sttention to interruptions and worst, self interruptions snd devices invite this.

BUT! Yes, the double whammy, triple really, if you include no lid switch ( though the little keyboard lcd machine could do this) of no low power idle mode and the power curcuit leak -- doesn't even last a day off charger -- makes it a lot less useful.

I have taken it on trips and it is pretty good because my mobile workflow usually is sit down do extended work then stop. Then its just great. Get into work mode, exhaust it, stop go do the next thing or whatever.

The keyboard is too cramped for my long fingers. The orthogonal thing hasnt bothered me at all and i was surprised. But the keys -- just lovely to type on, the key mechanisms are amazing! make it not a good typong machine for me but this was known by me up front.

Its chonkness is cool.

Ive ordered, slightly reluctantly cuz is expensive, the rk3588 upgrade. The a311d though better than the original cpu bogs dpwn hopelessly with modest browser use and it cant Bluetooth audio reliably. The rk3588 should fix all that (plus the 16gb ram)

I kinda dont have a use-case for the pocket right now but its a lovely machine.

Also id hate to lose it so i have a used $300 eBay Stinkbook x13 i drag around for those scarce times i need to work not at home. Which are less and less, by design outside of computing. My computer use is increasingly outside of most peoples convention so take this all with eith s grain of salt.

Anyone here with ***specific factual technical knowledge*** that can tell us which phone models do or no not, actually power off, all electronics depowered and inert?

As far as I can tell my Pixel 7 actually powers off. But does it really?

Does AIRPLANE MODE actually disable all of the transmitters?

In AIRPLANE MODE is it safe to assume that the phone is still tracking/logging it's location (using whatever facilities are on gps, wifi, towers, Bluetooth)?

To me these are crucial things to know, impossible to web search, buried in all the novice phone questions. Or maybe no one knows.

@lanodan

more than one a day! lol!

no thing means anything at all.

@mattblaze

I think human activity on the net is driven by two major drives: porn and righteous indignation.

Another day, another data breech.

OMFG Pluribus is hilarious!

Don't want to spoil it but in episode 2, oh my what a flip.

Holey krap it looks like MAXIMUMROCKNROLL is not in the Internet Archive!

It was print-only until relatively recently, and well past it's prime; but is hands-down the center of the literate punk world for 20 year, a monthly 100 pages of dictionary-density letters (so many letters!), columns, reviews, and rigorously-regulated ads.

It was newsprint, stapled, I can only guess but amongst the worst shit in the world to scan.

Gonna have to ask around to see if anyone's got scans. or collated copies.

@mhoye

Lol I'm not a lock geek in the slightest, but yeah I know there's only N combinations and in 1960s cars, N is like 100.

Junkyards usually had huge keyrings and some low status employees job was to take the big blob ring out the the latest acquisition and figure out which key it was.

@deviantollam

@riley

Well homeless folk have a lot to be angry about. We just need to cut people more slack.

@riley

Oh, I'm with her. One of the things about being homeless, that I can observe, and have been told, is you're not treated as human -- don't exist.

I've made it a point to at least say hello to every person on the street, homeless or not. It's the literally-least thing we can do. Even begging, just saying "no, sorry" at least is human.

I've found that even the ranting crazy folk, yelling at god (mostly themselves), on an anguished rant, if yhou loudly say "HELLO!" half of them pause and say hi back, then go back to yelling. Which is actually kinda funny and revealing.

If once in a while you get an angry response, whatever. Everyone has bad days.

@lanodan