Try me!

We can't afford models!

Anyone need a virtual pilot?

The other Body Count

Sweet laser of Brigitte Nelson!

And old comics sure so have great ads.

Second hand swordplay

Hark! To the Goodwill for armaments!

Dataworld Microchip Magic!

Since I just can't find too much at thrift stores to brag about these days, I'm posting about the little joys. Quality, not quantity.

I present unto thee: Microchip Magic by Dataworld, Produced in association with British Telecom. Explore Our Hi-Tech World! (c)1986

How this awesome book made it from the UK to a Texas thrift store, I'll never know. 5 quid seems steep. Oi!

Go Speccy! I'm no electrical engineer, but I think that board could have been more efficiently designed.

If there was any doubt whether I should by this, it was erased circa page 11 with that Boxing Calculator Alarm Watch by Casio. I love that style of handheld game. It was the best excuse to bring a game to school circa 1985. And that Seiko calculator watch is pure terminator metal bliss.

Here is Casio again, interfacing with and dwarfed by an Epson printer. It's almost all portable!

Yes, you actually hang up the phone ON the keyboard. The future is incredibly efficient. I love how networks of the early 80s and before were all about dumb terminals. We'll get there again, with any luck!

The predecessor to the Steambox, an IBM PC 5150 on a TV cart. Looks like one of those Amdex Color monitors I had as a kid that I'm kind of after. Here's a good place for a pile of disks, right here on the shag carpet. 

Whoever thought curly phone cords were good for anything other than phone cords should have been kicked out of the ideas department. I've paid to have my Colecovision and Intellivision cords straightened and it was worth it.

Give credit where credit is due. The Casio combination boombox and keyboard. Rad. Setup anywhere, like your bedroom, and just jam out on excruciatingly small keys. And record your demo because you might be the next Elton John. Casio lets you find out.

Near and dear to my heart is the CT or 'CAT' scanner. More keys, more joysticks, more monitors, MORE FUN!

Japan always had the best toys! Here's George the Computer Robot from CGL. Looks like something that would be costly then and equally costly now. 

Apple II Paddle Adapple

Being in lust with Apple ][ lately, I'm grabbing lots of the stuff wherever I can recently. I especially like items sold originally in baggies. 

One incomplete item I found was the manual and jumpers for a device called the Paddle-Adapple from 1981, which allowed you to extend and modify your Apple II or Apple II+ gameport. Fortunately I was able to find one of these devices on eBay and complete the set. I guess I still need a 16 pin extension cable, but at least I have the instructions that tell you how to use the jumpers. I figured I'd post a few pictures for anyone that needs the info on how to use this 1981 peripheral.

How to buy a laptop in 1989

From the Computerland laptop buyer's guide 1989. I'll agree that at that time, the perfect laptop had yet to be invented! That plasma screen was pretty amazing for it's time.