It bums me out that the links to almost every project listed on sites like @hackaday are to YouTube videos instead of real websites.

I know some people like watching videos but it’s a terrible format for the sort of random access reads that documentation is used for and we all know that YouTube is a terrible archival store (not to mention that the ads make the videos unwatchable).

Reading "The United Fruit Company and Early Radio Development" (Drale, 2010) with interest, about the history of the Tropical Radio and Telegraph Company - later TRT Telecommunications.

Commercial radio transmitters and shipboard equipment to support the banana trade, and then a transition over the years into the international telecommunications business.

Mini duck-pond leak test!

As long as it checks out, I’ll be building a retaining wall around it, and backfilling with gravel and river stones, so that the ducks that are coming later this summer will have a nice place to splash around.

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A watering trough turned duck pond with waterfall. Landscaping isn’t yet done, so you can see the infrastructure, plumbing, pump, etc.

Is there a way to change the default font for component identifiers in KiCad?
I'm asking because I need a professional looking PCB at work and it's quite some work to manually change every label to Comic Sans.

Thinking about getting a #gameDad. Should I get an RG535V? I am familiar with https://gamedad.club but figured I'd ask around.

Mostly thinking about N64-era games, but open to others.

Farmers in Bastrop, TX were hopeful when Elon Musk bought land nearby, but now he’s turning the area into “an environmentally hazardous industrial park.” Authorities won’t do anything because they’re understaffed and “intimidated by their powerful new neighbor.”

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/elon-musk-vs-organic-farmers-bastrop/

#elonmusk #spacex #tech #texas #boringcompany

What was your first modem? Mine was a 300 baud VICMODEM for my Commodore VIC-20 which included a type in terminal program in the user guide.

You had to manually dial the number with the phone, unplug the coil cable from the handset when you heard the carrier, and plug it into the modem!

#RetroComputing #Commodore #VIC20 #VICModem #Modem #Dialup

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Photo of the right corner of push button phone, the top left corner of a Commodore VIC-20 at the bottom, and a brown and silver VICMODEM cartridge plugged into the back of it. A telephone coil cable was removed from the handset and plugged into the modem.

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Page 7 from the VICMODEM manual as follows. The following computer program is for use with the VIC 20. This is a third method of turning your VIC into a terminal. You may type this into the computer and then start it by typing "run", those of you learning to program may find some of the routines interesting! For your convenience, we have provided an explanation of the listing. Terminal Software for the VIC 100 OPEN 5,2,3,CHR$(6) 110 DIM F%(255), T%6(255) 200 FOR J=32 TO 64: T%(J) =J: NEXT 210 T%(13)=13: T%(20)=8: RV=18: CT=0 220 FOR J=65 TO 90: K=J+32: T%(J)=K: NEXT 230 FOR J=91 TO 95: T%(J)=J: NEXT 240 FOR J=193 TO 218: K=J-128: T%(J)=K: NEXT 250 T%(146)=16: T%(133)=16 260 FOR J=0 TO 255 270 K=T%(J) 280 IF K<>0 THEN F%(K)=J: F%(K+128)=J 290 NEXT 300 PRINT " "CHR$(147) 310 GET#5,A$ 320 IF A$="" OR ST <> THEN 360 330 PRINT " "CHR$(157); CHR$(F%(ASC(A$))); 340 IF F%(ASC(A$)) =34 THEN POKE 212,0 350 GOTO 310 360 PRINT CHR$(RV)" "CHR$(157); CHR$(146);: GET A$ 370 IF A$< >" " THEN PRINT#5,CHR$(T%(ASC(A$)): 380 CT=CT+1 390 IF CT=8 THEN CT=0: RV=164-RV 400 IF (PEEK(37151) AND 64)=1 THEN 400 410 GOTO 310 NOTE: Insert a space between the quotes in program lines 300, 330 and 360. Do not put a space in the quotes in line 320. TIP. Once you have typed the above program into your computer, save it on your tape or disk for future reference or use.

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Screenshot of a VIC-20 being displayed on a CRT monitor with light blue border and white foreground showing a partial BASIC listing of the terminal software from the VICMODEM manual. See next photo for full BASIC listing in alt text.