Category: retro

hardware, retro, technology

VCF 2026! give away all the things and maybe get a few more

| be3n

VCF 2026 - DemoIt’s that time of year again, and the Vintage Computer Festival.  When i clean out my garage and marvel at all the incredible past computing and electronics that are kept working with love and proficient attention to maintenance.  not my first visit, or even my second.

VCF 2026 - Cart of Equipment VCF 2026 - Car of EquipmentThis year i brought three carloads, with xServes, xRAIDs, and fiber channel gear!  Time Capsules in original packaging.  iMacs and laptops from many generations and many operational statuses.

VCF 2026 - xServes & Fiber Channel VCF 2026 - Time Capsules in boxVCF 2026 - Dirty NES gamesThere was a demo of adult themed “dirty” original nintendo games. i never knew.  custom cases, or custom lights, here was an Amiga 500 made clear.  looking good.

VCF 2026 - Amiga 500 demo

Two of my dream systems were in the consignment room.  i was proud that i didn’t go home with a 20th Anniversary Mac nor a MacTV.  it was hard, but had to be done.

VCF 2026 - Mac TV on consignmentVCF 2026 - 20th Anniversary Mac on consignment

Culture, hardware, retro, Storage, technology

Preparing even more epic VCF deliveries this year!

| be3n

VCF Equipment xRAIDs

The Vintage Computer Festival is getting tons of goodies from me.  This year i’ve got literally three carloads!  (thanks Eric & Harry)  Some is so good it’s destined for the consignment room.  Don’t worry i’ve got plenty for the free table.  i’ve got a box of unused 3.5″ 500GB PATA disks!  spares for the xRAID.  who needs 7TB of 2GB fiber SAN?  Form an orderly line please.

VCF Equipment xServes xRAIDs Towers

hardware, retro, Security, technology, Wi-Fi

Going with the retro look with my new Hak5 Pineapple Pager!

| be3n

hak5 pager LogoLaunched at Defcon 33 and eagerly awaited by wifi tinkerers and technologists.  i finally received mine. i’m still figuring out the functionality from potential.  As a handheld device, unlike the rest of the pineapple line, it is designed to be used from the device.  i was looking for an always monitoring device with audio and haptic alerts.  it’s handheld nature makes extracting logs a novel concept, but it is already providing insight into my wireless space.  hak5 Pager - Initializing War Games Screenhak5 pager Setup ReadyI love the default look with all it’s retro elements.  From war games to classic MacOS, out of the box it has more retro style than it’s 90s pager reveals.  it operates on 3 wifi bands! (2,5,6) and maybe bluetooth as well eventually.  This is just the beginning as the firmware gets more mature and additional content is added by the users.  this is with the stock hardware.  Hak5 is already selling USB modules for ethernet, GPS, and LoRa for even more functionality. i’ll update as i get more capable with the gadget.  currently it does eat it’s battery very enthusiastically. i don’t think i’ve gotten more than 2-3 hours of use on a charge. (but i don’t yet know what i am doing)

Hak5 Wifi Pineapple Pager Recon

Culture, games, Recreation, retro, technology

Back at the VCF making good on my threat to give them stuff!

| be3n

VCF2025 Modded Macintoshes

As the Vintage Computer Festival Socal jumps back into action, I make good on my promise to bring a car full of ancient equipment.  All free to a good home.  As usual there were amazing systems from every era running and in beautiful shape.  I even saw a man in an SGI kimono!

UPDATE: another carload including X10 automation and lots of original software in boxes. also, a pile of network gear!

VCF2025 Car full of stuffVCF2025 Trunk full of BarcoVCF2025 Tiny Commodore 64

art, Culture, hardware, retro, technology

My visit to the Vintage Computer Festival SoCal

| be3n

Vintage Computer Festival SoCal Logo

There were so many incredible computers from the 70s, 80s, and 90s!  Beautiful computers that might have just been taken out of the box.  I got to play with an Amiga 4000 with a Video Toaster! (My dream box from the 90s)  I used a Commodore Pet that is older than i am. Some of my favorite stuff is modern boards that work with the vintage computers like micro SD floppy drives and Wi-Fi modems.

Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - Amiga 4000 ToasterVintage Computer Festival SoCal - Amiga 500 DemoVintage Computer Festival SoCal - Commodore PetVintage Computer Festival SoCal - iBook Rainbow
Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - Analog TV Demo

Culture, retro, technology, Video Games

Rehashing an old Mario trick

| be3n

After watching the Mario movie with kids, i dropped original NES Super Mario Bros on them.  They enjoyed the new (to them) gameplay, while marveling at the limitations: you cannot go back?  With me remembering a surprising number of secrets, i got a bug in me to revive this ancient trick.  Unfortunately, i wasn’t able to get it working correctly in the limited lives i had.  Undaunted, i finally completed it just a few days later while waiting on an OS upgrade.

my favorite part was that it overflowed the numerals and became pictures when displaying the remaining lives. if you got too many extra lives, it ended the game.

Super Mario Lives - Crown Blue Square

hardware, retro, Software, technology

What is old is new again! XP on an M1!

| be3n

I’m doing experiments with UTM to create a single purpose XP system with zero network access. in this picture, i am trying to fix a damaged system while simultaneously installing a fresh one. eventually got it working like a champ, and now it’s almost as portable as an app.  Huge thanks to 4PCTechs for your insights and archive of ancient drivers!

Culture, retro, technology, Video Games

My favorite game from 1987 is fun again thanks to updated FS-UAE!

| be3n

Ports of Call - Main Screen

This classic from my childhood has for some reason, never worked in emulation.  Until now!  i am finally able to play this game again after decades.  it’s more challenging than i remember.

Ports of Call - pirates

I even managed to complete a challenge that i could NEVER beat back in the day. Continue reading “My favorite game from 1987 is fun again thanks to updated FS-UAE!” →

art, Culture, hardware, retro, technology

My original shadowbox idea finally realized in all its glory!

| be3n

Apple Mouse Shadowbox

This was actually the idea that started it all!  It took me a while to finally complete it.  I know that i am missing the serial mouse from the original Macintosh and 128.  Despite having one, i decided to keep my 128 with all its pieces.  Besides, i never touched one until after college.  The mice represented here had my hands all over them most of my life.  I am very happy with how it came out.