/retro/ - Y2K

>>1985 (OP) 
>I have never bought a digital camera and I have stopped being a NEET lately. I have a small comfy job so I have some money and I buy rolls of film on occasion and I carry a late '90s point and shoot camera with me almost everywhere I go. It's fun and super comfy. I also started developing black and white film myself, at home.
I used to do toy camera photography and would never go back to digital after that. It took some tinkering to get digital pictures to look nice by my standards, while film photography looks nice straight out of the camera.
>I could go on but what have you guys been doing? You ARE living it, aren't you anons??
I've been buying some vintage guitar pedals and am just about finished buying old synthesizers. I spend more time funposting and eying up musical equipment than actually making music, but I'd like to get this stuff while I can.

>>1986
retro digits checked. I wish I could time travel to 1986 right now.

But yes, film just looks good, and it also feels good. So I don't plan to stop.

>I spend more time funposting and eying up musical equipment than actually making music, but I'd like to get this stuff while I can.
I think a lot of people do this, haha. It sounds very cool, what kind of synths are you buying?

I have always wanted to make music but I never could use those computer programs. I think if I had the money I'd like to get a drum machine and a dx7 or something. The CMI fairlight seems very cool as well, if I recall correctly Jan Hammer used it for his work on Miami Vice. But I may be wrong.

I hope you can get around to making some neat music, though, it would be pretty awesome.

I have picked up the saxophone, myself. I'm working on playing various pieces from the 80s which were heavy on the saxophone.

>>1987
>I wish I could time travel to 1986 right now.
It would be great. I'd love to visit Southern California back then.
>I think a lot of people do this, haha. It sounds very cool, what kind of synths are you buying?
I saved a ton of money and got the Prophet-10 when it came out and should be getting a TX81Z pretty soon to put the finishing touches on my FM synth collection.

Here's an FB-01 test I did a while back ago:
https://vocaroo.com/1ezelnNhrTxb
There's too much delay and stuff, but it really doesn't matter. I just wanted to see how the timbres would work together, and I was happy with it. I only paid around $60 for it, so it's probably the best value I've ever gotten out of a synth. I have a TX802, but these four-operator sounds have a certain smoothness to them that the DX7 and its variants lack. I still plan on finishing a DX7 sound bank I've been working on though. It tends to have more of a cold, glassy feeling to it that is useful in its own ways.
>I have always wanted to make music but I never could use those computer programs. I think if I had the money I'd like to get a drum machine and a dx7 or something. The CMI fairlight seems very cool as well, if I recall correctly Jan Hammer used it for his work on Miami Vice. But I may be wrong.
Have you tried using Dexed? It's a free VST that's pretty close in sound to a real DX7. You can also find Fairlight CMI samples floating around, although that's obviously not the same as using the real hardware. But those old samples still have more character than contemporary equivalents.

>I have picked up the saxophone, myself. I'm working on playing various pieces from the 80s which were heavy on the saxophone.
Nice. I used to dislike the saxophone, but it's really grown on me over the years.

>>1988
>Here's an FB-01 test I did a while back ago: https://vocaroo.com/1ezelnNhrTxb
Jesus. That sounds magical. It sounds like something from a scifi movie or something. How do you work with a synth like that?

>Have you tried using Dexed? It's a free VST that's pretty close in sound to a real DX7. You can also find Fairlight CMI samples floating around, although that's obviously not the same as using the real hardware. But those old samples still have more character than contemporary equivalents.
I actually tried Dexed once but I never really figured out how to actually use it to record music, like have various instruments and tracks. You need some sort of other program to do that, right? I remember downloading Dexed once a couple years ago and I don't think I really did anything with it.

I've tried some of these digital audio workstations and I never could wrap my head around them. Well, I could, but it looks like it just takes so much effort. I just want something that I can choose the instrument (or synth settings), play the notes, and have that as a track or something. I'm not really sure how it's supposed to work.

I think I'd have an easier time with real hardware and just recording to one of those 4 track cassette recorders like those Tascam units.

I'm still stuck in the 2000s, but it's easy to retromax when you are a poorfag hikki.
>play my Xbox and PS2 on a CRT
>play my 360 on a basic ass LED TV
>had the same Windows 7 PC since the 2000s
>used an ancient flip phone until it died last year
Everything modern seems like soulless shit so I don't mind it.

>>1992
based. What kind of CRT do you have?

I also run windows 7 on a thinkpad from ~2013. To me this feels like a new computer anyway although I guess it's almost a decade old now. It does everything I need, though. My desktop computer dual boots windows 7 and Linux.

I was forced into using a botnet phone, I've had the same one for almost 6 years now and I don't usually take it places when I go out. I wish pay phones were more prevalent, but what can you do, right? When I get a new phone I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a flip phone or a more simple bar phone.

>Everything modern seems like soulless shit so I don't mind it.
Couldn't agree with you more

Getting my Win2K machine set up with a bunch of copies of old vidya, either complete in-box, burned to discs, or GOG installers that I just SMB'd from my main rig. Still has my first GPU from 2003 (Radeon 9600 Pro) however sometimes when I boot it up there are pinstripes down the screen and they only go away after a restart. Is there any way I can squeeze more life out of this 18 year old card?

>>1994
I'm not really familiar with these kinds of issues but if this happened to me I would first take out the card and clean off any dust, then spray the contacts and the slot with contact cleaner, and potentially use new thermal paste and tighten the heatsink (if any) down more.

But other than that I wouldn't really know. maybe someone else here knows?

>>1989
>Jesus. That sounds magical. It sounds like something from a scifi movie or something. How do you work with a synth like that?
Vintage digital synths are capable of really nice sounds, but people overlook them because they lack "analog warmth" and can sound cheesy. I don't think the latter is such a bad trait, provided it's a good kind of cheese.

I use Patchbase on an old iPad to make and modify sounds and have it hooked up to my computer with an audio interface. I use FL Studio for MIDI output, recording, and effects.
>I actually tried Dexed once but I never really figured out how to actually use it to record music, like have various instruments and tracks. You need some sort of other program to do that, right? I remember downloading Dexed once a couple years ago and I don't think I really did anything with it.
Yeah, you need some kind of DAW to record with it. FL Studio I found pretty easy to learn, but it was a gradual process. When I was first learning how to make music, I began by clicking rhythms on the step sequencer. Then I realized I need actual chords and melodies and learned how to use the piano roll. Having MIDI files to examine helped me figure out what I was doing. Then I learned how to use effects, which wasn't hard at all. It did take a while to learn not to drown the mix with them though. Then came mixing and EQing, which I'm still not that good at. I usually don't make it that far. If you're reasonably good at keyboard playing, you could probably skip a lot of the clicking around with the piano roll if you've got a MIDI controller.
>I think I'd have an easier time with real hardware and just recording to one of those 4 track cassette recorders like those Tascam units.
I have one sitting in my closet that I've never used yet. I plan on using it for bouncing tracks out to for saturation and all the pleasant imperfections. I'd like to modify to a cheap tape deck for more warble at some point, like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK-5uN2nHX0

Being anti-smartphone will put you back to the 2000s, so it becomes less of a choice.

Everything is integrated into smartphones that used to be separate devices.
-Watch
-Digital music player
-Digital camera
-Digital camcorder
-PC/Laptop for Internet

Some of those devices are still in production, but the available selection has significantly narrowed. At the low-end, cameras have replaced the need for camcorders, but are still separate devices for high-end use.

Being botnet aware, will also make certain older generation hardware more appealing, if you want an x86 processor. For Intel, it would be PIII Tualatin and P4 to Core2 Penryn, with no vPro capable chipset. All Intel CPU starting with Nehalem have Management Engine. Protected Processor Identification Number (PPIN) was later added to x86 CPUs starting with Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture and compatible Zen 2 AMD CPUs. That feature is similar to the Intel PIII Processor Serial Number (PSN), which was removed for Tualatin.

>>1993
A 30" Sony Trinitron. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I tested it with an RGB cable, the picture is so sharp and the colors are incredible, I didn't remember CRTs could look this nice. I seriously don't understand this fucking obsession with 4K TVs and Blu-ray, my fucking Revenge of the Sith DVD looks so awesome that anything more just seems like an overkill for me.

>>2008
>A 30" Sony Trinitron. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I tested it with an RGB cable, the picture is so sharp and the colors are incredible, I didn't remember CRTs could look this nice.
I'd like to see a Trinitron in person, especially one that size. I have some CRTs, but I think thinks look nicer on the smallest one I have. Trinitrons are supposed to be the cream of the crop.
>I seriously don't understand this fucking obsession with 4K TVs and Blu-ray, my fucking Revenge of the Sith DVD looks so awesome that anything more just seems like an overkill for me.
I miss the days when watching a VHS tape on a CRT was good enough for me. HD doesn't really impress me anymore, so I might be going back to that point mentally. Too bad a lot of old movies released on VHS looked like garbage compared to the later DVD releases, when proper restorations were starting to become common.

>>2008
Yeah I'm jealous. I am hoping to pick up a CRT monitor from a shop nearby but I doubt anything as nice as a Trinitron.

One day when I have the money I may plunk down a few hundred for a really nice CRT.

>>2000
relevant digits.

Speaking of PIII I have a laptop with one and I just bought a charger cable for it at a nearby electronics swap meet. I'm going to load 98se on it and have some fun with it.

>>2009
I miss the VHS aesthetic but I know that's just pure nostalgia on my part. I still have some old tapes from the 90s and our VCR somewhere, but I'm too scared to try it out, I remember these fuckers loved eating tapes.
>>2012
>I may plunk down a few hundred for a really nice CRT
Don't be retarded. No one wants them anymore, people are giving them away for free or for like 10 dollars - that's how much I paid for this TV.

>>2017
a TV is going to be way different than a monitor. A CRT TV is going to have like what, 240 lines of resolution or something? I don't know exactly. A monitor is going to be pixel accurate, it's going to be able to go much higher than 60Hz, it'll have better colors.

I had a 13" CRT TV that was great and I got it for a small amount of money too but it in no way compares to a proper monitor. It only had a composite input. 80 column text on it was already asking too much of it. I forget how many columns I used on it when I connected it to my computer but it was something small. Maybe 25 columns?

Whatever it was it is very different from a monitor that can do 1600x1200 or above.

I do know of a recycling shop nearby and I might be able to get a decent monitor for $10, probably something like 1024x768 at least, so I'll probably do that, but nevertheless one day if I am financially well off I wouldn't mind spending a lot of money on something really top-of-the line. Like an FW9000 or whatever. Or just something that can comfortably do at least 1600x1200 at 60Hz. I wouldn't mind spending a couple hundred on that.

>>2017
>I miss the VHS aesthetic but I know that's just pure nostalgia on my part.
Well, nothing wrong with that, right? I was thinking of using a camcorder with some sort of video capture card to use as a webcam if I ever need to use a webcam. Probably something that uses S-VHS.

>>1985 (OP) 
>And on my linux machine I have set it up to look like some versions of UNIX from the late 80s to early 90s.
I'm guessing CDE? Been meaning to retromax my linux install for a while now but don't know what "look" to go for. Some window managers that caught my eye are IceWM, WindowMaker, and twm although it looks way too primitive...

>>2017
>I may plunk down a few hundred for a really nice CRT
<Don't be retarded. No one wants them anymore, people are giving them away for free or for like 10 dollars - that's how much I paid for this TV.

That's also what I've seen. You're either getting one for free, because someone doesn't want to pay the disposal fee, or you're buying it from a shop that's charging what amounts to a storage fee. Eventually, when it dies, you'll end up paying the disposal fee on your free one, if you can not fix it.

If you're looking for a specific make or model, you most certainly will pay. There were some good performance CRTs, but most people were happy to see them go. They used more energy, radiated waste heat, and were bulky/heavy (a pain to move around). Being in a small room with a nice, hi-res CRT and P4 powerhaus required a good room cooling setup. In the winter is wasn't bad, but holy shit, summer was not fun.

>>2019
it's not an exact clone of anything. I'd tried CDE, or at least a port of CDE, on my machine, but it felt clunky. This was some time ago so I may not remember correctly but a lot of the older interfaces I tried, including a port of the IRIX desktop environment, seem to be pretty mouse-heavy. A lot of point and click to launch things which I don't like. Maybe I just didn't know how to use or configure them properly.

Even on Windows, I like to launch a program by hitting the Windows key which opens up the Start menu, then typing the first few letters of the program and hitting return.

I have a couple taskbar icons for my email client and my main web browser but everything else is launched from the start menu. For example, if I want to launch VirtualBox, I hit the Windows key, type "virt" and hit enter.

For Seamonkey: Win + "seam" + return

For DOSBox: Win + "dosb" + return

So anyway that's why I didn't settle on some of the other UNIX desktop environments. I can't remember which other one I tried. I also don't like Windowmaker and some of the very barebones window managers, either. They also feel inefficient.

I use XFCE. All I've done is change icon packs--you can find icons packs with some digging that'll replicate IRIX, NeXTStep, etc.I changed theming options and installed ports of old UNIX programs. (Such as fsv and xosview). 

The icon theme I had last I checked was called "Iris", the window manager theme is cdetheme_solaris, and the GTK theme was something called belle pintos grande which I believe might translate to something obscene in Spanish, but that's what I'm using.

I remember it took a bit of work to find the specific themes and icons but basically it lets me make XFCE, which I find very usable, look the way I want it to look.

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>>2018
>one day if I am financially well off I wouldn't mind spending a lot of money on something really top-of-the line
I wonder how much Carmack's full HD CRT monitor would cost

>>2024
I don't even know where I'd find one, certainly not on eBay, there's nothing there. The only Sony FW900 on eBay is priced at $4500 which I don't think I'd ever spend on a monitor, though.

>>2023
I use XFCE too, very comfy. My only gripe with it is its "quirks" that get in the way of customization, such as fixed icon size/spacing in some areas, uneven scaling of elements...etc.
>a port of the IRIX desktop environment
Do you recall what it was called? I want to see how that looks like.
>fsv
I always wondered what that was called! How well does it manage large folders with thousands of items?

>>2024
That is one MASSIVE monitor.

>>2032
IRIX desktop was 4dwm.

>fsv
it doesn't really work well as a file manager, obviously. It's really just a novelty/showoff item that SGI had developed to show off their hardware.

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>>2034
>>2032
Here is what it currently looks like. Still in progress.

>>2035
Looks pretty pleasant, although I'm not an XFCE guy.

>>2035
Looks good so far, albeit a little too similar to Windows 9x but that's probably intentional.

I kinda do this.
Lots of things of today simply suck, but there are newer things that are worth using too.
It's not about /retro/maxxing as much as it's about just knowing that newer isn't better.

>anime
70s/80s/90s stuff, but of course I get the blu-ray remaster if there's one. VHS image quality is simply inferior.

>computer
I run OpenBSD, mostly command line. OpenBSD feels a lot like an older Unix system and in the good parts. The command line is much more efficient than a GUI. It just isn't possible to browse the modern web with a command line browser though, so Firefox it is.
On the other hand, of course I don't use debugging tools from the 80s, I've actually used DEBUG.EXE for instance (Microsoft's DOS debugger) and it was good for its time but sucks compared to modern GDB or LLDB.

And I don't use a zogphone. It's simply a backwards computing device with clunky input, lower quality software, and more abusive hardware and OSes.

>piracy
I don't go to cuckchan /t/ (/t/orrent board) where people have since switched to posting MEGA links these days, I use torrents and torrent indexers like it's 2006, and I don't download stuff off of FTP sites like it's 1994.

>music
Mostly stuff from the 90s and earlier.
Of course I don't get vinyls because CD is just better. Well, CDs are plenty /retro/ since they're from 1982, but what's important is that CD perfectly stores the entire human hearing range. Though modern web releases are fine too, any issues with them are a matter of ignorance and not of technological or artistic regress.

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>>2038
>but of course I get the blu-ray remaster if there's one. VHS image quality is simply inferior
Depends, i said the same about movies but VHS/DVD sometimes uses the original framing of 4:3 while the BluRay remasters cut the image to fit a 16:9 and in the process destroy the original framing the director or artists wanted.
Some publishers and remaster editors are retarded or very unscrupulous and do so anyways. Anime stuff from the 80's are usually a victim of this but some obscure stuff from the 90's also get butchered and even its colours or contrast levels change, giving them a contemporary cold look but without being Y2K rather than the original vibrant and more grounded 90's look.
Here's an example from a late 90's action movie, i had to re-download many movies again when i realized i was getting short-changed. Framerates sometimes also change with added motion blur and some movies get anti-seizure measures that bust extensive lighting set-ups too.

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>>1985 (OP) 
This is an interesting topic. I don't consider my dual  Gallatin 4M box to be retro, but it's steadily getting into that category as more applications die without AVX... or whatever spyware shit Microsoft, Mozilla, Google, etc. are selling these days.

At this point, using an older system is like a goddamn vacation. I've even made it into an annual tradition: spend a few weeks every year unplugged and developing on an old box.

One year, it was a calculator on WfW 3.11 with a DX2/66. The next it was the dual P3-450 doing DX8 development to make a shitty space harrier clone. After that, SSE and SSE2 optimization on a willy P4 @ 1.4GHz. Now it's writing shitty 2d games on the aforementioned dual gallatin box. 

We're in a situation now where new software and systems are so terrible that they aren't even worth using by any standard prior to the 2010s, but older systems are increasingly rare past reddit gaming in the wild. A lot of useful knowledge is being lost every day to the tumult of the internet, and only those rare few with a lot of time and autism on their hands can really relearn it. It's a shame. A damn shame.

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Other anon here.
>>2039
>Depends, i said the same about movies but VHS/DVD sometimes uses the original framing of 4:3 while the BluRay remasters cut the image to fit a 16:9 and in the process destroy the original framing the director or artists wanted.
True that. I never had a problem with 4:3 source aspect ratio on a 16:9 aspect ratio screen. I think 16:10 ar is even better, for older sources imho (bigger 4:3 frame, decent 16:9 frame, still okay with 21:9 cinemascope). 
True movie ars are really not bad to watch in 16:9/10 ar on a device. Just keep all the content (the whole pic), no cut, for what it's worth.

On another note:
I have seen they now sometimes broadcast old 4:3 source material fit into 16:9 frames, means on a 4:3 ar device you got black borders all around (e.g. old video beamer). And they made it so that you cannot switch between frame sizes/aspect ratios.  Usually there is a button to switch on the remote. 
>They put a 4:3 frame into a 16:9 frame, how stupid is that?
Means those with 16:9 screens do not need to use the remote, those who could watch the broadcast in its full glory are getting buttslapped. Talk about moronic.

>>2036
>>2037
Thanks. I've tried other DEs and always came back to XFCE. xfeces, I call it jokingly, because it's got problems too, but I still like it. 

Oh, I forgot to mention that you should look up Maxx Desktop, which is supposed to be a modern port of 4dwm from IRIX. I tried it as well, but I found it to be a clunkier experience than XFCE, although it looked much better.

It is very similar to Windows. All my Windows computers run on the classic interface and it's a setup that works very well for me, so even on UNIX-like systems i prefer that way of doing things. So my XFCE doesn't perfectly look like Solaris, or IRIX, but I tried to take some design elements and use them while keeping things the way I am used to.

>>2038
I do like some newer things. I like 3d printers, I guess. I can't think of many new things that don't make the world worse, though.

>>2040
> A lot of useful knowledge is being lost every day to the tumult of the internet, and only those rare few with a lot of time and autism on their hands can really relearn it.
I've run into this plenty.

Present day programmers have no idea about bitwise operators, endianness (and writing endianness-independent code), two's complement, and packing many booleans into a single word. And they do write plenty of code that could benefit from understanding all that stuff which would be taught to any beginner a few decades ago.
Also people who use strings for everything.

>>2045
Absolutely. I was very fortunate to have learned about digital logic before even starting a systems class. The professors were still competent enough to have what amounted to an exam in bitwise logic for their first assignment. At the time, it was nice to kick ass in that class, but in retrospect it's kind of disturbing. 

One interesting side effect of this process is that it shows very clearly just how fast old hardware actually is and how much we waste for applications that aren't all that much bigger or more impressive than what we were running 20 years ago.

>>2044
If you've tried it (I would assume you have), what's your opinion on IceWM? Quite a few people use it for low resource footprint or as a base for obtaining a familiar retro Windows GUI.

>New things that don't suck
Some of the FOSS applications have matured nicely and are quite usable. Not all of them of course (like main web browsers), but they seem to be pretty close to proprietary counterparts, before they retreated into the cloud and turned to shit.

>>2045
>>2062
Many of the new coders and programmers go directly into high-level programming and don't do programming at the OS level or below. WebDev is the worst when it comes to this. Programmers of embedded software will need to know all the efficiency tricks, but WebDevs can be stupid, wasteful, and still code things that "work".

>>2076
Different anon. IceWM is definitely quite lightweight and it mimics the Windows taskbar and window decorations very well. The only difference is the start menu; by default it shows you categories of programs rather than the programs themselves. For example you have a "Graphics" entry, and when you click it you get a submenu containing programs, for example Gimp, Krita...etc. Same thing for "Video", "Web", and so on. I don't know if there's a way to customize the start menu entries.

>>2076
>>2080
I might have to try that if I go back to Linux. Judging from the screenshots, I like the start menu better than Cinnamon's.

I'm going to start carrying around a pocket camera anytime I go outside now. The appeal of having it with you all the time is that you're more likely to take pictures and videos of your surroundings to preserve memories; you'll actively pursue beauty in the everyday life to capture. Sure, a smartphone camera is more than adequate to do the same thing, but if you've got a smartphone then you're more inclined to be distracted and start dicking around on social media or whatever instead.

It seems like people used to take photos all the time, and had huge albums of past memories to show to their family. At the very least, my family had these albums. Most of the photos that'll be left over from the 2010s and onward will be ones that are staged and handpicked to impress strangers on social media.

>>2083
That's a good idea. I never spent much time walking around outside other than the times I went out specifically to take pictures. I'd use up a whole roll in a few hours at the most.

Has anyone used a Mac System 7/9 theme for XFCE? I read there is one named "Platinum " but it isn't identical. Are there any other options closer looking to the original?

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>>2150
Retro themes for modern DEs are always going to be compromises since they aren't as flexible as something like FVWM (picrel), it takes much more effort but for getting really close to the inspiration it's the best option (unless there's a clone WM like amiwm or Window Maker).

>>2153
These both look pretty great. I don't necessarily need a complete duplication as long as it's mostly there, personally.

>>2084
A whole roll in a couple hours, huh? I go through a roll in like, a whole year sometimes. Now that I have more money I'm trying to force myself to shoot some more by stocking up on film and just shooting more often. My main point and shoot is an Olympus Infinity Stylus Zoom. The lens goes from 38 to 140mm which is really neat. The only problem with the lens would be that the aperture only opens up to f3.7 or something like that so it's not the best for low light but it's still a pretty capable lens.

Right now I have a roll of Ultramax 400 loaded in it but I scratched off the DX code on the film to shoot it at 800ISO and I'll see how that turns out later.

I actually have 5 or 6 rolls I need to get developed.

>>2172
>A whole roll in a couple hours, huh? I go through a roll in like, a whole year sometimes. 
I was shooting on a toy camera that had a high chance of wasting film on dud shots, so I would take several pictures of the same subject. On top of that, I was shooting on 120 film and so wasn't dealing with many exposures in the first place.

I haven't shot anything in years and have forgotten pretty much everything I knew about photography.

>>2177
Oh, that makes sense. Probably one of those Holgas or something. 

>I haven't shot anything in years and have forgotten pretty much everything I knew about photography.
you should start shooting film again in my opinion.

>>2179
>Probably one of those Holgas or something
Exactly right. I have a Lomo LC-A too, but I've only used that one once. I prefer the square format. I also have a few Smenas, but one of them doesn't work.
>you should start shooting film again in my opinion.
I don't see any point anymore. I have some negatives locked up that I still never got around to getting decent prints made from.

>>2182
I guess that's understandable. I just like it when people do /retro/ kind of things, you know? I got a friend of mine to start shooting film and he likes it. it's nice.

>>2183
Not in the discussion but some stuff is tougher to do, i recall going to an old store i used to go and the film area is now filled with TVs, very few places process film so one has to DIY which is fairly easy until you get to use colour and then getting the chems is also tough without having to resort to mailing it, which is extra taxes due to being chems themselves.
Also some old film equipment is getting scalped hard but at least 135 stuff is still cheap and many good lenses are still relatively accessible.

>>2184
Sales are picking up lately. My local camera store has a small but expanding film section and last time I went, they told me stock was selling as fast as they could get it in. Unfortunately there aren't any more 1 hour photo kind of places, which is unfortunate. Actual photo labs are few and far between, but there are a lot of labs that do mail-in processing which for me has been pretty simple. If you live near one you can drop your film off, too. But I just mail them in. It works fine and I get my stuff back in about a week.

I develop B&W at home but doing color is for the most part too expensive and inconvenient to do at home compared to sending it out.

>>2183
I ideally want to develop and print my stuff someday, but I don't have space and have other priorities right now. Film is way more satisfying than digital. I used to shoot digital and edit the crap out of my pictures, but digital just feels soulless to me now in comparison even with editing.
>>2185
>Sales are picking up lately. My local camera store has a small but expanding film section and last time I went, they told me stock was selling as fast as they could get it in. 
I'm glad to hear that. Call me a snob, but I think film should be the standard for photography that isn't just intended for utilitarian purposes.

>>2187
>I ideally want to develop and print my stuff someday,
I'd love it if you were able to do that. I develop a bit, but don't have space to make prints. 
>Film is way more satisfying than digital. 
Yeah, it really is. Even people I know who aren't like us tend to agree. I've personally never had any interest in digital photography.

>I'm glad to hear that. Call me a snob, but I think film should be the standard for photography that isn't just intended for utilitarian purposes.
Yep, exactly how I feel. I don't take digital photos except in rare cases when I need to document something and send it to someone. 

By the way, can I ask what those "other priorities" are right now for you?

>>2187
>Yeah, it really is. Even people I know who aren't like us tend to agree. I've personally never had any interest in digital photography.
I think it's pretty sad how much time and money people have been wasted on digital photography when film just feels like the real thing. Even old, amateurish family photos shot on the spur of the moment had charm to them in a way that professional digital photography doesn't. I feel like film is able to capture the way you picture a fond memory, whereas digital is clinical and can be downright harsh. This topic got me thinking about this blog post that I read years ago that helped push me into shooting on film:
http://akinokure.blogspot.com/2013/11/in-digital-age-will-we-have-memorable.html

I got into digital as a teenager just because it was easier and I liked messing around with  programs like Photoshop. I regret not taking film photography classes in school, but at least the digital photography class I took taught me basic composition skills.
>By the way, can I ask what those "other priorities" are right now for you?
I'm trying to focus on musical interests while working a split shift and dealing with fatigue problems I've had since I was a teenager but have never been able to treat. It's an uphill battle. When I come home from work, I'm not in the mood for doing anything that requires active creativity on my part.

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What about home sound equipment? any recommendations?
Ever since the 00's it has gotten more and more common for people to use headphones. Listening to music without it being specifically directed towards you is getting rarer.

>>2215
i have a shitty Sony stereo from 2004 that still works great. it's a behemoth of a unit and not practical in the slightest, but it would probably look great in the corner of some teenager's room next to his britney speers pinup and stack of PS2 games.

>>2215
If only boomers would follow the trend and stop blasting The Dark Side of the Moon on maximum volume daily.

Ive been wanting to locally buy a small crt monitor, currently setting up a win98 vm

>>1985 (OP) 
You sound like a fucking attention whore hipster poser

>>2251
Is it really attentionwhoring if nobody sees him doing the things he likes?

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I finally fulfilled my teenage dream and bought a PSP. Besides playing the games i always wanted to try I'm thinking about putting some movies on the memory card, and not just any movies but actual UMD rips. I know it makes no sense but there is just something comfy about it, PSP was such a cool thing before smart phones (which i absolutely hate).

>>2293
The PSP blew away pretty much any other handheld out there with all it could do. It was great how active the homebrew scene was with creating new software for it.

>>2293
Don't forget to put emulators on it. The PSP was emulation heaven, you could easily run everything up to 5th gen consoles on it, not to mention source ports.

>>2293
There were PDAs too, butt smartphones integrated a cellular modem into them.

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>>2294
>>2295
I know, after downloading some PSP and PS1 games I added a GBA emulator and a few homebrew games. Now I want to see if I can turn it into a multimedia machine, a cute little 2000s replacement to my smartphone.
I found an archive of UMD movies and its possible to play UMD isos for that authentic experience with menus and shit, pretty comfy. Obviously it can play music too so it's not worth mentioning, but the old PSP internet radios still work which is awesome. And there are homebrew pdf and comic book readers, I'm gonna try out those next. I went down the PSP rabbit hole and found out about TV tuners, shame I'm 15 years late to the party. Now if only there was an up to date homebrew browser to use the internet...
>>2297
I know but PDAs sucked, they were only good for businessmen.

>>2298
>if only there was an up to date homebrew browser to use the internet
The PSP has no chance trying to run a current day browser, porting a text based browser (Lynx, Links, w3m) would be feasible but they support very few web standards so most of the modern internet simply wouldn't work.

>>2251
this is actually the first post on this board I've seen with this attitude. Do you feel proud for being the first asshole to grace this board?

>>2314
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR7G-wIm-e8

>>2314
cuckchan go home

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>>2316
But I need those (You)s

you're not getting any. go back.

>>2319
I am back

>>2298
Would you mind posting the UMD movie archive?
I also got out my psp again recently and found it especially enjoyable playing visual novels on the thing, which I didn't play back in the days. I much of a weeb back then...
There is an english patch of Air, Saya No Uta and Steins Gate and many others

>>2321
>>2298
Is that it? https://archive.org/download/psp-umd-archive-collection
Mostly hollywood movies :(

>>2321
Sure: https://1fichier.com/dir/t45XhGGL
This is the most complete one I've found, but honestly I didn't really expect to find any rips online, I'm sure the vast majority of people just played mp4s on it.

>>2323
Thanks a lot!

>>2324
Gotta download them all before it's taken down

>>2325
It's been up for almost two years now, I doubt anyone cares.

>>2327
>>2316

>>2344
>cuckchan go home
you asked for it

>>2323
>>2326
Still sucks that they have a download limit.
But a surprising variety of movies, especially the anime. 

Did you try some Visual Novels as well? 
It's peak escapism

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>>2346
>>2326
puzzle games are also comfy

>>2347
I really like tile-matching games like Columns and Puyo-Puyo. As far as the PSP goes, I remember Lumines being seen as a big thing when it came out but don't remember what I thought of it when I got around to playing it.

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>>2349
>lumines
Cool. just downloading it. 
What's your favourite site for isos?
Mine is CDromance

That brings back memories of early middle school. I remember trying out all kinds of homebrews and hoarding tons of isos stuff.  
I also used the PSP as a media player and did pretty much everything on it since I didn't have a proper smartphone back then, for which I'm quite thankful in retroperspect.

Nowadays youngfags will rot their brains with endless content pools of redundant 5 second long algorithm created tiktox videos and meaningless instant messaging.
Back then there was at least some substance to media like this. 
But now the attention span of those faggots is drained beyond repair. There are no decent mobile games. It's trash without exeption. But maybe that's true for pretty much all contemporary entertainment.

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>>2349
>>2321
btw Steins;Gate is peak /retro/

>>2350
I can't remember the last time I downloaded an .iso outside of a torrent.
>I also used the PSP as a media player and did pretty much everything on it since I didn't have a proper smartphone back then, for which I'm quite thankful in retroperspect.
I was exactly the same in middle school. I remember how I'd put YouTube videos and music on it and how great it felt being able to fill up with emulators and games. I loved just being able to play Doom on a mobile device (outside of having to pay for the Game Boy Advance versions, that is). It was actually my younger brother who puts the software on there for me at the time, since I was too lazy to learn all that stuff back then.

Now that I think about it, I should probably see if I can find a torrent of PSP games. I just looked through what I have, and there are only like ten games in my folder.
>Nowadays youngfags will rot their brains with endless content pools of redundant 5 second long algorithm created tiktox videos and meaningless instant messaging.
Back then there was at least some substance to media like this. 
But now the attention span of those faggots is drained beyond repair.
I've always hated millennials, but zoomers are even worse. I feel bad for the zoomers who have their heads on straight.
>There are no decent mobile games. It's trash without exeption. But maybe that's true for pretty much all contemporary entertainment.
Yeah, I just avoid pretty much all new media outside of interesting stuff I can find online. It's hard to find anything good out there nowadays.

>>2350
>>2353
Sony still hosts all the PSP digital downloads even though the store is gone, if you have the link to a game you can download over plain http.

>>2150
>>2153
>>2327
Check out nsCDE. The developer describes it as a "heavyweight fvwm". It takes a lot of elements from 90s CDE but makes it usable for modern desktop experience.  Using fvwm as base, you also have all the possiblities of that window manager. The theme engine is especially impressive, unifying look between different gui toolkits.

>>1994
>Win2K
Windows 2000 doesn't get the love it deserves. It has all the stability of being built on the NT kernel packaged in a refined Windows classic theme. It's so nice.

>>2356
I just installed it. It is confusing to figure out but overall has that very nice ugly 90's look.

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>>2363
>very nice ugly 90's look
But it's beautiful. It has S O V L
Also you can also exclusively use keybindings.

>>2368
I wasn't criticizing it when I said it was a very nice ugly 90's look. I absolutely love it.

>>2368
That looks pretty sharp with that monitor and keyboard.

I like hardware that channels retro styling like these beige monitors coming out this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTJtQo1GGXo
https://www.checkmate1500plus.com/IntroductionDisplays.aspx

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I don't know where to post it.
But I need to share it with someone. 
I recently moved to Hanover near the former Expo 2000 ground. 
It's such a surreal experience to explore those buildings at night. At day time most of them, being either turned into office buildings or stripped completely bare and numerously documented by youtube fags, have lost a lot of their lost places appeal sadly, also with the regular fairs nearby.
At night though when no soul is around, the atmosphere completely changes and it feels so otherworldly, so melancholy. It's propably just the feeling of what has been. Watching old movies of the expo. This utopia atmosphere of early y2k completely turned to dust. 
I dunno, my gay rambling propably doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It's propably just in my head whatever

>>2402
https://youtu.be/vLXKwraCWUQ?list=OLAK5uy_mprStsuamcv63f4zu0MHWa6BkOrdYIhMo

>>2402
I totally understand what you mean. Y2K optimism was very real and I'm sure a lot of us who lived through that era miss it. At least there are still places like this where time is frozen somewhat, instead of them being renovated and modernized as is the case with many other places.
I've never been to an abandoned place before, although I've been to places that kept their original design while remaining functional... If you tune out all the people there and focus on the decor and such you'll feel as if you were transported back to a bygone era, with all its glory intact. Hope that makes sense.

>>2407
It's funny looking back. For a short while it really looked like a sort of rivival of technophile 80s optimism, but as the decade dragged on it quickly faded with the advent of mobile technology and as social media monopolized almost every kind of online interaction, people got more and more absorbed by the digital void, destroying every bit of tribalism in internet communities, turning everything in a big hive mind, as well as fusing reality and virtual, finally killing off any bit localism and family ties left.
It all took a very depressing turn and now wer're here... Not going into /pol/ territory, although I can't stop thinking in those terms since becoming 'blackpilled' about the state of the world and all of my sorroundings. I guess it has happened to many on sites like these.
We can only laugh at the naivety back then. Without going too much into the conspiracy territory here, I suppose many dystopian media like matrix where a kind of predictive programming. 
Deep down everyone knew it couldn't end well, but nobody wanted to believe it as a hollywood scenario coulndn't possibly turn to reality.
Though it is common among normalfags to fetishize depression and mental deseases nowadays, It is still quite striking how of them today still believe in some kind of endless progress, never pinning down the causes, never changing any of their behaviour...  
No matter how plastic, fake or whatever that time was, I can't deny the surreal feelings and enchantment y2k spells on me. It must have been magic experiencing the turn of the century although everything has turned out very bleak and depressing. 
Though just watching those old glass concrete facades has something romantic. It's also kind of appealing living in the last cycle of human civilization, though it is very lonely. 

Getting out my PSP and playing thtough old rpgs and such really takes me back to this time I never really experienced. 
I stopped caring about being up to date about 'tech' and am certain that we have long passed the golden era of video games and other mass culture including anime and movies. 
Luckily there are enough records from that era to emmerse myself in...

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>>2298
:^)

>>2414
Nice! I didn't know you could mod XMB like that.

>>2415
https://files.catbox.moe/0syvp3.zip
https://files.catbox.moe/3rh5ve.zip
Here you go. Just note that I'm using 6.61. Propably works fine with older versions too.

>>2402
I know what you mean

>>2382
this is amazing. I think I'd genuinely drop a couple hundred on one of these monitors. A good 4:3 monitor is hard to find.

>>2413
gay nigger rant

>>2420 im drunk

>>2421
Don't listen to that faggot, you're right

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Man it's fucking depressing. 
The dutch pavillion was such a nice abondoned place to hang out. Now I recently went there again and they completely stripped it naked, only the bare concrete slabs left. I think they want to turn it into an office building or some shit

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Got this for 70 bugs. Most don't look too bad, might only need a belt replacement.
Wanted to analogize a bit of my music collection since I'm getting annoyed with digital clutter and the impersonality of it all.
Mini Disk is also quite interesting, but I don't have a deck for that and tape is more exciting because of it's direct, analog feeling.

>>2440
*there's a minidisc and cd walkman in the collection

>>2421
man I love being a little drunk

>>2448
it gets boring quickly

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>>2414
Super Cool Anon! It makes me want to do the same thing although I have no idea where to even buy a PSP these days.

>>2451
Honestly fb marketplace is the best place to find old consoles for cheap.

>>2451
On ebay they will cost you around 80€ a piece if you buy them refurbished. 
Maybe if you look out for auctions you can go as low as 40€ and maybe even get a few accssessories with it.

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>>2451
Ok, I did some hardware modifications to my PSP.
I put some smol LEDs in the shoulder buttons cuz why not. Looks cool. I always wanted to that as a kid but didn't have the solder skillz back then. I connected them to spot on the mainboard that only delivers a voltage when the screen is turned on, so that's pretty convenient. 
Initially I wanted to completely replace the housing for a transparent one, but didn't in the end, because I like the glittery white after all and chink replacement housings - at least for the 3000 - are pure shit.
But I replaced the buttons because they were quite used up. Initially I wanted to change it for grey colored ones and bought from different chink sellers on AliExpress, but some 70% of the buttons I received were pure fucking trash that because of shit molding didn't fit even after thoroughly sanding it down. At least I got a full refund, which was more than justified because this shit was also overpriced as fuck. fuckn chinks. 
So beware of chinese aftermarket parts and maybe buy broken PSPs if you plan on replacing anything.

As you can see, I also taped a flatcell battery, that I pulled out of some old phone, on the back, since I didn't want to rape the case for that, even though I never use the UMD drive.
A pretty uninvasive modification, since I only had to drill two holes in the battery cover that is an aftermarket one anyways.
Not the prettiest - maybe fits the cyberpunk aesthetic or whatever -, but getting original batteries is pretty much impossible nowadays and the chinese aftermarket ones only have around 300mAh - I tested that - roughtly 1/4th of the original specified capacity.

I just started playan Akira, the NES game - english patched. I think one of the very first "visual novels".
NES games run fine. It works on FCEU-PSP. NesterJ can't play those visual novel like games, because there is some special hardware involved that it apparently can't emulate.
Most NES games work fine on the PSP. Kirby runs shit which is a let down. At least we can play the GameBoy Advance version which runs fine.

>>2581
I had a softmodded PSP for a while, ended up selling it because I didn't use it much, or go out enough to make it justified. It would run SNES games pretty well, except the chinkshit Mixza microSD card (you know, the ones with the sharks on them) kept corrupting nonstop so I had to keep applying the softmod over and over again. the problem with softmodding stuff like that is that when I have the option to play literally any game ever made in the past 30 years it becomes so overwhelming that I never play any of them through all the way.

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>>1985 (OP) 
The older I get the more I find myself walking away from the modern world.  More and more of the things I buy are as old or older then me.  I stopped watching movies and television 10 years ago.  At this point I am convinced I will become a hermit in the woods surrounded my own little world of stuff from the 1980s and 90s.

testing

>>2440
Have you fixed any of them yet? I'm thinking of buying a lot of broken players in the hope that a fraction of them will be repairable. I could keep a couple or try to sell them for a small profit.

>>2589
Same here. But I'm not a total hermit anyway. I just try to go out and do stuff like a person who still has their humanity.

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>>2589
I wish I could live in a retro society. Not necessarily in the sense of getting rid of all the technological advances of the past decades, but at least being more judicious about accepting new technologies while also keeping everything more in line aesthetically with how it they used to be.

If only we lived in a pan-enclavist society where such a thing would be possible.

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>modem stops working
>turn on mobile data
>sim card is almost two decades old and 3g doesn't work anymore
>pic related
How to retromax involuntary aka I don't want to go back anymore

>>2604
it's hell, my phone has to use 3G for calls because the manufacturer won't release the firmware for VoLTE outside of their proprietary bloat android image. it gets texts, calls, and voicemails days after they were sent, if at all. making calls sometimes gives no dial tone until after several attempts.

>>2604
>>2605
I feel your pain, I have been living this way for the past year.

>>2604
>>2605
>>2606
There is a better way frens. There is a flip phone for the newer, shittier world.
https://sunbeamwireless.com/

>>2595
I want this as well, anon. Exactly the same minset here.

>>2593
The cheap, shitty players were easily fixed by a simple belt replacement, looking like new mostly. The CD Walkman also worked out of the box, can't test the MD Walkman. I guess for these things alone I didn't get such a bad deal. 
Unfortunately I wasn't able to fix a single one of the more advanced, computerized mid tier walkmans from the mid 90s. Some have some kind of corrosion on the PCB, so for now I'm not able to fix them which is a shame since they are so small that I can slip them in my pocket and the sound quality also is remarkably better.
Other than that I fixed an old tape deck recently and bought 50 or so used cassettes for ~30€. Will record some cassettes the WE.
Cassettes bring back a feel for when music wasn't just some background ambience, but had a real personal aspect to it. 
I dunno if I'm just becoming a pretentious hipster faggot.

https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_folder2-9331.php
I wish I could install lineage OS on this thing or that there was something similar.

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>>2629

>>2440
I really like the grey one on top right. Is it from the 80's ? Is it the same Crown as the Japanese music label ?
>>2633
The bass booster switch, now we're talking real sh*it.

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>>2413
gay!

>>2639
Did you really have to remind me of this shit pile of a post? I almost forgot what a pretentious faggot I am.

>>2582
>chinkshit Mixza microSD card (you know, the ones with the sharks on them) kept corrupting nonstop 
Weird. I haven't had any issues all these years of using a PSP with up to 128gb cards. 
At least now there's a permanent mod that even works for the slim models, so constantly reapplying the patch is not an issue anymore.
>it becomes so overwhelming that I never play any of them through all the way.
I also often find myself overwhelmed like that. Guess that counts for pretty much everything we can get for free on the internet, it just kinda loses its value. 
You gotta exert self discipline even with entertainment now. I force myself to go through with things even when I don't enjoy them. That at least gives me the illusion of some sort of accomplishment.

>>2636
Yeah it sounds like shit but it's cool

>>2450
not for me haha

I plugged my Xbox in recently on component cables and it looks better than I remember it. That and insignia is bringing back Xbox Live so I can get some /retro/ online gaming soon.

https://insignia.live/

>>2660
I registered too. I'm really excited, I was a poorfag and never experienced Xbox Live. I just hope it won't be the same as Xlink Kai where you need to join some shitcord to organize games.

>>2660
That looks neat. I remember having fun with Halo 2 at my friend's house but never had the opportunity to play anything online. I can't even remember whether he had Xbox Live or not. I was a GameCube kid and was turned off by the idea of paying for online play, so it wasn't anything I ever got to try.

>>2660
I suspect that 1080p and higher resolutions are just as good as 720p was back then. Its just yet another rebranding scheme when it comes to selling supposedly better crap every year.

>>2663
Not really, higher pixel counts reveal finer details and reduce the need for sometimes blurry/imperfect antialiasing solutions (though supersampling is an effective if computationally expensive option). IIRC component from 6th gen is at best 1080i/480p, so not even 720p. For what it's worth going beyond 4k is basically pointless outside of professional video work or VR.

The oldest technology devices I still have and use are:
- My 10+ years old PC that still works fine and plays all modern games I want to play without any issues (since most of them are indie games and retro-style games that have low requirements) with Windows 8 and Window 7's interface (I refuse updating to Windows 10 and after)
- A pair of headphones with 3 meters length wire 
- My PC's speakers which I got around 14 years ago

From video games consoles the only retro consoles I still have are:
- SNES (I got it for free from a friend of mine at 2010s since he didn't want it anymore and since he knew that SNES is from my favorite retro consoles I used to have until I later traded it for newer console)
- N64
- PS2, the original fat model (the disk laser and the controllers are broken)
- GBA Sp
- Nintendo DS Lite
- Wii
- Xbox 360
- Sega Saturn (I bought it at 2010s for only 30 euro in good condition)

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>>2665
>From video games consoles the only retro consoles I still have are:
For me, it's an NES, two different Sega Genesis models, an SNES, and my childhood Nintendo 64 and GameCube. I have flashcarts for the first three systems, since those have always been my favorites. Come to think of it, I also have an original PlayStation (and maybe a PSOne model somewhere too), but it's sitting in a box with some games and I'm not even sure if it works.

I also have access to a few CRTs, although I wish there was a good modern alternative. 

I have a MiSTer setup too. I've ended up using it more than I do the real consoles. It's especially nice for arcade games. I just wish I was more dedicated to doing more with it, like getting MS-DOS games working. I'm mostly a computer game guy but I got my start on consoles made before the transition to 3D and have always had a soft spot for them.

>>2665
What PC is it?

>>2663
Yes and no. You can tell a difference when you output a 1080p Xbox 360 signal on a 4k TV. The resolution is definitely there but 4k hasn't really been adopted like 1080p was. Not that it matters anyway all 4k TV's are some bullshit internet connected TV that breaks easily.

>Cassettes bring back a feel for when music wasn't just some background ambience, but had a real personal aspect to it. 
I dunno if I'm just becoming a pretentious hipster faggot.
It isn't like music is dead. Cassettes still get released. If you're into metal Megadeth released their new album on cassette. Worth checking out.

>>2681
>Megadeth released their new album on cassette. Worth checking out
Didn't know that. Thanks for the info, will definitely look into it!

>>2660
I'm in the closed beta, it's so much fun. Next week they are adding the Battlefront games, I can't wait.

>>2697
>Next week they are adding the Battlefront games
Now I am excited.

>>2382
When the hell am I gonna be able to buy one of these displays already?

>>2625
I heard these are nice. I use a Schok Classic flip phone these days.

>>2628
That's a shame, I really want one of the newer slimmer ones that can fit into a pocket better, that'd be ideal.

>>2697
Do they have the Halo games?

>>2697
Looks like astroturfing to me.

>>2356
That seems like a better approach to getting a functioning CDE lookalike than reworking the old code. There is a group working on the original code at sourceforge, but it will likely take a lot of work to get to where NsCDE stands in terms of functionality.

Played my GameBoy Color a lot lately and it got me looking for my old cassette player and tamagotchi too. I managed to find my mix tapes from way back when, hopefully I can listen to them again.

>>2595
How much do you really want to do it? Like minded folk could give it a go if they were willing to gamble everything.

>>2665
Same here, doing my daily work on a 12 year old second hand workstation. 

>>2595
As >>2717 said, it depends on how far are you willing to go. One can easily go without all that streaming shite, sticking to local media but that cannot be said about modern communication services, specially if you work in a modern industry.

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Stop using Google's Web and access/post your content outside of it. Google has changed the Web to be a streaming/royalties platform. Your modern experience on the Nu-Web, the Google Web, is the result of this.

>>2730
Who are you talking to?

I got a Hi8 camcorder working, but the battery is completely dead. It does turn on when plugged in and I can capture footage from it, so right now it's basically like a webcam. I have a couple blank video tapes for it already but I am seriously considering modifying it. I could plug in a small recording device to the video outputs and have it record that way. It would be nice to use tapes but they don't make them anymore and they're a bit expensive. At least giving it new life with a new addon would be pretty nice.

>>2750
That sounds cool. Got a pic?

>>2750
Good job.

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>>2581
>led lights
>that mangled up battery
Gross. Maybe it's just me but I always want my hardware to look as original as possible.
I found the highest rated shells on AliExpress but I only need the faceplate, the scratched screen is driving me crazy. I just don't feel like spending any money on it, and the last thing I ordered from there never arrived.

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>>2751
>>2755
almost forgot to check this thread again, here it is. Pretty neat little machine, but I don't know when exactly I'll get around to working on it for the whole tapeless setup thing.

>>2783
That's a beautiful camera, and seems unused too. Can you connect it to your PC and get video output? If so, try taking it outside with a laptop and snapping a few pics, until you modify it that is.
I dunno what it is but your photo itself looks like it was taken with a camcorder

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>>2784
I actually can, but I'm out of town and don't have it with me right now. picrel is a screenshot from a video I took while I was testing it.

The photo was taken with my camera phone but I did resize it because I don't want to upload a huge image. But I'm not going to resize this screenshot so you can see the actual capture quality.

>>2785
Man, that shot is aesthetic as fuck. You're one lucky bastard.

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I have plenty of stuff:
My kinda sleeper PC, i put it in a beige case from 2003, also i use a beige ps\2 keyboard, beige 4:3 NEC monitor(i also own a few CRT's, but i use them occasionally ) and some cheap speakers.
JVC MiniDV camcorder from year 2000
(Since MiniDV tapes are still widely avaliable and very cheap)
Thinkpad t60(used it for constantly for a year, now i use it to digitalize miniDV tapes
with pcmcia firewire card)
Compaq Armada(need to install os on it)
Koss headphones(they are modern , but their design remain unchanged from the 90's)

>>2787
Cool stuff anon, I'm interested to see more camcorder footage/goodness so feel free to share what you have.
What the fuck is that carpet though? Did you skin someone?

My guess, it's vinyl flooring.

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>>2822
I thought his home was becoming corrupted by the forces of Hell.

>>2824
Dude, you have to lay off the psychadelics. The 60's was 60 years ago, bro.

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>>2825
All I'm saying is that I hope he's stocked up on plasma rifle cells.

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>>2826
I prefer mine in the 40W range, but the local shops don't seem to stock much of it.

>>2827
That would be more than adequate for taking out the future mothers of anti-cyborg resistance leaders, but has it been properly field tested against the demonic hordes?

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>>2830
Good point. Maybe I should go ahead and invest in the big upgrade before then?

>>2827
DA OOZEE NEIN MILLIMEDUH

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>>2756
Calm down, Anon. I removed the gay lights and installed the battery INSIDE the case. Got this chinkme battery. It's almost a perfect fit - well, you have to cut off plastic, but the UMD door still closes. 
https://imgur.io/gallery/vRw6GmH

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>>2756
Btw. You can easily remove the scratches with acryllic polishing paste. The chink cases are absolute dogshit, don't buy them. At least the 3000 ones. Maybe the "phat" aftermarket shells are better, but I doubt it.

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Forgot to take a picture of the backside

I added the case because I don't like the haprics and appearance of the slim PSP. The case gives it a more sturdy feel.

>>2927
Looking good anon, the case gives it a 2000s futuristic vibe.

>>2293
I had this gay AF pink colored PSP as a kid and I only bought it because it was for sale, back in ~2012 when the PSP was already at the end of its life.
I have fond memories of it.
Unfortunate I don't have it anymore and gave away the UMDs I had back then. 
Then some time ago I bought a box full of broken PSPs fixed and sold some of them and >>2923 is the result of that. I still have plenty of PSPs left that I could fix up and make a profit flipping on jewbay, but too lazy right now.
Fiddling with those cheap little plastic parts is kind of a pain in the butte.

>>2954
I don't think I should click on any of these.

>>2323
Link is dead, but I found another UMD movie archive, enjoy:
https://myrient.erista.me/files/No-Intro/Unofficial%20-%20Sony%20-%20PlayStation%20Portable%20(UMD%20Video)/

where do you get retro furniture from man

>>2980
I imagine thrift store, estate sales, and such.

>>2980
Local classifieds might work as well

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I got one of those old Sony all in one computers that I will use to fuck around on waybackmachine when I want to take a break from all the modern bullshit.  Has pretty bad specs, but it is great for looking at old websites, and shit posting on imageboards.

I know I'm really out of touch with modern technology but it's genuinely shocking to me that new home appliances like fridges or washing machines have built in wifi, apps and software updates, like what the fuck man

>>3771
I wonder what the ROI is for all that spyware crap, surely people aren't actually using the apps on their fucking fridge?

...I, uh, still use my mp3 player.  20 years old and still doesn't miss a beat.

I've bought N-Gage I've always dreamed of as a kid, the first model. And it is pretty much my everyday phone at this point. I still use Android as a car navigator though, gotta get rid of it somehow...

But otherwise - yeah, I'm walking with an N-Gage and I feel myself cool. Just gotta figure out how to connect headphones to it properly. Modern 2.5 to 3.5 jacks doesn't seem to be quite correct. I think the best way to go would be to buy original headphones and sacrifice them to make a proper 2.5 to 3.5 for N-Gage.

>>3910
Very nice. does cellular actually work on it still or are you limited to PDA-type stuff?

>>3910
>the first model
Why that one, nostalgia? I don't know what Nokia was thinking with that model, don't you need to remove the battery to change games?
I remember seeing it in phone stores when it came out but I had zero interest in handhelds until the PSP.

>>3916
Yep, it works! 2G only, but our local operators support it.
Plus I've managed to find several apps that are useful for me. Like, an mp3 player that has a function to rewind or forward a track. It's pretty much a completely functional phone. Well, minus the web. I didn't even try going online with it.

>>3920
Yea, you have to, but... do you really think I will play games on it? There are emulators for that and emulators are much more comfortable then the realy hardware. I own PS2 and PSP, and I still use emulators for those.
It is especially better with emulators because I love to mod games, and it is always a challenge to access memory on original hardware. It is not impossible... well, actually, in case of N-Gage it might be impossible. Anyway, on PC with emulator, it's just launching Cheat Engine, so I'm cool with that.
As for "why the first model" - I simply like the design more. Personal taste.

I see my posts were moved to this pretty thread, and I have some other quite retro tech that I use rather routinely. Probably will post a bit later, gotta read the thread first.

>>3923
>Yep, it works! 2G only, but our local operators support it.
Oh yeah, IIRC there's a lot of old medical devices that only work on 2G so I guess they need to keep some of the infrastructure around.
>Well, minus the web. I didn't even try going online with it.
I wonder if there's any text browsers (w3m, lynx, links) available for it?

>>3927
>I wonder if there's any text browsers (w3m, lynx, links) available for it?
Didn't check. Quite probably. Symbian was a rather popular platform.

>>3910
>Modern 2.5 to 3.5 jacks doesn't seem to be quite correct. I think the best way to go would be to buy original headphones and sacrifice them to make a proper 2.5 to 3.5 for N-Gage.
Scratch that. Finally found a proper jack that works with N-Gage. Not a cheap chinese one, but a somewhat overpriced branded one, but at least it works.

>>3979
...and now I'm in a bit of a... confusion... about a music player.
Thing is, the default music player on N-Gage is awesome, with terrific audio quality and stereo. But it lack fast forward or rewind, which seem to be rather a crucial feature for me.
And all the third-party players I've found have terrible audio quality. It seems like they've all been written for QD in mind, and, as far as the internet says, QD didn't even have a built-in mp3 player to start with?
Man, if that is true - am I glad that I've chosen a classic N-Gage.

bros I got a 13" CRT after I lost my old one. it's in good condition and I found the proper remote for it on eBay and I also got rabbit ear antennas and a digital converter box for it. I'm so excited

I use forums/messageboards or at least imageboards instead of social media

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Hi guys, OP here. In the past week I sourced a 17" CRT monitor in working condition. It's sharp enough though some adjustment would help. I think if I adjust the focus it'll be pretty sharp usable at 1600x1200. For now, I'm using it at 1400x1050. 

I also got a device that lets me use a landline phone over a cell connection. This way, if I'm at home, my calls come in on my cordless telephone. (pic related)

>>4245
Very nice anon, I like the functional over flashy design of your cordless.

>>4246
thanks! It's not my photo but it's a Panasonic Easaphone. Same model. Range is decent, I can walk around the house with it, and of course it works well right next to the base station. No answering machine, which would be cool. I might try setting up an answering machine later.
If I get a call on my cellphone while I'm at home it'll ring on my cordless like regular landline. And placing calls from it works as well.

I need to rearrange my desk for my new CRT monitor. I'll probably keep using my 1600x1200 Viewsonic LCD as my main monitor since it's better for text clarity.

>>4245
What's the advantage of CRTs over the new flatscreens?

>>4381
I don't care about any technical advantages. I'm just turning my home into a 90s time capsule. Having said that, in a dark room, they have better black levels and contrast than an LCD plus a better viewing angle. The motion clarity on it is also very nice. It's nice to look at. 

It's also large, uses more power, and less sharp than my LCD. But again I'm not doing this for any technical benefit.

I've recently started making sounds on an old Yamaha FM synth by screwing around with the front panel and running it through an Alesis Microverb like it's 1987. I've actually found it to be enjoyable and not at all the kind of headeache people make out '80s FM synthesis to be. Maybe doing it on something like a DX7 would be difficult, but I've found the synth I'm using to be pretty easy to understand for someone who's only used external sound editors before.

I only got into doing this because an iPad editor that I already bought years ago is now demanding monthly payments for me to use it. Screw that. I'd just rather let my iPad become a paperweight. The idea of having to make continual payments on an iPad app is ridiculous. 

Unfortunately, I have a pretty similar FM synth from that era that doesn't allow editing from the front panel. At least I've already made a few sounds I like for it.

>>4389
Show us some samples anon, synths are always interesting.

>>4390
Here's really what I've got so far:
https://vocaroo.com/1dnhJhx5fhQE

Excuse the crappy keyboard playing and rough audio. I only realized I should lower the audio output on the reverb toward the end. It's also in mono.

You can hear a resemblance between a lot of the patches because I end up saving copies of sounds and then take them in a different direction. All of them except the harsh bass sound at the end grew out of the mellow sound from the beginning of the recording. The bass sound was originally a clavinet preset I was editing right before I recorded this. I tried to get it to sound like something you'd hear in an old Sega Genesis game, but I'm not really happy with it. It's more of a work in progress than the others.

>>4391
Those are some sweet ass patches, I could easily see (hear?) some of these demos reworked into full length tracks.
You remind me of the composer anon who made a few BoC inspired demos a few years back, I wonder where he went.
>sound like something you'd hear in an old Sega Genesis game
Yeah that was my first impression too. I think you nailed the sound except it's a little bit more hi-fi than how the real console sounds. Maybe it's just me though.

>>4393
>Those are some sweet ass patches,
You can get some really lush sounds out of these cheap vintage digital synths and some effects, but they tend to be overlooked in favor of analog ones. It's kind of a good thing though. It keeps the prices pretty affordable in comparison and prevents people from hyping them up too much. I like analog synths and everything, but from the way people talk you'd think it would be a religious experience just to lay your hands on a Jupiter-8 (presumably after taking out a bank loan).
>I could easily see (hear?) some of these demos reworked into full length tracks.
It does sound tempting to flesh out the more ambient parts. The first patch made me think of SAW II from Aphex Twin.
>You remind me of the composer anon who made a few BoC inspired demos a few years back, I wonder where he went.
That's me. :^)

I've actually been working on one of my old tracks again. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to record some stuff all over again. The guitar arpeggios I had were both too choppy and not close enough to the MIDI file I had and the flute part too wheezy due to my breathing problems and lack of experience with the instrument. I ended up converting the guitar part from the MIDI file to a tab and have been practicing it to a metronome, but I think it's going to take a while. I want to be able to play the whole thing in one sitting. I'm also going to start learning the drums pretty soon to help lay down some rhythm tracks once I learn what I'm doing. Then there's going to be the sound mangling aspect to consider when everything's done. All this is going to be a lot of work, but at least recording the keyboard parts doesn't intimidate me anymore. I have a couple MIDIs recorded of me playing the main chord sequence by hand, so I shouldn't have to worry about that.
> I think you nailed the sound except it's a little bit more hi-fi than how the real console sounds. Maybe it's just me though.
When I play it, I hear a weird phasing quality to it that I don't like. I wonder if there's some obscure setting from the original clavinet patch I'm not considering that's screwing things up. I made a similar DX7 patch I was comparing it to that sounds better to me, which seems kind of odd. You'd think this would be better at getting the grody FM chip sound than a more high-end synth like that.

>>4391
>https://vocaroo.com/1dnhJhx5fhQE
kino

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Not to hog the thread too much, but I just ended up buying an upgraded Quadraverb. It lacks the knobby intuitiveness of the Microverb, but it also has a lot more options including chorus and delay. The MIDIVerb II has effects like those (the Microverb is basically a knobby, chopped-up MIDIVerb II minus the non-reverb effects from what I understand), but it was a selling point for the Quadraverb at the time it came out that you could use several different effects simultaneously. Additionally, it's more than a box of presets. You can configure the effect parameters how you'd like and save your own patches.

I'm mainly interested in the reverb, but the other options seem like they would be nice to have in a pinch. Amateur musicians must have been drooling back in 1989 when the original version was released.

While I haven't spent much time with it yet, so far the only complaint I have is how chunky the power cable is. Hopefully it doesn't cause problems with the case I planned on storing it in. This was the last of the old rack-based effects units I had any interest in acquiring, and I should have a little extra space left over for it.

>Japan declares victory in effort to end government use of floppy disks
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-declares-victory-effort-end-government-use-floppy-disks-2024-07-03/
F

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>>4427
F
We hardly knew ye.

https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/history-of-storage-technology-46e55411-af93-42bf-8e53-c85c9d91e717

>>4429
>too late for 1MB floppies
>just in time for 300TB laserdiscs

>>4430
laserdiscs are an analogue medium and can't store data in terms of bits
sorry autism

>>4427
>>4429
>>4432
What made floppies so useful to them for so long?

>>4427
Too soon

>>4433
I think it was primarily likely due to just bureaucratic inertia and the natural reticence of herbivore men?
>tl;dr
Jews did it.

>>4432
the universe is an analogue medium therefore all storage medius are analogue, what makes them digital is the encoding
sorry more autistic

Does anyone have good suggestions for a CD player? I picked up a bunch of audiobooks thrown out by the library.

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>>4415
I’ve been spending some time transferring DX7 patches I made with Dexed years ago over to my TX802 and tweaking them when they sound off. I did give the front panel a try, but I’ve found that editing that way is definitely a hassle in comparison to the TX81Z I posted clips of before. All this gave  me a good excuse to pull out the Quadraverb and try to familiarize myself with it a bit more. It’s definitely much more fiddly than the other Alesis reverb units I have, which is both a blessing and a curse. You have control over parameters in a way that you don’t with the older ones, but that can lead to spending a lot of time tinkering with menus if you’re the type to not like relying on presets. And while there’s a lot of potential for sound design, it’s also not endless. As far as I can tell, you’re locked into certain configurations (although you can turn effects within a given configuration on or off or change them to another effect of the same type). That means you might have to run a recording through it multiple times if you’re after a specific combination of effects. The more hi-fi character in comparison to the older units also might not be what you’re looking for, but it’s definitely still old-school. It might sound like I’m knocking the Quadraverb, but overall I think it’s really nice for what it is. In particular I think the autopan feature is a nice addition, since I regularly use autopanning to add movement to pad sounds. I feel like so far I’m only scratching the surface of what it’s capable of, and I definitely wouldn’t trade it for a Strymon pedal or whatever. At the same time, I don’t know if it’s going to be getting as much use as my Microverb or Midiverb II. I can easily imagine using it in tandem with those though.

Here are some audio snippets:
https://vocaroo.com/1gORhH7OFC4G
I’ve come to like recording these sessions as something to refer to later. This time was less fruitful than the last one I did though. I didn’t come up with anything that I find all that inspiring. It felt a lot more aimless this time around. Maybe you even recognize some the less original parts I was playing (I was even considering recording an attempt at imitating Burzum). I even tacked on a TX81Z recording from months ago when I was first testing the Quadraverb out. Although there was some distortion going on, I like the way the reverb filled out the empty spaces in between the playing.

I thought I'd post a link to Dexed for anyone who might be interested:
https://asb2m10.github.io/dexed/
Plogue’s OPS7 VST is supposed to be closer to the real thing, but it’s also not free.

Unfortunately, Dexed doesn’t come in .dll form anymore. I just ran the Linux .so version, and that opened up with no problem (although I can’t say I know what DAWs can integrate that format; LMMS apparently can’t). I imagine the .exe version would work fine in Windows, although I can’t confirm that’s the version I’m using on my Windows partition. There’s a good chance I’m just running an old .dll file I downloaded a long time ago.

Here’s a nice Java-based patch editor I found that’s good for Yamaha’s old  FM synths:
https://github.com/eclab/edisyn
I don’t think anyone here has any of these synths, but I figured it’s worth posting just in case.

Edisyn is supposed to be compatible with both Windows and Linux, but I just run it in Windows to save myself any potential headaches.

Also, I didn't realize I've spent years sperging about this stuff.

>>4542
>although I can’t say I know what DAWs can integrate that format; LMMS apparently can’t
.dll & .so files are dynamic libraries, they can be linked to by software to access useful program routines and functionality. The Linux version of Dexed appears to be in LV2 plugin format, a FOSS-grown alternative to VST plugins (although LinVST is a thing as well). From a quick look LMMS seems to have LV2 support in the works but alternatively Ardour has been LV2 compatible for a long time (and is basically THE open source DAW if you're OK with a Pro Tools-inspired interface).

>>4543
>From a quick look LMMS seems to have LV2 support in the works but alternatively Ardour has been LV2 compatible for a long time (and is basically THE open source DAW if you're OK with a Pro Tools-inspired interface).
That's good to know. Thanks for the info. I have Ardour installed but never got the hang of the interface. Judging from everything I've heard, it's supposed to be a great DAW. 

And according to what I've just read, Renoise also has LV2 support with Carla.

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How do I repair a VHS tape?
So I recently bought a VCR, threw a tape in the machine, seemed to be working fine, tried to take the tape out, and the VCR didn't retract the tape back into the cassette. Took apart the machine, got the cassette out, had to manually roll the tape back in, but noticed that the tape was now crumpled. The tape was NOT broken, just has some creases on the film now. I found a local guy who's seeing if it's possible to fix the VCR (According to him, the biggest issue is finding parts if it comes to that), but is there a way that I can "fix" the tape or do you know of anyone that does this?

>>4551
If it's a small section it can probably be spliced out (losing those few seconds of footage of course). I've never attempted this though, tapes were only a few dollars and effectively expendable in the 90's when I had some.

>>4441
I'm a little late to the party, but just wanted to say Sony boomboxes got me through jr. high, HS, and college. Well worth the 20% markup compared to the lesser brands. 
And despite kinda getting into audio stuff, I never got serious enough to build a full home system with stand alone cd player.

>>4551
If it's only crumpled and not broke or tore it may actually need "fixing". Just let the creases sit under many layers of wound tape and they will relax and straighten out over time. I've had it happen to me and vhs tapes are surprisingly resistant to crease and crumple damage. Just make sure it's all wound flat, tight, and even.

>>4562
*it may not

>>2000
2000's symbian phones gather all of these while still not being addictive and SLOP like a smartphone. java games are very cool too