ISSN 1496-3221
January 28, 2010
A functioning prototype of Apple’s larger, tablet-style Newton — code named “Cadillac”. This device is part of a collection I obtained from Russ Uzes several years ago. Russ originally purchased it on eBay from a company called Mac-Pro Systems. When asked about the device’s history, they told him … “We just found the Cadillac in … More
September 4, 2009
It’s all John Baichtal’s fault. After stumbling across this photo in John’s Flickr stream, my curiosity was not only piqued, it was practically carbonated. A box full of electronic junk? Most excellent. But, wait a minute … a box full of electronic junk that you are encouraged to take things out of, put things into, … More
November 17, 2008
Actually, what you’re about to hear is the sound of multiple drives clunking, clicking, knocking, and otherwise kvetching. Canadian data recovery experts Data Cent have compiled an impressive number of disturbing audio snippets documenting various hard drive failures and mechanistic death throws. My teeth hurt just listening to a few of these. Via Daring Fireball
October 22, 2008
No, you’re not seeing things … that’s a small sliver of 4D’s WebStar 4.4 running under OS 9 (9.1 to be exact, not Classic). This post could be simple documentation of my attempt to unify the administration of the servers residing in my basement. That would be absolutely true. But in all honesty, I’m just … More
February 26, 2008
Normally, I’m a big fan of coincidence and synchronicity. Today, not so much. On the eve of the tenth anniversary of Apple discontinuing development of the Newton, the Cobalt Qube which had been hosting the Newted Community site for the past nine years suffered a catastrophic hard drive failure. Ouch. If that’s not a coincidence, … More
February 13, 2008
Between the recent weather-related power outages, an underpowered (not necessarily uninterruptible) power supply, and an increasingly cranky server, email and web services for the Newted Community have been less than reliable this week. To all those community members that rely on Newted for their mail, I apologize for the unexpected downtime. I really wish it … More
September 12, 2007
Back in July, Dan Benjamin and John Gruber mentioned the Newton (and alluded to yours truly) at the tail end of the third episode of their podcast, The Talk Show. You can listen the original snippet of audio here. One of the stipulations of “appearing” on the show was an informal agreement to provide Dan … More
November 21, 2006
Early adoption is for masochists. Cohesive workflow and performance comes from being stubborn, sticking with what you know, and not drifting away from your comfort zone. Those who blindly accept and implement change are weak and tend to bend to peer pressure. Yeah, ok. Whatever. Six months ago I was done rationalizing. Enough dragging of … More
September 20, 2006
What would I do if I came across 4,000 or so surplus Newton modems? I’m pretty darn sure it would be something at least as stupefyingly unproductive as this. It is any wonder Apple couldn’t release a Newton on schedule back in the 90s?
July 31, 2006
Vintage mainframes, voluminous banks of melanin-bleaching fluorescent lighting, late-sixties hairstyles, and painstakingly recreated punchcards. How could anyone in their right mind say no to an opportunity involving one or more of the above? I certainly couldn’t. Coudal Partners is ramping up their next short feature film project, tentatively titled 72°, and I pitched in a … More