Did the Romans have digital cameras 2000 years before our era?

No.

Goodbye to the machine

After I write my previous message, I got a bit into nostalgia. It is always hard for me to throw things away. Sometimes things can no longer pile up, something has to happen. So earlier this year I had to say goodbye to an old PC. I had assembled it myself in 1996. It had functioned for a couple of years before I got a newer one. Occasionally I used the old one for some things, but its use reduced in time. Last year I assembled a third one, faster, bigger, better – and the use for #1 was lost. It did not run anything newer then Windows 95, it was hopelessly slow. I did try Linux on it, but that did not turn it into a racing monster. In short: I had to get rid of it, because it was only taking up valuable space in my house.

As I said, it’s hard to say goodbye to things that have served me well. For memory’s sake, I took some last photos.

Award BIOS

Soundblaster 16

Motherboard with mainly ISA slots

November 11, 1993

While cleaning out some old boxes, I found this printed on a paper. I’ll throw the paper away, but leave the text here just for old times sake.

page 1
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\STACKER\STACKER.COM E:\STACVOL.000 D:\STACVOL.001
DEVICE=C:\STACKER\SSWAP.COM D: G:
DOS=HIGH, UMB
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.SYS 1024
FILES=30
BUFFERS=30
COUNTRY=031,850,C:\DOS\COUNTRY.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
STACKS=9,256

page 2
LH C:\MOUSE.COM
LH C:\F-PROT\VIRSTOP
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $p$g
PATH = C:\NORTON;C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS;C:\STACKER
MIRROR C: D: E:
LOADHIGH C:\DOS\DOSKEY

A greeting to future historians

Link rot, web archive, copyleft to preserve content for the future, the digital dark age. I was in a discussion on the interweb about this. The current diarrhea of weblogs and myspace stuff and photos, the highly praised content of web 2.0, created by the average user about his or her average life and average opinion. It should all be preserved. Future historians want to know all about us.

Yes, I gladly join. This is my content. Mediocre as can be.

For the occasion, a special greeting to future historians. Let me keep it simple. One word. “Hi“

As always it needs a photo. What is more appropriate then a photo taken on a graveyard.

For Geoffrey

We were sitting there, in the chapel.

They showed us this painting, made by you. How you would carefully look through the keyhole to the world outside. Many other things were said and done, music played. You know how it goes.

Not sure what to say now. Does “goodbye” have any meaning? Or just that you will be remembered?