I am sorry to say that I did not obtain a M96 sniper rifle as I claimed yesterday. I was pulling your leg. Still, it is a nice dream and a rifle I definitely lust after. My wife-to-be, as wonderful as she is, is rather emphatic on the "No!" part when I showed her that gun. When the house is paid for, the retirement funds are there, plenty of savings, maybe then I can afford to go crazy on such a beautiful addition to the collection.
Sorry for any pangs of jealousy I may have induced. Admittedly, it is tough to beat last year's entry.
On truthful news, I am doing gun related stuff this weekend. I am taking an NRA Metallic Reloading course on Saturday. It's one of the things I resolved to do this year. It should be a good day.
Still working on the writing thing and getting the ducks in a row on that. On that, I decided to take a page out of Marko's book with how I want to approach the problem of getting words out. Distraction is my big problem. I had bought my netbook with the intention of using it as a dedicated writing platform. Problem with that was it was a little too small. I loved the weight, just couldn't type well on it.
The laptop that replaced it suffers from the same problem as my desktops: it's a full-fledged computer with the Internet. Doesn't take much to switch away from OpenOffice and wind up on Wikipedia.
Marko recommends the Alphasmart Neo as the best writing tool out there. As I've worked through this, I'm starting to agree with him. However, the price tag of the Neo can be a bit of a put-off, especially if it is something you might not keep at.
Marko refers to the "cult of the Neo" among writers. He has mentioned in passing that the Neo is merely the latest in a line of similar machines. What many people don't realize is that line goes back to the early 1980s. So I got thinking and figured if it was good enough then, it should be good enough for now.
The Alphasmart Neo is the lineal descendant of the Tandy Model 100. The features that the Neo crows about such as battery endurance, portability, dedicated purpose were all features of the Model 100. The Model 100 was the first notebook computer. Everything the Neo is can be traced back to the Model 100.
Well, as a little digging will show, the Model 100 family of machines still enjoy wide popularity despite being nearly 30 years old. They also enjoy one advantage over a Neo: cost. A used Model 102 costs a mere fraction of a Neo and will give you a lot of its functionality. eBay is your best friend.
So I've been on a eBay spree as of late. I've manged to pick up four of these little gems of different models so far. A Model 100, a Model 102, an NEC PC-8201A and a Tandy WP-2. The Model 100 is strictly a collector's item. The Model 102 is nice but I've found for tinkering I prefer the PC-8201A. It is the last one, the WP-2, I want to talk about.
The WP-2 is an uprated and stripped down Model 102 in many respects. The WP stands for "word processing" which is exactly what the machine is designed to do. Like the Neo, the WP-2 is geared for the sole purpose of writing text. It runs, like its siblings, on 4 AA batteries. Unlike its brother, the Model 102, the WP-2 can only do word processing. It lacks a programming language and other utilities. But retains all of the formers's communication abilities. It also features an even slimmer form factor than the 102 in an attractive black case and has an 80 column display instead of the 40 column found on its predecessor.
It can also be expanded to twice the memory of the Model 102 and the chip costs a pittance. While it can't approach the Neo for capacity, I'd argue the 40-50 pages of text that can be squeezed into a fully expanded WP-2 is sufficient for most purposes. And you can't argue with the price tag.
I got my WP-2 shipped for $20. The unit is in near-mint condition. I've seen several units as well as the later WP-3 units sell for similar prices.
I'm not knocking the Neo; it's a great piece of hardware. But a 25 year old design can do the same job for a lot less money. Of course, the downside with these older machines is having to figure out how to get data from them to your PC. You need to use the serial port, a null modem cable and some terminal software. For a lot of people today that is just too much. If you grew up with computers the way I did, not so bad. Or you can just use a NADSBox and merge the old and the new.
Admittedly, if you get a NADSBox, you've just eliminated the cost incentive as it costs nearly as much as a Neo itself but gives the WP-2 (or any Model 100/102) essentially unlimited capacity. But if you're willing to spend $15 on a null modem cable and can use a terminal program, a Model 100/102, WP-2 or WP-3 is a writer's bargain.
Personally, I prefer playing with the older hardware. I much prefer the form factor of the Model 102 and WP-2 over the Neo. And I can hack the Model 100 hardware. That's the other reason I got them. But for writing, I bought the WP-2. It just needs a new battery backup, commonly available at CVS or Radio Shack and easily installed, and its ready to use. Writing on the go. I may bring it with me on my honeymoon.
Marko prefers the trendy modern, I'm going to try the old and stodgy. Perhaps someday the Neo can tells its descendants, "Back in my day..." but I suspect a Model 102 will be lurking in the background still creaking along and shaking its head.
Out with the new, in with the old!
Sorry for any pangs of jealousy I may have induced. Admittedly, it is tough to beat last year's entry.
On truthful news, I am doing gun related stuff this weekend. I am taking an NRA Metallic Reloading course on Saturday. It's one of the things I resolved to do this year. It should be a good day.
Still working on the writing thing and getting the ducks in a row on that. On that, I decided to take a page out of Marko's book with how I want to approach the problem of getting words out. Distraction is my big problem. I had bought my netbook with the intention of using it as a dedicated writing platform. Problem with that was it was a little too small. I loved the weight, just couldn't type well on it.
The laptop that replaced it suffers from the same problem as my desktops: it's a full-fledged computer with the Internet. Doesn't take much to switch away from OpenOffice and wind up on Wikipedia.
Marko recommends the Alphasmart Neo as the best writing tool out there. As I've worked through this, I'm starting to agree with him. However, the price tag of the Neo can be a bit of a put-off, especially if it is something you might not keep at.
Marko refers to the "cult of the Neo" among writers. He has mentioned in passing that the Neo is merely the latest in a line of similar machines. What many people don't realize is that line goes back to the early 1980s. So I got thinking and figured if it was good enough then, it should be good enough for now.
The Alphasmart Neo is the lineal descendant of the Tandy Model 100. The features that the Neo crows about such as battery endurance, portability, dedicated purpose were all features of the Model 100. The Model 100 was the first notebook computer. Everything the Neo is can be traced back to the Model 100.
Well, as a little digging will show, the Model 100 family of machines still enjoy wide popularity despite being nearly 30 years old. They also enjoy one advantage over a Neo: cost. A used Model 102 costs a mere fraction of a Neo and will give you a lot of its functionality. eBay is your best friend.
So I've been on a eBay spree as of late. I've manged to pick up four of these little gems of different models so far. A Model 100, a Model 102, an NEC PC-8201A and a Tandy WP-2. The Model 100 is strictly a collector's item. The Model 102 is nice but I've found for tinkering I prefer the PC-8201A. It is the last one, the WP-2, I want to talk about.
The WP-2 is an uprated and stripped down Model 102 in many respects. The WP stands for "word processing" which is exactly what the machine is designed to do. Like the Neo, the WP-2 is geared for the sole purpose of writing text. It runs, like its siblings, on 4 AA batteries. Unlike its brother, the Model 102, the WP-2 can only do word processing. It lacks a programming language and other utilities. But retains all of the formers's communication abilities. It also features an even slimmer form factor than the 102 in an attractive black case and has an 80 column display instead of the 40 column found on its predecessor.
It can also be expanded to twice the memory of the Model 102 and the chip costs a pittance. While it can't approach the Neo for capacity, I'd argue the 40-50 pages of text that can be squeezed into a fully expanded WP-2 is sufficient for most purposes. And you can't argue with the price tag.
I got my WP-2 shipped for $20. The unit is in near-mint condition. I've seen several units as well as the later WP-3 units sell for similar prices.
I'm not knocking the Neo; it's a great piece of hardware. But a 25 year old design can do the same job for a lot less money. Of course, the downside with these older machines is having to figure out how to get data from them to your PC. You need to use the serial port, a null modem cable and some terminal software. For a lot of people today that is just too much. If you grew up with computers the way I did, not so bad. Or you can just use a NADSBox and merge the old and the new.
Admittedly, if you get a NADSBox, you've just eliminated the cost incentive as it costs nearly as much as a Neo itself but gives the WP-2 (or any Model 100/102) essentially unlimited capacity. But if you're willing to spend $15 on a null modem cable and can use a terminal program, a Model 100/102, WP-2 or WP-3 is a writer's bargain.
Personally, I prefer playing with the older hardware. I much prefer the form factor of the Model 102 and WP-2 over the Neo. And I can hack the Model 100 hardware. That's the other reason I got them. But for writing, I bought the WP-2. It just needs a new battery backup, commonly available at CVS or Radio Shack and easily installed, and its ready to use. Writing on the go. I may bring it with me on my honeymoon.
Marko prefers the trendy modern, I'm going to try the old and stodgy. Perhaps someday the Neo can tells its descendants, "Back in my day..." but I suspect a Model 102 will be lurking in the background still creaking along and shaking its head.
Out with the new, in with the old!
4 comments:
"When the house is paid for, the retirement funds are there, plenty of savings, maybe then I can afford to go crazy on such a beautiful addition to the collection."
Well, now that's just foolish. I'd wager that gun will increase in value over the years just as well as any retirement fund. Granted, one part of ensuring that it increases in value would be never using it, or at least rarely using it.
That's the primary reason I haven't bought any pricey firearms; I like to use them, not admire them.
I'm taking a reloading class on Saturday also. At Guns and Ammo Warehouse in Manassas.
Then I shall see you there, flashman! :)
I'll be the old guy in the NRA Range hat.
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