Paul G
@paul-g.bsky.social
Daft wazzock. Music, old computers and twaddle.
Advent guitar thing, day 1.
Villa-Lobos's 12 Études for guitar, composed originally in 1929. This performance by Turibo Santos. Mostly technical works for guitar, so it's somewhat difficult listening.
Villa-Lobos's 12 Études for guitar, composed originally in 1929. This performance by Turibo Santos. Mostly technical works for guitar, so it's somewhat difficult listening.
December 1, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Advent guitar thing, day 1.
Villa-Lobos's 12 Études for guitar, composed originally in 1929. This performance by Turibo Santos. Mostly technical works for guitar, so it's somewhat difficult listening.
Villa-Lobos's 12 Études for guitar, composed originally in 1929. This performance by Turibo Santos. Mostly technical works for guitar, so it's somewhat difficult listening.
Non-Christmasy advent music countdown thing coming up. Back during lockdown I acquired this CD boxed set of classical guitar music, a reissue of the 24 LP set of the same name. These LPs were numbered on the front cover from 1 to 24. CD 25 was a bonus disc of material compiled from elsewhere.
December 1, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Non-Christmasy advent music countdown thing coming up. Back during lockdown I acquired this CD boxed set of classical guitar music, a reissue of the 24 LP set of the same name. These LPs were numbered on the front cover from 1 to 24. CD 25 was a bonus disc of material compiled from elsewhere.
Just realised that I've not backed up my laptop data to my portable USB drive for about 7 weeks. Unfortunately, I can't find the special USB 3.0 micro-B cable that it uses, and nothing else I have to hand comes with such a cable.
November 26, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Just realised that I've not backed up my laptop data to my portable USB drive for about 7 weeks. Unfortunately, I can't find the special USB 3.0 micro-B cable that it uses, and nothing else I have to hand comes with such a cable.
Was Scott's 2006 album originally named after one of these?
November 23, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Was Scott's 2006 album originally named after one of these?
I had a few of these Odd-Bods model car kits. Cheap two-coloured plastic snap-together model kits of strange cars, each one with a deliberate design flaw that caused allowed the car to change in some odd way. The photo is all I can find on them.
November 22, 2025 at 9:24 PM
I had a few of these Odd-Bods model car kits. Cheap two-coloured plastic snap-together model kits of strange cars, each one with a deliberate design flaw that caused allowed the car to change in some odd way. The photo is all I can find on them.
Looks similar to a Sinclair Microdrive - one of the worst forms of data storage ever produced.
November 14, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Looks similar to a Sinclair Microdrive - one of the worst forms of data storage ever produced.
There was this - Le Stick from Datasoft. As it was baseless, it used mercury switches to sense movement. These switches were not that accurate. The mercury could also leak if the joystick was damaged.
November 11, 2025 at 6:53 PM
There was this - Le Stick from Datasoft. As it was baseless, it used mercury switches to sense movement. These switches were not that accurate. The mercury could also leak if the joystick was damaged.
The tape in question. Luckily, it's a 3M one, so should be recoverable.
November 10, 2025 at 3:43 PM
The tape in question. Luckily, it's a 3M one, so should be recoverable.
Found it! It was The Black Planet. The game is fairly poor, with somewhat complicated instructions - so complicated that there was a separate program on the tape that just displayed them all.
November 6, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Found it! It was The Black Planet. The game is fairly poor, with somewhat complicated instructions - so complicated that there was a separate program on the tape that just displayed them all.
"I could smell the Onions and Mustard."
November 4, 2025 at 6:33 PM
"I could smell the Onions and Mustard."
Is it as good as a bar of Plopp?
October 29, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Is it as good as a bar of Plopp?
Remembering Prunella Scales.
October 29, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Remembering Prunella Scales.
Here's some of that Forth code that caused the problems. The original manual was printed on dark green paper to prevent photocopying it, which this mirrors.
October 26, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Here's some of that Forth code that caused the problems. The original manual was printed on dark green paper to prevent photocopying it, which this mirrors.
A sample of the video output from SimH's LINC emulation, running PAL6, the default operating system. I've just typed some random text into the text editor that comes up on boot.
October 26, 2025 at 8:08 PM
A sample of the video output from SimH's LINC emulation, running PAL6, the default operating system. I've just typed some random text into the text editor that comes up on boot.
DEC later produced two systems that combined a LINC and a PDP-8 into the same unit - firstly the LINC-8 and later the PDP-12. DEC also adapted the tape drives used in the LINC to create their DECtape drives.
October 26, 2025 at 7:47 PM
DEC later produced two systems that combined a LINC and a PDP-8 into the same unit - firstly the LINC-8 and later the PDP-12. DEC also adapted the tape drives used in the LINC to create their DECtape drives.
It could be considered to be the first 'home computer', as noted programmer Mary Allen Wilkes had one at home in 1965, as seen below.
October 26, 2025 at 7:37 PM
It could be considered to be the first 'home computer', as noted programmer Mary Allen Wilkes had one at home in 1965, as seen below.
Old computer stuff. The SimH simulator has just been updated to add support for the LINC (Laboratory INstrument Computer) - a 12-bit system designed at MIT for use in a lab environment which first appeared around 1962. The design was open, with DEC and Spear sharing manufacture.
October 26, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Old computer stuff. The SimH simulator has just been updated to add support for the LINC (Laboratory INstrument Computer) - a 12-bit system designed at MIT for use in a lab environment which first appeared around 1962. The design was open, with DEC and Spear sharing manufacture.
I can't believe it's not Hütter - new Kraftwerk tribute band emerges.
October 24, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I can't believe it's not Hütter - new Kraftwerk tribute band emerges.
Those read-along cassette titles seem to be a continuation of a 33rpm 7" series issued on the Disneyland label from the mid 1960s onwards. We owned this title, but there were many more. There's more on the label here: www.7tt77.co.uk/DISNEYLAND.h...
September 29, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Those read-along cassette titles seem to be a continuation of a 33rpm 7" series issued on the Disneyland label from the mid 1960s onwards. We owned this title, but there were many more. There's more on the label here: www.7tt77.co.uk/DISNEYLAND.h...
And he's left UK air space. Hopefully for good.
September 18, 2025 at 5:32 PM
And he's left UK air space. Hopefully for good.
There was also this chap.
September 16, 2025 at 7:37 PM
There was also this chap.
I acquired this recently - it's recordings from 1973-74 featuring a cassette only album and several live sessions. Not got all the way through it yet.
September 8, 2025 at 10:46 PM
I acquired this recently - it's recordings from 1973-74 featuring a cassette only album and several live sessions. Not got all the way through it yet.
My most recent purchase was this download, containing all three of Eric Dolphy's studio albums for Prestige, two extensive live sets, and seven albums from other acts on Prestige on which he guested. Official recordings for the equivalenr of less than a quid a CD.
September 5, 2025 at 10:21 PM
My most recent purchase was this download, containing all three of Eric Dolphy's studio albums for Prestige, two extensive live sets, and seven albums from other acts on Prestige on which he guested. Official recordings for the equivalenr of less than a quid a CD.