Nostr notes by RetroFox

I have one (two actually), neat camera but I don't have any ...

2025-09-11T17:21:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…6d42
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I have one (two actually), neat camera but I don't have any stills handy to share - I need to take it out sometime for fun. LGR took one on a trip a couple years ago, there's a whole video of him using it with stills and video taken with the camera if you are wanting to see more :)

I LOVE finding that kind of thing in software second only to ...

2025-07-10T16:46:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…et37
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I LOVE finding that kind of thing in software second only to someone's handwritten/drawn notes and/or maps for a game. I cherish that kind of thing more than any complete/pristine box of old software. So cool!

Got a couple laptops at the flea today - I had to get this beast ...

2025-07-05T13:26:09Z

Got a couple laptops at the flea today - I had to get this beast of a IBM w701ds for $10. The picture doesn’t do justice to the size - I’ll get more when I test it. Sadly no power supply, but I think my universal will work. Stay tuned!

So the big thing I learned was my video, once exported via ...

2025-04-24T00:55:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…3k8r
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So the big thing I learned was my video, once exported via Firewire, needed to be deinterlaced and resized for square pixels. The side benefit is the process makes it 60fps instead of 30fps - this makes the video smooth AND gets rid of the jagged edges on everything. The software to convert the raw dump (DV file) is explained here - it seems daunting but just follow step by step and it's not bad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4PyyQoz6eo

I got some helpful feedback/advice that really improved the ...

2025-04-24T00:13:32Z

I got some helpful feedback/advice that really improved the quality of DV file conversion. So, I'd like to present an updated, re-edited version of my VCF East 2025 video shot with my Sony miniDV Handycam. Please check it out!

https://youtu.be/_4NM_h9JkqA

I thought I was going to come home with a camera or two but this ...

2025-03-22T15:16:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…ucad
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I thought I was going to come home with a camera or two but this guy was just too high on these. The CD Mavicas were 25$ each (one was a refurb), no batteries, chargers. What really caught my eye was the weird Minolta Dimage 7 but it was $40 (Ebay sold is in the $20 range). I could tell the guy was just guessing prices but he was just unwilling to negotiate, even after I looked up eBay pricing. Sometimes you just run into those types that are so sure of their price even if it's a guess.

Came up empty handed Friday thanks to the wind and cold, today ...

2025-03-22T15:15:07Z

Came up empty handed Friday thanks to the wind and cold, today was better weather and a better turn out at the flea. Saw these old TVs and Betamax players - not totally surprised there was an X-Rated tape still in one XD ...(cont)

Naturally when you want to go out and test cameras, the weekend ...

2025-03-17T14:12:58Z

Naturally when you want to go out and test cameras, the weekend will be overcast and grey. I wanted to try the Nikon Coolpix 8700 I picked up Friday, so B&W photos it is. IMHO, the lens is sharp. Only issue is placement of the On/Off switch vs the Zoom (I keep turning it off accidentally) but that's a bit of learning curve on my part.

BUT this is why I feel it's important not to pay high prices ...

2025-03-07T17:52:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…q3kj
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BUT this is why I feel it's important not to pay high prices on finds. Point being, it's often the case you can't test or check item(s) fully on the spot in the places and while I've gotten pretty lucky, I've had some items be DOA or missing key parts/disks, too. It comes with the territory.

Cautionary tale, so I went through all the boxes of the Warcraft ...

2025-03-07T17:52:11Z

Cautionary tale, so I went through all the boxes of the Warcraft III and WoW games I picked up this morning for $10 at the flea. The WoW games/booklets/etc. were all there but the WCIII Battlechest and WCIII single were missing the game/install disks. It's not a big deal to me, I probably have multiple loose copies of WCIII and some boxed at this point. Yes, I could have checked through all the boxes (I checked MoP which is what I wanted mainly) but it was cold and windy...

Yeah, exactly - and that's probably why I see a lot of them ...

2025-03-07T16:06:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…2s82
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Yeah, exactly - and that's probably why I see a lot of them sitting around at the flea. They are just in that weird in between of too new to really be retro like PPC/68k Macs, to old to be as useful (even for playing with old Mac OSX) as the bump up to an i5/i7 Mac. That said, I do have some C2D Macbook models that I enjoy tinkering with, so I'm not a hater :) Just uses less space in laptop form.

The C2D CPUs seems like a bigger issue with Macs, because you get ...

2025-03-07T15:55:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…nu04
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The C2D CPUs seems like a bigger issue with Macs, because you get locked into a narrow band of OSX releases that are officially compatible and that can be limiting on software choices. Sure you can do Linux, but then it just comes down to really wanting that particular model. Decades ago, I almost bought a used one in box just for Text Wrangler but held off due to no desk space for it.

Second - saw this giant iMac (it had a 24" screen) - guy ...

2025-03-07T14:47:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…v3hk
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Second - saw this giant iMac (it had a 24" screen) - guy wanted $40 for it. Not really a thing I want but different from the usual size of this model I see. And for a pickup - got this set of Warcraft III and WoW games for $10. Really just wanted MoP, but might as well. ...2/2

Chilly Flea Market Friday - but I did manage a pickup and saw a ...

2025-03-07T14:47:29Z

Chilly Flea Market Friday - but I did manage a pickup and saw a thing or two. Let's start with this record player/tv combo - I didn't see any inputs in the back but I assume some where hiding somewhere. Wonder if you could hook up a C64 and put on a Rush album :) ...1/2

yeah I’ve watched plenty of vids on the process but have never ...

2025-03-05T03:11:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…w9za
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yeah I’ve watched plenty of vids on the process but have never tried it myself. Likely I’ll just give it a good clean.

Blustery Sunday at the flea - cold and windy but a few brave ...

2025-03-02T15:51:58Z

Blustery Sunday at the flea - cold and windy but a few brave sellers were out. Ended up buying this boxed iMac for $45 because it seemed pretty complete inside. Lot of yellowing on the keyboard and some on the computer but hopefully it works.

any experience with it?

2025-02-08T15:31:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…yrma
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any experience with it?

Flea market turnout is still pretty low, but managed to find some ...

2025-02-08T15:15:26Z

Flea market turnout is still pretty low, but managed to find some odd old software to take home. Got this lot for $8 - A stunt flying sim with guide book, a program that lets you voice control your games, and a screen saver maker. Truly an @lazygamereviews Oddware lot ..(1/2)

I was wondering which processor type this was. Still not great at ...

2025-02-07T14:42:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…saz0
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I was wondering which processor type this was. Still not great at telling some models apart on sight. If that’s the case, yeah best to pass. I have a newer MBP with a C2D anyway.

Have some Flea Market Friday - saw this trio of laptops. Guy ...

2025-02-07T14:35:06Z

Have some Flea Market Friday - saw this trio of laptops. Guy wanted $20 for all three but two of them were boring i3 CPUs and no chargers. Offered $10 on the MacBook Pro but then he admitted he wanted $20 for just that. The Mac did have enough battery to power on and looked like it might boot. Probably a fair price at $20 with charger and booting but between the dings and warp in the body, the missing backspace, and pricing game… decided to pass.

Hit a random Goodwill yesterday while I was coming back from the ...

2024-12-08T15:40:43Z

Hit a random Goodwill yesterday while I was coming back from the Atari Party and found a boxed Sim City for $5. I think sealed though a little crushed. Can’t say no to one of my favorites!

I don’t know much about it yet - I assume it gives you dial-up ...

2024-11-30T17:28:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…ayle
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I don’t know much about it yet - I assume it gives you dial-up internet over Bluetooth, probably useless but just odd enough that it was worth the $5 of the $20 to tinker with it. Sadly no dongle with the modem card - but perhaps it’s semi-standard.

In the 20s F today at flea, but that didn’t stop me or some ...

2024-11-30T17:19:53Z

In the 20s F today at flea, but that didn’t stop me or some vendors. Picked up this small lot of items for $20. Bunch of lenses, filters and accessories for a camcorder, including a Sony OEM charger. There was also this oddball Sony PCMCIA modem/Bluetooth device…

Finally pulled the ol’ eBay trigger on a Wacom Art Z II 6x8 ADB ...

2024-11-08T02:38:36Z

Finally pulled the ol’ eBay trigger on a Wacom Art Z II 6x8 ADB tablet to use with my older Macs. I’ve been looking for a while and seller took a $35 offer on this mostly complete (stylus, extra nibs, manual, tablet, box - just no driver disk) and excellent condition one. Had some fun testing this on my G3 using OS9 / Photoshop 3.

the collection on my end is getting a bit ridiculous if I'm ...

2024-10-12T21:40:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…9zgy
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the collection on my end is getting a bit ridiculous if I'm being honest but they are just fun cameras with some weird designs.

Also spotted this Sony Mavica FD-97 - guy wanted $30, got it down ...

2024-10-12T21:33:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…7jnk
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Also spotted this Sony Mavica FD-97 - guy wanted $30, got it down to $25. It’s pretty grungy and I was concerned about it working. Did try it back home and it does at least work mostly. The floppy drive is a little iffy, but this model also uses a memstick and that works fine.

Busy day - did go by the flea again. Picked up a few things. ...

2024-10-12T21:32:45Z

Busy day - did go by the flea again. Picked up a few things. Found this Microsoft Sidewinder Joystick w/ force feedback for $1. I’m not big into using joysticks, but the force feedback will be neat if it works. Needs some cleaning, too.

Ultimately Steve is more or less set, and we discuss back and ...

2024-10-11T14:10:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…5u7c
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Ultimately Steve is more or less set, and we discuss back and forth a bit (i.e., he’s the bad influence this time). The guy was negotiable on prices, so I end up settling for $90 on the Cube and $20 on the PowerBook. More than I’ve ever spent on an old computer. I must be crazy. I’ve been advised I should inspect power board inside the cube and check PSU before powering it on - so might be a bit before I can test. At least the PowerBook booted at the flea, battery had just a little charge.

So then I look IN the bin and this is what I see… a G4 Cube and ...

2024-10-11T14:08:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…8gnz
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So then I look IN the bin and this is what I see… a G4 Cube and a 12” G4 PowerBook. I ask how much on the PowerBook and cube while sending out a few shots and info to Mac84 🍏 (npub1lsg…7m6c) to see if he wants any of this stuff… guy wants $150 for the cube and $25 for the PowerBook…

Flea Market Friday again - I was walking along, saw this candy ...

2024-10-11T14:07:22Z

Flea Market Friday again - I was walking along, saw this candy iMac on a table and got a photo. Asked price, guy said $150 but the he said “I also have an iPod and other old Apple stuff” and pointed me to a bin behind the table. I figure, worth a check despite the pricing. I see the old iPod on the bin, neat but he’s asking $100. It wasn’t complete, box is rough, iPod is rough. Not really my thing but I got a photo…

Had to at least take a quick peek inside the tower. Little dusty ...

2024-10-04T20:29:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…htrq
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Had to at least take a quick peek inside the tower. Little dusty but looks good. Not sure about the odd looking RAM config there but guessing it is the P90. Weird wire hanging out back going to a card, unsure what it is. I do see the audio is some kind of Creative card with RAM slots, though!

holy cow, that's crazy. A shop I worked in used tape backup ...

2024-10-04T17:14:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…jnkk
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holy cow, that's crazy. A shop I worked in used tape backup for years and years, but by then, the tech was nowhere near that costly.

that makes some sense - also, cool history there! :) I think this ...

2024-10-04T17:09:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…wa55
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that makes some sense - also, cool history there! :) I think this one was a workhorse, though it does have some kind of sound and video card installed. It'll be interesting to tinker with for sure. Really appreciate the insight.

that sounds like a super high amount for the thing. Other than ...

2024-10-04T15:27:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…4ftz
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that sounds like a super high amount for the thing. Other than stupidly big (lots of 5 1/4 bays), what's so special about it?

What I also saw at the table was this monster Gateway PC tower. ...

2024-10-04T15:14:04Z

What I also saw at the table was this monster Gateway PC tower. Guy initially tossed out a $40 price so I walked on, hoping someone would save me from myself. On the way out, made a $20 offer and he agreed - so now I have a big ass tower PC. More to follow when I have time.

Also, I love on the Mini Max device how the kid looks like they ...

2024-09-23T13:20:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…a7x5
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Also, I love on the Mini Max device how the kid looks like they are doing the 'The WHAT' meme.

Didn’t find much this weekend. Picked up a piece of digital ...

2024-09-22T15:04:03Z

Didn’t find much this weekend. Picked up a piece of digital archeology in this Worlds.com CD ($2)and a little IR texting device ($1). The former is just an oddball application that I think I’ve seen mentioned in a video before.

Pretty good Flea Market day - picked up this Sony Vaio P4 machine ...

2024-08-17T14:53:04Z

Pretty good Flea Market day - picked up this Sony Vaio P4 machine for $10 loaded with cards. I know P4s are kinda mid right now, but Vaio stuff really catches my eye since they used to pack in so much extra stuff…