Computer Nostalgia (with period "model")

[ChrisJ]

I took this for the challenge a month ago, but wasn't that happy with it. It's missing something (like an old blueprint on the cube wall), but I still kind of like it. I tried to give a feel of someone working in the early 80s.


http://chrisandjoy.smugmug.com/photos/75586142-L.jpg

That is an old TRS-80 portable computer with printer and acoustic coupler modem from 1983. It still works and runs BASIC nicely. The desk may very well be from that era, too. I thought my co-worker with the nice 'burns really made the shot.

Any suggestions as to how I could have improved this are welcome!

[Frog Lady]

yeah, the "period model" really shouted out '80's :rofl Is he still sportin' those side burns in this modern age?

cheers,

C.

[Dave Lee]

Love the old Tandy. I still use my PC-7, which is a smaller programmable caluculator based on the PC-100 series.

I guess the nostalgia work on me.:D

Oops! I guess it was a TRS-80(should have read the entire post!) Must be a few years older than my tandy.

[ChrisJ]

yeah, the "period model" really shouted out '80's :rofl Is he still sportin' those side burns in this modern age?

cheers,

C.

Yep, he's still got 'em... What do you expect from a wanna-be astronomer? :D

[ChrisJ]

Oops! I guess it was a TRS-80(should have read the entire post!) Must be a few years older than my tandy.
One of the first systems I programmed on was the Desktop model Trash-80. I had never seen one of the portables until we found this in an old room.

Here's a closeup:

13291

[Richard]

It's missing something (like an old blueprint on the cube wall), but I still kind of like it....
Any suggestions as to how I could have improved this are welcome!
It needs some junk food...potato chips, Jolt Cola, something like that. :D Cool idea.

Cheers,

[ChrisJ]

It needs some junk food...potato chips, Jolt Cola, something like that. :D Cool idea.

Cheers,

Ahh, yeah... Mountain Dew and some candy bars, that would have been good. Or maybe some coffee. I don't think Jolt existed in the early 80's though.

That would have given it a more "hacker" feel than a business worker. Good suggestion!

[gefillmore]

1- black horned rim glasses

2- white short-sleeve dress shirt-

3- clip-on tie-

4- pocket protector-

5- rotary phone?-

6- picture of carter or reagan as president?-

george

ps if you are wearing any of the above- no offense intended-

[Dave Lee]

1- black horned rim glasses

2- white short-sleeve dress shirt-

3- clip-on tie-

4- pocket protector-

5- rotary phone?-

6- picture of carter or reagan as president?-

george

ps if you are wearing any of the above- no offense intended-

None taken. :wink

[gefillmore]

ha!-

good!-

[raian]

What a fun shot. IMHO could have been improved only by posting some 80's Big Hair Bands on that cubical wall :D:D

[ChrisJ]

1- black horned rim glasses
2- white short-sleeve dress shirt-
3- clip-on tie-
4- pocket protector-
5- rotary phone?-
6- picture of carter or reagan as president?-
george
ps if you are wearing any of the above- no offense intended-

Great suggestions here, George... you seem to *really* know what you're talking about. :wink

I did look for a rotary phone, but couldn't find one...

[ChrisJ]

What a fun shot. IMHO could have been improved only by posting some 80's Big Hair Bands on that cubical wall :D:D
Hmm... never thought about raiding the grad student hangouts. They probably only have decent stuff like Zeppelin, the Who, or Pink Floyd anyway. :D

[gefillmore]

long time before the 80's, but the favorite nerd in our class was 'booger'---lot smarter than 'one ball' longmire-

I did not know his sister but ended up marrying her in the mid-seventies--then I found out my brother-in-law was 'booger'!!-






no, not really

[cornerketch]

Hey, I still have the TRS-80 it works great.. doesn't do a lot compared to an iPod..

I liked the picture..

[ChrisJ]

no, not really

:roflNice one...

Hey, I still have the TRS-80 it works great.. doesn't do a lot compared to an iPod..

I liked the picture..

Thanks, cornerketch. But all the iPod does is play music and video! You could never play Zork on it! :D

[mary]

For a 1980s look, he needs a Mullet!!! :rofl

[herion]

:roflNice one...



Thanks, cornerketch. But all the iPod does is play music and video! You could never play Zork on it! :D

Ahhh ... "What's big as a house and round as a cup and all the King's horses can't pull it up?"

:D:D:D:D:D:clap

[Blurmore]

A Trash 80! I have a working C64 with 400 baud (maybe lower) modem, 1541 floppy drive, monitor, pacman on cartridge and speed 'doubler'. My dad bought it for me on my 7th birthday, we spent 6 hours programming it to make a red 'ball' bounce across the tv screen. The owner of the marina where my dad used to keep his boat had a database on a TRS80 he used untill he dies in 1997. We were at the office one day and he pulled out one of those like 10 inch floppies and I thought it was some kind of joke. Hard to believe the C64 was produced untill 1993, and the TRS80 in some iteration untill 1985. Now neither would make even a decent 1 MP camera processor.

[gefillmore]

I loved my c64-

programmed a check disbursement program on it in basic-

spent all night typing in code for a wp from the back of a magazine, was blind by the next morning, and the freakin' thing didn't work one bit (or 64, for that matter)-

my wife and a friend of hers spent all day one day playing zork II-

floppy drive always got overheated-

what a piece of junk!-

I was in heaven!-

[shecodes]

The desk may very well be from that era, too. I thought my co-worker with the nice 'burns really made the shot.


The desk looks like one I bought at an Air Force salvage store in the mid-eighties.

Rotary phones were 70s and earlier. :)

[gefillmore]

Rotary phones were 70s and earlier. :)


well, little missy, when you get to my age, it all tends to run together-

do you remember the princess phones?-

george

[shecodes]

Yup, I remember Princess phones. I also remember my in-laws yellow rotary phone in their kitchen with the very long tangled cord. These days they still have a kitchen phone, but it's no longer harvest gold.

These days I use my Skype phone and my Vonage account rings my cell phone the same time my main phone rings. So I can answer just about anywhere.

I also remember 300 baud modems and my Atari 800.

[Richard]

These days I use my Skype phone and my Vonage account rings my cell phone the same time my main phone rings. So I can answer just about anywhere.

I also remember 300 baud modems and my Atari 800.

Right. I have most of the tech-toys too, but I got more calls in the rotary dial days. :cry

[gefillmore]

ahhh, but did you ever have to carry around a slide rule-

[Richard]

ahhh, but did you ever have to carry around a slide rule-

Sure, but if you were nerdy enough you just clipped it to your belt. No problem. :rofl

[gefillmore]

no man-

I was cule with the slide rule-

[Richard]

no man-

I was cule with the slide rule-

Actually, I didn't mind the slide rule nearly as much as those boxes of 2000 punch cards. Man, those were heavy after a while.

[gefillmore]

good ol' fortran-

[ian408]

For a minute, I thought that was your desk on Pike St :D

I think karzas might have the phone you're looking for--want me to call him
for you :lol3

[SirArmstrong]

Wow, I had to laugh when I saw this. I had the same computer and printer! It all looks period ... even the sideburns. :D

[ChrisJ]

...I also remember my in-laws yellow rotary phone in their kitchen with the very long tangled cord...

I also remember 300 baud modems and my Atari 800.

My in-laws still have a (working) yellow rotary phone in their kitchen. They only keep it because it's nostalgic now. :D

I owned an Atari VCS, 400, 800, and 130XE. Never had a 300 baud modem myself, started off with a 1200, then got a blazing Hayes 2400 SmartModem. It rocked.

[ChrisJ]

For a minute, I thought that was your desk on Pike St :D

I think karzas might have the phone you're looking for--want me to call him
for you :lol3

Karzas, ACK! I'd completely (blissfully) forgotten about that guy, Thanks for the reminder. :rolleyes :rofl:rofl

[ChrisJ]

Wow, I had to laugh when I saw this. I had the same computer and printer! It all looks period ... even the sideburns. :D

Thanks, Steve... that's only one of the many advantages you get when you work for a state school! (No, really, I actually love it... it's just the furniture is getting a bit old). :D

[gefillmore]

gates has simplified the keyboard-





just three keys-











ctrl, alt, del-

george (for us spider monkeys)-

[ian408]

Karzas, ACK! I'd completely (blissfully) forgotten about that guy, Thanks for the reminder. :rolleyes :rofl:rofl

I saw him in Safeway the other day. I ran...:uhoh