Obsessing over a certain item

I don't normally OBSESS over an item, or a specific line of products.
Normally.
Sure, there might be a cool gadget or computer that I'll be interested in buying should the opportunity presents itself, but this is different.

I decided I wanted a typewriter, so I did some homework and figured the most interesting model to get, for me, would be a Selectric. I luckily snagged a mostly functional, perfect condition Selectric I for free.

Now since doing my homework I had read up on the details of the system, how it was the first to feature a moving type element rather than a moving carriage; the lack of having jamming type bars; and it's integration into early computer terminals despite it's lack of ASCII support. So, naturally I was excited to have this to figure out- I assumed it would have been quite a feat of engineering as it took the team 7 years to design the mechanism that drives the type ball.

When I got it home to get it running, I came to realize just how much of an engineering marvel this device really was. IBM had made a system that, with the electricity only powering a drive motor, could convert the pressing of a key into the rotation, tilting and hammering of a metal sphere with letters raised on the outer surface. All in one fifteenth of a second.
Not only this, but the complex system could insert and remove any number of tab stops and featured a one character mechanical memory. It uses mechanical binary coding and two mechanical binary-digital-to-analog converters to translate a key press into a movement of the ball.

I got that Selectric 3 weeks ago- I still blab on and on about it with friends as if I got it yesterday. Sure, it's a bit interesting to them, but to me it's obsessively interesting. I'm making serious efforts into getting a Selectric II and III, and maybe some of the rare-er models (for now, not putting much money in).

After taking the cover off, you really get the sense of workmanship that you just don't see today. Hundreds of tiny parts that all work in perfect harmony together, even after 50 years, almost all in metal. There is a rubber drive belt and some plastic components inside- but they're showing very little signs of age. No tearing, cracks, or very much wear to them, as you would expect on old plastic components. The power cable shows no rips or kinks, and the plug is in fantastic condition.


I'll stop here, but I could continue. It's such a marvelous little machine, I just love having it in my old room. I specifically vacated all digital tech from the desk on which it sits just to add to the experience when typing up a document.


Aside from a thread about typewriters, is there anything you've specifically obsessed over? I'm curious to see if I'm insane or just very interested.

 

PC Engine

 

Anything in particular about it...?

 

It's a little hard to limit it to any one thing since I have a lot of interest in many forms of technology. But, I would have to say I used to be a little obsessed with Video Toaster. I only got to spend a little time with one during my television production class in the mid 90's and fell in love with the thing. It made video editing much easier than anything else I came across at the time. Its high price made it unattainable for me since I was only in middle school, further adding to the desire to one day have one of my very own.

 

Time for tatsujin to post his room of doom pic that's just a room with the furniture made out of pce system cards

 

I've got access to an IBM Selectric II that needs some work to get the space bar working again. I traced the fault down the line to a single part that looks like it may just have worn down enough to not move properly. Shame, it was a great typewriter when it worked.

Personally I don't have much in the way of obsessions anymore. After I finally got (two) Pioneer Laseractives all that is left is a N64DD, Panasonic Q, or a Dreamcast Katana kit. Just don't have the cash to justify any of it and I can't read Japanese for crap negating any point to a N64DD.

 

how about everything

 

That's worth a picture.

 

Recently for me, Sun SPARC hardware.

The way the I/O bus functions to accommodate insanely large amounts of CPU's and the quality workmanship on the machines. I picked up a Sun Fire 6800 about a week ago for $300 and it is so fun to play with. Most definitely the largest and loudest computer i have ever owned.

 

XBOX

 

PC engine and especially CD-ROM² look messy inside.

 

I used to be crazy about the Sega Saturn, but I've since moved on to the PC Engine. It falls right in the cracks where CD storage technology can be used to great effect (Music, voices, etc), yet not so crappy where every single game is a FMV or some crummy low-res 3D game. Since the PC-Engine can't do 3D, all you get is 2D awesomeness. It's the little Japanese 8-bit PC-Engine that could.

 

what's that supposed to mean and how is it related to the topic?

 

Not everything.

 

I'll just give a short list of some of the things I'm obsessed with right now (there are many):

Sega Saturn
Mega Drive/Genesis
GBA
Anything Apple-related, but especially (because I'm getting one soon) the new Macbook Pro
PowerPC processors
Motorola 68000 series processors
Sunny Day Real Estate
Astrophysics
The history of computing in general, especially graphics hardware
The Virtua Fighter series, AM2, and Yu Suzuki (all together)
etc.

 

Vintage Apple... Mmm, that's a fun subject to obsess over.
I used to be well into it, but I don't have the time to be collecting right now. When I'm out of University and with a solid job I'll start again. There are even some collectible Apple products that can still be used functionally, like the Newton (more so later models)
If you happen to find one, buy yourself a nice G4 Cube, and grab a matching monitor, USB speakers, keyboard and mouse (pro series KB/M). They're fantastic little machines that, when loaded with OS9, make for a fun CD player. The ADC display means you only have one power cable for the whole setup so it makes for a great showpiece. I've been keeping mine at my parents house on display in the living room- We power it up for dinner parties and Christmas to play our CDs. Most of the time they're wildly overpriced, but if you stumble across one that's within reason, it's a good investment.

 

Yeah, I always thought the G4 Cube looked cool. I feel like the new Mac Pro is in a similar vein, but maybe even more radical. I'd really like an original Macintosh, but those can be a tad expensive. I have a pretty nice CD player already: a Marantz CD5004. I have a Blueberry G3 iMac, but I have nowhere to put it at the moment. It has OS X Panther installed currently.

 

For stand alone CD players, there's the Apple PowerCD- a bit of a rare item, but nevertheless an Apple CD player. Otherwise what you've got is still a solid player.
Original Macintosh computer are much more common than you think- if there's a computer recycling centre near you, I suggest asking them if they have any, and if you can have one. I know a place local to me where I've gotten an SE/30 and a Plus for pennies on the dollar. There were even Colour classics, but I missed them.
The iMac G3's are fun, but I've never gotten too much into them. Do you have a tray or slot loading model?


And the new Mac Pro- I don't like it one bit. I did love the old design, and I admit it was getting old; almost 11 years! The new design is going against that a Mac Pro should be- it's too small to house any sort of expansion, especially things like graphics cards (integrated, maybe MxM but proprietary), processors (they are most likely socketed but upgrading them is most likely going to be a bitch to do) and ram (only four sockets!?)
I always thought of the Mac Pro as a powerhouse computer or a sort-of server (weren't there rackmount kits?).

The new case is small and they expect everything with expansion to be over Thunderbolt- it hikes the price.
My first impression of the case was "a very flashy, expensive looking dustbin".

 

It's a slot-loader. Back in the mid-2000s, it was still somewhat useable for internet browsing and music playing. Nowadays it's basically useless, but still nice to look at.

Yeah, I don't like the non-upgradability aspect of it either. I'm worried about what it bodes for the hackintosh community. I'm glad that they're at least updating it, though. The previous Mac Pro was becoming quickly outdated.

Haha... yeah, my dad had the same reaction when I showed him a picture of it. I think it looks kinda cool personally, but it doesn't really look like a computer.