I have now installed security certificates for this site. What this does is it encrypts information between your computer and retro-link.com. Previously, things like your password here or even messages posted in non-public areas of the site could potentially have been seen by a 3rd party. You may have seen such warnings from your browser. To utilize these new certificates, make sure to access this site through https:// instead of http://. Thus, this site would be https://retro-link.com/smf/. Since I haven't had the time to go through all parts of this site and change all the addresses, some parts, like graphical images, may still be delivered using http without encryption. I don't consider this a big deal, as the important stuff will be encrypted.

Test post

To access these forums, you now need only to enter forum.retro-link.com. The old method, retro-link.com/smf, will continue to work; I've simply added this sub-domain method for convenience. Enjoy.

After playing around with a few ideas, I've revamped the main retro-link.com page. It's now clean and simple, providing two links. The first one takes visitors to our blog, while the other link takes visitors to this forum. A reload in your browser may be required to see this new content.

This is probably more directed at Robert; do you know of any user groups in Europe, perhaps in the UK, that sell Vic 20's? Paradroid90 on Denial is looking for one, and on eBay there's nothing but overpriced crap right now.

Due to some issues that came up during migration to a new server, retro-link.com was down for a couple of days. I'm happy to say that it's back up, better than ever. Enjoy!

All posts from retro-link.blogspot.com have been migrated to the new Wordpress blog at retro-link.com, as I will continue to host the domain for the foreseeable future.  The message forums will remain intact and unchanged, except for regular updates.  I have integrated the message forums in a Wordpress page, so now you can view the forums by clicking on the "Forums" option from the main site.  The user and message database in the forum are separate from that of the Wordpress blog, so you will need to log into each separately.  I will strive to make the look of the forum match the look of the Wordpress blog, and I will continue to update retro-link.com.

We Canadians just got Netflix this year, and while they don't have everything, it's pretty impressive what they do have for only $7.99 a month.  I'm currently catching up on one of my all-time retro favourites, Red Dwarf.  Very cool since it featured a Commodore 64 in an episode of Season One.

Definitely a great resource for catching up on some of the classics.

I recently bought a Pentax K-x because apparently it works fine with all Pentax lenses that I used on the K1000 I had in the 80's.  True enough, they do; they snap right on without any kind of adapter, and I can even meter through them.  As a bonus, the anti-shake mechanism built into the camera works with these old lenses.  I'll post some pictures taken with these lenses when I have more time.

What's also interesting is the fact that Pentax is re-using a name from a classic Pentax, the KX.

Here's the first KX from the 1970's:



Here's the modern version from 2010 that I just bought:

Found a great resource for those interested in old Honda's.  I had a '77 Honda CVCC once; wish I'd held on to it and restored it.  I may have to buy another one some day.

http://thisoldhonda.org/ads.php

I keep having dreams of the retro cars I once owned.  The dreams work out something like this: I realize that my parents have kept an old car of mine in their 3 car garage.  I visit them, and the car is in perfect shape.  I drive it, and am thrilled about it.

Often, this dream revolves around the 1990 Nissan Micra I once owned.  Last night, I dreamed of the 1981 Mazda GLC I learned to drive on and drove when I first got my license.  It got snowed in, so I had to shovel it out.

Here's some random pics for reference:

Imagine this, in orange.  That was my Mazda GLC (I'll find some real pictures later):



Here's a picture of the actual 1990 Nissan Micra I owned; you can see how awesome it looked:



That last picture is exactly how it looks in my dream; all shiny and new.

As much as I love all things retro, the fact that I can write this post from a small wireless phone from anywhere I may roam means I wouldn't want to go back to a world of 1200 baud modems.  How about you? Would you go back?

A holiday interlude with the Commodore 64:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5N6IcKHcYA

I was at some flea market, and saw a 1540 drive sitting on a sewing machine. Some kind of gunk was plugging up the screw holes on the bottom. I asked the lady how much; she had a heavy accent and said $6.50. I asked her if it still worked, and she said she didn't know. I told her all I would offer was $5. She said I could have it for $5, took it from me, and told me that all items had to be "Delivered." She then walked into the back room with the 1540. I protested; I didn't want it delivered. Then I could see her in that back room, putting the 1540 into its original box, then she taped up that box. She came back and gave it to me with a smile and said, "See? Now it's delivered."

As I was walking away, boxed 1540 under my arm, my alarm clock woke me up.

Just wanted to advise that this upgrade went very smoothly, flawlessly, and thus far has been well worthwhile.

I got this as a birthday gift a short while ago:

http://www.shopxscargo.com/product_catalogue/cat_product_details.asp?category_id=6&product_code=26456&sub_category_1_id=24&category=Weather

It's pretty cool.  Outdoor sensors monitor wind speed, humidity, and temperature.  I've created a rainproof shroud for the temperature sensor.  The clock automatically sets and adjusts itself with the atomic clock signal.  It predicts the weather the old fashioned way, mostly by recording and monitoring trends in air pressure.

I'll post more pictures of how I have it set up later.

Technically, the Amiga was superior to the Commodore 64 (and a lot of machines in its day).  However, the Commodore 64 made it into many more homes.  There wasn't much the Commodore 64 couldn't do; many of the popular games for the Amiga were ported to the Commodore 64 as well.  On the other hand, the Amiga's design was much better planned; for example, you had access to all the memory of the Amiga, versus the 26k or so the Commodore 64 could only access through machine language.  Commodore 64 had a greater "Cool" factor (as in, owning one didn't at least make you un-cool), while the Amiga had a greater "Nerd" factor (owning one ensured your recognition as being a nerd).  The Commodore 64 is well-entrenched in modern pop culture, while the Amiga is only recognized by those who owned one.  The Commodore 64 had many design flaws to overcome, such as the extremely slow serial bus; while the Amiga had everything neatly tied in together as efficient as possible.

It's a tough call.  What say you?  Who is the victor; the Commodore 64, or the Amiga?

Was there a car in the 80's that really got your blood pumping?  Something you'd love to restore today?  Maybe it's the much-maligned Pontiac Fiero, or maybe it's sleek big brother, the Trans Am.  Perhaps it's the classic Toyota MR-2, or maybe it's Nissan's sporty yet economical Pulsar NX.  Maybe the DeLorean is at the top of your dream car list?  Personally, I've always liked the lines of the first Chrysler Laser.

I have finally gotten around to uploading Robert's Bodega Bay pictures.  This was the mythical box that transformed a lowly Amiga 500 into a powerhouse Amiga 2000, and considered by some to be both a feat of engineering and design.










All we need now is a picture of it attached to a genuine Amiga 500.

What do you think are the things that helped define a car from the 1980's?  To me, the cars in the '80's were all about hatchbacks, sunroofs, and front wheel drive.  Up until the 80's, just about everything was rear wheel drive, you'd need a convertible or T-top if you wanted to let some sun in, and everything was either a sedan or a coupe.  Can't forget about the creased, angular sheet metal and the square glass headlights that defined the style.

Does anyone still have a car from the 80's?