FiXato (fallback) @FiXato@mastodon.social

Do you use Universal Game Cases to store your #MSX Cartridges? Do you hate that they do not fit properly and keep jostling inside? Just print two of these, fit them to the internal supports and you will have a perfect fit! Free on Thingiverse:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4725105

A question to the #retrocomputing community:

#MSX was never really popular in Germany so I more or less completely ignored it. Now I read a little about it and find it an interesting concept. Instead of buying a real system from back of the days and take it away from a real collector I am thinking about building a new one like this:

https://www.tindie.com/products/weird/omega-home-computer-pcbs/

Is it a good design or should I pick another one? I prefer "real" hardware, not #FPGA. I played around with emulators first, of course.

MSX, le standard précurseur et oublié... https://peertube.pcservice46.fr/videos/watch/717ef9f2-fe5d-4cbb-a08e-5631d95a65ed

EXPS/2 Keyboard Adapter Translates PS/2 and USB to MSX

Say what you will about suitcase computers, but at least most of them still have their keyboards with them. [danjovic] has this vintage Brazilian computer from the 1980s called a Gradiente Expert. These were MSX machines with Z80 chips that ran BASIC, DOS, and CP/M, and they looked like state-of-the-art dual-deck stereo systems. You can still find them pretty easily, but sadly, most of them have lost their rad mechanical keyboard with its giant arrow keys and proprietary connector.

If you now want to get one of these awesome pieces of computing history and would like to be able to talk to it, [danjovic] has you covered with the open-source EXPS/2 keyboard adapter. It will allow you to connect either a PS/2 keyboard or a USB keyboard in fallback mode to the Expert using an ATMega328P and a bespoke DIN-13 to DB-13 cable. As it turns out, there's a wealth of information on MSX keyboard matrices out there.

How much do you know about the USB keyboard interface? If you want a warehouse of information delivered to your brain in the most pleasant way possible, go watch [Ben Eater] break it down with pen and paper.

#mischacks #retrocomputing #externalkeyboard #gradienteexpert #keyboard #msx #ps2

Not something one'd expect to find on their desk at work, but apparently there's some ancient stuff stored in the storage sheds at my job. :D

They were cleaning out, and because 'it is techy' naturally it has to be 'dumped at the IT office'. Lucky me! I'm so taking those things home with me! :D
#Retro #Vintage #MSX

Is anyone here interested in a free journeyman account at worldanvil.com, paid up for the next 11mo?

I bought a year subscription when I was comparing campaign mgmt software and realized it wasn't for me after a few days. I asked for a (pro-rated) refund but they declined 🤷

It's easy though to change the username and email, so I can give it to someone else who might use it. This wouldn't work for someone with an existing account, but maybe someone out there wants it but didn't want to pay?

Golden autumn view on Trøndelag in water colours

Today's painting involves a view @Siiw painted several years ago somewhere in #Trøndelag, #Norway. Her water colour painting has been hanging on the wall her for several years, and as such is a familiar sight for me.

I started by painting a similar sky and mountain-side, but when it came to the trees I kind of wanted to put some foliage techniques I'd been watching, to use, so I decided to make it an earlier autumn setting instead, as her trees were mostly bare. Also added a bit more yellow to part of the sky (though perhaps a tad too much).

Certainly had fun drawing this water colour painting!

#FiXatoPaints #FiXatoCreative #painting #waterColours #waterColors #waterColourPainting #waterColorStudy #autumn #fall #dailyPhoto #paint #DescribedMedia #ImageDescriptions

#TARDIS and #TheStarryNight #waterColour #paintings combined. :)

https://toot.cat/media/K-X_nLWHML3oNWnUhtM

#waterColours #paint #waterColorPaint #DoctorWho #VincentVanGogh #FiXatoPaints #FiXatoCreative #DescribedMedia #ImageDescriptions

Water colours on budget acid-free watercolour paper

Bought a pad of #budget #watercolours paper from #SøstreneGrene yesterday, so tonight I wanted to try it out.
It's 20 sheets of #A5 230 grams acid-free paper, with a 100% #FSC (#ForestStewardshipCouncil) label, so I'm guessing this is wood paper, and not cotton, but at 32,90 NOK (2,80 EUR / 2,86 GBP) I guess that was to be expected. It has a nice texture to it; not too strong, but just enough.
Didn't curl much while on the pad, though now that the individual sheets are drying on the desk, the wettest one has some curling at the top and bottom; might want to leave it on the pad for longer, or use paper clamps.

Water and colour perhaps didn't spread as evenly as I'd liked, but that could also still be my lacking skills.

All in all, I'm quite satisfied with the results, and thus the paper; at least at its price while I'm still experimenting. Means I can keep the higher quality paper for when I'm more seasoned.

#DailyPhoto #FiXatoCreative #painting #waterColour #WaterColourPainting #FiXatoPaints #WaterColorStudy #pansies #Florespondence #FloralFriday #flowers #SøstreneGrenes #Handelskompagnie #Nordic #ArtSupplies #waterColourPaper #budgetPainting

https://toot.cat/media/5gc9CkWNW1UXHvBI5-A

https://toot.cat/media/DataA6Wznw7VJjo0moQ

https://toot.cat/media/UmuV_ADQKM_4SBDa3Ho

https://toot.cat/media/IPx2nCEWejKsL1ZWbDY

Oh dear.

"We need your help to solve this mystery.

Please send any reports of sick or dead frogs (and if possible, photos) to us, via the national citizen science project FrogID, or email calls@frogid.net.au ."

https://theconversation.com/dead-shrivelled-frogs-are-unexpectedly-turning-up-across-eastern-australia-we-need-your-help-to-find-out-why-165176

#Frogs #Australia #Environment

@dadegroot

Nordlandsbanen

A photo taken along The Nordland Line in #Salten, #Norway.

See its image description for the image it paints in my mind.

#DailyPhoto #landscapePhotography #railroad #railway #Nordlandsbanen #DescribedMedia #TheNordlandLine #ImageDescription

Got to do some experimenting with my new #Panduro #waterColours today, as well as trying my hand at some techniques from videos I've been watching.

Still have a lot to learn and practise, and need to get used to the differences between the various kinds of paper we have.

Especially with the big sheet of paper it dried up a lot paler than I'd expected.

I like the yellow, orange, green, light blue and deep purple from this set of water colour #paints, though I'm a bit underwhelmed so far about the red and pink.

Maybe I'll also get some better results when I don't have to pay attention to #BeardGrabber playing with his own paints at the same time. ;)

#waterColourDoodle #waterColors #waterColourSketch #swatches #FiXatoPaints #MastoArt

#Dutch newspaper article about Metal Gear for the #MSX2 homecomputer, titled "Oorlogje spelen in Zuid-Afrika", originally published in "Het vrije volk : democratisch-socialistisch dagblad". Rotterdam, 28-11-1987, p. 29.
Retrieved via Delpher on 2021-07-14: https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010962548:mpeg21:p029

«'Oorlogje spelen in Zuid-Afrika'
Konami blijft ze maken. De 'spellen die de jongeren pakken'. Onze jeugdige 'tester' is tenminste niet meer achter de computer vandaan te slaan.
De nieuwste van Konami (importeur Salasan Amsterdam) heet 'Metal Gear'. Van een veilige afstand bekijken wij de
verrichtingen van onze speelpook-virtuoos. Eén ding is al snel duidelijk: het gaat om het verzamelen van zo veel mogelijk onwaarschijnlijke wapens en het uitschakelen van elke zich vertonende tegenstander. Daarin 'wijkt het spel voor geen millimeter af van de thans in grote aantallen op de markt verschijnende actie-spellen. Toch zou het Konami niet zijn als er niet een zeer aantrekkelijke achtergrond met vele verrassingen zou zijn bedacht waarin het spel zich afspeelt. Mooie plaatjes en variaties genoeg in dit nieuwe spel voor de MSX2.
Wie zou toch die spel-inleidende teksten in de handleiding bij elkaar verzinnen? In dit geval gaat het om sociale
onrust, terroristische acties en een op handen zijnde revolutie in het zwaar gewapende Outer Heaven, 'een land in Zuid-Afrika' volgens de tekst. Een thuisland? Tevens heeft het landje een vernietigend wapen ontwikkeld met de codenaam 'Metal Gear'. En daar gaat het voor het grootste deel om.
De speler is 'Solid Snake', een lid van het geheime leger, die op zoek moet naar dat verschrikkelijke wapen om het te vernietigen. De start van het spel is in een zwaar beveiligd gebouw. Bewegende camera's, onder stroom staande vloeren en natuurlijk een overmacht aan bewakers die bepaald niet schromen om je bij ontdekking overhoop te schieten. Heeft een bewaker of een camera je eenmaal in de gaten dan wordt er onmiddellijk groot alarm geslagen en is het een haast hopeloze strijd om in leven te blijven. Van alle kanten stormen er bewakers op je af waarna het betere sla, schop en schiet-werk kan beginnen.
Om de onder stroom staande vloeren over te steken moet je beschikken over bestuurbare raketten om een, normaal on-
bereikbare, stroomschakelaar aan stukken te schieten. Honderden zalen met nu en dan voldoende mogelijkheden om je te verbergen voor de bewakers of de camera's. Verschillende wapenkamers moet je plunderen om je steeds beter
te bewapenen.
Deze nieuwe Konami heeft weer alles om de speler een behoorlijke tijd van de straat te houden. Het is ons alleen een
raadsel waarom er aan een puur fantasie-spelletje zo nodig een snuifje realiteit moet worden meegegeven door de naam
van een bestaand land te gebruiken. De spel-maker beweegt zich hiermee op gevaarlijk terrein.
Noot van Konami voor de 'kenners': Dit spel is niet samen met Game Master te gebruiken.
MSX2-module ƒ 79,—.
R.T.

Afbeelding: Omslag van de nieuwste MSX2-module van Konami: 'Metal Gear'.»

English machine translation follows in unlisted reply.

#MetalGear #MSX #MSX2 #Konami #Kojima #HideoKojima #gaming #retroGaming #homecomputers #retroGames #HetVrijeVolk #Delpher #Newpaper #NewspaperSnippet #snippet #archive

Bought a kid's #ColouringCase for #BeardGrabber, which contains a variety of pencils, water colouring paint, water colour pens, a marker pen, and an assortment of oil pastel #crayons.

After seeing how they stood out on a black sheet of paper while trying them out with him on the train, I decided to take them out for a spin myself too.

Ended up drawing an #AuroraBorealis scene using a photo from Aurora Borealis Tromsø as guideline.

Quite satisfied with how it turned out, but I think I need to look up some tips for using #OilPastelCrayons. :)

The black mountain outlines feel a bit too blurry; probably need to go over them a second time for a bit more crisp details.

#FiXatoDraws #drawing #artwork #art #OilCrayons #DailyPhoto #Nordlys #NorthernLights #Tromsø #Norway

#BeardGrabber and I had some fun earlier #painting together with his #waterColours.
He was mostly spreading water and random colours onto the paper, and I tried to bring it all together into this colour #landscape #drawing. :)

#MastoArt #parenting #dadsOfMastodon #ParentsOfMastodon #art #artwork #FiXatoDraws #FiXatoPaints #DescribedMedia

Preview of the #painting I was working on before it was time for dinner.

I guess I'm trying to create a #rainbow #maelstrom?

Mostly just wanted to play with #colours.

https://toot.cat/media/mNvdTZbWDZUJkROTFuc

#FiXatoDraws #FiXatoPaints #DailyPhoto

A #heart made up out of swirling #rainbow colours and black and white.

#OilCrayons on paper, CC-BY-SA 4.0, FiXato 2021

#FiXatoDraws #love #DailyPhoto #MastoArt #DescribedMedia

Dressed down; birthday suit not suitable

#SixWordStory #SixWords #Microfiction

Gorgeous entry in the #FreestyleGraphics #compo at #OutlineDemoparty 2021 by #ZettDarkstone!

Drawn on #MSX2 <3

#MSX #OutlineDemoparty #demoscene #demoparty #graphics #8bit #pixelart