Boxed Ultima 1 going for much dollars on eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111095530816&item=111095530816&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466

$800 and 1 day to go.

nice find, i think, but the box is not that exciting for me (not that I am anywhere ready to spend that much on a game.

Atari 800 Ultima 1

Atari 800 Ultima 1

Atari 800 Ultima 1 box content

Atari 800 Ultima 1

Coleco Vision Experience Spring 1983

I drove north for an hour on a Sunday to pick a very large collection of magazines for Atari computers. I found some great stuff, like a complete 1983/1984 collection of Electronic games.

I also found some other gems, like 3 issues of the official Coleco Vision Experience magazine. here is a scan of the Coleco Vision Experience Spring 1983, issue 1 Volume 1, now saved for eternity.

Coleco Vision Experience Magazine Spring 1983

ZX Spectrum in America

As a kid, I always had this strange fascination for the ZX Spectrum. It was not the most popular machine in France, but you could see it in many places, and I could Spectrum game sin magazines because of the funky color palette that the machine uses. There is a tech reason why colors have to clash like they do, and boy to they clash.


I remember the first time I heard about this computer, my mom was telling me how this cool new thing "like a typewriter but you can connect to a tv and do more" that she was discussing at work. I never got one as I choose the TI 99/4A as a first machine, another one with not so super color palette.
The problem with these is that (at least the first version of it, the iconic one, connects to a PAL tv set via the antenna, and that it is almost impossible to find a PAL compatible TV set in the US. So using one in the US is challenging, and very rare. I got this modified machine off ebay UK, with a composite TV modification  so I could plug it easily  But even with this it is not great, because out of the 3 screen I tried, I was not able to get any color, just plain B/W. And what good is this when you want to see the funky colors ??
So not so good experience so far, I will stick to emulator, but a great little machine, and cool toy nonetheless.

Sinclair ZX Spectrum

Cool close up on Sinclair ZX Spectrum keyboard. 6 instructions per key ftw

Sinclair ZX Spectrum rainbow

9V DC, aka use your Megadrive / Genesis adapter

TV out, the problem to use a Sinclair ZX Spectrum in the US

48K the most common version, I guess

Sinclair ZX Spectrum badge

Dr Benjamin, I found your Apple II

What do I do when you see this an ad like this on Craigslist ? Well, I email immediately and hope for the best. The Apple II was introduced in June 1976, so 1978 is still pretty early and has a chance to be an original II, not a IIplus or a IIe.

I got in touch with the vendor in a few minutes, he sent me more pics, showing an immaculate Apple II cover, now I was sure it was a real II. Phone call, made an offer high enough so he would accept, low enough to not break "my computer museum in my garage budget" then I drove to meet the guy hoping that now one else would call offering many hundreds of dollars for the machine.
Excitement when I got it, touch it, then drove back home to see what treasures was in there.
It is an actual II from the second week of 1979, it was somehow upgraded to the Applesoft ROM and the autostart ROM.It could have been more vanilla, but I am happy as it is.
It looks very nice, and works perfectly. It also came with some docs, various cards and software that I resold for more than what I paid for, to replenish the "my computer museum in my garage budget". I also got my first pair (2 actually) of original Apple controllers, very cool.

A few pictures below.

Original Apple II running Wizardry

Original Apple II quick doc

Original Apple II A2S1-14645 serial number

7902 production date of my Original Apple II

MicroSoft Ram Card for 16 extra k bytes.

Original Apple II side view with a II green minitor

Open it up

Original Apple II motherboard

Original Apple II illuminated power key

Original Apple II

Price list, with motherboard version

Dr Benjamin from Seattle Orthopedic Hospital ? I have your Apple II from 1979 .....

Another Heavy Sixer on CL in Renton

Some guy apparently found his old Heavy Sixer and putting it for sale on Craigslist for $75

Commodore SX-64 Party picture

It happened !!

Sadly I was not able to Joy, but Hans a co worker went and sent this picture. Way to show hipster what a real machine is, guys.

Commodore SX-64 Party picture Seattle 01/20/2013

What's in my garage

At the moment in my garage, I have these systems out

You'll find from left to right:
Koala Pad
Tube TV, small and great for vintage gaming
Atari 800
Original GameBoy on the Atari
a SpeedKing, king of joysticks
Atari STFM with HXC Floppy Emulator
Multi input LCD Monitor
Dell laptop
Japanese Nec Duo
Tons of boxed C64, Intellivision, Vectrex games on the wall or on the workbench
Atari 410 tape recorder
An Amiga power adapter, the amiga was just moved away
a 1084S Commodore monitor. Great for 50/60hz gaming, Amiga, Atrai, Nex Duo etc..
Apple IIe with color monitor and CFFA3000 card to emulate disks on a CF / USB drive

and on the floor

Another small tv
a 1010 Atari Tape Recorder
Another Apple IIe
Complete year of Playboy magazine 1984
Boxes of disks and carts

I love my garage