Another trip to the Living Computer Museum

Took another trip to the LCM last week end. Since my last visit, a few things changed, some pieces got moved, and a large amount of space was given to computer real people grew up with (PDPs are cool, but don't talk to me like an Apple II does).  they still have that huge backroom dedicated to early 80s mainframes, it is a cool room, but I wonder if they could use the space in a better way.
It is nice to see that they setup pretty much every classic computer with flagship games and let people play with them. I was happy to play with a Sol20 (that I only knew from the Byte ads). made me want to get one one day.  See pictures below.
An interesting thing was that most of the games were not on original disks, Now that make the experience even more real, but I was surprised to see something like this there.

Amiga 500 at the Living Computer Museum, along with a set of non original disks

A 486 PC at the Living Computer Museum playing Little Big Adventure

Commodore 128 at the Living Computer Museum

IBM PC at the Living Computer Museum

Classic book library (my garage has more :) )

Cool PET at the Living Computer Museum

Atari Pong, that is not even classified as computer AFAIK

Atari 800 and Donkey Kong at the Living Computer Museum

Atari 400 the Living Computer Museum and a shoe box of carts

Vic 20 at the Living Computer Museum, playing Sargon II from a cart

Commodore 64 at the Living Computer Museum, with Lode Runner

IBM PC Jr at the Living Computer Museum with some king quest game

Original Mac + and empty box to see signatures, at the Living Computer Museum

The Microsoft Corner the Living Computer Museum

C128 at the Living Computer Museum with multiplan

Lisa at the Living Computer Museum

Apple IIe with Summer Games at the Living Computer Museum

Sylvania Intellivision at the end of late video game hunt trip

I left this evening with the hope of finding something great.

First stop was at the Mercer Island Thrift Store where typically you don't find anything old, but you find last gen stuff at great prices. Or high end Hi-Fi equipment that the great folks of Mercer Island discarded.

Mercer Island Thrift Store 7710 Se 34th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040(206) 236-3625

of Wii remotes for $1 a piece, well anything. This time, it seems that they are a little savvy, and they prices all the PSX, PS2, Xbox video games at $8. There was a lot but nothing really interesting for this price,

Then I followed to the big Seattle Goodwill on S Lane St.

Seattle Goodwill
1400 S Lane St, Seattle(206) 860-5711

I like this GW because it has huge rows of electronics, many tvs, vcrs, Tivos etc..    There is rarely anything crazily unique, but at least it is fun, and sometimes you find stuff like tonight. In the middle of printer alley, there was a Sylvania Intellivision, the rare version of the console. $9.99
I bought it home, gave it a good clean up and it works great.

I passed on the $24.99 Xbox

Printer Alley, 40-50 printers in a row.

America, you are getting fat.
Your Wii Fit boards are at Goodwill

Rock Star is not as cool as what it used to be, a dozen of Guitar Hero instruments

Genesis games, in box, but only sports one

Big Box Commandos Behind Enemy Line.

Sylvania Intellivision

Sylvania Intellivision

Sylvania Intellivision playing astrosmash

Sylvania Intellivision

Sylvania Intellivision

Sylvania Intellivision

Sylvania Intellivision

Atari Christmas on Flicker

Atari Christmas Group on Flicker

https://www.flickr.com/groups/atarichristmas/

Apple LISA early spec

Found this early 1980 LISA spec from Apple today, fascinating to see the new UI described 2+ years before any public preview. You feel like a archaeologist.

http://www.guidebookgallery.org/articles/lisauserinterfacestandards

Apple LISA interface 1980

Chess Box Atari heavy Sixer in Federal Way

I already have a couple of these, but somehow I can not pass a heavy sixer with the chess box.  $40 in federal way. I just texted the guy, let's see if I can get it.

Heavy Sixer Atari in Chess Box

I even have an AV modified version that I keep close to me. Not selling this one :)

Want a Super Pong and a VCS for cheap ?

Then go to tacoma, for this CL offer.  Pretty decent price, as this is what the super pong go for on ebay, the manual is also a nice extra.  I see some Atari games, INTV games, Coleco games, a VCS, a nice lot for  $20.

Old pong and atari videogame systems and games. All must go $20 for everything u-pick up call .....

Stop what you doing, Dino Dini did a Kick Off post mortem at GDC Europe 2013

Of all the games that made me take the subway back home at 6 AM on Sunday mornings, Kick off is one of the most memorable. And it is also funny how while this is still in everyone's memory (at least any European kid from that area), we all quickly forgot how hard this game was, with the ball not sticking to the player's feet.  I remember in no order

- Learning how to shoot instead of pass because the ball would move faster

- Killing Red Star at the half time of OM-Red Star 1991 CL final

- Lob shots from the center of the field

- Little taps on the joystick to get the best angle in front of the keeper

- The Final Whistle extension, too hard for anyone

- Playing WC90 with Cameroon because the player's dots would be invisible on the radar screen (green on green)

- Challenge to 100 goals in kick Off 1, where the keeper would start moving backward after a while

I built an Amiga machine recently and this was the first game I booted, and this is how I realized how hard the game was.

Kick Off Amiga

Kick Off 2 Amiga

Kick Off 2

Dino Dini who is repsonsible for this master piece, did a post mortem at GDC Europe, and here is the recording