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December 08, 2022

#PDAweek
TI - Graphing Calculators

If you went to school in the US during the 1990s, and in to the early 2000s, you probably owned, or at least used, a Texas Instruments 80s Series calculator.

The TI-81 was released in 1990 and immediately gained ground in schools across America. This z80 based hand-held computer was able to do anything a scientific calculator could do. It even included TI Basic, a Basic language which allowed users to write in programs to solve very complex problems. None of this was really new. Programmable calculators had been out for years. But the new trick up this calculator's sleeve, was the ability to draw graphics; specifically graphs.
This was obviously something that was typically reserved for more capable computers at the time.
For less than $150, you could own a hand held computer.
School districts across the country began purchasing class sets. TI made it easy by bundling sets with a teacher's edition of the calculator. The teacher's edition was specially modified so it could connect to an external lcd screen and be projected on the wall. (More on those another day.)

But the TI-81 had one fatal flaw. Something that really kept it from becoming the defacto standard.
Every single person had to manually enter in thier own programs. This meant that if you came up with something amazing, you couldn't share it. Worse, changing the batteries wiped the full memory.

This limitation didn't last long as Texas Imstruments released the TI-85 in 1992.
This new model used the same z80 processor, bit was somehow now many times faster.
This new calculator corrected many issues with the TI-81 including adding a backup/coin-cell battery (they added this to the TI-81 around the same time. But it wasn't there originally.) And the greatest improvement of all...
TI-Link
This new, little cable, meant that programs could be shared between students and teachers. The cable, which was simply a 3-wire cord with a 2.5mm jack on each end, changed the world for students.
Very soon after the release of the calculator, Texas Instruments released the TI-Graph Link cable, a serial cable allowing users to connect the TI-85 to a windows 3.11 or Mac OS computer, copy files and even write programs on the computer.

This new calculator came at a much higher price, preventing it from gaining mass adoption.

To be continued....

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Notepad++ Has "Anti-Elon Musk" Release

Notepad++ developer names new version "in a world of Elon, be a Zelensky" and declares, in another release, that he is "leaving X for Bluesky". Marketing software using extreme political stances is becoming increasingly common. What will the result be?

00:09:59
The Quest to Remove My Name From ChatGPT

ChatGPT says Lunduke: is a Trans-Man, has a husband named Evan, has club feet, advocates for DEl policies, and (worst of all) loves Windows 11. Obviously this is false and defamatory. Thus begins my quest to have OpenAI stop using my name.

00:22:33
December 02, 2024
Solved: Why ChatGPT Will Not Say "David Mayer"

This mystery is pretty much solved (or, at least, close enough). And it definitely is not some "Rothschild Conspiracy", like much of the Internet believes.

Other names ChatGPT refuses to say: Alexander Hanff, Jonathan Turley, Brian Hood, Jonathan Zittrain, David Faber, & Guido Scorza.

00:14:49
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! 🤣

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044
We’re at 82%! With less than 2 hours to go!

With a little less than two hours left in the official December Lunduke Journal Fundraiser, we are currently sitting at roughly 82% of our funding goal.

Can we make it over the 100% mark by midnight (Central time)? At the current rate? It’s not looking likely. Not unless a bunch of people jump in and grab subscriptions (or make one-time donations) in the next 100-ish minutes.

https://lunduke.locals.com/post/6418350/support-independent-tech-journalism-the-december-lunduke-journal-fundraiser

What does it mean if we miss the goal — if we fall short?

The good news is we’re only missing the goal by a little. We’re already over 80% of the way there.

Which means that we simply need to make up the difference somehow. Maybe another (smaller, shorter) fundraiser later in the month. Or maybe some sort of live streamed telethon sort of event. Something like that should put us over the finish line. (It’s worth it to stay ad-free.)

Then again… there are around 100 minutes left....

Went on Alison Morrow’s show this morning.

Talked about roughly a million topics — it was sort of bringing her audience up to speed on some of the things happening in Tech / Open Source. Nothing all of you haven’t heard me talk about before.

This is the first of the clips. I’ll post the rest as she puts them online (I think the whole thing may be on her Locals as well).

“My most problematic trait is watching Lunduke just to get mad.”

🤣

Grab your Lifetime Sub yet? You've got 12 hours.

12 hours left in the December Lunduke Journal Fundraiser -- our once-a-month effort to keep The Lunduke Journal free from advertising and free from Big Tech.

If you haven't taken advantage of the Lifetime Subscription offer -- or otherwise pitched in -- today's the day!  Go!  Now!  Get to the choppa!

The Famous Lifetime Subscription

The "World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription" is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal (with all the perks). For life.

New Lifetime Subscriptions are available, for $200, from now through Tuesday, December 3rd. Then this option goes "back into the vault".

Here's how to grab one of these coveted bad boys for yourself:

  • Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  • Select "Give Once".

  • Enter "200" into the amount field.

  • After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

The Famous Lifetime Subscription (with Bitcoin)

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

  • Make sure you have a Lunduke.Locals.com account (a free account works just fine).

  • Send $200 worth of Bitcoin (or more) to the following address:

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com.

Here's a handy-dandy QR code you can scan that also has a Bitcoin Wallet Address for The Lunduke Journal:

102127_2uuarwwiqcds5s2.jpeg
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December 03, 2024
24 Hours Left to Snag a Lifetime Subscription for The Lunduke Journal

24 hours left in the December Lunduke Journal Fundraiser -- our once-a-month effort to keep The Lunduke Journal free from advertising and free from Big Tech.

If you haven't taken advantage of the Lifetime Subscription offer -- or otherwise pitched in -- today's the day!

The Famous Lifetime Subscription

The "World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription" is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal (with all the perks). For life.

New Lifetime Subscriptions are available, for $200, from now through Tuesday, December 3rd. Then this option goes "back into the vault".

Here's how to grab one of these coveted bad boys for yourself:

  • Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  • Select "Give Once".

  • Enter "200" into the amount field.

  • After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

The Famous Lifetime Subscription (with Bitcoin)

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

  • Make sure you have a Lunduke.Locals.com account (a free account works just fine).

  • Send $200 worth of Bitcoin (or more) to the following address:

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com.

Here's a handy-dandy QR code you can scan that also has a Bitcoin Wallet Address for The Lunduke Journal:

102127_2uuarwwiqcds5s2.jpeg
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December 02, 2024
Through Tuesday: Lifetime Lunduke Journal Subscriptions are available!

Yesterday afternoon we kicked off the December Lunduke Journal Fundraiser -- our once-a-month effort to keep The Lunduke Journal free from advertising and free from Big Tech.

Unlike every other Tech News outlet on Earth, we've managed to stay Big-Tech-Free for several years now (thanks to all of you).  Can we do it again this month?  I bet we can.

There are a lot of perks to being a Subscriber to The Lunduke Journal.

But the best perk of all is sticking it to Big Tech (including the corrupt Tech Foundations) by keeping their most hated (and most feared) Tech Publication in business.

You can't put a price on that.  😎

The Famous Lifetime Subscription

The "World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription" is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal (with all the perks). For life.

New Lifetime Subscriptions are available, for $200, from now through Tuesday, December 3rd. Then this option goes "back into the vault".

Here's how to grab one of these coveted bad boys for yourself:

  • Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  • Select "Give Once".

  • Enter "200" into the amount field.

  • After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

The Famous Lifetime Subscription (with Bitcoin)

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

  • Make sure you have a Lunduke.Locals.com account (a free account works just fine).

  • Send $200 worth of Bitcoin (or more) to the following address:

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com.

Here's a handy-dandy QR code you can scan that also has a Bitcoin Wallet Address for The Lunduke Journal:

102127_2uuarwwiqcds5s2.jpeg
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