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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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Memory Corruption Vulnerability in Linux "Memory Safe" Rust Code

Rust programmers re-wrote a portion of the Linux kernel in Rust. That Rust code had a crashing vulnerability in an "unsafe" chunk of code... which Linux is littered with.

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:18:23
December 15, 2025
$89 Lifetime Subs All December

It's December. And you're awesome. So Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscriptions are only $89 all month long. Plus Monthly & Yearly subs are 50% off. Because... why not!

https://lunduke.substack.com/p/89-lifetime-subs-50-off-monthly-all

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:14:15
December 16, 2025
Linux Marketshare at 6.3% According to... PornHub

Linux Marketshare is growing according to all available metrics, including Steam and the US Government. With the biggest Linux gains reported by PornHub.

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:14:10
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

https://infosec.press/brunomiguel/is-mozilla-trying-hard-to-kill-itself

If they do kill adblockers whilst no one would use firefox hopefully itd be done in a way easily reversible by the community.

Not that I use firefox anyway.....

10 hours ago

Back to 8GB in Laptops, 4GB in Phones.

We were at the eve of an era where every Tom, Dick, and Harry could have his personal AI capable machine at home, powerful enough for most freely available models with 128GB of LPDDR5X 8000MHz soldered next to powerful NE CPU's.
Now.. how to sell AI services to people and collect valuable data from them plebs if they have their own personal AI machine not connected to our corporate headquarters and not collecting data for us?
This is all going into the wrong direction! Where is the shareholder value with cheap systems like the GMKtec Evo X2 with 128GB RAM in every home that is not under our control?
We need to gain back control ASAP. How can we stop those systems pouring into the markets right now and reset how AI will be delivered to the plebs?
I have an idea: Take away the RAM. RAM is needed badly for them models to work efficiently. Let's artificially increase RAM prices insanely, that is their Achilles' heel. Hey Blackrock guy: Can you make that ...

The FOMO of not having a Lifetime Subscription to The Lunduke Journal

Time for some Fun Lunduke Journal Facts of Fact-ly-ness!

  1. The “per-month” cost of a Lifetime Subscription to The Lunduke Journal is an asymptotic line. The longer you have that subscription, the closer it gets to $0.00.

  2. The Lifetime Subscription was first introduced 3 1/2 years ago… and is still going strong.

  3. The price of a Lifetime Subscription is currently discounted to $89. For life. That’s less than 1/3rd the normal price.

The earlier you pick one up, the quicker that asymptotic line begins approaching zero. Which is fun.

We Don’t Have Time Machines

If you think you might ever want a Lifetime Subscription, now is the time.

Imagine missing this discounted price and missing out on months of, mathematically certain, asymptotic line fun. This is one of those scenarios where Future You (tm) would want to travel back in time to tell Present You (tm) to snag a Lifetime Subscription.

Go. Grab the Lifetime Subscription for $89. That deal is good all December long.

There’s a video of me yammering about it too. Just for good measure.

You’re welcome.

-Lunduke

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December 13, 2025
Lunduke Journal Lifetime Wall 2 almost full, plus Lifetime Sub as a gift

Two quick tidbits!

First: Lifetime Wall 2 Almost Full

The 2nd Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscriber Wall of Shame… err… I mean “Wall of Awesomeness” (which shows at the end of each video) is almost full! Holy cow! So many people have signed up over the last few days and asked to be added! Awesome!

There’s room for maybe 3 or 4 more names on there before I need to start Wall Number 3. So if you want to be on the 2nd wall, grab a Lifetime Sub quickly. (Though, really, being on the 3rd wall will be cool too.)

Plus, hey! You can snag one for $89 this month. Which is pretty sweet.

Second: Sending a Lifetime Sub as a Gift

Several of you have asked if it’s possible to send someone a Lifetime Subscription as a gift (at the discounted $89 / $99 price).

The answer is yes! And, instead of sending instructions to each of you, individually, I am including a Step-by-Step rundown on how to send someone a Lunduke Journal Lifetime Sub as a gift.

There are two options — Locals & Bitcoin — and both work equally well.

(Note: A gifted Lifetime subscription can also be applied to Substack accounts… it just can’t be purchased via Substack because of the way the system works for gifting it to another person.)

How to give a gift Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Select “Give Once“.

  3. Enter “99“ (or more) into the amount field.

  4. Email “bryan at lunduke.com”. Include the following in that email:

    1. Have the words “Gift Sub” somewhere in the subject line.

    2. Include the email you used to make the purchase and the email address of gift recipient.

    3. Include any special instructions or requests, such as: A special message you would like included, when you would like an email sent to the recipient, or if you would prefer to let the recipient know yourself.

  5. Lunduke will send you a confirmation email after that. This usually happens within a few hours.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also send a gift Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.  (And it's $10 cheaper thanks to the lower processing fees of Bitcoin.)

  • Send $89 worth of Bitcoin (or more) to the following address:

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email “bryan at lunduke.com”. Include the following in that email:

    1. What time you made the transaction, & how much was sent (in Bitcoin).

    2. Have the words “Gift Sub” somewhere in the subject line.

    3. Include the email address of gift recipient.

    4. Include any special instructions or requests, such as: A special message you would like included, when you would like an email sent to the recipient, or if you would prefer to let the recipient know yourself.

  • Lunduke will send you a confirmation email after that. This usually happens within a few hours.

Note: The Lifetime Subscription only applies to Substack, Locals, and the Lunduke Journal Forum. Other platforms (such as X, Patreon, & YouTube) do not provide the functionality necessary to create Lifetime Subscriptions.

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December 12, 2025
Last Week on The Lunduke Journal - Fri, Dec 12, 2025

This last week has been, as usual, a doozy for Tech News.

The Mozilla Annual Report dropped, The EU & UK ramped up their war on US Free Speech, and the future of Rust in Linux was cemented (for better or worse).

But the most widely viewed, and yelled about, story of the week — by far — was “Prisma Drops Rust for Javascript, Sees Massive Speed Increase”. I tell ya, followers of the Church of Rust get grumpy if you utter anti-Rust blasphemy!

Oh, and a quick reminder: Lifetime Subscriptions can be snagged for $89 through the end of December. Monthly & Yearly subscriptions are 50% off as well. Just because.

All Shows From the Last Week

Below are all of the shows over the last 7 days, with links to Substack (where you can get both the audio or video versions). If you want to watch on a different platform (Locals, X, Rumble, YouTube, etc.) check Lunduke.com for all of the links.

As always, thank you for making The Lunduke Journal possible. If it weren’t for your support, most of these stories would never have been told (as no other Tech News outlet is covering them).

You rule.

-Lunduke

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