TUAW Newsletter - April 1, 1976

In this Bicentennial year, technology is making big advances! You can read about it here in Technology Update Aptos Weekly, the official computer newsletter of the Aptos, CA Amateur Computer Club, delivered to your door every week. Remember to pay Steve Sande your dues, as part of that money goes towards the ridiculous rip-off that the Post Office has concocted -- 13¢ for a first-class stamp.

New micro-processor from MOS Technology

MOS Technology announced the new 6502 micro-processor, which should revolutionize the homebrew computing world. For $25, much less than Intel's $179 8080 chip, you get a 8-bit processor with a 16-bit data bus. Steve Wozniak from the HOmebrew Computer Club is basing his "Apple I" computer that he'll show at our next meeting on the 6502. Most people think he's crazy not to use the Intel 8080, but he wants to make a computer thats inexpensive (a friend of his named Steve Jobs wants to sell these computers - now there's a crazy idea!) You can ask Steve about it at the meeting at Tom's house on the 16th - I think he's going to make copies of the specs on one of the Xerox machines at HP.

At the last HCC meeting, Christopher Espinoza showed off a cool subroutine he wrote for the 6502 that prints the A-register in binary! He'll have that in the HCC newsletter sooN and we'll try to see if he'll let us reprint it for those who want to try out this cheap inexpensive mcicro processor.

In my opinion, and I am the editor of this newsletter until someone takes my IBM Selectric away, I think he should be using the Zilog Z-80 that's in the Cromemco Z-1. After all, it's a much faster chip than the 8080. I hear that Gary Kildall will have a version of his Operating System CP/M for the Z-80 and not for the 6502.

Cool new multi-function calculator from Casio!

The Japanese company Casio has just announced a breakthrough product called the CQ 1. Believe it or not, they've figured out a way to put a 4-function calculator (with memory), a digital clock, a stopwatch, AND alarm clock into one box. It's 14,000 yen, whatever that works out to in dollars.

Reader Joe, he of the Ringtonator program we've posted about before, has sent word of a crazy cool hack-- using LEDs and a broken iPod car charger, he's created what he has dubbed the iFlash-- an external flash device for the iPhone's camera.

And it actually works really well. Apparently he used a tact switch, so there's no super coding necessary-- you just hit the button to turn the light on, and then take the picture. But he did hook it up so it's powered by the dock connection, which means all you have to do is keep it in your pocket until you need it, then plug it in and shoot away. Over on his forums, he's posted an entire how-to of the whole thing, from the dissection of the dock connector to the wiring of the LEDs. Pretty slick-- looks like maybe an afternoon's work, and it presents about as good a flash as the iPhone's camera is.

Thanks, Joe!

Mac360 directed me toward an app that I don't have any real use for, but I wish I did. Homebrew Formulator is a Filemaker runtime application, which means you don't need Filemaker to use it. The important thing to know is that Homebrew Formulator is all about helping you make your own beer - brew your own brew, if you will. It lets you manage and design your very own beer recipes and store them in a flexible and powerful database. It includes beer styles from the most current BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) Style Guidelines, a mash calculator, brewing water calculator, carbonation calculator, yeast repitch calculator and even a hydrometer correction calculator. Those words (other than the word beer) mean nothing to me, but to those who practice the art of fine homebrewing, it's probably important stuff.

Who knew that there was so much math involved with something as sublimely simple as beer?

I drink a lot of beer, but I will be the first to admit that I don't know a damn thing about making it. I know how to buy it and I know how to drink it. Usually I even know when to stop drinking it. I appreciate fine beer like some people appreciate fine wine - only without all that bothersome knowledge. I do think it would be very cool to make my own beer, however, and if I am ever inspired to brew more and drink less, this will be the first app I turn to to get me started.

You'll need Mac OS X 10.3.9 or better and Intel-based Mac owners will be glad to hear it's Universal Binary. The good news? Homebrew Formulator is free, as in beer. And on that note... will one of you toss me a cold one?

Last week, I mentioned the HomebrewPSP Converter from the same people that make iPSP, and commented on how I thought they would soon have an update that would allow users of PSPs running v1.5 firmware to run homebrew apps and emulators without having to swap memory sticks.

Well, my prediction was right. Get it now. It even has the option to automatically put the converted game on a PSP that you've mounted on your Mac. Very nice.