[NTLK] I'm Back, Baby

Actually I never really left NTLK, but for some reason we could never
figure out, NewtonTalk mailings became sporadic, then died altogether
years ago. For some reason I have been able to receive them again,(the
incipient release of the Apple minitablet?) who knows.

Anyway, a couple of responses to the list then I'll drone on;
apologies in advance...

Mac SE - smack the right front of the case hard enough to make it
jump, you MAY have a stuck hard drive and this will either free it up
enough to give you a startup (and let you backup any files) or it will
confirm the HD is dead.

Jaminator - I have seen one but never played with it - still available http://www.jaminator.com/

I bought a Newton on day 2 (sold out at MacWorld Boston) had it
upgraded then waited until the MP2000 to upgrade again. I used the
Newton (now a 2100) long after the brand was killed off. I used
different PDAs, and only the functionality of a Sony Clie UX50
(camera, keyboard, WiFi, easy Mac synch) kept me from missing the
Newton. I now use an OS3 3G iPhone, and marvel at how much Newton DNA
is in this thing.

I still bring out the MP2100 to show my sons' friends (that's plural
possessive of sons) and have sometimes convinced people it is a new
Apple prototype. I had a lot of fun using it over the years, and I
still am amazed at the handwriting recognition. I still sometimes use
a tablet digitizer with OSX's InkWell, but it's missing the visual
feedback.

I had some interesting hits and misses over the years of Newton use. I
was one of the first people to find the OMP's hidden diagnostic menu,
that gave hints to future OS upgrades (deferred recognition anyone?).
I think I posted this on Compuserve so you can guess I am not 17.

During the Newton's heyday, I wrote several free Newton Books, such as
the BBC series Dr. Who episode, or individual US states' RCRA
(hazardous waste) regulations differ from federal USEPA rules. You can
find these at http://www.mrollins.com/newton.html

I even had a commercial product - 1996 US DOT emergency response guide
in Newton Book format http://www.mrollins.com/softwar2.html All these
were released to the public domain.

If you've read the two PDF ebooks about the eMate and using Works, I
was able to convince the authors to release those to the public domain.

For those who have played with the number recognition of Dragon's
software for the Newton, you'll be saddened to know that I came within
a hair's breadth of getting it released. I spoke to folks at Dragon
(who used to be in NEWTON Mass) and even contacted the owners who had
just sold Dragon. No luck, and I also missed out on getting a "Talk to
Newton" promotional poster, as they threw out a ton of these.

One reason I like the iPhone is the connectivity - WiFi, Internet,
always on. I was able to figure out how to use a Novatel Merlin modem,
and that was sweet back in the day. http://www.mrollins.com/newtmerlin.html

Also dreamed up was a future newton - forgive the gaffes like a "Token
Ring" connection but this was from last millennium. http://www.mrollins.com/Images/futNewt.gif
   although you gotta admit the phone, GPS, TV-out, and color screen
and size certainly resemble something Apple makes today.

And lastly, to go on record, I do not know who made the Newton book of
Steven King's "Riding the Bullet". To do that would've required
finding a kracked PDF copy, copying the color images and changing them
to B&W and resizing, dithering an image for the OMP as well, and
formatting the text/chapters so the Newton Book resembled the Peanut
Press (remember them) version as close as possible. ;-)

PS - here's what I said about the upcoming tablet, if it turns out to
be true:

Here is what I think the new Apple Tablet will have, and I have to
admit the idea is not mine but a concept a late friend came up with
about 20 years ago in design school. This is why I think the tablet
will be "revolutionary". The tablet will have a slot for the iPhone to
pop in; like a PCMCIA card or ExpressCard slot. The tablet will run
OSX (albeit not as powerfully as MacBooks) but be able to also run
iPhone Apps on-screen. The game Apps will be upscaled so they will
still look quite good on the larger screen. The Tablet will also use
the iPhone's 3G/Edge data connection, as well as the WiFi connection,
which will keep the Tablet's pricepoint lower. For those without
iPhones, there will be an accessory "cage" (maybe 3rd party) with a
slot for your phone's SIM card and WiFi support.

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The NewtonTalk Mailing List - http://www.newtontalk.net/
The Official Newton FAQ - http://www.splorp.com/newton/faq/
The Newton Glossary - http://www.splorp.com/newton/glossary/
WikiWikiNewt - http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
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Received on Thu Aug 13 19:26:02 2009