Dec 2, 2024
RadioShack Crystal Phone (1990s)📞✨
seen from United States
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RadioShack Crystal Phone (1990s)📞✨
Motorola Bravo Express – The compact, iconic pager of the 1990s
A classic Motorola Bravo Express pager from the 1990s, featuring the iconic rugged black plastic design typical of that era. This compact one-way pager shows a large backlit display window, three tactile buttons (left/right arrows and select), and the characteristic Motorola logo together with the model name “BRAVO EXPRESS” embossed on the front. A true piece of communication history before the smartphone era – small, durable, and once carried by millions.
Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128K
In 1985, Sinclair Research unveiled what would become the last and most powerful member of the legendary Spectrum family — the ZX Spectrum 128K.
After the enormous success of the ZX Spectrum 48K, which had defined home computing in the UK and Europe, Sinclair aimed to take the next step: to make the Spectrum not just a gaming machine, but a truly capable home computer for both entertainment and productivity.
Codenamed “Derby”, the 128K was originally developed for the Spanish market (through Sinclair’s local partner Investrónica), before launching in the UK in early 1986.
A leap in capability
At its heart was the same Zilog Z80A processor running at 3.5 MHz, but now backed by 128 kilobytes of RAM — a massive jump that allowed for larger, more ambitious software.
The machine introduced:
The AY-3-8912 sound chip, delivering rich 3-channel music.
Two memory banks, switchable between 48K and 128K modes, for full compatibility with older games.
A redesigned 128 BASIC interpreter with a built-in menu system and on-screen editor.
RS-232, allowing advanced users to connect printers.
Legacy
Although the 128K arrived just as the 8-bit era was beginning to fade, it marked the end of an era with style. It was the last Spectrum designed by Sir Clive Sinclair’s original team, before Amstrad acquired the brand and released the +2 and +3 models (with built-in cassette and floppy drives).
Even today, nearly 40 years later, the Spectrum 128K remains a symbol of British ingenuity: affordable, creative, and full of charm. For millions of Europeans, it wasn’t just a computer — it was their first window into programming, gaming, and digital imagination.
“More memory. More sound. More Spectrum.” — Sinclair Research, 1985
Genuine question I keep coming back to: if your favourite old OS had never been discontinued and just kept getting developed normally with proper modern hardware support, security patches and so on, which one would you actually want to daily drive today?
For me it's a tossup between Windows XP and Windows 7. I used both of them a lot when I was younger and honestly they felt basically the same to me at the time, but Windows 7 always seemed a bit easier to navigate.
Flashback Fridays #10: Viral Video Phenomena — From “Charlie Bit My Finger” to “Numa Numa”
Before TikTok, viral videos were mostly found on YouTube and spread through email forwards and message boards. “Charlie Bit My Finger” (2007): A candid home video of a toddler biting his brother’s finger became one of YouTube’s first massive hits. Its charm lay in its innocence and relatable family moment. “Numa Numa” (2004): Gary Brolsma’s lip-sync to a Romanian pop song became an early viral…
A look at how Slack replaced IRC and what we lost in the transition from raw, open chat to polished, corporate messaging.
Slack made chat easy. IRC made it yours.
Something for commodore64 Fans :)