... but not by themselves

chaste gnats boasting on an open pyre?

I did have a "hand-me-down" ZX-81 that I got from someone -- the original owner had bought it as a kit and assembled it. The ZX-81 was definitely an interesting little micro -- particularly interesting was the level of minimalism. The first microcomputer I'd used was the TRS-80 model I back in high school -- had enrolled in the computer programming course the year the school acquired 3 TRS-80s to replace the teletype and dial-up access to a local mainframe (they got the TRS-80s since they could get three of them for the same amount of money that was spent on access to mainframe w/ one teletype terminal. Initially the TRS-80s didn't have diskette, so we had to use audio cassette for storage. Each one was eventually upgraded to diskette configuration in the following years).

Here's one way to better appreciate the keyboard you're using -- try using one of those roll-up silicone keyboards. They've got sort of a "mushy" feel to the keys Keyboard (sometimes described as being marshmallows or Jell-O), combined with the "grippy" feel of the silicone on the fingertips makes it a not-so-pleasant experience. Next level of torture would be an 1970s/1980s era "Chiclet" keyboard found on some 8-bit micros... or worse -- keyboard from a Sinclair ZX-80 and ZX-81 (hrm... imagine the level of torture you could inflict if it also replicates the experience of the wobbly 16K memory expansion).

Mycroft Holmes wrote:

Eddy Vluggen wrote:

Garlic powder (anything except icecream)

Have you ever tried garlic ice cream using fresh garlic chips. The contrast between the cold of the ice cream and the hot zing from the raw garlic is really nice.

That reminds me... One of these days I'll have to pop over to Gilroy, CA for the Garlic Festival ( https://gilroygarlicfestival.com/ )

CodeWraith wrote:

Do you really think they have to embed bugs? Bugs appear abundantly without intentionally putting them in.

It is often said that by the time you've worked out all the bugs in a piece of software, it has become obsolete. So to avoid my software becoming obsolete, I leave in a bug or two.