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DrBouvenstein posted:The flicker reminded me that no one ever had the refresh rate of their CRTs set properly! I got chewed out once because the computer CRASHED when the moment I clicked "OK" (the person was complaining about sore eyes). Windows 98 never ceased to amaze me.
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Aug 13, 2013 10:19
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Flipperwaldt posted:If that's a chiclet keyboard, then what do you people call this? We actually bought a chiclet keyboard for our ZX81 so we could type more easily! Something like this:  (from wikipedia)
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Aug 13, 2013 11:08
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cowtown posted:(you could use the built-in debugger to quit to the Finder). Reminds me a bit of the "exit to DOS" from old versions of Windows. It was actually nice when the registry became corrupt on my Win98 install. I had a .bat script that made a backup of the entire registry onto my storage HDD, so I could restore them (via DOS bootup) when it got screwed up. DrBouvenstein posted:The flicker reminded me that no one ever had the refresh rate of their CRTs set properly! So glad CRTs are dead and gone. Pilsner has a new favorite as of 14:15 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 14:12
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Lancia Orca Nice feature on digital dashboards of the 80s over on DRB
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Aug 13, 2013 19:48
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Well, can't help post some more of those 80's digital dashes then. They're classics in AI. Subaru XT   Subaru Leone 
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Aug 13, 2013 20:43
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Fozaldo posted:Lancia Orca Sweet mercy that's ugly. I can appreciate the utility of having all of the controls right there on the steering wheel, but it also shouldn't look like one of those toddler toys where the kid hits a button and it plays an animal noise or something. I do find the digital gauges oddly compelling, though.
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Aug 13, 2013 20:46
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Fozaldo posted:Lancia Orca  Words cannot express how much I want to drive that car. I pretty much always pretend I'm piloting a spaceship as it is, that would only complete the feel.
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Aug 13, 2013 21:28
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Pilsner posted:Well, can't help post some more of those 80's digital dashes then. They're classics in AI. If you get rpm and turbo up to max does the car disappear leaving burning tire marks and you get to go back in time and hit on your own mother?
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Aug 13, 2013 22:23
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Dear god, I need a "SPEED ALARM" for my car right away. Also if any of those cars still existed in obtainable and driveable form, I would buy one just because. They don't still exist do they...? Execpt in some weird nerds impregnable underground mountain fortress? 
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Aug 13, 2013 22:32
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Sappo569 posted:Dear god, I need a "SPEED ALARM" for my car right away. Maybe not enough time has passed for people collecting/restoring 80's cars to be a Big Thing?
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Aug 13, 2013 22:44
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Can't tell if that's sarcasm But those cars don't strike me as the type anyone would want to collect or restore Edit: Content, many pages ago the discussion of the 'turbo' button on the old 486's came up. Funny thing is my current PC also has a turbo button, on the motherboard. It actually does up the clock speed, and multiplier and whatever else. Blue On Blue has a new favorite as of 22:51 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 22:45
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Sappo569 posted:Dear god, I need a "SPEED ALARM" for my car right away. Ask AI, maybe in the "AI Stupid Question Thread II -- cigarette-flicking free zone". Odds are somebody is in love with one or more of those cars and will know if they're available very often.
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Aug 13, 2013 22:49
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Subaru XTs are very much a thing. Niche, but a thing.
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Aug 13, 2013 22:55
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Pham Nuwen posted:Ask AI, maybe in the "AI Stupid Question Thread II -- cigarette-flicking free zone". Odds are somebody is in love with one or more of those cars and will know if they're available very often. I'm an AI goon. The only one of those cars I've seen in the US is the Subaru XT. I remember when they came out and I see them around every so often. Someone in AI owns one. Every so often, I'll see one for sale. So, they're not common, but far from unobtanium. When you do find them, they're not expensive. I can't imagine that a perfect example with virtually no miles would be more than $10k. Keep your eyes on Craigslist and be prepared to travel. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_XT 
einTier has a new favorite as of 06:08 on Aug 14, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 23:09
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I've seen quite a few XTs in the northwest [Oregon and Washington]. Not super common, but not super rare either.
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Aug 13, 2013 23:10
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Oooh...I want to play too! The dashboard of my Cadillac Allante' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7v80sSlPFw
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Aug 13, 2013 23:27
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Sappo569 posted:Can't tell if that's sarcasm It wasn't at first, but now it is. Seriously, gently caress most late 70's-through-the-80's designs. We did some awful things to four wheels with a combustion engine back then, drat. There are some people who like the things, though. I saw this thing about people collecting AMC Gremlins that attempted to explain the draw of it, and I still failed to see whatever allure there was. They're fascinating, almost endearingly bad cars, but god just let 'em die. Not everything needs to be preserved.
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Aug 13, 2013 23:56
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Monkey Fracas posted:It wasn't at first, but now it is. Seriously, gently caress most late 70's-through-the-80's designs. We did some awful things to four wheels with a combustion engine back then, drat. I think the Gremlin looks kind of neat in its own way. If anything, I'd say gently caress the generic blob-sedan of the late 90s through today. Oh boy, another Ford Taurus! And on the other hand, I loved the look of my red 2002 Hyundai Accent. If something exists, there's probably a forum somewhere with some number of fanatics with their own weird set of in-jokes.
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Aug 14, 2013 00:27
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Goober Peas posted:Oooh...I want to play too! OOhhh Nice! My mom has an Allante as well, so I know these noises very well haha. As far as I heard only around 2000 were made (or was that how many still existed)
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Aug 14, 2013 00:36
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The Aston Martin Lagonda is a great digital dash. An amazing looking car with all digital instruments - in 1976 - which cost a phenomenal amount to develop. Naturally no thought was given to the actual readability of the thing. Like most digital dashes the designers seem to have got themselves so excited by the concept that they forgot what makes analogue gauges so easy to read. The LED speedo and rev counter developed a reputation for unreliability (shockingly). Here's some in action in a series II car. I don't know if these are supposed to be broken or not: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_-e5PuKtss For the later models they were replaced with little CRTs, which developed a reputation for unreliability.  Pham Nuwen posted:I think the Gremlin looks kind of neat in its own way. If anything, I'd say gently caress the generic blob-sedan of the late 90s through today. Oh boy, another Ford Taurus! And on the other hand, I loved the look of my red 2002 Hyundai Accent. Autoshite is a good one. They were recently congratulating a member who bought (and travelled hundreds of miles for) one of the few Ford Tempos in Britain.
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Aug 14, 2013 02:29
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Man, digital dashes are like electric can openers. What problem were they trying to solve? And why would you have digital display sans digital information? --There's no fuckin' computers in the older ones. It's worse than the too-cute driver interfaces on full-sized German cars, which at least offer some benefits after you learn them instead of being pointlessly hard to use.
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Aug 14, 2013 02:55
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Mescal posted:Man, digital dashes are like electric can openers. What problem were they trying to solve? And why would you have digital display sans digital information? --There's no fuckin' computers in the older ones. It's worse than the too-cute driver interfaces on full-sized German cars, which at least offer some benefits after you learn them instead of being pointlessly hard to use. I like my little digital section in the corner.  You can change it to show like four different things! I remember reading a magazine in the 90s that predicted we'd all be using projected HUDs on our front window by now.
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Aug 14, 2013 03:05
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leidend posted:I remember reading a magazine in the 90s that predicted we'd all be using projected HUDs on our front window by now.
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Aug 14, 2013 03:28
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burnsep posted:I'm 100% sure that in the late 90's I saw a TV ad for a luxury sedan that had a heat vision HUD for night driving. In the ad, the driver narrowly avoids hitting a deer thanks to it. Thinking back on it, I must be mistaken, but the memory is very strong. Am I crazy? Cadillac introduced an infrared HUD for the 2000 model year, but it was expensive (almost $2500) and sold poorly. By 2004 it was selling fewer than 600 units per year, and GM killed the option. Since then a few other manufacturers have tried their luck, to mixed (and usually limited) success.
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Aug 14, 2013 03:40
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leidend posted:I like my little digital section in the corner. Oh, I think it's great that lots of cars have a little digital section that shows ODO, or Trip, or MPG and so on. But that's functionally a slightly customizable analog display--and there's a good reason that most cars made today have dashes that at least appear to be analog.
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Aug 14, 2013 03:47
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Fozaldo posted:Lancia Orca  I had a Vauxhall (or GM/Opel/Holden, depending on where you are) Astra GTE in the '90s. Bezzing it along to the sounds of The Prodigy. It was like playing Gran Turismo. Anyone who saw it though it was cooler than the car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXM2C4tBrUU leidend posted:I remember reading a magazine in the 90s that predicted we'd all be using projected HUDs on our front window by now. And we were promised nightvision too. I met someone who worked at BMW who told me that HUDs never materialised because if you lose your electronics, you're hosed. And having it on top of regular instruments would create a redundancy because why display the same information twice. Also, you'd need a special type of glass or reflector panel, adding to the expense. This was a few years ago and I'm not sure if advances in tech has made it more of a possibility today. But I rather think techs like Google Glass with integration to your car is more of a possibility than a HUD.
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Aug 14, 2013 05:05
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My mother had an 80's Thunderbird with a digital dashboard that took advantage of being digital and just showed the speed as a number, and was pretty barebones compared to the overcomplicated ones people are showing off. Nothing fancy, just a big number lit up in the middle of the dash. I thought it was awesome when I was little because it was way easier for me to read than the usual needle. Here's a picture of the kind she had: 
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Aug 14, 2013 05:17
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Code Jockey posted:I've seen quite a few XTs in the northwest [Oregon and Washington]. Not super common, but not super rare either. Good call. I forgot how popular Subarus are up there. Here's an XT for $1200. It's rough, but it's all there. [edit] drat. They didn't all have that digital dash, and this one doesn't have it either. Neither does this one for $1750.. Still, as I said, when you find them, they're really cheap. einTier has a new favorite as of 06:19 on Aug 14, 2013 |
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Aug 14, 2013 06:08
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Chunk5 posted:I met someone who worked at BMW who told me that HUDs never materialised because if you lose your electronics, you're hosed. I believe the argument for HUDs is that you can see how fast you're going without having to "peek" down at the speedo, but eh, it's not really a problem when it comes down to it.
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Aug 14, 2013 07:26
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I have to say, the digital speedometer in my (recent vintage) car is pretty nice. Its not heads‐up, but its pretty close. Its right under the windscreen and focused at a comfortably far distance.
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Aug 14, 2013 07:48
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I drove a friends '09 Civic for a little while, and I couldn't get used to the digital speedo at all. I'll admit, it wasn't due to shoddy engineering on Honda's part, I just couldn't get used to numbers changing in my peripheral vision. My daily driver was an early-80's Volvo at the time, though, so even air conditioning or a functioning radio was mind-blowing to me. Thanks to Fozaldo for sharing that link. I have a deep-seated love for 80's futurism in automotive design and this article hit all the right spots
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Aug 14, 2013 08:32
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Zonekeeper posted:My mother had an 80's Thunderbird with a digital dashboard that took advantage of being digital and just showed the speed as a number, and was pretty barebones compared to the overcomplicated ones people are showing off. Nothing fancy, just a big number lit up in the middle of the dash. I thought it was awesome when I was little because it was way easier for me to read than the usual needle. My first ever car was a hand-me-down from my dad to my older sister and then to me, it was an '84 Thunderbird and I honestly thought the digital speedo was kind of cool. Mine displayed in bright green (I think)and was the only part of the car that I didn't consider to be a huge piece of poo poo. The first car I ever bought for myself was an '89 Nissan 240sx and it also had a digital speedo as well as a completely redundant HUD speedo which, being in working condition as late as 2009, somehow added a couple hundred bucks to the resale value of my car. Don't knock the digital readouts man!
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Aug 14, 2013 08:47
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Chunk5 posted:
I love the digital-esque font on the distinctly non-digital odometer. The AM Lagonda's odo was one thing they didn't trust to the electronics. It was analogue and hidden under the bonnet.
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Aug 14, 2013 11:14
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Yond Cassius posted:Cadillac introduced an infrared HUD for the 2000 model year, but it was expensive (almost $2500) and sold poorly. By 2004 it was selling fewer than 600 units per year, and GM killed the option. Since then a few other manufacturers have tried their luck, to mixed (and usually limited) success. HUDs were fairly common on late 80s/early 90s Japanese market Nissans. They didn't work particularly well though and were soon forgotten about   If you're really in love with the idea there are cellphone apps that can achieve the same effect if you strap the phone to the top of the dash facing the windscreen e. probably not the most relevant post to quote dissss has a new favorite as of 12:01 on Aug 14, 2013 |
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Aug 14, 2013 11:58
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dissss posted:there are cellphone apps that can achieve the same effect if you strap the phone to the top of the dash facing the windscreen This is fuckin smart. My dad will really misses the HUD from his old car and will love this.
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Aug 14, 2013 14:07
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Horace posted:I love the digital-esque font on the distinctly non-digital odometer. The AM Lagonda's odo was one thing they didn't trust to the electronics. It was analogue and hidden under the bonnet. In regards to heads up displays, the Corvette has had one as an option since 1998. My 2005 had the speedometer, tachometer, navigation, and a g-meter built in. Worked amazingly well.  [edit] Apparently, there are a lot of cars with HUDs. Who knew? einTier has a new favorite as of 16:37 on Aug 14, 2013 |
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Aug 14, 2013 16:28
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Inspector 34 posted:My first ever car was a hand-me-down from my dad to my older sister and then to me, it was an '84 Thunderbird and I honestly thought the digital speedo was kind of cool. Mine displayed in bright green (I think)and was the only part of the car that I didn't consider to be a huge piece of poo poo. I think my older brother had a Thunderbird like this. Did they have an 8-track in them? I know my brothers did, it was the last functioning 8-track I played with.
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Aug 14, 2013 16:59
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Pilsner posted:That doesn't quite make sense, because in any modern car, the instruments are electronic, so no instrument display without power. In older cars the speedo was driven by cable. As I said, it was a while ago when I had the chat. So they may well have found solutions in the meantime. I haven't needed a car in years, so I don't keep up with these things. But yeah, HUDS certainly aren't essential. It's not as if you're fixating on any one thing like fighter pilots do/did. When you're driving you are meant to split your attention every now and again with your mirrors, instruments, etc. So peeking is meant to be a part of a driver's skill set. einTier posted:
There you go. I didn't know, evidently. And there's nightvision too, hurrah! Albeit on posh German motors. It's odd how HUDs are thought of (at least for me) as 'future tech' that becomes standard. As an optional extra, it's not pushed as hard. I suppose fuel efficiency and green techs are the bigger fish that needs frying, for obvious reasons.
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Aug 14, 2013 17:34
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einTier posted:[edit] If your car doesn't have one as an option there are even off the shelf add-on HUDs that pull data off the OBD port.
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Aug 14, 2013 18:07
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einTier posted:I always thought this was because of laws or the fact that people wouldn't trust a digital readout. I remember the first ones appeared and it was an odd feeling for me -- it felt like it would be very easy to modify the display for false readings. Seems silly now, but I had an odd reaction to it at the time. What's the highest G you've pulled?
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