Pippin Page
Here's a brief page at the Assembler website with details on the short-lived Apple/Bandai Pippin. Some good pictures of the original packaging for the collectors out there.

Apple Pippin

Ecrans Transparents
Ok - this isn't exactly Vintage Apple News, but it doesn't exlude vintage Macs either! Quite frankly, it was just too interesting not to pass along. Hopefully, everyone hasn't already seen this, (pardon us if you have) but when we stumbled on this gallery at macbidouille.com we had one of those, "That is so cool - we have to try it NOW!" moments that kept all of us up late last night trying to make it work. One thing we now know for sure - it is harder than it looks! Try it and you will see. It may not be the most fascinating thing you will ever see, but it will be the most fascinating thing you will see today! What is it? Check out the image and follow the link below to see for yourself.

Ecrans Transparents

VisiCalc
An article by Thomas Hormby recounting the history of VisiCalc. It begins:
"Apple Computer without VisiCalc would have been an entirely different company. VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet, was a major cause of the success of the Apple II, and attracted the attention of IBM to the microcomputer market. "

VisiCalc by Thomas Hormby

The Missing Bite and Katrina
The Missing Bite - THE source for Apple Logo Merchandise, Think Different Posters, and Apple Apparel, including vintage items - has announced that during the month of September, they are contributing 10% of every sale to the American Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
They've recently added 55 NEW Apple logo items to The Missing Bite. There are many new posters, keyrings, mugs, hats, shirts, and other rare Apple collectibles now for sale.

The Missing Bite

Contributions can also be made directly here:
American Red Cross

The Macintosh Battery Web Page
If your older Mac is misbehaving and you suspect it may be the logic board battery, this page may be the place to start. Lots of information for helping get that Mac back in order!

The Macintosh Battery Web Page

Information Age: People, Information & Technology
Photographs & descriptions from the exhibition, Information Age: People, Information & Technology in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The exhibition displays visually and interactively how electrical information technology has changed our society over the last 150 years.
Includes Enigma, Eniac, Homebrew Computer Club and the Apple 1.

Information Age: People, Information & Technology

Virtual ][ Emulator Updated to Version 4.1
The fantastic 8-bit Apple II emulator for Mac OS X, Virtual ][ has been updated to version 4.1.
New in this release:
• A Mac OSX folder can now be mounted as a ProDOS disk image, making it easy to share files and folders between the Apple II and Mac environments.
• The included Spotlight module now also scans ProDOS disks (OSX 10.4 "Tiger" only).
• The program now suports double low resolution graphics on the Apple //e.
• Solved a diskette compatibiliy problem; as a result the game "Alternate Reality The Dungeon" now runs.
• Solved a cassette port compatibility problem; as a result "Beyond Castle Wolfenstein" now runs.
• Solved a issue that could cause the machine to run too fast in "high speed" mode (it would behave like "maximum speed" instead).

Virtual ][

Star Trek: Apple's First Mac OS on Intel Project
A very interesting article from Tom Hormby at Low End Mac. It begins:
"The first Apple proposal to move the Macintosh to Intel hardware did not begin with Mac OS X. It began in 1985, shortly after Steve Jobs' departure from Apple. The project was quickly nixed by Apple's management, but it would be revived several years later in a joint effort by Novell and Apple to port the Mac OS to the x86 processor."

Star Trek: Apple's First Mac OS on Intel Project

How to Bronze a Mac
A little light reading for Friday. Even if you don't like the bronzed look, this page steps you through the compact Mac painting process. And really, what is cooler than a painted vintage Mac...hmmm. Yea... Send your lists to news@macmothership.com.

How to Bronze a Mac

Memoir of a Homebrew Computer Club Member
Bob Lash recounts his experiences. From the page:
"My first exposure to computers was at age 6 (1963), as a subject in Dr. Patrick Suppes' accelerated mathematics experiment at Stanford. I was taken to a small room with what I now know was a CRT display and an intercom. I was asked to push some keys in response to some shapes on the screen. Afterwards, they showed me around a large room filled with big cabinets, some with lots of blinking white lights.
They said it was a "computer" and its name was the "PDP-1". A tall thin man asked me to hit a key on a console to make a "decktape". I had absolutely no idea what a "DEC tape" was at the time, but when I hit the key, a small pair of reels BEGAN TO TURN!! It was a moment I would never forget."

Memoir of a Homebrew Computer Club Member