‘Sherlocked’ by Apple and all I got was seven years’ coding experience
Posted 5 November 2026
It had to happen: I just got Sherlocked!
Gasp at my organ... iser: Handling Psion’s chunky 1989 PDA in 2026
Posted 30 October 2026
A month or so back I gave in to temptation and snapped up a Psion Organiser II from eBay. I was able to find the LZ64 model, which was the last ‘slab’ Organiser Psion made before introducing the Series 3 clamshell design.
Review: MyVolts Step-Up 👍
Posted 25 October 2026
One of the difficulties of using retro tech these days is power. Back in the (pre-USB) day, every device had its own, specific power requirements: voltage, wattage and polarity of barrel connector. And big, chunky ‘wall warts’ to go with them. I’m using three old portable devices at the moment, and they all have different AC adaptors.
Psion Connectivity in 2026: mclink, plptools and Reconnect
Posted 5 October 2026
What is the best way to transfer information to and from a Psion Series 3 PDA these days? Of late I have shifted from DOSBox Staging to plptools. ‘PLP’, incidentally, stands for ‘Psion Link Protocol’.
Vibe rater: what’s all the buzz about AI coding assistance?
Posted 17 April 2026
I’d like to announce the availability of PreviewJson 2, the new, second generation release of my QuickLook preview and icon thumbnail generator for macOS. It’s available now from the Mac App Store.
Retro LCD screen illumination: no backlight? Try a frontlight
Posted 27 October 2025
I have written before about the Psion 5mx, a palmtop computer from the late 1990s, and I have grumbled about its LCD screen. I don’t have a problem with LCD per se—you can’t expect the same screen quality that you get with a modern colour OLED retina display—but in the right light conditions an LCD can be perfectly usable. However, the 5mx screen’s specific level of reflectivity narrows the range of lighting conditions under which it gives you a good, clear view.
Amazing analogue: vernier callipers
Posted 22 October 2025
This short post is in praise of analogue technology, specifically my Mitutoyo vernier callipers, which I picked up a couple of years ago for no good reason beyond fond memories of time spent in Physics labs during my undergraduate days.
The most essential Amstrad NC100 accessory? It’s got to be a memory card
Posted 1 October 2025
I was resisting buying a memory card for my Amstrad NC100, but in the end I caved in. It was mostly because I have memory cards for my two Psion devices—a proprietary flash drive for the Series 3a and a CompactFlash card for the Series 5mx—because it’s reassuring to know that you can quickly make safe copies of working docs on a device without storage.
How to bring Amstrad NC100 screenshots to modern graphics apps
Posted 30 September 2025
While browsing some scans of old, out-of-print books about the Amstrad NC100, I discovered that it has a built-in screenshot facility. I knew my various Psion devices could do this, but not the NC100.
How to fix Amstrad NC100 coin cell voltage warnings... with paper
Posted 30 September 2025
Here’s a handy trick for any of you who, like me, have not only taken to retro computing in general but the Amstrad NC100 notepad in particular.
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