The Blog

Integrity and Extracting the GeoCities Archive - Rebuild V5

Nix McRetro // 25th August 2023 // Guides

Integrity and Extracting the GeoCities Archive - Rebuild V5

Quick heads up: this is a post for my own reference. The screenshot above comes from the Server Fault discussion on checking a tar.gz backup’s integrity. Another awesome thing about tar files is that you can search for files and extract them using wildcard patterns. At the time I couldn’t... Continue reading

MiSTer ao486 Core - Dial-up Modem Testing via VoIP

Nix McRetro // 24th August 2023 // IBM PC, Linux, YouTube

First thing I should probably note: this footage is from relatively early in my VoIP testing, back in 2021. I didn’t use anything fancy apart from the VoIP box, some phone cables and good luck. Coupled with Doge Microsystems’ really great dial-up pool guide, of course. It does get to... Continue reading

Injured Elegant Snake-eyed Skink

Nix McRetro // 23rd August 2023 // Nature

This elegant snake-eyed skink (Cryptoblepharus pulcher) was delivered to me on a winter evening. It was found in a warehouse trapped under old computer equipment. I have no idea how long it had been stuck there, but it was very thin and lethargic, so I was worried it had been... Continue reading

Landlords Can Go Jump in the Lake

Nix McRetro // 22nd August 2023 // News

Honestly, why do landlords even exist in modern times? Didn’t we leave medieval times behind us a while back? This is a rant on how my landlords illegally increased my rent. Above are the three types of potential leases in NSW at the time of writing. I’d been on a... Continue reading

Fujitsu Hard Drive MPB3021AT - Attempted Data Recovery

Nix McRetro // 21st August 2023 // Hacks, Linux, Repairs

The Australian Ibis is the best bird wandering the streets. It overcame adversity and now excels at being a hunter on Sydney nature strips. Perhaps irrelevant to this post but cool nonetheless. Today we are looking at a broken hard drive: the Fujitsu MPB3021AT, a 2.16 GB drive. We used... Continue reading