Rubénerd Blog :)

It turned out to be another epic saga involving Apple and the denial of an application on the iPhone App Store, then approval, then a hasty revoke. The problem is Apple doesn’t want programming languages and virtual machines for other programming languages running on the iPhone because they claim it would adversely affect the user experience by making the device less secure. Presumably I would think they’re more worried about sidestepping and potentially allowing another competing app store.

After disabling the BASIC interpreter, Apple finally approved a beautifully written and faithful reproduction of a Commodore 64 for sale which I hastily snatched up. I played a few rounds of Jack Attack and was instantly hooked! Today though, Apple has since revoked the app meaning people who didn’t download it yet can’t once again.

While the initial splash screen says BASIC has been disabled, it turns out you can sneakily get to it by enabling the full keyboard at all times, then loading a game and pressing Reset on the Extra keyboard. In Steve Jobs parlance, BOOM, you’re at a Commodore 64 BASIC interpreter!

Presumably the app won’t be allowed back in the store (if ever) until this backdoor way to get to the BASIC interpreter is removed, but it means people like me who were extraordinarily lucky enough to download it before Apple discovered the hidden feature just don’t upgrade if it ever does reappear.

The iPhone User News site has more information about the initial application approval and subsequent workaround and rejection.

I admit I’m biased because I was born in 1986, and I also admit I was too young to remember anything of substance during the time, but it’s an undisputed fact the 1980s was the greatest decade of all time! Well, politics aside of course. Yeah Thatcher and Reagan, deregulating the financial markets really worked out well, you did us a solid!

So in the spirit of my 1960s post when I reached 1960 posts, now that I’ve reached the 1980s in my blog post count I’m celebrating by creating this pointless milestone post.

1980s for the win!

Yesterday during one of my much enjoyed and looked forward to weekend coffee breaks with my MacBook Pro at the Boatdeck Cafe in Mawson Lakes, I posted a verbose, long winded, fun and largely ridiculous post discussing ways in which bloggers can help to maintain a regular post schedule.

ASIDE: I’m still holding out that if I mention the name of their establishment in almost every post I make, they’ll eventually start sponsoring this blog and my podcast. Flawless logic right? If they can’t afford to pay me, I’d just as happily accept a few free cups a day. Whatya say guys?

What I wasn’t expecting was a comment from none other than Mike Rundle not of our beloved Rundle Mall I discussed a few weeks ago, but of the selective 9rules blog community in the States. Who would have thunk it?

As it turns out, he was responding to an off the cuff remark I made under the "Caching Solution" heading:

To appear as though you’re more reliable to website alliances like 9rules that value regularity over quality, people write several posts a day, but release them over a period of days.

Mike was quick to correct my misapprehension:

At 9rules we value over quality over quantity any day of the week, and especially when we’re looking at blogs that want to join. If somebody split entries up over a few days just to look like they’re posting more frequently then we’d see right through that.

We’d much rather see a 9r member post great articles once a week or so then lesser quality articles every few days.

As someone who:

• discusses his primary interest in computer software and lifestyle on his blog
• posts only on a semi-regular basis
• does it just as a hobby
• enjoys grilled cheese sandwiches
• isn’t even living in the same country as the time zone reported on the site half the time
• posts as many multifarious, random posts as on-topic posts

… I would certainly never quality for 9rules or any other such site. It doesn’t bother me though because I’m clearly not what they’re looking for. Besides, it works both ways: I’m certainly not changing what I like to do to conform to another system!

I did appreciate Mike’s comment though and replied with a comment that looks quite like this one. Word for word almost, it’s uncanny.

Thanks for your comment Mike.

Rest assured I was mentioning your site very much tongue in cheek! That said, lets just say I know that on the basis of regularity (to say nothing of quality, and only talking about specific subjects) I certainly wouldn’t qualify, and I was making light of it.

I guess being a member of the "Ruben Schade" blogging network is enough work as is, right? :-)

You can find 9rules (surprising thought it may seem) at http://9rules.com/. For what it’s worth, I did manage to find Dan Lockton’s fascinating sustainable architecture website through them, even if he’s no longer a member.

My very sophisticated blogging system! Photo from my Flickr account

The double net whammy and computer speed episode!

Locations in web form thingys, a huge power outage in Singapore, nostalgia comparing how we thought of computer speeds in the 80s, 90s and noughties, my vintage 200MHz Pentium MMX machine still running, the megahertz myth, building computers from Sim Lim Square, the Commodore VIC-20, Commodore 64 and Commodore 1541 disk drive, 6502 chips in everything, TMnet "high speed" monopoly in Malaysia, getting paid to podcast, stalling internet connections driving me crazy!

Download MP3 to listen ↓ 33:38, 13.8MiB

You can also stream this episode and view its Internet Archive page.

The beautiful Singapore Sunday afternoon episode!

Son of a diddley, long times and whatnot, moving back to Singapore, Murphey’s law, unpacking stuff, loving living in the tropics, Yakult, a heart attack inducing Singaporean taxi adventure, my two guilty signs of insanity, loud apartment security boom gates, going to Changi Airport at 0630 on a Sunday, the Commodore 64 Family Pack, borderline Twitter addiction, Twitting Felix Tanjono and Frank Nora, shoehorning Symbian, 3G wireless in Singapore, using m.twitter.com on a handphone, Keeping Up Appearances, Hyacinth Bucket, hand painted periwinkles, ratholes, review of Twitterrific and TwitWin, Chocolate Rain, awesome internet memes, time zones, some sort of Apple handphone, listening to podcasts and whatnot, neighbourhood insurance rates, Gold 90.5FM, Paul McCartney versus John Lennon, disowning, Starbucks, Dance Tonight on Memory Almost Full music review, singing for sheets, my Beatles realisation from Larry King Live, fortune telling on YouTube, having a brief booming voice, madams on a phone, voting for podcasts, J.D. Lasica and being a multitasking jaywalker.

There’s a bit of voice distortion in parts of this show. I’m obviously out of practice, the next one will be much better!

Download MP3 to listen ↓ 47:00 minutes, 21.60MiB

You can also stream this episode and view its Internet Archive page.