Eric's Edge

“Ask me about HyperCard”
Neo Maxi Zoom Dweebie/Nerd
Member of the Second Breakfast Club
_SDGOL_ Supreme Dark Galactic Overload (to his kids)
I'm all about vintage computers, Apple Macintosh, TI 99/4A, Apple IIe, Commodore 64, and vintage analog medium/large format film photography.

Currently authoring a HyperCard text adventure game and editor, as well as other vintage programming languages and environments.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EricsEdgeVideos
Website: https://quackofdawn.com
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/ericsedge
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EricsEdge

Public Key

npub14wk5hrsqkhrd6v0r0gw9t62mduvurpkl6ff2qzz6nkqs83q8wtwqzq508e

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs2ht2t3cqtt3kax83h58z4a9dk7xwpsm0ay54qppdfmqgrcsrh9hqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsxfcxj9

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub14wk5hrsqkhrd6v0r0gw9t62mduvurpkl6ff2qzz6nkqs83q8wtwqzq508e

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Last Notes

2026-06-21 12:36:19 UTC

I joined the RIFA smoking club this weekend.
Took some #Macintosh computers to our #LAVCC meetup Saturday. And reveled in the smell of burning plastic and sadness.
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/788/121/807/799/574/original/f5ed46329bd3fbed.jpeg
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/788/121/862/866/393/original/c90e183894ca5c1c.jpeg

2026-04-25 00:04:16 UTC

https://ko-fi.com/post/The-Ghost-in-the-Automated-Loom-W7W31YECCJ?fromEditor=true
The Ghost in the Automated "Loom"
Reclaiming Job’s Bicycle for the Mind
Are we using AI to reach new destinations, or are we just enjoying the leisure of no longer having to pedal?
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/462/414/652/144/786/original/d230abba7a89ab62.jpg

2026-04-21 14:59:40 UTC

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Every single interaction with the 🍊💩 is about himself.

2026-04-15 00:35:41 UTC

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I imagine there are similar descriptions for train engineers and other staff. Could someone recognize the difference between German, French, or Hungarian track sounds as cars went snick-snick or clack-clack? Were sections of track played with longer or shorter sections of rail in different regions?

2026-04-15 00:35:40 UTC

Train enthusiasts hear my plea!
As some of you know, I’m writing the script for a point-and-click game. I am looking for descriptions of vintage train experiences from the 1890s.
As an analogy, commander Scot makes a comment to Picard in an episode of TNG that he “could tell the warp speed from the vibration in the deck plates” on the original Enterprise.

2026-04-10 16:47:15 UTC

Bloggity blog post on my next game. "Death on the Orient Star".
#game #programming #HyperCard #blog
https://ko-fi.com/post/Game-Development-Blog-M4M21XKZ01
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/381/424/403/174/191/original/86e6e6c239e6603a.jpeg

2026-04-09 23:56:46 UTC

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this is where I love choices. I learned early on to accept everyone has a preference and linters are the solution. I’d rather use a language that allows a choice than one that does not.

2026-04-09 22:53:29 UTC

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not only agree regarding curly braces to delimit code blocks, I also am not a fan of K&R style positioning. I prefer my open and close pairs to align with the start of the statement.

2026-03-29 20:03:47 UTC

#MARCHintosh 2026
#GlobalTalk
https://youtu.be/52kS0akTlHY

2026-03-29 18:40:43 UTC

#MARCHintosh #Globaltalk
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/313/922/677/346/286/original/ec360c9e3e944c5e.jpeg

2026-03-28 23:10:28 UTC

#MARCHintosh #GlobalTalk
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/309/318/096/019/625/original/9bd4f371db14baaf.jpeg

2026-03-27 19:44:16 UTC

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I’m sure there’s a way to interface a ticker tape printer using Baudot code!

2026-03-27 19:33:25 UTC

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if it has a driver for it then sure. I’ve only used Apple branded printers.
What printer model?

2026-03-27 19:28:38 UTC

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https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/302/783/936/768/042/original/04bacb6c55ec5030.jpeg
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/302/784/086/141/257/original/d48badab11dfb13b.jpeg
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/302/784/241/423/561/original/f47c3e98bc955630.jpeg

2026-03-27 19:26:52 UTC

#MARCHintosh #Globaltalk
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/302/773/646/278/635/original/5de02c54c06d3951.jpeg
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/302/773/969/147/411/original/8e7d01722ffe63fd.jpeg
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/302/774/299/861/167/original/2bada7cc23dc825f.jpeg
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/302/774/539/950/566/original/42366661ca80e228.jpeg

2026-03-23 21:56:23 UTC

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it could. I think the drastic changes in the delivery model away from broadcasting has left them behind. The conditions that created the popularity of TNG no longer exist.

2026-03-23 21:33:13 UTC

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they are chasing after the past. Expecting broadcast era blockbusters like TNG.

2026-03-21 15:07:42 UTC

Livestream in like 10 minutes. Just talking about what's going on.
https://youtube.com/live/FeKqrnWCfC0

2026-03-20 14:45:43 UTC

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please post what you find out. This is courteously fascinating for some reason.

2026-03-20 14:43:41 UTC

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249 weeks until I can retire. If things go as planned. Unfortunately, they rarely do.

2026-03-20 14:42:23 UTC

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1000%

2026-03-20 14:41:02 UTC

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as long as we can still boycott them I’m fine with that. Complaining directly might address individual instances but do they deserve second and third chances? I think not.
Target’s situation in the U.S. comes to mind. Until they reverse their DEI abandonment, I will continue to boycott them. They know this and are still trying to eat their consumer cake and keep it too. Epic fail.

2026-03-20 14:37:04 UTC

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same.

2026-03-20 14:35:30 UTC

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all the feelz. I have the same situation and it was my proposal at that. Nobody to blame but myself.

2026-03-20 14:31:53 UTC

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I understand. It’s not unlike the issues I face managing employees. Intent, attitude, and effort conflated with results. Mix in a healthy dose of external variables and it’s a mess.

2026-03-20 14:17:58 UTC

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I would first ask myself, aside from what your administration says, what’s your goal?

2026-03-19 14:23:47 UTC

Today’s #marchintosh #globaltalk
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/256/200/186/152/662/original/548605f2461a4078.jpeg
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/256/200/230/533/057/original/c40a2594d3ff0851.jpeg

2026-03-15 17:54:12 UTC

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We are here, and it’s not working (for us). This is a loosing strategy.
“Sue them, wait six months, win the funding back, send the donation email, post on social media celebrating the win, and the media covers it as humiliating Trump.”

2026-03-15 16:19:27 UTC

Our local vintage computer club made the local news. #lavcc
https://www.wilx.com/2026/03/14/lansing-area-vintage-computer-club-holds-first-public-meet/

2026-03-15 16:16:16 UTC

Beannachtaí na Féile Padraig Ort
https://roaneband.com/
One of our friends from the Michigan Renaissance Festival
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/234/080/488/289/638/original/3210b83bb566993e.jpeg

2026-03-14 23:31:05 UTC

We had a great first event for our Lansing Area Vintage Computer club. Thank you to all presenters and participants.
A special thanks to Lansing Makers Network for hosting us.
https://lavcc.org/
https://www.lansingmakersnetwork.org/

2026-03-14 12:26:04 UTC

If you are in the Lansing Michigan area today, we are having a vintage computer get together at the Lansing Maker’s Network of Pennsylvania Ave.
The event is free. Runs from 11 am to 5 pm.
https://lavcc.org/events/2

2026-03-12 11:38:09 UTC

Womp womp #MARCHintosh #GlobalTalk
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/216/002/380/310/262/original/6025b193ebc6f94b.jpeg

2026-03-11 22:49:36 UTC

Today’s #marchintosh #globaltalk
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/212/976/645/991/024/original/27b0cee058656c27.jpeg
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/212/976/612/622/014/original/b4d5bb0419545244.jpeg

2026-03-09 16:34:03 UTC

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Tell a story from the information’s perspective. It is first in the form of a photon. The photon “hits” the lens, how it is refracted, how it is absorbed and transformed into a chemical signal, then a neuron impulse, how the structures combine it with other stimuli into “information”, yada yada.
Like the way “Flatland” explains two and three dimensions.

2026-03-09 16:32:53 UTC

I was reading this article and had a thought. I know just enough biochemistry to be dangerous. Most of what I know is very outdated. I digress. This article does a great job of explaining things and I would love another perspective…
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/the-vertebrate-eye-may-have-begun-as-a-cyclops/
What if it explained the differences between the different “eye” structures and sensing processes by describing the information path and transformation starting with a photon and ending with our perception?

2026-03-09 02:14:07 UTC

And yet more #marchintosh #globaltalk
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/196/790/290/191/346/original/9935d9ca541bb43c.jpeg

2026-03-08 16:41:31 UTC

And more #marchintosh #globaltalk
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/194/537/303/455/141/original/725b02ceb98bab8e.jpeg
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/194/537/396/773/919/original/5d5f47ee79546006.jpeg

2026-03-07 15:18:21 UTC

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beats my setup under my bench.
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/188/555/343/751/232/original/0735a5f85ad8c20e.jpeg

2026-03-07 04:08:50 UTC

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I have code I wrote older than their parents.

2026-03-07 03:01:38 UTC

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they will try to double down on AI as a false hope. Not a bubble that pops. An implosion.

2026-03-07 02:14:04 UTC

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and then that vintage equipment is contraband. Followed by “firemen” who burn your computers and the software you’ve hidden in your toaster.

2026-03-06 20:42:15 UTC

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maybe more of the Y2K shock trooper that parachute in make bank and disappear.

2026-03-06 20:39:24 UTC

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there will be a new class of cleaner-uppers who follow behind the LLMs. I predict a retirement market similar to COBOL.

2026-03-06 20:33:43 UTC

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yep. It’s a mixed bag.
I feel a Classic CS education is helpful and necessary for blending edge work or research. At the other end of the spectrum, your everyday forms over data app developers do not need that kind of gatekeeping. There’s room under the big tent for all kinds of talent.

2026-03-06 20:26:05 UTC

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this is good - for the businesses. Unlikely to lower prices or trickle down to consumers unfortunately.

2026-03-06 20:22:57 UTC

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yes. My minor was in mathematics and my computer science major was under the mathematics department instead of engineering.
In hindsight, since I decided not to pursue a masters, I could have used some basic business and accounting courses. I often wonder what might have been if I’d stayed at uni. I had intended to pursue an information science master/phd. My wife had other plans.

2026-03-06 20:08:48 UTC

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it’s a #MARCHintosh miracle!

2026-03-06 19:29:28 UTC

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it wants to follow you home.

2026-03-06 19:26:59 UTC

“I have code older than your parents.”
From: [@Natasha_Jay](https://tech.lgbt/@Natasha_Jay )
https://tech.lgbt/@Natasha_Jay/116180497994870609

2026-03-06 19:24:09 UTC

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I’ll join in with a bit of paraphrasing.
It’s 1987. I’m forking this process in C and my library code isn’t reentrant….

2026-03-06 18:49:53 UTC

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have you ever tried applying rubber restoration gunk?

2026-03-06 14:52:15 UTC

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https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/182/793/136/551/521/original/ee129107fe597f14.jpeg

2026-03-06 14:50:02 UTC

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the single sheet feeder? That’s a fairly rare item. The only other person I know who has one is @npub1lsg…7m6c

2026-03-06 14:48:21 UTC

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hmmmm, when did I setup cross posting between bsky and mastodon and how did I do that?

2026-03-06 14:45:43 UTC

Is everyone enjoying #MARCHintosh 2026?
Do you have a #GlobalTalk setup?
* Post anything about Macintosh stuff en les réseaux sociaux?
** Make curmudgeonly blog statements about your vintage computer affairs?
Let us know! Drop in the hashtag!
* je ne parle pas français.
** sorry/not sorry.

2026-03-05 21:06:47 UTC

You know it’s #MARCHintosh when you walk past the basement stair and wonder what’s wrong with the furnace blower and suddenly remember you’re on #GlobalTalk and someone is printing to your ImageWriter II.
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/178/600/488/829/508/original/de9627dad504a9ec.jpeg

2026-03-05 15:26:48 UTC

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looking forward to trying this out!

2026-03-01 22:08:30 UTC

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from across the pond and back…
#MARCHintosh
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/156/196/864/688/933/original/31b4dc59e8b198a1.jpeg

2026-03-01 01:07:09 UTC

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illegally placed dumpster

2026-02-26 20:30:16 UTC

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WOOT!

2026-02-26 18:46:49 UTC

https://ko-fi.com/post/MARCHintosh-GlobalTalk-2026-Y8Y51UZEOM
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/138/406/040/313/653/original/25a81f5e6a1d9f8e.jpeg
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/138/407/376/745/267/original/d6618504d0c4bae0.jpeg

2026-02-19 18:52:43 UTC

Hey there, tech lovers! Are you tired of messy drawers and floppy disks lying all over the place? Well, have we got the solution for you: introducing the Pop-a-Flop!
#popaflop #floppy #disk #retro
https://ko-fi.com/post/Pop-a-Flop-E1E61UKB38
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/098/793/086/846/093/original/856c5434a79417e3.jpeg

2026-02-18 16:31:29 UTC

https://lavcc.org/events/2
The #Lansing Area #Vintage #Computer #Club is holding their first event on **Saturday, March 14th** In Lansing Michigan at the Lansing Makers Network from 11AM to 5PM.
The event is entirely free, and there will be several VCF-style displays, some meeting and greeting!
#LAVCC
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/092/585/817/409/941/original/741f3ee881c284f6.jpeg

2026-02-17 15:17:29 UTC

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Once you morge continvoucly you never go back!

2026-02-17 14:03:56 UTC

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Never morg back. Must always morg forward!

2026-02-16 18:16:48 UTC

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Funny you should mention that. I'm writing a brochure for "I just bought this Mac Plus! Now what?"

2026-02-16 18:11:05 UTC

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exactly. WordStar was this for me. Also MacWrite. It was simple and revolutionary at the same time.

2026-02-16 16:36:31 UTC

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I've stopped using the dash, en-dash, hyphen, and em-dash.

2026-02-16 16:34:30 UTC

"The more I used it, the more I liked it. dBASE II is uninviting, but good."
Good read. I feel much the same way about most of the early software I used.
https://stonetools.ghost.io/dbase-cpm/

2026-02-15 15:58:11 UTC

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…“Movements, protest movements, defiant movements, movements that break the rules, are the main lever, the main weapon, that ordinary people have in realizing their aspirations and protecting their democratic rights.”
Excerpts From
“Opinion | The key to defeating Trump? Mass non-cooperation”
Mark Engler, Paul Engler
The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/15/defeat-trump-mass-non-cooperation

2026-02-15 15:57:39 UTC

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….“Whirlwind moments of grassroots action should … be seen as opportunities both to alter broader political conditions and draw in new recruits for the ongoing struggle in many arenas.”…

2026-02-15 15:57:13 UTC

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…“Democracies under assault cannot rely on existing checks and balances alone, they must be fortified by activated citizens. To simply declare a constitutional crisis and plead powerlessness is to accept pre-emptive ruin. The real question is how to respond when the safeguards we were told would protect us fail.”…

2026-02-15 15:56:56 UTC

The key to defeating Trump? Mass non-cooperation
“Mainstream political thinking in the US sees power as “monolithic,” resting in the hands of senators, generals, billionaires, presidents and CEOs. From that vantage point, the options for opposing a rogue administration seem desperately thin: wait for elections, file a lawsuit, hope for some unforeseen maneuver by elites. This worldview breeds despair.”…

2026-02-14 18:34:10 UTC

https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/116/070/417/959/455/517/original/4e68604eda5573d7.jpeg

2026-02-06 13:58:32 UTC

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unfortunately, my Time Machine is offline.

2026-02-06 13:00:26 UTC

So I’ve been trying to make a thing. I’m on my sixth attempt.
And I’ve used most of a spool of filament.
It’s going great!
Almost there…
https://youtu.be/0Uwc73NwfQI?si=vwp7dT9DaLvH4ar-

2026-01-17 01:29:17 UTC

Join me this Saturday at 9 am Eastern for Today's HyperCard Stack. We'll examine The #Scientific and #Graphical #Toolkit for #HyperCard.
https://youtube.com/live/1nF7h179-z4?feature=share
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/115/907/840/581/923/072/original/6373bb43e532a1d1.png

2026-01-02 19:09:37 UTC

#HyperCard #HyperTalk blog post.
https://ko-fi.com/post/Automagic-Code-Completion-for-HyperTalk-B0B51RIHFR

2026-01-02 15:10:41 UTC

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throw a small CRT, with the keyboard and guts of a C64.

2025-12-29 13:23:23 UTC

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um, crunchy.

2025-12-27 13:55:41 UTC

https://youtube.com/live/yUBG9UCyuQs?feature=share

2025-12-26 04:41:39 UTC

I knew I’d eventually be here. #MacsBug Life.
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/115/784/028/464/574/769/original/5bf2bb09453cb099.jpeg

2025-12-23 17:15:48 UTC

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Works great with @npub1qfy…wnn8 NeitherNet adapter!
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/115/770/005/616/527/592/original/743a10396fbb9c7f.jpeg

2025-12-23 16:35:21 UTC

#MARCHintosh is approaching! Here’s some of my prep. #AppleTalk #GlobalTalk
https://youtu.be/J4uWCmDMxHg?si=9xm-1RI3t4km_NQj
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/115/769/844/126/069/121/original/2189ef0a46802b44.jpeg

2025-12-20 13:18:33 UTC

HyperComposer is a #HyperCard application from 1988.
It is the sound and music toolkit for HyperCard. Designed for enthusiasts at any level, HyperComposer makes HyperCard music mouse-click simple!
https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/hypercomposer
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/115/752/079/830/107/256/original/1b141dbda99895c2.jpeg

2025-12-16 02:16:38 UTC

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looks very cool and at such an affordable entry level for someone new to RPG tabletop games. Purchased!

2025-12-16 02:06:04 UTC

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the pinnacle of write once read never in my experience. And I actually do use them.

2025-12-02 05:29:05 UTC

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When the user enters a new line after starting a repeat statement, the closing end repeat will be added with a blank line in between and the cursor placed indented on the blank line. There are other possibilities as well.
I’ll share the code and do a YouTube video on it. It’s currently half baked.

2025-12-02 05:29:04 UTC

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So why am I resurrecting this? A feature of the translator is to be called when the user enters a new line while editing a script. Modern IDEs do relatively simple code completion tasks. I will do something similar.

2025-12-02 05:29:02 UTC

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The first is a French language translator. The second implements Pascal style multi line block comments “{…}”. The translator works by saving a HyperTalk version that is compatible and displays in the editor the translated version.
It wasn’t as popular as XCMDs or XFCNs.

2025-12-02 05:29:01 UTC

I’ve been working on an obscure #HyperCard feature as of late. You can support multiple language translations for #HyperTalk with a WTRN resource. A Wildtalk Translator.
The only reference I’ve found is in HyperTalk 2.2 The Book. There is Mac Pascal source code for two examples.

2025-11-20 20:46:27 UTC

Yay! $12.50 t-shirts!
#tshirts
https://ericsedge.threadless.com
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/115/583/975/685/206/345/original/8e96f2cd5c21ae60.jpeg

2025-11-20 04:01:20 UTC

Researching my next game and ran across a similar one from 1997. The Last Express. A rotoscoped point-and-click murder on the Orient Express style game. I’ll have to give it a play.
I may borrow a few elements. For example, I like the clock interface for going back to a save point by reversing time.
The dialogue engine isn’t what I want. I intend to use a Baldur’s Gate style engine with conversation forking that influences the plot and NPC temperament.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Express

2025-11-15 23:24:50 UTC

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if I were nearby I’d take the HyperCard box off your hands.

2025-11-14 19:25:03 UTC

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dm me if you need more info.

2025-11-14 14:55:01 UTC

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The ask hinges on “reasonable format”. If all they want is the text contents of fields, a simple script may be available in the home stack for this. If not, it’s more complicated of course.
I can help if they want to reach out to me.

2025-11-07 21:09:42 UTC

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what is your definition for “technology”. Shaping flint into tools is “technology”.

2025-10-28 01:30:24 UTC

Regarding my next game project
#HyperCard #Murder #Mystery #Game
https://ko-fi.com/post/Murder-on-the-Midnight-Express--Lord-Mucky-Mucks-Y8Y51NI3AO
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/115/449/199/030/112/613/original/e5bed6700c3b16c0.jpeg

2025-10-25 02:22:33 UTC

Come join Ron, from Ron's Computer Videos, and me this Saturday, October 25 @ 8 PM EDT, as we play my mostly text adventure game - Adventure! The Quack of Dawn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foPELnwvnJE
https://files.bitbang.social/media_attachments/files/115/432/413/245/721/216/original/6d065b7747d2fc79.png