Got a Raspberry PI 3

Is funny how as one gets older and the more they've seen, done and experienced, we start to pull away and enjoy the simpler things in life. Our dogs and gardening are giving us more pleasure these days. I still like tech and play with it but not like I used to.

This site is my only real tech oriented  online indulgence anymore. Hoping the younger tech folks have the same passion my sphere of nerds had back in our prime. Guess the difference is I was in the military with a bunch of electronics tech oriented folks back in my prime years. We fed on each other.

Really doesn't seem like tech is "in" right now, more about social status and posting the next viral thing on the Internet. Nothing about actual knowledge and advancement.

Did I just do an old man rant? Lol...yes I think I did!

Oh, the Raspberry PI is a cool thing BTW.  :smileyhappy:

Don't go having high hopes for this generation or the next...  While I know a LOT of people getting into software development, I feel most of them are doing it for the wrong reasons, and will, or are already making stupid decisions.  Decisions similar to how the software industry as a whole is moving.

That aside, more and more schools seem to be abandoning technical related classes.  The vocational school I went to totally got rid of all my favorite classes... PC Repair, Intro to Networking, Intro to Java, Intro to C, PCB Design Basics, Logic Theory.

It only took one guy to teach those classes over the course of a 2 year program.  I was in one of his last large classes, shortly after that it went from 20 or so students a year signing up to one, maybe two if he was lucky.  The state has even pulled funding from those programs and is redirecting it to AG classes...  

There's a major, and rapid shift between the two groups.  Usually you see such things change slowly over time, kind of how you saw yesterdays computer club slowly evolve into a major hobby.  Today anyone can easily build a PC, everything is pretty much the same, then they have Amazon returns which accepts their screw ups! -.-

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BirdDog wrote:

Is funny how as one gets older and the more they've seen, done and experienced, we start to pull away and enjoy the simpler things in life.

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I tried getting back into radio until my lawn service 'mowed' my antenna coax. Been meaning to fix it.

Well, I ended up getting an 8bitdo Bluetooth controller (SNES30) and it works perfectly.  No issues.  

I was playing Galaga tonight.  In my home.  On my couch.  I haven't played Galaga for nearly 30 years, and that was on an arcade machine at a local bar.  I wasn't old enough to drink, so it was a lot of quarters and a Coke.  LOL.  I loved that game.  It's a bit different with a controller like this, but it's still fun.  

Have about ten games now.  As I remember more I'll probably download them and add them.  

I'm seriously contemplating getting a Pi Zero W kit next week.  I don't need it, but it'd be fun.  Plus, I can take advantage of the few days left of my Amazon Prime trial before I cancel it (which I'm not sure I'm going to do).  I'm going to try RetroPie on that.  It'll be a little different as I will be forced to use it with my TV due to the Pi Zero W not having audio out other than through HDMI (until I get a Bluetooth headset), but it will be fun, nonetheless.  Conversely, I can use my Pi 3 B+ with my TV or my monitor and speakers/headset.   

Sounds like you're having fun and turning into a real Pi head.  

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debbie.jean.bro wrote:
Gabe, keep updating us on the Raspberry! This is the most interesting thread on here. Your story about the bar reminds me of when my now ex-husband and I were first married. We were both in college and dead broke. We'd go hang out at this pizza place because it had Space Invaders. We couldn't afford pizza, but we'd buy a pitcher of Coke (free refills!) and a roll of quarters and spend half the night playing. As we got better, we had to use fewer quarters! We got tips from this kid who couldn't have been more than about 9 but who was always there. Good times!!

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I definitely will.  I haven't really done anything more with it this week, as it's been a busy week, but I did order a Pi Zero W on Tuesday.  I don't need it, but it was cheap and will probably be fun to fiddle around with.  

When I was a kid we got an Atari for Christmas one year (1980?), and the two games my folks got myself and my brother were Donkey Kong and Space Invaders.  The game Combat came with the system, but my brother and I would play Space Invaders for hours and hours.  I just now downloaded it and will add it to my game Roms on my Pi and give it a try when I next use it.  :)  

Well, I got RetroPie set up and added a couple of Roms.  I noticed when setting up the game pad that it seemed to be jumping to the next or previous input option, but I though that maybe it was supposed to do this.  I started a game and noticed that, at about every six or eight seconds, my character would turn or move just a little bit. 

Well, it turns out that this particular game pad has been known to have ghost pressing issues with the D-pad.  That's the problem, and there's no way to fix it, so I have to look for another game pad to buy.   

Unfortunately, I went to Amazon to set up the return, but this is a non returnable item, as it's one of those "Fulfilled by Amazon" items, but sold by someone else through them, and this seller doesn't allow item returns.  With that said, I called Amazon, and they were nice enough to give me a refund, so that's good.  

For the time being I'm going to use my keyboard, but I'm looking at a cheap two pack of USB SNES controllers.  They're probably not the greatest, but what can you expect for $17?  LOL.  I just want to play Zelda and Final Fantasy IV (or II, as it was originally released in the US).  Plus, I'm looking at some old Arcade games like Donkey Kong and Galaga.  This should be fun!!!

I also found out that my wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse work with the Pi, so that's great.  The less cables laying around, the better.  I know that they work with Raspbian, as that's what I tried it with first, and I just wrote Ubuntu MATE to one of the new sd cards I bought, so I'll try them with that, too.  I expect that they'll work with the Ubuntu MATE, too.  :)  The RetroPie?  I don't know.  I'll try it, though.  

BirdDog

I'm on my way, that's for sure.  I joined the main Raspberry Pi and RetroPie groups on Facebook, too.  :p