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       STARDATE: 20240713.2339
       LOCATION: Kitchen Table
       INPUT DEVICE: palmOne Tungsten E2 + palmOne IrDa folding keyboard
       AUDIO: Audible typing clicks from E2
       VISUAL: Bowl of cherries, DataViz Word To Go
       EMOTIONAL: happy, content.
       
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       The Old Computer Challenge started today.  Not too much time for 
       personal computing.  Analog meatspace stuff was going on.  What I 
       was able to do was get a better idea of the hardware I will be 
       using.  The devices I  chose are the palmOne Tungsten E2 and the 
       Nokia N900.
       
       The E2 will be used for Personal Information Management (PIM) stuff
       (Calendar, Tasks, etc.) and for writing (phosts, journaling, etc.) 
       been meaning to get a PalmOS device back in my daily workflow, but 
       have not.  My current PIM system is a mess with all this syncing an
       b0rq'd links and stuff going to old locations...I should have done 
       away with it some time ago, but have just kept it as it was since "
       was too busy and it takes too much time."  Well, I think now is as 
       good as any and I think I'm in a place to do a reboot of the PIM 
       workflow.  For now, I will just rely on the internal application an
       backup on SD.  Syncing will probably come later, after I think 
       through and draft the workflow.
       
       The Nokia N900 will mostly be for network stuff in the 
       terminal...phlog phosts, visiting the gophersphere, connecting to S
       and remote systems, tuning in to aNONradio, file transfers, etc.  T
       nice thing with the N900 is that it has RCA video out, so I will be
       attaching the device to an old TV and use that as a monitor.
       
       The devices will be used as is.  I do not plan on installing any 
       additional software to the devices.  I have not wiped either of the
       devices in such a long time.  There are applications and files on 
       there that I have long forgotten.  It will be interesting revisitng
       these.
       
       Prior to choosing these devices, I was goinig through my collection
       of old handheld devices.  I tried powering on an old Palm IIIxe wit
       fresh AAA batteries and was greeted with a blank screen with the 
       backlight on and high-pitch screen whine.  No dice.  Next one I tri
       was a Palm Treo 680.  That one was functional, but the D-Pad was 
       b0rq'd.  No dice.  These discoveries were making me sad.
       
       Next up was the E2.  This one charged up fine and seems to be in go
       working condition.  OK.  So how am I gonna access gopher and other 
       network stuff...or will I just stay in PalmOS land for the week?  O
       I need network...no wifi on E2, just Bluetooth.  OK, N900...hope it
       still works.
       
       I have 2 N900s in my collection.  One was my personal mobile device
       the other was for projects.  I'm glad I picked up both before it wa
       discontinued.  The device was way ahead of its time and is still on
       of my favorite handheld devices.
       
       Both N900s had dead batteries.  I was able to charge one of them, b
       the other was stuck in a reboot loop and would not charge properly.
       After the first one was fully charged, I swapped the batteries (yes
       you can remove the batteries) and was able to properly charge the 
       second battery in the first device.  Both devices were able to work
       with fully- charged batteries.  I'm not sure of their current 
       capacity, but they seem ok...at least I'll have a backup if the 
       charge doesn't last.
       
       After getting the N900 working and testing network connectivity, I 
       thought about options for input.  I was not going to thumbtype or 
       write with a stylus the whole time.  I spent a bit of time testing 
       wired USB keyboards.  I recalled having issues with wired keyboards
       in the past, with the drivers and the setup.  I had some app on the
       that I tried previously (h-e-n) which I think I got working back in
       the day.  Last time I tried ended in frustration so I didn't spend 
       too much time trying again.  I was able to get it going with my Roy
       Kludge folding Bluetooth keyboard.  I was surprised that it worked 
       without fuss.  Unfortunately, I could not get it to work on the E2,
       so I am using the palmOne folding infrared keyboard, which still 
       works and much better that using a stylus for writing.
       
       So that is about how far I got today with the old computer 
       challenge...old handheld computer challenge?  Maybe I'll spend some
       time accessing the network on the N900.
       
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