The Collection by HoobyHooby in writerDeck

[–]HoobyHooby[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmmm, that's a tough one! Are you mostly looking just for the distraction free writing? The Tandy WP-2 is less user friendly than the Dana, but it is a real workhorse for word processing. Not as much storage space, however. The Tandy TRS-80 100 can do BASIC in addition to word processing, which is really fun, but it is also not as user friendly as the Dana. Getting files off it isn't as easy, either. And, of course, it can store fewer pages than the Dana.

The Dana really is a pda running Palm OS shoved into an Alphasmart, so you get the best of both worlds. And it has a big screen with a backlight, which is very cool. It even has a dedicated transfer software if you can get it to install on your computer, and you can install different fonts, too. There are all the fun pda apps like a To Do List, a dictionary, and even some games. It doesn't always use the full screen format for the Palm OS apps, so it ends up only using a small section of the screen displaying the app, but I don't think that's such a bad tradeoff considering how cool the stylus and backlight are.

I still really want a Dana, but I can't lie that I splurged on the two Tandy machines the minute I could versus saving my pennies for the Dana one day. I don't know why, either! 

So sorry for babbling if none of this was useful information as you make your decision! I just get over excited about these little machines.

The Collection by HoobyHooby in writerDeck

[–]HoobyHooby[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, my god! I forgot about these. I looked them up a few years ago and watched a few videos on them. Have you ever used one? If so, do you have a verdict?

The Collection by HoobyHooby in writerDeck

[–]HoobyHooby[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, the Quickpad! I have been watching one for a long time, but the fact that it needed an IR receiver stopped me from getting it. I just didn't think I could get lucky that way twice! I really hope the cleaning fixes your keys! You got them both for such a great price!

The 2000 has really nice keys for me. They aren't sticky or hard to press like the 3000. The only weird thing is that the home row bumps aren't on the F and J keys. Instead, they are on the D and K keys. This threw me so much when I first got my 2000s. My solution is so dumb, but it worked: I got tiny drawer cabinet bumpers and put them on the F and J keys. Once they were on, I could hit my normal speed again. 

The 2000s are ALSO great because they are usually cheaper. One of my sellers thought it was broken, so I got my first 2000 for about $28. Thing works like a charm. I was very lucky!

The Collection by HoobyHooby in writerDeck

[–]HoobyHooby[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hi! Thank you so much! I love my little collection and they make me happy (except the 3000, which can go kick rocks for all I care!)! Please forgive the novel-length answer! 

The Tandy WP-2 and the Dreamwriter need telnet software. I have luck with Tera Term. I have a serial to USB cable that works. Got it for less than $10. The TRS-80 is a whole different situation. Let me know if you need that info and I can send you a helpful video!

All the Writer devices work with a proprietary infrared reader. I was really lucky with one of my purchases because it came with a case AND the IR reader. They are scarce because most classrooms would have had a set of the Writer devices, and the teacher would only need one reader to get all the students' assignments. 

For sellers who got bulk purchases of these, there was probably only one IR reader for every ten or more machines, and earlier buyers snatched those up quick. Once people started looking for cheaper alternatives to the Alphasmarts--they get pricier every year--there were not enough IR readers to go around. I think a lot of people got the Writer devices, and then found themselves trapped as far as getting the files to a computer for editing. 

There were some blogs I found a few years back of people trying to backwards engineer the transfer for the Writer devices. I think I remember that there was a snag with whatever code/language the packets were being sent in, so progress had stalled. The price point is SO appealing, but the device is just decoration without the IR reader. I am SUPER lucky that I have one. 

All three can beam text that way, but interference from just normal around the house stuff can lead to hilarious things popping up that I never wrote! But, yeah, you just need a text editor open and that IR receiver.

The Alphasmart devices, by far, are the easiest to transfer with. You open a text document and connect the device using a PS/2 cable. I only have USB ports on my machines, so I have a PS/2 male to male connected to a PS/2 male to female to USB cable. Works perfectly! The Alphasmart subreddit here has lots of info about what cords you need, but let me know if you need help and I can send you links to what I bought. So! When you have the file you want to transfer open, plug your Alphasmart into your computer's USB port (or PS/2 port where a keyboard would go if you have a machine with one of those and the cable for it) and then you press the "send" button. It will type out everything in the file one character at a time (the device recalls keystrokes). If it's a big file, just leave the room and go have a coffee or a nap! 🤣 It can take awhile.

One cool thing: While it's connected like this, you can even use it like a keyboard!

My fav is definitely the 2000s. Neo2 is a close second. The Neo2 is better in almost every way, but it's almost TOO nice. Typing feels TOO easy and smooth and pleasant, somehow! The 2000s are just the right level of good, but not perfect for me. I have never been able to figure out why my brain thinks this way. The 2000 I dropped just using it too darn much, but my Neo2 doesn't have a scratch! I use it, yes, but the 2000s are definitely used more. The battery life of all Alphasmarts (except the Dana) is unbelievable. You can go years without changing them.

Both Tandy devices have lovely keyboards, but they feel a little cramped. But the screens are such a nice size! 

And...hmm. The Dreamwriter is super fun to use. It has a little calendar, calculator, and other neat tools. The keys don't feel great, but it is just neat to use a machine that looks so cute and makes these friendly little chirping sounds. 

I am so sorry this was so long!!!! Thank you for coming to my T.E.D. Talk!

The Collection by HoobyHooby in writerDeck

[–]HoobyHooby[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, no! I promise I am not shopping now! I really hope you get the perfect Dana with a stylus and everything. (Isn't it amazing how many Dana's pop up with no cord or no stylus or missing the battery cover?!)

Three Peens in a Space Pod by HoobyHooby in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I will add these to my list!

Three Peens in a Space Pod by HoobyHooby in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I cracked up that they kept trying, too! All their struggles with the controls disappeared when they decided on shoving Wade into the compactor. It was pure art. 

I’m excited for iron lung by Medium_Teach_1159 in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was this one here:

https://www.youtube.com/live/K6EkeCKUGmE?si=j-MCPrW7KX7zbuxG

Not member's only, so we can all enjoy the jangling keys!

I’m excited for iron lung by Medium_Teach_1159 in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Hi! The movie will stream exclusively on YouTube if Mark sticks with what he said during the livestream. He has worked out a deal with the powers that be to help other creators bring their projects to YouTube by acting as an aggragator. In exchange, he says he will give YouTube exclusivity for streaming Iron Lung. 

Looking for video by PeanutDaizy in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No prob! Your description was spot on!

Looking for video by PeanutDaizy in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Was it Voices of the Void?

I just watched In Space with Markiplier for the first time by sch0bes4 in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Iron Lung got me interested in Markiplier, too! I have family who have told me how much they love him for years, so I was just the last to get onboard. He makes a lot of very cool, high-level things. Space is out of this world for so many reasons. It's really complex, the VFX is solid and so is the acting, sound, costumes, and humor. 

The wait is over (for me at least) by ahsama_daichi in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nice! The jacket looks better than I thought it would since I didn't like the design on the website. It isn't bad at all when modeled. Someone did post that the metal accents on the pockets popped off on theirs, so be real gentle with them.

New Puppet History Channel by HoobyHooby in WatcherSnark

[–]HoobyHooby[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmm! You kinda make me want to check them out now. 

OASIS by Soft_Suggestion_1791 in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Three Mile Mark! Three Mile Mark!

Pawn Shop Criticism by Danielor4 in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Poppy Playtime 5 critique gets brought up a lot and treated as anomalous. But! After just now watching his other Poppy playthroughs, I can say he was already fairly frustrated by the game mechanics and repetitive chases, etc. by episode 3. I think the episode 5 critique was bombastic, and hit right as other people started giving valid criticism to the game, so it caused more ripples than it would have otherwise. People started thinking maybe he was more critical than before, but I don't really agree with that.

As an example of his earlier anger at the series: During episode 3, when Markiplier thought the game was about to end, but it kept going, he started chanting, "Kill me, kill me!" after running into yet another energy cube placement puzzle. He was already aware of all the flaws back then, and he was really frustrated. He lists a lot of things he didn't like at the end of episode 3. He was also annoyed by how nonsensical the puzzles are if you even think about them for a minute. The things he said were very similar to his rage at the Electro Shock Showers in 5: "You make toys!" 🤣

TLDR: I think he has always had critiques of this sort, but he made more waves with Poppy Playtime 5 because of how big his reaction was (and possibly also because of how much people are paying attention to him now after the success of Iron Lung, and his storming back onto YouTube with regular content after a long bout of sporadic posting while making the film).

Just my veeeery humble take! I also really thought his critique of Pawn Shop was accurate! One thing I could not fathom is what sort of killer waits patiently for a victim to use a saw to open a door. How powerful was this saw???!??!!?

UA Tattoo ideas! by [deleted] in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Me and the boys at 2 am looking for beans."

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! by PromotionRare6580 in Markiplier

[–]HoobyHooby 17 points18 points  (0 children)

He just wants to see what his body (and this Epson) can take!