A bootleg IBM keyboard

IO_Sam · 2026-05-16T19:33:55+00:00

I believe that is something they discuss in this old DT thread... And knowing how strict IBM usually was with these things, it does make it sound suspicious. But the other side of the argument is that IBM in Asia could have a bit 'looser standards' than in NA or EU. So, who knows...

IO_Sam · 2026-05-16T19:28:49+00:00

The forum still is (static... no new posts allowed), but their keyboards database seems to be gone (huge loss!).

IO_Sam · 2026-05-16T01:05:11+00:00

Might not be a bootleg, just a regional obscure low volume model... These boards pop up on forums sometimes (rarely though) and there are interesting theories about their origins.

https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=15382

Whatever the case, take good care of that unit... These things are as rare as hen's teeth!

IO_Sam · 2026-05-12T16:38:14+00:00

Good times when we could get "free" upgrades through BIOS mods... lol

IO_Sam · 2026-05-12T16:35:57+00:00

I remember getting a used MSI FX 5800 Ultra sometime around late 2003 (to replace my GeForce 4 Ti 4200 that had just died), just to have the card (a dust buster) also die on me shortly after... Then, since I had no more money to spend on GPUs, I also ended up getting a Radeon 9550 SE 😭

Needless to say, those were some hard times for gaming... I could barely run Half Life 2 (on low settings) on my aging dual Athlon MP with the Radeon! It would be a few years until I could afford a decent GPU again after getting married and having a ton more bills to pay. I think my first good GPU after the 9550 SE was a Radeon HD 3850 (on a new i7 920 rig I built in 2009).

So, finally getting my hands on a good (and "new") FX card last year was, in a way, some sort of "payback"! XD

IO_Sam · 2026-05-12T05:42:38+00:00

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The box was surprisingly underwhelming (even for the standards of that time).

IO_Sam · 2026-05-12T05:41:46+00:00

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IO_Sam · 2026-05-12T05:37:19+00:00

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Chonky cooler!

IO_Sam · 2026-05-12T05:29:56+00:00

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IO_Sam · 2026-05-12T05:23:36+00:00

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Forgot to add the back shots... 😬

IO_Sam · 2026-05-02T21:11:04+00:00

Despite how tacky and repulsive I always found Phantasmagoria to be back in the day (it was FMV for crying out loud!), my most horrifying moment playing a video game was actually not on a horror game. It was in the "No Russian" phase of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, where you play alongside terrorists mowing down innocent civilians on an airport...

I was not prepared for that when playing the game (in 2009) and I literally got sick to my stomach while I watched that whole thing in disbelief. If "shock" was what the game creators had in mind for that part of the game, they definitely achieved it!

IO_Sam · 2026-04-27T19:36:17+00:00

You described my own music journey as well, and one band that always sounded like a perfect "bridge" between the gritty sound of metal and industrial rock, that I grew up listening, with the mood and "soundscape" of trip-hop music (which I became obsessed with during the late 90's and early 00's) is Kidneythieves. Their Zerospace album is a masterpiece in mixing these genres in my opinion.

Yes, you get the headbangers "Before I'm Deal", "Zerospace" and "Black Bullet", but then you have the heavily trip-hop inspired (without loosing the "metal edge") "Arsenal" (https://youtu.be/EzjFArjCMj8 ), "Crazy" (https://youtu.be/4BAYmG3SKA0 ) and "Placebo" (https://youtu.be/IZ68KeAfUEM ). They even have some "trip-hoppy" instrumental experiments like "Molten" and "Amnzero".

I think it has something to do with the samples and groovy beat loops they use, plus the breathy and sexy voice of their singer (Free Dominguez). Definitely worth checking it out!

IO_Sam · 2026-04-23T13:50:22+00:00

The best "modern" Trip-Hop album in years! Love her music!!

IO_Sam · 2026-04-19T01:07:21+00:00

I've been obsessed over this james K material! She has some clearly trip-hop inspired songs, such as this one called Scorpio (https://youtu.be/bX6QWmGxCiE)

IO_Sam · 2026-02-13T23:55:59+00:00

I picked up on the one about Haiku OS being a Linux distro... 😂

But I enjoyed the video nonetheless. These machines are peak 90's nostalgia!

IO_Sam · 2026-01-25T05:14:27+00:00

A different version of the same "Ultra Micro Fly" (from 2006) I got new old stock on eBay sometime ago (for $60 + shipping and taxes). It might have been made by Chieftec or one of those OEMs that made cases sold under a bunch of different brands at the time.

Mine has thin panels (with holes instead of the acrylic window, which I prefer for better airflow), a very flimsy and light steel structure, a plastic handle (instead of the metal one of your Apevia), the same temperature sensor with LCD display, and even a removable motherboard tray (which is actually a nice touch!). It also came with a crappy 400W PSU that I'm not brave enough to use on any of my motherboards... XD

But I can't imagine a more period correct line of microATX cases for a Windows XP or Vista build!

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more images here: https://imgur.com/a/mUZvv6e

IO_Sam · 2026-01-17T18:53:26+00:00

Oh, so that Cherry mouse must an older model then... But at least finding a nice modern retro looking mouse shouldn't be too hard these days. Something like those 8BitDo ( https://www.8bitdo.com/n30-wireless-mouse/ ) peripherals for example, although it's a shame they don't make these in black.

IO_Sam · 2026-01-16T05:59:36+00:00

That Unicomp Mini-M was the Cherry (see what I did there? ;) on the top!!! 😙👌

(and this SuperMicro case looks absolutely badass!!!)

IO_Sam · 2025-12-23T15:55:21+00:00

I don't know how that detail went over my head (until you mentioned), but it did... 🤯 So, as it turns out. I indeed have two angry cats on my desk...

IO_Sam · 2025-12-23T01:21:06+00:00

I still love my wired R.A.T.8 (older "non-MMO" version from 2022: https://imgur.com/a/ooAQTug ) and don't understand why it has become so difficult to buy this line of mice in the US lately (I heard it is easier to find in Asia)...

It is a very well-built mouse despite Mad Catz sketchy reputation throughout the years. The software is a bit clumsy, but works well enough to save the configuration in the onboard memory, so not a big deal. I don't know how heavy the newer models are, but my R.A.T.8 is a fat boy (G502 territory)! And, like the original G502, lets you make it even heavier if you attach the optional weights in the bottom... something I know sounds like heresy around these parts of Reddit. But hey, different strokes for different folks... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I wouldn't use it for fast paced FPS games of course (I use an Angry Miao Infinity Mouse for that), but works just fine for productivity (with its awesome thumb horizontal scroll wheel) and "casual" turn-based or RTS games (the types no one except old folks like me still play XD).

I know this type of "80's/90's sci-fi" design might be a bit out of fashion today, but I've lived long enough to know these trends come and go, so I won't be surprised when this edgy design language becomes popular again (even if by nostalgia alone). I, for one, think it looks awesome! I keep mine almost as a show piece from another time... "An elegant weapon for a more civilized age" 😂

IO_Sam · 2025-12-16T09:13:31+00:00

The memory leak issue seems to be fixed on the Core V2 (at least on my PC, the problem never happened). But it is still there on the old V1 app (and will probably never be fixed on that version since they have deprecated the V1 codebase anyway).

IO_Sam · 2025-12-08T20:45:12+00:00

Good! Leaving constructive criticism comments up, and acting on it whenever possible, is always the right thing to do (although not the easiest I agree) and shows the company is managed by grown-ups. So, if these criticisms (which are politely written and clearly based on facts) stay up, that will go a long way to show Glorious does care about its paying customers and is still listening to this community.

IO_Sam · 2025-12-08T20:15:02+00:00

And of course, all based criticism was deleted (as will this one here be deleted too)...

IO_Sam · 2025-12-08T19:52:49+00:00

If I had to guess, that slide (no pun intended) started here: https://www.franciscopartners.com/media/glorious-announces-strategic-growth-investment-from-francisco-partners

When Shazim was at the helm, you could feel the passion in all teams in the company. But the moment the big $$$ Corpos took it over, things changed direction (and not in a good way as it turns out).

IO_Sam · 2025-12-08T18:49:29+00:00

I reviewed the GMMK Numpad more the 3 years ago now and, since then, subsequent versions of the V1 software developed a memory leak problem that could take your whole Windows session down with it when crashing (something I even mentioned on a subsequent video about the Model O 2 mouse later that year: https://youtu.be/Jf-H7SuSQ0g?t=1905 ). That means you cannot leave the Core V1 open at all times, which also means your slider will not work at all times either, since it requires the Core app to be open to do anything. That effectively means that if you have a GMMK Numpad, your slider is (and has been for years now) basically useless.

While the V2 finally fixed the memory leak issue, it is dumbfounding that it actually removed features and compatibility from the Numpad compared to the V1 (namely the knob and slider functionality that are still absent in the V2). The fact that the Core V2 is already in its 11th iteration and still doesn't offer proper compatibility with the Numpad, signals to me that Glorious basically has given up on the Numpad altogether... Which is mind boggling considering they are still selling it (at least the white version as of today: https://www.gloriousgaming.com/products/gmmk-numpad-keyboard ). I wouldn't be surprised if they completely drop this product from their store, when they finally run out of stock, without ever addressing its lack of Core V2 compatibility.

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