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I have started watching each day an episode of the Bad Batch. I think that is what it is called, it is on Disney+. I am 2 episodes deep in to it and I am hooked.

Some years ago I was curious about Macbooks, Apple stuff, etc. I was wondering about the OS and started looking on eBay. I picked up a 2008 Macbook Unibody for around $20 to $25, can't remember exactly but it was cheap and the OS was outdated. I was able to learn and enjoyed playing and tinkering with it. I ended up sticking it away and purchasing a Macbook Pro with a supported OS. And it was my daily for many years.
Recently I started reading and watching Youtube videos about installing Linux on a Macbook. I had to dig out this old 2008 Macbook. And I downloaded the newest version of MX Linux and put it on a bootable USB. I held down the option key while turning on the laptop. I held the key down until the two options to boot appeared on the screen. Chose the USB drive and booted into the Linux install. It runs like a top. It fully makes this laptop up-to-date and very usable. This could be a good laptop for my daily. All it needs is a new battery. Linux has made this thing modern and breathed new life into it. Everything works but the camera, not sure, but I might have to do a bit of fiddling for that. But I do not need it really.
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Happy Birthday!! 

hmmmm.............

I took it apart and fixed it this morning.

I unplugged the battery and then hooked up the AC adapter, turned it on. Evidently something was hung in the boot up.

But this does not change my opinion in my previous post.

BIG update on my ASUS Chromebook. The screen went out, black screen. Nothing works that I found online concerning the issue. Being that it is refurbished there was only a 90 day warranty. But wait I took out the 2 year warranty that was offered. Talked with them on the phone today (allstate). They sent me the label, paperwork, to my email. I printed it all out and was packing everything up, filling out the paperwork to be included. Whoa....back the bus up. The information that needed to be included, passwords, ID, PIN, to get into my Chromebook, everything needed that would open it up. My wheels started churning in my head. Surely these people are good people, trust worthy, full of integrity. Yeah, right. I know this Chromebook cost me $99. But giving everybody that handles this access to everything just doesn't set right with me. (especially access to my email and Chrome has saved some of my critical stuff.) Nothing may happen, but I do not want to take that chance. Which causes me to draw a conclusion, that Chromebooks may be okay, but if there is some sort of failure, it might be the best route, to just, accept the loss and move on. If this was just something used on the side with an unimportant email account I would not think much about it. But I was using this to be my banking, bill paying, notebook.
I am on the little Lenovo Chromebook at this moment, Wife did not like it, likes her 2009 macbook pro. I have lost nothing because I used a 256g micro sd as my hard drive saving everything.

I am really thinking that a LINUX laptop might be the best thing for what I am wanting to do online that needs a lot of security and would be safe.

[First Impressions?]

I posted this review on my "blog" site this week. Thought it might be of interest here. I love to tinker with things like this.

First Impressions?
I have been looking for a good Sega Mega Drive/Genesis clone handheld for a long time. This portable has been on my radar for several months. I have been digging around for some sort of review to sink my teeth into and have come up short. I found one on youtube but it was frustrating as the person just did not do his homework. He just opened the box and started fiddling with the console ending up with me having more questions than answers once he was through.

This is what seems to be labeled the MD-16BIT console model number HG-943. I am assuming it is manufactured by FEI HAO being that name is on the label located on the back of the console. The box has Shenzhen Tianzi Technology Co. Ltd.

You must understand that this is a System On a Chip (SOC) technology. It tries to emulate the original console on one chip. It depends on who is manufacturing the console whether or not they have been very successful in their endeavors. Some are close, some are not very.

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Size comparison against the 3DS, Nintendo Switch Lite, Gameboy SP, and the Gameboy Pocket.

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Basic Observation:
The console is shaped like a brick with a quirky look and the button configuration is not Sega. The whole arrangement, the directional button and the shoot/jump buttons are just not the "Sega" experience.

What's in the box:You get the console, two wireless controllers, charge cable, and an HDMI cord. You also get an instruction manual which does have broken English and poorly constructed sentences. No help here. The biggest problem with the instructions is that the illustrations do not match the console. So you are left with trying to figure out everything from scratch.

How does it feel:
I have medium sized adult hands. It feels very comfortable to hold and the buttons are intuitive to a handheld device. They are easy to reach, have short travel in the pushing, and are a little clicky.

The screen:
The screen is about 4.5 inches which is a very satisfying and nice acceptable size. The color is good and it does have a sweet spot when it comes to angling it for play, not too bad, just average and common on these devices. It would have been a whole lot better if it had been IPS, but it is what it is. There is no brightness control. If there is a lot of light where you are playing the screen seems to be darkened by it. It is better to play in the shade or in an area where there is not a lot of light. It was probably set this way so as to save battery life. The screen is sharp and the games look great on it, good color and contrast. There is no aspect ratio adjustment. It is on the console in the manual but not on the console that came out of this box. That could be a killer for some gamers. The picture is stretched across this screen, distorted. Some games it is not so obvious, just depends on what you are playing. But still you do notice the difference if you are a Mega Drive/Genesis fan. You have an HDMI out on this console, so guess what? Yes you are right the screen is stretched on the big screen, be it 32in or 55in. The console's screen is easily scratched. I already have a slight little scratch on the left side. You can't see it unless you tilt the unit a little in the light, but I know it is there, if you know what I mean. And I have only had this five days! The screen is better than the Sega Nomad unless you have performed a mod.

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The Console:
On the top you have the HDMI and AV out on the left and your charge input on the right. You also have two shoulder buttons. Bottom of the console, you have a port one and two, one on the left and two on the right, for your standard Mega Drive/ Genesis controllers. There is a switch on the right to turn these ports on when they are in use. There is also your headphone port with a volume control wheel. On the right you have two switches that are for region adjustment, NTSC, Japan, PAL. On the face there is the reset, select, and start, which are clearly marked in English. The shoot/jump buttons are arranged in a diamond configuration of four buttons, six buttons total when you include the shoulder buttons. And these buttons are marked just as you would find on a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis controller, just not arranged as you would want them. Oh, and the on/off switch is on the top right of the console. All things are clearly marked, molded in the plastic shell. The console feels of a good solid build and I know some of the weight comes from the 2000mAh battery. But really, the plastic housing has a good thick and sturdy feel, and seems very durable, impressive. There is only one speaker, on the back of the console, where I put my fingers, which can muffle the sound. Headphones are a must.

The console is a simple push the cartridge in, turn on, play, no menu to configure anything. The carts are inserted in the top of the console and the cartridge slot has a spring loaded dust cover.

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Games:
You guessed it, all the Mega Drive/Genesis games that are out there, except for Virtua Racing. But that can be expected. I have only found the newest Hyperkin console to be able to play that game. It is a common game that clone consoles just have a problem playing.

With a short learning curve due to the button placement you are playing some of your favorite games. I found it very awkward using the six buttons in fighting games. Vectorman one and two would only work after I did a reset using that particular button, strange. The Sonic & Knuckles lock-on tech works but I found it very finicky as it shakes and loses contact interrupting the gameplay. It would only be good for playing during a TV hookup gaming session. Yes the Game Genie works, but you still have that extension hanging out there for a wiggle. My Game Genie did feel tighter than the Sonic & Knuckles set up. I have tested over a hundred games, not all that I have, yet, but enough to satisfy me that the console has good compatibility.

Reproduction games work on this console. I only had a few that seemed to not boot, out of maybe thirty games. The Everdrive cart, Chinese version, works. Even hacks, and homebrew are included in this testing, like the cart version of Final Fight, Gun Slugs, Darius, Xenocrisis, they work. Reproduction, homebrew, carts are a mixed bag. I found some were difficult to remove from the console, sometimes certain games would lockup at certain points in the gameplay. If a cart which had a homebrew, reproduction cart, did not work, the game would play when put on the everdrive, or if it was preloaded on a multi cart, it would play.

The best route to go if you do not have a big collection of games would be an inexpensive multi cart or the everdrive. That way you would not have a lot of money invested. If you want to invest in the original games I would suggest the original console too. I don't have any PAL games to try except for Zero Wing. And it will play on any NTSC Sega console. I only have two Japanese games, only one of them would play.

(And I should mention that there are about 118 built-in games. Well, they call them games. I have a different opinion. Simply turn on the console with no cart in the slot for these (ahem) games to boot.)

What about the Audio:
We are talking about a clone console in which reproducing an accurate Mega Drive/Genesis audio has always seemed troublesome, with some clones being ear bleedingly off. Some games seem to be good, acceptable, other games where umm, there is something a little, you know, while others maybe the music drowns out the special effect sounds, nothing when it comes to clones, is perfect. It is just the nature of the present technology in cheap clones. You just accept it and game, or stick to the original console.

HDMI TV experience:
Understand I did not purchase this console for TV gaming. I totally had the sole purpose of playing my game in my hand. I have the original Genesis 1 hooked to my TV. With that being said this was an easy setup for playing. The two wireless controllers (two AAA batteries needed) were an instant connect, boom! My problem? The "A" button on the "Player one" controller does not work, defective. The light on the back of the controller shows that it is connecting with a flash for every push of the button, but nothing. That becomes critical for some games when it does not give you a way to pick button configuration in the options. Can I take the second controller and use it? No because each controller is set, with one being Player 1 and the other one is Player 2. Each has been pre-configured and has no way to change and switch. I have other wireless controllers that contain a switch for that purpose, but not these two, not this console's controllers. The wireless are very responsive and I did not detect any lag. Buttons sit kind-of high but overall a satisfying experience. And they do have the look of Sega controllers, small, but feel comfortable in your hands. I do have the option of using the original Sega controllers. That works well by flipping the switch on the console for that purpose. Found that a Hyperkin Mega Drive/Genesis controller works okay. I, personally, will never use this console in this manner. What about the bad controller, I will pitch it aside. I do not expect any type of compensation from the seller being that I got it from Aliexpress. No big deal to me, just the way it is.

Battery:
Not sure how long it takes to charge this battery to a full charge at this point. The longest I have had it charging was six hours, and that was a ¾ full. Must be a slow trickle charge. I have gotten a few hours of play time, about three. Nothing in the manual about charging.

And that is another annoying issue. In the upper right corner of the screen is the battery icon, which stays there in the corner of your game. No way of turning that off, that I know of. It shows how much of a charge that you have continuously. Is it a welcome or an annoying feature? To me it is both. It can get in the way of some games.

Final Thoughts:
Considering my hands-on experience, even though it has been a short time, it is easy to come to some conclusions about the gaming side of this console. The cons that I have mentioned above is the elephant in the room. If you choose to ignore those things, you find a console with some enjoyable gaming. It is with mixed feelings that I have begun to enjoy this thing. It is the best handheld clone system that plays game cartridges which I have owned. I do have the Sega Nomad. Is this a good replacement? That is the wrong question to ask. Can I have a good Sega gaming experience with this clone console? It is not for everyone. A diehard Sega fan would have issues with the elephant in the room. There is nothing about the look of the console design that says, "SEGA." But it does play my games that I want to play. The real question is, "Is it worth a purchase?" For me it is. And I hope I have given you enough of an Idea for you to make an informed decision. Is it for you? Only you can make that decision. How durable are these Chinese consoles? That is really a gamble. I have one which is the Retro Bit Retrogen, a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis clone handheld, cartridge based, have had it for years, it still works. Then there are some which die with a short life from cheap capacitors.

I give this console a thumbs up.

Thanks for the Birthday wishes!

My spoils!
I also got three games for the Switch,
Sonic Mania
Star Trek: Prodigy Supernova
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth complete edition

In the photo three NES games and two for the Famicom.
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Happy Birthday!!!

I finally sat down and watched this one. Maybe my tastes in movies are completely different.
My thoughts on this movie are,
It feels too much of a "Disney+" production quality.
It seems to be an extended episode of Ms Marvel.
It does not merit a theatrical release because of the above. I would have felt cheated if I paid the theater price to see this.
I can see, due to some elements in the movie, why it had movie audiences reject it. There were some awkward moments, one of those being the singing planet.
I will say that Fury somewhat redeemed himself in this one after, what I personally saw, in the "Secret Invasion" as a failure.
I also thought from the "Secret Invasion" series that somehow these were to be connected? That did not happen, my mistake? I guess I was expecting a different plot.
I felt like the movie was rushed and short, adding to the frustration of an "episode" feel.
There were some concepts here that I liked and I felt needed development and placed into a better, more fleshed out, written script. Speaking of the team of heroes. I get the message from the movie that this was a one time thing.
On the whole I did enjoy the movie to a certain extent. I enjoyed the comic book hero stuff. I think when you compare it to the release of the Avenger movies, it does not compare because in those movies there was the character development in which we saw and enjoyed. It was rich and well written, and directed. Disney is capable of producing those type of movies again if they would just take the time and stop cookie cutting these fast cheap productions. Yes I would like to see a second Captain Marvel movie. No I don't want a Disney channel kiddo quality version to insult my intelligence. That first Captain Marvel movie was good.

Maybe I hold Disney to a higher standard when it comes to my comic book hero movie expectations. I know that most of the DC movies have been somewhat lackluster but I have still enjoyed watching them. Maybe it is because I want to see a good production of those heroes and I have given up hope?

My biggest problem, and it disturbs me, with any of the Star Trek series is when they run out of ideas they revert to a war that lasts for the rest of the series to a certain extent. Or they just don't know how to end it. Why can't it just end with things as being normal and let our imagination take it from there? At least the original series did not have this problem. Early seasons are always my favorite with any of the Star Trek TV franchises after the original series.

I have grown to appreciate "enterprise" and "Deep Space Nine" in my old age.

I got the first three seasons of Deep Space Nine for Christmas. So, that is what I am presently watching. 

LOL you made me look. I did not realize this thread is 2022! 

@BLUEVOODU hmmmm.......not really. Just easy to keep resolutions. 

My New Years resolutions: Keep my eyes closed during a roller coaster ride, eat more chocolate, don't leave my crayons in the sun, use dental floss every day, don't throw trash on the ground when I am walking on Mars, don't spill hydrochloric acid on my shoes, eat more chocolate, always knock before entering a barn, don't let dinosaurs get in the sugar, never volunteer to do any extra dental work, always get my seat before the cat does, eat more chocolate, and feed my stomach whenever it's hungry.

I will try to make good on all my resolutions......

@BLUEVOODU first impression is, I am not sure about the gameplay. It is sort-of tactical in a way. I was expecting more of a run and gun. I will have to go back to it. Too many games at once. The Deathsmiles game made me dig out my Xbox 360. I hooked it up yesterday and started playing. LOL

a VERY Merry Christmas to everyone.

@BLUEVOODU
DO I really want to do this here? I am talking about my haul, my loot, my gifts.......

My Wife and Daughter poured out the gifts on me. I have started beefing up my Switch games collection.
Today I got the following,

Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Pokemon Shield
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R
Deathsmiles 1 & 2 (oh man this hit the spot, loved this on the Xbox 360)
HOA (love the artwork in this one)
Kitaria Fables (RPG)
Alex Kidd: in miracle world DX
Terra Trilogy

and
Iron Tank for NES (I have been looking for this one for a while)

I have been trying to get into the Switch for a while. One game that is doing it for me is Dragon Quest 11, now playing. Also Personna 5 Strikers is great. And Nier: Automata has blown me away.

I come by here every day. How did I miss this?

Hope everyone had a good holiday.
I have been avoid carbs and increasing my fiber. Trying to adjust my eating habits and going for a different way of dieting. There is a need heath wise. I have been losing a lot of weight which has been very good and showing up as good in my labs. I have also increase my exercise routine.
WELL
THAT WAS ALL DESTROYED IN ONE MEAL!!!   

But really it was a good day and a good weekend.

I have been trying to survive the first stage of this first bullet hell shooter for the NES/Famicom console. It is tough and it is very busy on screen, space ships, bullets, etc.
This is a picture of my cartridge. I had to attach a video because there was no way that I could capture, with a camera standing in front of my TV, all of the action in this game. It is a homebrew and I am loving every minute of it.

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I am very reluctant concerning this movie. I was very disappointed in the Secret Invasion series. I will probably wait until it is shone on Disney+

@BLUEVOODU to be honest, I have forgotten about this game. It is still a bit pricey even for the Japanese version, which is the best option. Not sure when, but maybe it will be in my sights some day.
(right now I am playing a bullet hell shooter on the NES) 

Loki has just rewritten the time lines of the MCU. He became the God of stories as he did in the comics. He has become more powerful than what he was.

I am presently watching through the Star Trek series Enterprise. When this series was first released on TV I totally rejected it. Could not find it useful for viewing as part of the franchise. I am first a fan of the original Star Trek. I spent time adjusting my antenna, as a youth, trying to tune it in on our old Black & White TV set, in those days. Was totally thrilled with STNG when it came along. Deep Space 9 I sort-of watched it sometimes. Star Trek Voyager left me frustrated, how can these people be on their way home to the alpha area of the galaxy and still run into the same aliens? Why were there so many episodes with a few to one in a shuttle far away from the ship? Aren't they trying to make their home? Everyone seems hostile so why are they away from the ship? There was a lot about that series that I felt that they dropped the ball. There was so much potential! Aggh!!!
I said all this because I really do appreciate the Enterprise series now. I am really enjoying my romp through each episode. And I find Deep Space 9 more appealing. Even though both of those series had endings that I felt were lame. Not sure if it is because I am older or what. I am in the first season of Enterprise right now, blu-ray. I wish they hadn't dated it with the intro theme song.

Wow, sure did. This is one of the best series on Disney+. This will be visited again, and a must own on DVD when released. Very satisfied....

@BLUEVOODU
Sorry, I view the idea of putting color to that short piece as blasphemy. And my Daughter and I refuse to watch it in color. Our very conversation when we saw it put up on Disney+ was, "How come Disney continues to destroy their own stuff." "Did someone complain?" "What is wrong with these people?" We were offended by the very concept. I guess I consider the black & white aspect of the work a part of the artistic makeup of the total work, sort-of like the old Wizard of Oz movie. And it was enjoyable with it being like that.

Sorry, I refuse to watch it in color. 

I am glad to have the physical games that are in my collection of retro stuff. I plan on collecting more Switch games. I have somewhat neglected this console for some reason. I need to increase the library of my DS, 3DS, GBA, and my Switch. I have recently been purchasing just NES and Famicom. I have been dabbling in the emulation stuff by purchasing some of the handhelds from Ali Express. Some of them are not that bad. If you are interested in old 16 bit gaming the stick with the wireless controller works well for Genesis and SNES games, and the NES too if you would like to try that route. It is very convenient, just hook the HDMI end to your flat screen, plug the power cord into the usb and play. I have several of these so I label them.
With these sticks Mame is a bit touch and go, some games have a horrible lag. Some games just do not work.

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My Daughter and I have finished watching the Agents of Shield series. I will say about the last two seasons, they did not drop the ball. Same quality and good ending to the series. Seasons 6 and 7 was just too short.

Both Walmart and Best Buy are going to eliminate physical copies of games and movies from their stores in 2024. I am thinking that this will impact and change the gaming industry in a big way. Game stores struggle to keep the doors open by carrying merchandise like figurines, stuffed things, DVDs, t-shirts, boardgames, buying and selling electronics, used games, etc. Not sure how this would affect them unless the game industry went full digital download.
I don't purchase new games anymore. I look for used stuff, usually on eBay, or a local game store. So I am not supporting the system, I guess. So how is this my fault? There are those "collector stuff" that I have stepped up to the plate to obtain, usually stuff that I was really into. Like the Lunar series on the PS1. Got both one and two collector's editions. Most everything else has been used and I have not been too picky on whether it was in the original case. But being a retro gamer most of my interests have been in the used market anyway. But where I do care is my Nintendo Switch. I want hard copies.

When it comes to movies, I do purchase new, hard copies, DVDs. Has this generation switched to streaming only?

So where do you think we are going with physical games at this point? Post up!

I was always a "game only" console sort-of gamer. Whether it be handheld or home console, don't put any other feature on my system. Restrict my consoles to game only!  Then came along the Sony Vita, it ruined everything.    I fell head over heels for that system. Man I used it for everything, gaming, skype, youtube, facebook, email, photos, etc. It was my all in one in my pocket. I carried it everywhere, even on business trips to keep in touch at home with skype. It was the bomb. Then Sony dumped it, all the support crashed and I was left with a game system only. I miss that time however short it was, there has not been anything like it since. I did use it occasionally to do remote play.
That being said............

I would love a return to a Vita like device.

watched episode 2 last night........................

oh...this is so good........