announcement

Attention fans of Mac collectibles: One collector is liquidating a giant hoard of posters, pamphlets, stickers, and much more, to raise some much-needed money. I don't know how long these pages will stay up; take a look now for some nostalgic and rare items from days of yore - and maybe just the thing you need for your collection.

http://www.saldanah.com/applesale/

Attention! A reader has an old TAM that won't power up. He asks whether there are any shops currently performing TAM repair or are interested in buying a TAM for parts. 

I came across an interesting online discussion at Apple Fritter, offering one possible fix (internal reset button) for a TAM that won't power up. It'd be great if that fixed the reader's problem!

I don't know any repair shops currently offering TAM service; I've seen some old links on old TAM sites, which are now dead. I would search for any and all shops offering Mac repair, and inquire whether they can fix a TAM, or whether they'd buy for parts. (Regarding parts, there's always the eBay option. I know many people look for TAMs on eBay; they usually want working ones, but there could be someone looking for a dead unit to cannibalize.)

Hmm, a really dedicated do-it-yourselfer could get hold of a PowerMac/Performa 5500, on whose motherboard the TAM is based, and scrounge parts from there. Naturally, I can't offer any guarantee that such a transplant is a good idea; it's an idea for the brave!

In any case, a question for all: Does anyone have info about shops offering TAM repair, vendors buying or selling TAM parts, or other advice about TAM troubleshooting? If so, please comment; I'd be happy to add good info to my Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh overview.

It's ready! I've posted a big online shrine to one of the most wonderfully strange laptops ever, the clamshell iBook. It was big, it was curvy, it was sexy, it was and still is an eye-catcher. It will forever be a Wacky Mac. 

I've got an overview, specs, video links, resources – and an original photo gallery of a rare and unforgettable face, the Key Lime iBook. Head in and take a look!

The clamshell iBook: the Mac with the sexy curves

Here’s to the wacky ones.

The cubes.
The clamshells.
The translucent candy cases.
The chrome necks suspending screens over white half-domes.
The ones who flaunt fields of flowers and dalmatian spots.
They’re not fond of beige.
And they have no respect for the floppy disk.
You can mock them, drool over them, gawk at them or yearn for them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the personal computer forward.
And while some may see them as the wacky ones,
We see genius.
Because the Macs who are crazy enough to think
they can change the computer,
Are the ones who did. And still do.

Introducing Wacky Mac, your guide to the strangest, most unusual Apple products ever to escape Cupertino. First up: an original hands-on guide to the most elusive Mac of all, the Twentieth Anniversay Macintosh! Overviews, specs, resources, video links, and a photo gallery of Mac'em X's own beloved TAM – I dare say it's the web's most complete guide to this stunning and little-known machine.

In progress: a look at the curvy original iBook – dubbed "the toilet seat Mac" by some! Watch for it soon – and let me know your vote for the next Wacky Mac entry. 

Wacky Mac