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David Crookes looks at how you can give a retro machine a brand new lease of life
We are constantly discarding the old in the pursuit of the new. A new phone comes out and suddenly the last one is old news, even though it's worked perfectly well for the past year and probably will into the next decade. A new update appears on the computer, and scores of us decide to upgrade for no reason other than the fact that it's there and we're curious. Developers of numerous websites from Facebook to Twitter make tweaks just to refresh things, usually leading to an outcry about an icon or something, but then we carry on as normal again.
It can be quite cathartic to take a step back from the relentless grind of always trying to be at the cutting edge, to look at a technology that predates the current trends and which seemingly offers you a sense of stability. If you think back to the days of the 8-bit computers (assuming you're old enough, of course), you'll recall a time when you could just turn on a machine, have it instantly boot and then stay in that state. There were no prompts for updates, no need to upgrade for years. It's refreshing to peer through those rose-tinted specs and even the most jaded of eyes will light with delight. And then the 'what ifs' hit you.
Steady can be boring. Sure, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but change isn't all that bad - especially if you have a piece of tech knocking around that you haven't touched for ages but want to spring back into life. There are ways to take your Spectrums, Commodore 64s, Amstrad CPCs, games consoles and even peripherals to the next level, making them do things that your younger self wouldn't have considered doing for various reasons - perhaps cost or because you were worried about breaking something. Today, though, you may find the circumstances are just right and that modding is something you'd like to try.
Some practitioners of this techy art have made something of a name for themselves. Among them is Benjamin Heckendorn, who runs the website benheck.com. He has become a celebrity 'maker'...