37 years ago today, the first Macs went on sale – just a few days after the airing of the famous “1984” Super Bowl commercial that introduced them. With Macintosh approaching the big 4-0, could a 40th Anniversary Macintosh be right around the corner?
Category Archives: Fun Stuff
Just for fun!
What’s new is old again. (Sonumi for Classic Macs)
Have you heard the tale of Sosumi? Long story short, when Apple began to produce computers that could play audio, the Beatles’ record label “Apple Records” threatened legal actions against Apple Computer. Apple (Computer) won on the premise that they don’t sell music and wouldn’t be competing with them (well, at least not then). As a gag, they boasted their sound capabilities with a sound effect called “Sosumi”. Get it? “So-Sue-Me”!
Well, Sosumi has been around for a long time, since System 7 in fact. It even survived the transition to Mac OS X and has been included in the OS up until last month when macOS Big Sur got released. One of the many changes that Big Sur introduced was remixed alert sound effects, including a remixed version of “Sosumi”, called “Sonumi” (So NEW me!)
I thought it might be fun to convert the new sound effect “Sonumi” down to a System 7 sound file and make it my alert sound effect on my classic Macs. It oddly doesn’t sound out of place, but sort of plays with your head a little in a fun sort of way. In any case, if you’d like a copy – I’ve included a link below. Hopefully Apple doesn’t have a problem with that. (Oh well, Sosumi!)
Download Sonumi for System 7/8/9
How to use this:
- Download the above file, and transfer to your classic Mac
- Use either StuffIt Expander or BinHex to extract
- Take the sound file and drop it into your system suitcase within your System Folder
- Open Control Panels and find the Sound control panel – you should now be able to choose Sonumi!
Enjoy!
Raspberry Pi Mac Modem
A few months ago I wrote this article about using a Raspberry Pi to connect vintage Macs to the internet via serial cables and PPP. It’s a great solution I think, but it doesn’t exactly “look” the part. For a little retro-fun, I made a much more authentic looking case for my Raspberry Pi Mac modem! Check it out:
Playing MP3s on 68k Macintosh
If you’re looking for a fun (and modern) use for your classic Mac – there’s one option you might not have considered: playing MP3s. Up until last year I didn’t even think this was possible without at least a PowerPC system – but most 040-based Macs and some 030s can actually play MP3 files quite well!
Change the background pattern of desktop accessories
Here’s a quick tip for System 7.5: you can easily set the background pattern of desktop accessories / utilities with the regular “Desktop Patterns” control panel. Simply, hold the Option key down and you’ll have the option to set the background of desktop utilities like Calculator, Find File, Puzzle, Key Caps, and others!
Classic Mac web surfin’ with Web Rendering Proxy (WRP)
Connecting 68k Macs to the Internet – and actually using it!
If you’ve read my post about using a Raspberry Pi to connect a classic Mac to the internet, you know that it’s quite possible to get an old machine online. The issue though, is that very few websites work correctly or even load. The obsolete browsers that run on these systems just don’t support today’s web, right?
But what if I told you, there’s another way… just take a look at these photos! There are no early April fools jokes here, it’s completely possible – just read on!
Meet Classicbot
If you’re a fan of classic Macs, check out Classicbot! This cute little guy was created by playsometoys, a Hong-Kong based startup.
They also make an iBot, a classic black Classicbot, and a plushie version along with various other retro goodies.
Take a look here: https://classicbot.com/
Macintosh Color Classic Mystic
The Macintosh Color Classic
Many Mac models have interesting histories, fan bases, or just notoriety in general… and that’s no exception for the Color Classic.
The final frontier: connecting a Macintosh SE to the Internet with a Raspberry Pi
Yep. It’s totally possible. You can pretty much get any Mac on the internet – as Macs have been designed for networking since day one. But… it’s not exactly “plug n’ play”. I’ve seen a few websites and bloggers pull this feat off a few different ways. Below, I’ll give you a quick run down of some of the ways people have gotten it to work, along with how I was able to get my Macintosh SE FDHD online.
