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Marketplace Scratch Pad

A Directory of Wonderful Things

Scott Jagow Apr 6, 2009

Yes, I stole my headline from the catch-phrase for boing boing because one of the wonderful things I’d like to point out came from that site. I just wanted to remind you, ahem, myself, that there are many wonderful things still going on in the world.

First up, a guy who just created a Commodore 64 laptop. Yes, a Commodore 64. Benjamin J Heckendorn describes it this way:

This is a fully functional Commodore 64 laptop using actual hardware, specifically the C64C motherboard which was one of the last and smallest revisions. It uses a Gamecube power supply in place of the original power brick…

Looking back now, I think this is probably one of, if not my favorite project I have done. It just looks so beautifully ugly it’s great, like it came out of a time machine from an alternate reality 80’s where this existed.

Brings a tear to my eye. I remember playing text adventure games on the C64. You can see how Ben put this thing together here.

The next wonderful thing is a painting about the economy. The artist wrote a note to financial blogger Mike “Mish” Shedlock. His name is Scott Moore, and he’s based in Laguna Beach, CA. The finished product is below, but you can see how he did it here. It’s pretty cool.

Finally, we have college basketball. Michigan State plays my Alma mater, North Carolina, tonight for the national championship. The game’s being played in Detroit, about a hundred miles from Michigan State’s campus. There’s plenty of talk about Michigan State carrying the hopes of Detroit’s ailing economy on its back for a night.

From this morning’s Detroit Free Press:

The positive psychological impact of Michigan State’s stirring run to the cusp of a national championship isn’t a cry for pity. Feel our pain. Share our tears. Give those who have nothing something to which they can proudly grab hold.

It’s simply an opportunity to prove to ourselves as much as the outside that we’re always stronger when we band together for a common purpose. That’s all. And that’s enough.

It’s certainly enough for me. Detroit’s economy has already gotten a boost from hosting the Final Four, and a psychological lift from MSU going this far. It’s a wonderful thing.

An even more wonderful thing would be this shot getting blocked.

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