Captains Blog

Pimp my C64

2009-09-11T21:03:00.013+01:00

On the night Michelle went in to hospital to give birth to Sophie and Kayleigh (Friday July 31st), I started a little project. I wanted to 'pimp up' one of my C64s by spray painting the case black, and swap an old style C64 keyboard so that it would match the newly painted case. Obviously it took me some time to complete (shortly after dunking the case in the bath to clean it, Michelle decided it would be a great time for her waters to break and we had to go to the hospital). I did manage to finish it a few days later though, and this is how I did it.....

Take two Commodore 64's (One breadbin style, and one C64C)

After removing the motherboard from the C64C (Thats another C64C that I own behind the motherboard).

Two empty C64 shells with the keyboards removed

C64 Motherboard again.

The infamous 'SID' chip

C64 Breadbin keyboard

C64 Breadbin after having a C64C keyboard installed.

More C64 goodness - C64C Motherboard, C64 Keyboard and an additional C64C computer

Before spray painting - A dunk in the bath, with bleach to clean and remove the yellowing.

One clean (and less yellow) C64c case. Shortly after this photo was taken, we were on our way to Cheltenham General Hospital. About 15 hours later, Sophie and Kayleigh were born!!

Several days later... After spraying the case, the C64 is ready to be reassembled.

Finished - Black sprayed (silk) C64C with dark keys from a C64 Breadbin

Side view

Rear view

Before and After....

My current C64 collection - 1 black C64, 2 cream C64s and 1 Breadbin C64 with a C64c keyboard. I also have an Action Replay V6 cartridge (red cartridge shown at the back of the right C64), and a C64TPC unit for connecting the C64 to my PC. I have also just aquired a Commodore 1541-II disk drive. Plus tons of software/games etc.

My Commodore collection also includes 2x Commodore Plus 4's
1x Amiga 500 with a 120mb harddrive and 40mhz accelerator

1x Amiga A1200 with a 2Gb harddrive + shedloads of tapes and disks full of games/applications/demos etc.

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While I am posting, I thought I would also include a photo of Kieran in his new school uniform. He started school last Monday at Bengeworth First School, and after a week, he absolutely loves going.

The life of an IT Technician/Network Manager.... Systems Manager

2009-09-01T22:51:00.005+01:00

I can't believe that it has been 6 weeks since the start of the summer holidays. School returns to normal on Friday (Friday of all days!?!) and I am already starting to panic...

It's not anything I have done - Over the past few months we have been having major building work on our IT block at the school. What started of as a simple 'replace the windows' job turned in to a massive 'shit, we've found asbestos in the wall columns' kind of job, and it has been ongoing ever since. Now, with only 3 more days to go, the IT block is still in a terrible mess. The builders have not been in for days, and I am left with 4 IT rooms that look like they have been hit by a bomb...

The new IT staff office (My office... the main Comms room is through that door - (note no furniture!!!)

This is a classroom and it needs to be ready by Friday - No desks... no computers... no nothing!

Classroom DU3 - Again, no computers, benches not complete and looks a complete tip

Classroom DU2 - Not as bad as it looks, but still needs work

DU1 - The only room we have been able to get in to a 'decent' state.

I love the way we were told at the start of the project that we would have 'plenty' of time to get the rooms ready for September - this includes any maintanance required, and the installations of Adobe CS4 and Microsoft Office 2007 on all the workstations.

Oh joy....!

One month late... but here you go!

2009-09-01T22:40:00.006+01:00

It has only taken me.... erm... 1 month, but finally here are some pictures of our two new girls - Sophie and Kayleigh. Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook may have already seen some of these. More to come soon. :-

They're here....

2009-08-01T21:36:00.001+01:00

I am pleased to announce the safe arrival of Kayleigh Louise Wilson, born at 13:23 (6lb 10oz) and Sophie Lauren Wilson, born at 14:41 (5lb 9 1/2oz), both born today (1st August). Both babies and Mother are fine. Photos to follow - I left my camera at the hospital with Michelle!!!!! I'm going to bed now as I'm shattered (and I wasn't the one pushing!!)

To be continued....

Congratulations Kieran.

2009-07-21T21:18:00.004+01:00

Today has been a combination of mixed emotions - It was Kieran's graduation day at Nursery, which meant there was a presentation at the High School where all the little kids got given a certificate and all the work that they have done over the past year to take home - A time to celebrate all they have achieved in the past year... Sadly though, it was also Kieran's very last day at Nursery School.

We (both myself and Michelle) are so proud of Kieran. He acted so grown up when his name was called for him to collect his certificate and folder. He has learnt so much over the past year, and hope he enjoys his new school in September as much as he enjoyed going to Evesham Nursery,

Baby update 2

2009-07-10T20:13:00.003+01:00

Michelle had another visit to Cheltenham Hospital today. It is so painful for her to walk, she has now been given crutches.

Bloody SPD

http://www.baby-pregnancy-ultrasound-3d-4d.co.uk/Pregnancy-SPD.htm

Baby update.

2009-07-09T20:06:00.006+01:00

Michelle is now 34 weeks and 1 day pregnant. She had a scan today and found out the following.

Weight
Baby 1 = 6 1/2lb (Head down)
Baby 2 = 5lb (Breech Position)

Although technically we should still have at least 6 more weeks, the hospital have told Michelle that if she has not had the twins by 38 weeks, then she would be induced. Mind you, the midwife seemed pretty sure that Michelle would have had them by then.

All fun!

Long time no see!

2009-06-24T21:32:00.003+01:00

My poor neglected blog...

It's been 7 weeks since an update. Much has happened in that time (including of course the release of the motion picture event of the decade - Star Trek), but it is also worth noting at this point that Michelle is now exactly 32 weeks pregnant today, and although technically we still have a few weeks to go, the midwife is pretty sure that Michelle will give birth to the twins within 36 weeks - That's just another 4 weeks!

On the pregnancy side of things, Michelle is fine and the babies are all healthy. The nursery is now comnplete and looks really nice, and we're basically just waiting for the girls to pop out now.

Work has been fun as usual, but I just can't believe it is only 6 weeks until the end of yet another year (and of course the summer holidays!) We've just employed two trainee technicians to help with the extra work we have had these past few weeks, and it's great because it allows me to do the things I need to do now as ICT Network AND Systems Manager... Yep I've had another promotion, and with that comes another pay rise... I love my job! Just spent over £40,000 on 30 new iMacs and 30 new HP D7900 PCs with 22" flat screens for two IT suites in the school - glad I will not need to set them up (don't you just love delegation!). Kids are spoilt today - I wish I had access to that technology back when I was in school.

This past month I have also been to the cinema 5 times! (For most people that is quite a small number, but I haven't been since Aliens Vs Predator Requiem and that was the first time in years). 3 of the 5 visits were for Star Trek - Yes, it was really THAT good. I also went to see Terminator Salvation, which was good, but nowhere near as good as the first two films. That brings me on to last night, and Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. Suffice to say, I was not that impressed with that one, and nearly fell asleep in the cinema towards the end. I'm no film critic, and I'm not going to pretend to be one here, but don't believe the hype on that one.

My spare time has consisted of the usual - gaming (especially playing Resident Evil 5 on the PS3), photography and spending lots of money (I'm good at that one) on new furniture for the living room, nursery, and a fancy new High Definition 1920x1080 Digital Camcorder so that I can capture the babies in high quality, high resolution goodness.

As for Michelle... She's a lady of leisure now for the next year and 2 weeks. Her maternity leave actually does not begin for another 2 weeks, but her work place have been kind and let her use the remaining available holiday (3 weeks) before the maternity leave begins. She has had a week off and she is already bored and fed up. It doesn't help with this awful hot weather. Bring on the Winter, the cold days and dark nights..... prefect.

Sneak Peak

2009-05-03T17:20:00.006+01:00

Yesterday (Saturday 2nd May 2009) must have been one of the most exciting days I've had since Kieran was born. We went all the way up to 'Window To The Womb' in Nottingham so that Michelle could have a 4D scan done of the twins.

A big thanks to Steve Ready, for coming all the way from Rainham, in Essex, to pick up in Evesham, to take us to Nottingham, only to bring up back home again to Evesham, and return to his little boy and girlfriend in Nottingham!! Phew.

More pictures are available on my Facebook profile (including a few clips from our DVD). Of course, you can only view them if you're my friends!!!!! ;)

Oh, and it is now confirmed - both babies are 100% female. Looks like me and Kieran are definitely going to be outnumbered.

Your Chariot Awaits

2009-05-01T20:47:00.007+01:00

Michelle is now in her 25th week of pregnancy, and today our new pram/pushchair arrived in the post.

Check out that suspension!!!!

Tomorrow we have our 4D scan at a place called 'Window to the Womb' in Nottingham. I can not wait, and hope the babies are as active tomorrow as they have been this past week. (Although, knowing our luck, they will probably have a long afternoon sleep while the scan is taking place).

'Better start saving up for their weddings'

2009-04-02T21:08:00.004+01:00

Today, Michelle, Kieran and I went to Cheltenham Hospital for the 20 week scan. All went well, and both babies are fine and healthy.

We also found out what we're having. As some of you know, I did not want to find out the sex of the babies, but Michelle wanted to know. The nurse told Michelle while I was out of the room, but since Michelle is hopeless at keeping secrets, I found out about 5 minutes later.

We're having two girls!! Well, one baby is definatly 100% female. The nurse was 98% sure the other one is a girl as well - she couldn't say for sure because the umbilical cord was in the way, but she felt pretty confident.

All exciting stuff.

Our next scan will be a 4D scan that we are having done privately on May 2nd. The next one at Cheltenham Hospital will be the 14th May.

It's Finished..

2009-03-22T21:12:00.008Z

The shed is finished (well, it needs a coat of paint, but that's all), and the trainset has a new home. This is great and frees up the spare room so that it can be converted in to a nursery for the twins.

There is still plenty of work to do on the trainset, but... well... see for yourselves.

Can we build it... Yes we can (Yeah, I think so)

2009-03-15T20:47:00.004Z

Work has finally commenced on Kieran's shed. With the birth of the twins just 23 weeks away (assuming that they arrive on time) I figured it was time to finally start work so that we can clear Kieran's trainset out of the spare and get to work converting it in to a nursery (or a new bedroom for Kieran - whichever we finally decide on).

Not bad considering I am totally crap at DIY. I did the cementing and laying the paving slabs on my own yesterday, and had some help from a neighbour with the shed. We finished tonight at 8.00pm, and hope to finish it all tomorrow.

Kieran is so excited and can not wait to play with his trainset inside it.

Farewell, my beloved 64

2009-02-15T14:43:00.011Z

Today is a very, very sad day.... After nearly 22 days, my beloved Commodore 64 has finally given up on me and died.

Actually, in honesty it does still work, but the SID chip (Sound Interface Device) has stopped working, and a Commodore 64 with no sound is about as good as a completely dead C64 anyway.

Still, through the wonders of Ebay I have been able to purchase a replacement, which is great because once I get it I will be able to use my newly aquired C64TPC device for transfering all my old programs from tapes to my PC for eternal preservation!

'Oh 64... you've been with me for such a long time....

I was but 10 years old when my fingers first caressed your keys.

You helped me through school, and during bad times.

I owe you so much.

I may have neglected you when I got my Commodore Amiga in 1992, but even now, with my PC, Laptops, PlayStation 3 and other computers and game consoles, you have always had a special place in my heart......'

I will miss you.

Double trouble

2009-02-13T22:08:00.002Z

Just as Kieran was getting ready for bed this evening, he came over to me, gave me a big hug and said,

"Daddy, can I have two sisters please".

It brought a tear to my eye. Bless him!

"Two heads are better than one, it's double the pleasure babe, It's triple the fun"

2009-02-12T20:37:00.004Z

What a day....

Today, Thursday 12th February 2009 is the day that we found out that we were having twins!

Even now, some 5 hours later after the scan it still hasn't sunk in properly. Don't get me wrong, we are both over the moon, thrilled and really happy - it was just such a shock.

To be honest, I've had a gut feeling for a week or two. Michelle is only 13 weeks pregnant, yet she is so..... 'big'. I mean that in the nicest possible way. I've been telling her that either she is wrong with her dates or that there is more than one in her belly!

The moment the sonographer placed the transducer on Michelles tummy, the two babies were as clear as can be. I knew it straight away, but didn't say anything until the nurse finally confirmed it to both of us.

Of course much of the time at Cheltenham hospital today was spent informing us of the complications that can occur when having twins, and to be truthful, some of the things we were told were quite scary.

The good news is that Michelle will be scanned and monitored every 4 weeks from her 20 week scan.

I really do not know what else to say. I'm still a little lost for words.

To Boldly Go.... (Again)

2009-02-08T18:43:00.008Z

I've been taking a few pictures of my model Enterprise and touching them up on my computer, and here they are for you to look at.

Snow Show

2009-02-05T21:13:00.006Z

The baby scan has been 'postponed' until next Thursday due to the 'severe' weather that has gripped the country over the past few days. By severe, I mean an inch or two of snow. Michelle rang Cheltenham hospital (St Pauls Wing) and was advised not to come.

I remember years ago when it snowed much worse than this, and I still had to go to school, or work. Even the slightest dusting of snow these days and that's it..... nobody can get to work.... schools close.... public transport comes to a standstill. It's like the end of the world!

Still, I can't really complain - they did decide to shut my school today, so I've been at home doing various things like putting a new facia on my PSP, putting a few shelves up, and editing a few home movies. I also managed to play out in the snow with Kieran and Michelle.

They say more snow is on the way. To be honest, I would actually like to get back to work - I've got so many things I need to be getting on with.

Anyway, I will leave you with these two pictures. The top photo is looking out from our frontdoor (obviously touched up in Photoshop), and the bottom one is of Kieran enjoying himself in the white stuff.

"We don't need no education"

2009-01-30T18:23:00.003Z

After nearly five years of working in a school, today has proved one thing - there is no such thing as discipline in our schools anymore... The children rule.

Walking through the corridors at Evesham High School today I have seen kids on their mobile phones without a care in the world, being mouthy to the staff, listening to their MP3 players during lessons and ignoring the teacher when they have been told to switch them off. I have seen them trash classrooms, unplug computers, and show absolutely no respect whatsoever to their environment, or us.... the staff.

Just a typical day really.

When I started at the school, I was quite keen to go to university to get a degree so that one day I could teach - It is something that I had always wanted to do - I don't think I'll bother. Why should I waste my time trying to help such unruly, disrespectful little turds. It's not just here though - it's everywhere.

There are no consequences for their actions - If students do something wrong, they get a nice warning and told not to do it again. They realise that they can push teachers as far as they like and that nothing will come of it. Schools are so much different from when I left 16 years ago. I never dreamt of calling a teacher gay, or a wanker to their face, or vandalise valuable school IT equipment.

These are the people who will one day be running our country in the not too distant future - is there any hope for us?

Rant over - sorry. I needed to get that off my chest. I actually had a really nice day at work really.

The beginning of a new year.... 24 days late!

2009-01-24T16:17:00.005Z

My poor, poor Blog... I have neglected you these past few weeks...

Not much to report on the baby front - Michelle had her first visit to the midwife on Monday 12th January and other than signing some forms and filling out her FW8 so that she can get her Maternity Exemption Certificate, there isn't much else to say. Michelle has her first scan on Thursday 5th February which I am eagerly looking forward to.

Christmas came and went, and so did my 32nd Birthday. Work has been full of the usual - students forgetting their passwords, getting verbal abuse from the little shits when I catch them doing things to the computers that they shouldn't be doing. The most challenging thing we've been involved in at the school is replacing our crap email supplier with our own in-house Microsoft Exchange 2007 server. The toughest part is still yet to come - not teaching the kids.... but training the staff!

Still, almost a year after selling my entire Star Trek video collection, I am happy to say that I now been able to purchase all of the Deep Space Nine and Voyager DVD boxsets (along with my existing Star Trek TOS boxsets). Thanks to some extreme selling on eBay, next month I will get Enterprise, followed by The Next Generation and my collection will be once again complete!! Yippeee.

They will stand proud, next to my Gavin and Stacey boxset!!!!!!!!!

I must go now and nurse a nasty headache.

3 + 1

2008-12-16T20:36:00.006Z

Just a quick post to say...

I'M GOING TO BE A DADDY AGAIN!!!

We both found out today that Michelle is once again up-the-duff... bun in the oven.... PREGNANT!!!

We are both over the moon. This is without a doubt one of the best Christmas presents ever. We have worked out that she is 5 weeks gone already which means that she should be due sometime during the middle of August 2009.

As you can see, I am ecstatic, and I will be using the Captains Blog over the next 8 and a bit months detailing all the events that will lead up to the birth of Wilson Junior number 2.

Stay tuned.....

Live long and prosper...

2008-11-12T08:34:00.013Z

With the new Star Trek movie only 176 days away from release date, I am really geeking out at the moment with all the new information coming out about the new movie. I haven't been this excited about a Star Trek film (any film actually) since the release of Star Trek 6 : The Undiscovered Country in back 1992!

JJ Abrams is doing a great job at keeping everything secret about this movie, just like he did with Cloverfield, but the official trailer for the new film is released this Friday, so I am sure a lot of questions will be answered then.

One big question was answered yesterday though - What will the Enterprise look like in the movie... Well... here it is!

Obviously they couldn't use the original design - afterall, it was designed in the 1960s and would look pretty dated now.

First impressions - Honestly, I am not that impressed... But then, I thought the Enterprise D from the Next Generation was one ugly son of a bitch at first, but after time I came to like it!

WOOHOOO!!

Can we fix it..... Yes we can. (PSP Repair Guide)

2008-09-25T19:01:00.012+01:00

Whilst playing Star Wars - Force Unleashed on my PSP over the weekend, I noticed something strange happening with the console. Even though I was not touching the joystick, Darth Vader continued to walk - like some strange 'force' had control of my PSP. I decided to try Monkey Island 2 (using the Scumm emulator), and noticed that the mouse pointer had a mind of its own and moved to the bottom right hand side of the screen without me doing anything. I decided to pop on to eBay and fortunatly found a replacement joystick module for an amazing £5.00 (including P&P)

I have decided to do a small guide so that if any of you have the same problem as me, you can fix it yourselves without forking out £40 - £100 getting it repaired.

Be warned though that it does involve opening up the PSP, so if yours is still under warranty, I'd advise not doing this.

Firstly, the most important thing to do is find somewhere nice to work - somewhere that is'nt cluttered. Oh, and make yourself a cup of tea too.

Next, get your replacement joystick module handy, and a very small cross head (Phillips) screwdriver. You may need a small flat head screwdriver, depending on whether you have good finger nails or not.

Pull off the joystick cap. If you have long nails, you could probably use your fingers. If not, use a small screwdriver. Just pry it off. Trust me, it comes off.

Turn the PSP over (screen down) and locate the following three screws. Unscrew them with the cross head (Phillips) screwdriver.

Remove the battery compartment cover and the battery and unscrew the screw as shown in this picture.

The next screw that you need to remove is located under the 'guarantee void' sticker. It is impossible to remove this screw without damaging the sticker, so unless your PSP is still under guarantee, unscrew the screw! You will probably not be able to see the screw, but trust me, it is there (well it is with my PSP1000 model). Either unscrew it through the sticker, or remove the sticker completely.

You can now remove the cover to the PSP. Try not to get your fingerprints over the screen.

Locate the faulty joystick module, and unscrew the two screws completely.

Replace the joystick module with the new one, and screw it back in to place. Re-assemble the PSP (making sure that the screws are tight) and....

Voila!!! One perfectly working PSP, with a joystick that no longer moves on its own!!!

They don't make 'em like they used to.

2008-09-07T17:27:00.010+01:00

This morning I've been rummaging through our loft, trying to make room for some of Kierans baby toys which he does not play with any more. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across a couple of boxes containing some of my old computers that I haven't used in years. I just had to get them out and have a go!!!

Amongst the collection was an un-upgraded Atari ST520FM, a Commodore Amiga 1200 (with a 1gb Harddrive), and my beloved Commodre Amiga 500 with its super 68040 accelerated processor (from 7Mhz to 40Mhz thanks to the A530 upgrade), 120Mb harddrive, toggle switch for changing between Kickstart 1.3 and 2.0, external floppy disk drive, Action Replay Mark III cartridge and a VideoMaster digitiser!!! WOW!

Fortunatly years of neglect did not mean that these machines would not work, and within minutes of setting them up I was able to load up all sorts of stuff stored on the harddrives. I found programs and songs that I had written years ago which I had forgotten about.

It nearly brought a tear to my eye!

Although I emulate the Amiga on my PC to play all of my old favourite games, nothing beats playing the games on the original hardware - It's the same with my Commodore 64 and Plus 4... Games load instantly when emulated on a PC, but sometimes it is nice to type Load, press play on tape and wait several minutes for the game to load.

The full retro experience!

The A530 turbo with 120Mb harddrive and 40Mhz (68040) processor), Action Replay III cartridge and VideoMaster video and audio digitiser.

A retro icon.... An original Atari joystick - what a classic!

The Amiga 1200 with its 1Gb harddrive

The toggle switch for swapping between the different ROMS - Kickstart 1.3 and 2.0

Sheesh...

2008-09-06T15:05:00.005+01:00

What an incredibly hectic week it has been!!

I don't think I have ever had such a busy first week back at school like the one I have just had. It's amazing how everything was working fine during the holidays, and on the first day back we lose the network in one part of the school, and the main administration software decided to not work (partly due to an error made by a senior member of staff)

We managed to fix the network on Friday afternoon after discovering that it was down to a faulty fibre transceiver in one of our cabinets. As for the other problem, we have found a solution, but can't do anything until Monday morning.

It never rains but it pours.

On top of that, you will not believe how many new Year 9 students came up to my office telling me that they could not log on! I mean, come on - I created the accounts in the holiday and set all of their passwords to their date of birth. All staff were told this, so is it really that hard for these kids to remember the date that they were born????

Anyway, changing the subject a little, I am pleased to announce that in my attempts in getting Michelle more tech-savvy, I have finally convinced her to start up her own blog. She has started a diet and after having an extremely successful first week (yep, she lost over 8lb in just one week), she wants to write all about it. This is the first time she has ever done anything like this, so if you do go and visit her blog, be easy on her!

You can access her blog by ---CLICKING HERE---

Right, I'm off now to relax on this rather grey Saturday afternoon and listen to some more movie soundtracks - Currently listening to 'Raise The Titanic'. Not a great film, but certainly one of John Barry's best soundtracks in my honest opinion.

T T F N - Ta Ta For Now!