About

RetoHack [re-tro-hak] –compound noun originating from

retro ret-ro [re-troh] -adjective Informal of or designating the style of an earlier time.
hack [hak] -verb Computers. to devise or modify, usually skillfully.
Slang. to deal or cope with; handle.

–proper name A random stumbling of nerdgasms, pop culture references and hardcore geekery.

For now this blog serves simply to remind us of how to do the things we figured out long ago, when we will eventually need to do them again. If it helps you too, all the better! It also serves as a place for the voices in my head to express themselves. If it entertains you, all the better, too. They like the encouragement. They have convinced me to give them a creative outlet by ranting about things that really bug me, or things that, while not strictly technical, are worth sharing. Hey, it’s way cheaper than therapy. Scattered throughout the posts, you’ll find random quotes from movies and songs (most of them from the eighties,) an occasional movie review (sans spoilers) and some random lunacy. If it sounds funny inside my head, it probably makes it into a post.

FAQ

Who are you guys? We’re just techies/geeks/technologentsia with a passion for computers and a desire to share. You can learn more about us by checking out our individual pages, linked up above in the navbar.

What’s with the YouTube vids? Well, you have to have a gimmick, right? I try to end most posts with a vid that is either on topic, related and amusing, or completely off the wall. If nothing else, I hope they add just a little bit to the entertainment value of these posts. After all…

All work and no play makes Ed a dull boy.
      All work and no play makes Ed a dull boy.
      All work and no play makes Ed a dull boy.
AlL wOrK aNd No PlAy MaKe Ed A dUlL bOy.
All work and no play makes Ed a dull boy.

What’s the tech running this site? WordPress 3.0 on a shared hosting plan from GoDaddy, the Thesis theme (affiliate link) customised to closely resemble the Clam-Shell theme by Michael Soriano (Clamshell is a beautiful theme, but by design, it does not support widgets, and I need my widgets!,) Windows Live Writer, and a crap-load of caffeine. There are some pretty standard plug-ins including Akismet, WP-stats, ContactForm7 and Twitter tools.

Who’s flying this thing? Oh right, that would be me. Uh, back to work.

Are you looking for content? Sure! We’re happy to consider hosting guest posts, or adding authors with a similar inclination to our own. Use the contact form to drop us a note. We’re not looking for compensation, just good content that will build our traffic and help us and our readers. Not that we’ll turn down remuneration, but then we’ll have to update the FTC Disclosure down below. Which we’re totally willing to do, so please, offer us money, swag, beer, anything at all really! Have you seen this economy? Have you? We’re cheap, and have a flexible moral code.

Do you have anything to do with previous incarnations of retrohack.com? Nope, nada, zip, nichevo, nichts, nacho, nothing whatsoever. The name was available when I went to register it, so I grabbed it. I have no idea what prompted me to look for that name, but I liked the way it sounded, it was a lot less typing than networkplumbing.org, it was a .com name, and it’s spelled like it sounds. That sold it for me.

Eventually there may be more authors (though we’ll have a guest at least once in a while,) and when that happens, we may develop a more consistent schedule, regular topics, etc., but for now, this is good enough. However, we must post this…

Terms & Conditions

retrohack.com (the "Website") is owned and operated by RetroHack.com ("our", "us" and "we"). Sounds like we’re selfish, doesn’t it? Well, we’re not. It’s the law-dogs talkin’. By accessing this Website you agree to be bound by these terms & conditions ("terms"). Please read them carefully. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS YOU SHOULD NOT ACCESS OR VIEW THIS WEBSITE. IN OTHER WORDS, CLOSE YOUR BROWSER, SHUT DOWN YOUR COMPUTER, FLEE FOR YOUR LIFE, AND FORGET YOU EVER SAW THIS SITE. HECK, IT MIGHT BE SAFER IF YOU FORGET THE INTERNET EVER EXISTED, JOIN THE LUDDITE MOVEMENT, AND RETURN TO THE TREES. WE’RE NOT YELLING. THE DAMN CAPSLOCK KEY IS STUCK. ##$*)QWERTASDFGZXCVB&%#)(*$##35395 wait, there, that’s better.

All content posted here by any author of this site is for our own use, and comes with no warranty, express or implied. We have performed only limited testing in environments maintained by us. Your environment, not being ours, is different in both the technical and metaphysical sense, so if you wish to try anything on this site, you must test it in your own environment to determine whether it is suitable for your purposes or not. Use at your own risk. We have made reasonable and unreasonable efforts to ensure that the information on this Website is accurate at the time of inclusion, however we cannot guarantee the accuracy of such information. Your failure to test anything found on this site before placing it into production may lead to the fall of western civilisation, fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and seas boiling, forty years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, and mass hysteria.

Use of the Website may also cause certain side affects, including systems failures, insomnia, upset stomach, headache, erectile dysfunction, and in rare cases, death. See your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms, especially the death one. Consult your doctor before using RetroHack if you are taking prescription medicines for hallucinations, high-blood pressure, or certain psychological conditions including non-existent sense of humour, the inability to distinguish sarcasm, or a blind trust in everything you read online.

We make no representations or warranties about the information provided through this Website, including any hypertext links to any other website or other items used either directly or indirectly from this Website. So, if somehow you get linked to pr0n, don’t blame us. Obviously someone poisoned your DNS, or a virus got in, or your sysadmin is playing games again. We didn’t do it and checked on it when we put the link there. We accept no liability for any inaccuracies or omissions in this Website and any decisions based on information contained in this Website are the sole responsibility of the visitor, unless of course your boss told you to do it, then it’s their fault. The Website is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without any representation or endorsement. We accept no liability for any interruptions in your use of the Website. Let’s face it, technology breaks, and Al Gore is busy with the environment now…the information superhighway is on its own.

The information, designs, content, artwork and images contained within this Website are all supposed to be public domain, creative commons, or under some other fair use category, or we have contacted the owner/creator and received permission to use. However, should you find copyrighted material/images/magic powder on this Website and feel it is an infringement on your rights, please use the contact form to inform us of the infringing material. Include the link to the content on our site, and a link to something that indicates you hold copyright, and we’ll remove it immediately. Seriously, we’re not trying to step on anyone’s toes here. All our content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 US Licensed. That means you can use it, but give us credit. Failure to do so will result in us sending The A Team after you, and I mean the George Peppard/Dirk Bennedict/Mr. T/Dwight Schultz version, not those 2010 wanna-bes.We pity the fool that rips us off.

Inclusion of examples does not imply recommendations or endorsements by client companies. Links from the Website to other sites does not imply recommendations or endorsements by RetroHack of them. We have to say that just in case we link to some site that also has content from Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh. You shall not use this Website for any illegal purposes and in particular agree that you shall not send, use, copy, post (or allow anything to be sent, used, copied, or posted) which is defamatory or obscene or which is abusive, indecent or in breach of the privacy of any person. You agree not to send any unsolicited promotional or advertising material, spam or similar materials or any volume messages that may interfere with the operation of this Website or with the enjoyment of this Website by other visitors. (I’m not saying that what you’re doing is wrong, it’s just not right for this site.)

We reserve the right at any time and without notice to enhance, modify, alter, suspend or permanently discontinue all or any part of this Website and to restrict or prohibit access to it. That includes retroactively editing pages to fix typos, errors, or omissions, changing permalink structures, moving all/any/none of the content to a new domain, or just abandoning it completely. It’ll happen. Besides, it’s our Website and we’ll cry if we want to. I mean, change it if we want to.

You hereby agree to indemnify us against any costs, claims, losses and damages (including legal fees) incurred by or awarded against us as a result of your use or misuse of this Website or your breach of these terms. Word. At our discretion, we may suspend or block your access to this Website and refuse to provide you with any further access to it. So don’t be mean, will ya? Mean people suck, and извините, но мне не нужно порно ссылки.

This Website is provided to you free of charge, and neither we nor any of our employers, clients, subsidiary or affiliated companies accept any liability to you whether in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise, arising out of or in connection with this Website. We accept no liability for any direct, special, indirect or consequential damages, or any other damages of whatsoever kind however arising through the use of the Website or any information obtained either directly or indirectly from this Website. Your sole remedy is to discontinue using this Website.

These terms may be amended by us from time to time at any time and without prior notice and the changes will become effective immediately after posting the revised terms. See? We’re tricky like that. You can review the most current version of the terms at any time at retrohack.com. They’ll be here for you 24/7, unless of course we choose to invoke one of our rights above, like shutting down, moving, or, say, if Al comes back, takes his ball, and goes home. You are responsible for checking periodically for changes and your continued use of this Website indicates your acceptance of the new terms. If you like that sort of thing, have it. We appreciate the hit count boost. But we like the other sections of the Website a lot better than this one. (No offense, law-dogs.)

Comments remain the property and the responsibility of the actual poster. Believing in open communication, comments that are relevant may be approved for display without the implication of agreement with the comment.

Links to external sites are believed correct at the time posted, but content on those sites are beyond our control. Please leave a comment in the relevant post if you find a broken link.

Your use of this Website and downloads from it, and the operation of these terms, shall be governed in accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina. The North Carolina federal and state courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of your use of this Website. And really, do you want to mess with the state of North Carolina? We’re so far behind, we’re ahead. And that could mean bad news for you either-way. Thus ends the reading of the terms and conditions. If you have any questions, we’re sorry, we don’t have the answers. <cough> 42 </cough>

FTC Disclosure

last updated 2010-07-19 In an effort to comply with recent FTC rulings regarding bloggers, please note the following.

All posts tagged review are those for which I have received some form of compensation from the creator/publisher/author of the product being reviewed. This could include direct payment, NFR licenses, free product, or other consideration.

I have recently entered into a relationship with GFI Software to write guest blog posts for financial payments. That content, if it appears on RetroHack.com, will be clearly marked as a paid post.

I do not currently work for any other software or hardware company whose products are mentioned on any blog post contained herein, but would happily consider a job if offered. I would happily write a book review for any technology book, should you care to send me a free copy and it is within an area of my interest. If the book is good, I will even say so. If it is not, I won’t. Of course, if I don’t want to read the book I will send it back (postage due.) I would happily write a product review in exchange for a free product that I would like, again with the understanding that if the product is good, I will say so, if not, not, and if it is not something I would use, I’ll return it (postage due.) I seem to be getting more than 1000 visits a week; not bad for something I do on a lark. You might benefit from that traffic…send me swag! As to the Google AdSense in the side bar, while that might someday actually pay me a referral should anyone click on an ad, it has not yet. The Thesis them link is an affiliate link. The specific ads come about as a result of Google’s AdSense voodoo; we don’t pick them. But since they are based on our posts, maybe indirectly we do. Wow, how metaphysical that is! Where’s Jean-Paul Sartre when you need him?

This disclosure will be updated should I ever receive swag, a book, gear, a job, or a check from Google as a result of this blog.