Back in 2007, I made a deal with a friend to participate in his fMRI brain scan study at the University of Liverpool in exchange for a copy of the DICOM data from my scan. He agreed to the trade.
Since then, I occasionally pull my scan data off the shelf and dust off the cobwebs and disk errors, and import it into the DICOM Viewer, OsiriX (e.g., as I did in 2009). With the latest versions, I have had a lot of trouble importing the files as they were given to me into OsiriX. Luckily, I saved the installers for earlier versions including the venerable version 3.5.1, which still runs fine on MacOS X Mavericks and Yosemite.
Using OsiriX’s many features, I created these four videos and an album of images of my 2007 brain. I wonder how it has changed since that time–completing my MA, then PhD, taking a postdoc at Georgia Tech, and now, working at City Tech. Also, I think about the technologies of representation that make it possible for me to see my brain without injury or invasion–OsiriX and unseen software libraries for working with, manipulating, and displaying DICOM data, MacOS X and its technology APIs, my MacBook Pro retina, disk and flash drives, email (how I originally received the scan data), the fMRI machine that I sat in for 30 minutes to an hour, the physical laws behind each technology and the biology of myself, etc. What do you think about when you see my brain represented below?
I have been spending some time digging through my past online and conducting personal, digital archaeology. While doing this research, I ran across a collection of Macintosh icons that I made back in 1997 and bundled on Feb. 7, 1997. I likely used ResEdit to make the icons (32 x 32 pixels).
In the archive, I included a Read Me file with my reasoning behind making the icons set. Also, it reminded me of my first email address at Georgia Tech, which was replaced when I returned to complete my studies in 2001. The Read Me file includes this text:
Jason’s Icons v1.0
February 7, 1997
Dear Downloader, These are some icons that I created out of pure desperation to label the folder contents of one of my hard drive partitions. This is how I use them:  After careful consideration I have decided to let other people enjoy the fruit of my labors and perhaps spread a little happiness throughout the world. (Hey, I can dream!) If you do happen to use these icons and have any suggestions for a new set or would just like to say “hi,” please feel free to contact me at my email address listed below.
Sincerely, Jason Woodrow Ellis
gt0567b@prism.gatech.edu
I grouped the icons into these folders (some for reasons lost to me): Cameras, Enjoyment Icons, Internet Metaphor, Office Equipment, Tools of Torture, and Video Equipment.
Jason’s Icons: Enjoyment IconsInternet MetaphorJason’s Icons: Office EquipmentJason’s Icons: Tools of TortureJason’s Icons: Video EquipmentJason’s Icons: Cameras
While looking through old files, I came across a Word document file dated April 17, 2004 and titled “New Computer Price List.doc.” The list is for the materials that went into the PC that I built and used before I upgraded to a Power Macintosh G5 a year later. It’s an interesting artifact of that time–not only of the choices and components available, but also of the computer parts companies no longer around (Monarch and CompUSA). Here’s the list:
CPU AMD AthlonXP 2500+ Retail $89.00 Monarch Computers
Motherboard MSI NForce2 K7N2-Delta-ILSR D $118.00 Monarch Computers
RAM Corsair 1GB XMS3200 CL2 Pro $299.99 Microcenter
Hard Drive Western Digital 160GB Special Edition $120.00 Sam’s Club
Optical Drive Sony Combo Drive DVD/CD-RW 52x $89.99 CompUSA
Video Card eVGA Geforce FX 5950 Ultra 256mb $499.00 Microcenter
Case Antec Lanboy w/ 350watt power supply $79.99 CompUSA
Power Supply Antec True 480watt (replaced 350watt) $50.00 Perry (his old PS)
Lighting Cold Cathode Blue Light 2pk $14.99 Microcenter
My Power Macintosh 8500 was in very good shape, but like many vintage computers with persistent clocks, it needed a new lithium battery.
To replace the Power Macintosh 8500’s on-board battery (upper left corner of photo), you have to remove the motherboard.
I replaced the battery, installed Mac OS 7.5.5, a number of different software titles (including Apple’s Plaintalk Speech Recognition–I threw in a Plaintalk powered microphone, Project X/Hot Sauce, and Cyberdog). I discovered that the plastic inside the case did not age well. The PowerMac 8500 has a lot of plastic components that are held together with flexible tabs or clips. When I applied a small amoung of pressure on the tip of these clips to release them, most of them would break. Luckily, the case ties together very well, so I only had to piece some parts back together with clear tape (the power button/light assembly) and metal duct tape (one drive plate cover on the front of the case). To help dissipate heat, I added a rear slot fan made by Antec.
I made a video demoing the finalized system, which I’m including embedded below (I apologize for the flicker, but my digital camera doesn’t have enough adjustment features to match the refresh rate on the Apple 14″ Color Display).
In addition to the Power Macintosh 8500, I gave the Archives a box full of software and late-1990s/early-2000s video games for Macintosh. These might help facilitate more connections around campus (Computer Science, Media Studies, and Game Studies).
As I’m leaving soon for City Tech, I believe that we can do more together in our work with vintage computing. I floated the idea of a symposium, conference, or some other kind of connected project. Also, from what little I have learned so far, there’s a lot of investment and interest in computer technology in NYC (and Brooklyn in particular). I am looking forward to making new connections with others studying retrocomputing and New Media. I know that many opportunities await.
Wendy Hagenmaier, Jason W. Ellis, and Jody Thompson next to Apple Performa 550 and iMac.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of making the first donation of three computers to the Georgia Tech Library Archives, which is launching its own Retrocomputing Lab for scholars and students to use. The Georgia Tech Library Archives is already well-known for its significant Georgia Tech Science Fiction Collection and other holdings.
I met with Department Head Jody Lloyd Thompson and Digital Collections Archivist Wendy Hagenmaier to setup the three computers and talk about each machine’s provenance and current operation. We set the computers up on the right side as you enter the Georgia Tech Library Archives. This is a temporary location as the Archives makes plans for their use in Archives for the time being and possibly more in the future as part of the on-going Georgia Tech Library renovation project.
Apple Performa 550 and iMac.
From my personal collection–which I am having to cull before moving to Brooklyn for my new job at City Tech, I donated three computers: an Apple Performa 550 (1994), Apple iMac (1999), and Dell Dimension 4100 (2001). Before donating the computers, I refurbished each to be in as factory-fresh condition as possible.
For the Peforma 550, I installed a PDS ethernet NIC and replaced the SCSI hard drive with one that was less noisy than its original one. Then, I installed Mac OS 7.6.1 and some software including the AfterDark Star Trek: The Next Generation screensaver and ClarisWorks, and utilities for working with files and disk images.
For the slot-loading, DV iMac, I replaced the motherboard battery and performed a fresh install of Mac OS 9.2.1. The optical drive suffers from a weak ejection mechanism. I made sure that the bottom plastic bezel fit properly, but reseated it had no effect on improving the drive’s ability to eject discs correctly. I warned the librarians about this, and recommended buying an external, Firewire optical drive and using the paperclip ejection method in the meantime.
Dell Dimension 4100.
For the Dell Dimension 4100, I installed a 3Com NIC donated by Mark Warbington. I installed Windows 98 Second Edition and painstakingly installed the drivers for the components in the Dell (this was a laborious process, because despite having the Service Tag number, some recommended drivers did not work on all of the components).
I provided two sets of speakers–one for the Performa 550 (it’s internal speakers had stopped working about a year ago) and one for the Dell Dimension 4100. In the event of future hardware problems, I gave them spare AGP video cards, optical drives, a 3.5″ floppy disk drive.
Also, I gave them some spare motherboards, controller cards, and hard drives that might be useful for displays in the Library.
The Georgia Tech Library Archives have big plans for making digital archival work and learning an integral component of what they do. If you have functional and working computer hardware or software, you should consider donating it to the Georgia Tech Library Archives, or if you have technical skills for working on older hardware and software, you can donate your expertise and time, too. Contact Jody and Wendy by email or phone here: Georgia Tech Library Archives contact information here.
Oct. 21, 2023 Update: Video link removed as it no longer exists.
