bignoseduglyguy

Nostalgic pang of the geek kind

Took the family - well, 5/6ths as one was off doing an art projects elsewhere - to Langdon Hills country park for a picnic and general loaf today around. Langdon Hills is one of nine country parks in Essex and I must commend the County Council and their rangers on the way they maintain the facilities and the area without making it look too manicured. As a parent, simple things like the provision of ample free parking together with clean and pleasant (yes, pleasant) toilets can really make the diference between a great day out with few hassles and a grim test of parental endurance and patience. Thinking of returning for a big picnic in the future, I pointed out to SWMBO the extra little touches that would make this an ideal venue to have a big day-long beano with a bunch of friends and colleagues. These included a drinking water tap near the loos (handy for dirty hands as well as refilling the now-ubiquitous water bottles and benches adjacent to the picnic tables where jaded parents could retire from snack-serving duties to sip a cool glass of white or a foaming ale. She agreed, pointedly making the observation that even the most basic "aires" on the autoroutes in France have the same.

It was on a trip to the aforementioned toilets that I caught a glimpse of a solitary middle-aged chap seemingly slumped in the driving seat of his bland but tax-efficient four door company saloon. Adjusting my course, I moved closer in case he needed help then had second thoughts as I could tell that his hands were busy manipulating something out of sight. By now I was almost upon the car and could hardly bring myself to sneak a sideways glance but when I did, all became clear and I went on my way smiling. The chap concerned was not slumped so much as hunched in concentration whilst he typed away furiously on his Psion 3a.

This reminded me of my very first PDAs, all of which were from the Psion stable. If you think that Palm were ahead of the game and out on their own in the mid-nineties, then you need to think again - Psion released their first organiser over ten years before the Palm Pilot 1000 and went on to produce some of the best PDA hardware and software bar none. There are more than a few Psion users who attend the face to face UKPUG (UK Palm User Group) meetings and stalwarts such as Steve Litchfield and David MacKay who maintain excellent resources on their websites. Upon arriving home, I dug out my faithful 3a only to find the left hinge was bust and the button bar askew. With blind faith in the the Psion-owning community and the power of Google, I searched for 'psion hinge problem'. Results two and three took me straight to David MacKay's hinge repair pages. Following the excellent step by step shots and using a cannibalised screw eyelet, I managed to effect a decent repair so I fitted batteries and fired her up. It has been so long since I have used a Psion, I felt like a noobie but, being sad, I have kept all the manuals and ephemera so was soon back up to speed with all the old standard apps.

All this presents a problem because, having wandered across the highly-recommended Pinnock Organiser Services website, I now want a Revo or a 5mx. Having said that, I doubt either would distract me for long because, ever since I saw one at a UKPUG meeting a couple of years back, all I have ever really wanted was a Psion 7. All this is conjecture as SWMBO will neuter me if I buy any more PDAs or gadgets...but she never need know, right?