Quest for the Packard Bell, The: Chapter II - (Post No. 14)

Quest For The Packard Bell

Chapter II

Legend Force 2020

  (No, I know this computer in the picture is not the Legend Force 2020, which also was a Packard Bell model!) 

   Well, about sometime in mid-June 2018, I felt myself get briefly bitten by the nostalgia bug. I guess the transparent Windows in Windows 7, and probably soon Windows 10, and the rounded curves of Windows 11 would eventually remind me that I just wasn't made for a modern era, where for the time being, I could go into what is wrong with this era, but for the sake of my own mental health and sanity, as well as not wanting to sound like an old man yelling at clouds (just yet) I believe that will be another tale for another time and not wishing to elaborate on things like this any further.

   During 2014-5, I also have been watching retro tech YouTubers such as uxwbill, vwestlife, and Roadgeek/The Nostalgia Mall. However, it was the third channel that really gave me the most interest in old computing hardware, and my PowerBook G3 "WallStreet" was pretty much the only old 90s era PC, (despite it being a Mac from around that era) that satisfied my retro hunger. For now, anyway. I mean, it's not a terribly useful laptop to carry around since the battery literally holds no charge, but it can be used for specific tasks which I don't feel the files of should be saved on computers that can connect to the present day (2022) Internet. Not that I want that computer on 2022's Internet anyway, because I pretty much already said I kicked the Facebook habit after COVID, and in a similar manner to how I decided I wouldn't be going back to Tim Hortons for coffee ever again before COVID. (Except I didn't go and leave any login credentials at the doorstep of my cousin's bachelor "pad" one night, I left two Tim Hortons mugs and a Timmies gift card instead.) 

   I know that some may argue that a venture such as this; trying to resurrect a prehistoric dinosaur back from when saying "POG" was referring to one of those cardboard circles that used to be all of the rage in schools way-back-when, when slime was used as a punishment as a game variety show mechanic on YTV; and companies such as Nickolodeon, Disney, and Microsoft in certain circles were regarded as less atrociously evil back then, versus as to right now, and even then, it would only be looked upon that way in certain contexts. 

   Oh, I guess I should also add Nintendo and Apple to that list as well, by the way, but again... That's likely beating a dead horse already, and proving a tired point where twenty-five or so years ago, I would've somewhat respected the brand, but now, probably due to some questionable business practices, which even if the company in question is in the legal right to do so, any respect they do have prior to me saying I liked that brand, automatically makes me go 180 and want to defecate all over the brand, saying that they probably do some immoral and ethical things. But, I'm not some woke person that calls out everything wrong with the world front and centre, and loud and clear, otherwise I'd be doing no business with literally anybody ever again.

So why did I want to resurrect a "fossil" in the first place? 

    Short answer, a little bit of sadism, mixed with a touch of masochism. I mean, what I was saying is that I do love a challenge, perhaps even going so far as to say anything "too" easy is too boring for me. The example I may then specify may not have anything exactly to do with retro computer hardware; but I will likely say, that, if something is too easy, it just makes me feel bored. There has to be some challenge in life, or else I'll just tire of it all and want to sleep more. Of course, in wanting there to be some challenge in my life, I must also be careful not to go too far into the other direction, and I'm liable to just ragequit & probably not try again --- Until the next time I'm that bored out of my skull, if ever. 

    So, if I want to try to mess around with trying to figure out which OEM Recovery CD + Floppy Diskette will work with the particular computer, so that my OS of choice plus all the drivers will be installed, (Forget going on the WWW for the drivers for hardware that's old enough that the website probably is buried on http;//web.archive.org/) and don't even touch Vanilla OS CDs - (Basically just vanilla install media of an OS that had CDs from 95-Windows 8.1) then, I feel like needing a greater challenge than just playing the "Normal" Super Mario World Game for the SNES, as I've beaten that game so many times to 94 (sometimes 96) exits that it is literally sad. I know pretty much all the secrets that I can easily get to, and I finally have the patience to get to Valley Fortress and Back Door in the Valley of Bowser, after years of just skipping that secret exit altogether, and I've beaten the Super Mario World Special Zone so many times that I turn the Chocolate Island into Mint Chocolate Island, and turn the Vanilla Dome into Chocolate Dome, and turn the Valley of Bowser's color-tile palette brown. 

    Playing Super Mario Wuss, a de-edit of the 96 levels of Super Mario World doesn't provide that challenge, since it might actually make me play all 96 levels of Super Mario World almost as fast as a speedrun. And give me over 99 lives (even if the life counter does NOT under any circumstances, tick over to higher numbers than 99.) 

   However, playing Super Mario Kaizo world on the other hand -- I'm not up to that challenge, and I'm forever done with it. I mean, I'll do anything else, but that.

But of course, the eternal enemy of certain hobbies...

   People may believe I'm crazy for wanting to go down this path, but believe me... I'd rather go down this path; as I live in a geographical area where I feel some virginity protection is needed. It's not like I ever didn't feel satisfied after watching some tentacle hentai... But rather, I'd feel unsatisfied with any Annapolis Valley Girl, &, I'd still live with regrets every single day after the fact.