I’ve always liked enamel pins. They are nostalgic, durable, and expressive. I have some 30 years old from high school. I never actually sported them publicly much, but I did display them in my workspace for my own enjoyment.
And now it’s possible make your own, so I did: a pin recreating the iconic menus of the Macintosh System 6 menu bar.
You can buy one at iantm.etsy.com
Bringing back history
I’ve been restoring an SE/30 for actual use. The black and white display, and focused UI it simply feels different than the distraction laden computers we use now. It will never get online, and it shouldn’t — but it remains perfectly usable for something as simple as writing drafts.
A few years ago I tried this but it seemed impossible: the hard drive in a Mac Classic I acquired died, and I didn’t know what to do with it. I regretted scrapping the thing because I couldn’t know that now it’s possible to revive these old machine for modern use with SD cards and floppy replacements. That, along with 3D printing make these machines actually useable.
Though you don’t have to own an actual machine do it: you can use a Raspberry Pi, or just use your browser. Either way, you can recapture the quiet bliss of a focused computer. What it lacks in modern capabilities you gain in peace and focus.
I created this pin to remind myself of that special place.
