Apple II Bits

As part of starting a new job, my employer bought a standing/sitting desk for my home office. I moved my filing cabinets of Juiced.GS back issues to make room and set up the new furniture. To get a sense for its range, I then adjusted it to its maximum height.

A giant desk.

When I examined what I'd wrought, I didn't see a desk. What I instead pictured was this:

The Apple II popularized many processors and chips, most notably the 6502. But as a games machine, the Apple II relied heavily on an unsung hero: the 555, a timer IC that allowed two joysticks to be connected for head-to-head play.

Now you can give the 555 a new lease in your daily life courtesy Mad Scientist, which has adapted the chip into a footstool.

According to their blog, all it took was “datasheets, cnc routing, laser engraving, plywood, glue, chips, all-thread, angle grinders, mountains of sawdust, dowel rods, [and] spray paint.” Sadly, none of those ingredients allow the footstool to interface with your Apple II. Nonetheless, this retrofurniture can be yours for the exacting price of $555.

(Hat tip to Matthew Humphries)