Commander X16

Story time:

So I was sat down last night to start going through learning how to program (using the emulator), and I opened the documentation PDF that comes with the emulator release package, and immediately my mind started wishing I could have a physical copy instead. I'm young enough to have grown up with computers, but old enough that I just really prefer having my guides be something physical I can put post-it notes into and scribble in the margins.

Anyway, the 250-ish page PDF got me thinking about how much paper that would be, even double-sided, and how awkward the assemble and flip through. And my mind drifted back to that "beginners book binding" kit I bought a couple years ago and never used...

So now I have a hardcover, hand-bound copy of the X16 developers guide in A5 size. And I still haven't written any code for the X16, but at least I finally used that book binding kit.

Turns out that an ADHD lifehack is, if you choose a project where the yak shaving involves doing one of your OTHER existing projects, you're way more likely to at least get SOME project done that's been on your list.

I though y'all might like some photos of the process and final result.

Folding all the printed pages. I did 4-sheet signatures, so 16 pages per sheet, folded in half. The tool I used to rearrange the pages also had options to place punch guides and gray marks on the backs of each signature so you can easily see if they're out of order or something. Here's half-way through the process of stitching the signatures all together. I had some of the process backwards, so the first few (bottom) look a little rough, but it got a lot better by the end. All in all, the PDF came out to 15 signatures. I should've used a brush to get a more even gluing, but it was my first time binding a book, and I was in a hurry this morning to get it finished before work. I don't mind that the inside covers are a bit wrinkled, though.

And the finished product! (Sorry, only 5 attachments, so I put the 4 in-progress on the top)...

I used some leftover Nightmare Before Christmas fabric as the cover. And this thing just lays really nice and flat! I don't know that I've ever had a book lay this flat

This is black art to me Can you post a photo of the finished book? Or doesn't it have a proper cover yet

That is really super cool to see.

desertfish wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2025 5:12 pm This is black art to me Can you post a photo of the finished book? Or doesn't it have a proper cover yet

For now, the main cover is the Nightmare Before Christmas fabric I had. I’m considering glueing a cutout of the cx16 logo to the front so it’s easier to tell which side that is

Hand bound books tend to have these more simple fabric or cloth covers, it seems, unless you’re really good at leather working, maybe? But that’s for a future project…

That's really neat, thanks for sharing a glimpse on what goes into a proper book binding.

I just saw a couple of videos where Martina from Nerdforge rebound (rebinded?) complete sets of both LOTR and Wheel of Time. The Wheel of Time series was utterly ridiculous when bound into one volume.

..... wheel of time.. in 1 volume? WHY HOW

desertfish wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2025 6:32 pm ..... wheel of time.. in 1 volume? WHY HOW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bioxZa950vo

Martina is a little weird... in a good way.

Yak shaving?