Boot up the C64U, and you’re greeted by a re-creation of the C64’s menu. Here, you can type in operation commands just as you would back in the day, using the BASIC programming language. Problem: I don’t have the first clue about BASIC. However, in what is possibly the greatest throwback of all, the C64U comes with a spiral-bound, 273-page user guide. It is an absolute tome. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s not a reprint of anything that came with the original, but rather a tailored guide to what the C64U does, where it differs from the C64, and how to get to grips with the computer’s capabilities. Equal parts history book and instruction manual, it starts out teaching you some simple commands and builds up to teaching you how to code. I’m still very much working my way through it, but that tactile approach—referring to the book, trying something out on the computer, back and forth—is a great touch.

Hidden Upgrades

If you don’t fancy having to do homework, the C64U’s own default menu, accessed at any time with a flick of the multifunction power button on the right-hand side of the unit, is a simple list of options and settings. Hit RETURN to go into any section—say, “Video Setup” to adjust whether the C64U outputs in original resolution, in PAL or NTSC modes (surprisingly important, given some games will only work with one display standard or the other), or a crystal clear 1080p with scanlines removed—and back out to save any changes to the system’s flash memory. It’s still a minimalist approach, but feels fairly intuitive.

This is also where you can start playing around with some of the other modern touches of the C64U, like how to leverage its far greater power. Well, “greater” in comparison to 1982. Spec-wise, this isn’t going to threaten any more modern machine, but running on an AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA chip and packing 128-MB DDR2 RAM—compared to the 64 KB of the C64—it blows its inspiration out of the water. While at baseline it replicates the performance of the 1982 hardware, meaning it operates as if there’s only the original 64 KB were there, you can menu-dive to activate a virtualized RAM Expansion Unit, or activate a “Turbo Boost” to accelerate the clock speed to a lightning-fast (in this particular context) 64 MHz.

Every audio system requires amplification. In a traditional hi-fi set-up, the loudspeakers are always “passive”—which is to say, they don’t produce their own power. Instead, they must receive an amplified audio signal from an external source, aptly called an amplifier, in order to do their thing. Even in a more modern, self-contained audio system (like the Sonos Era 100, for example), the drivers that produce the sound must be amplified in order to function—this just all happens in a singular box rather than across hi-fi separates.

But if you’ve heard about amplifiers, you may have also heard about preamplifiers (often referred to as “preamps”) and wondered where they fit into an audio system, and whether you need one. Let’s answer those questions, shall we?

What Does a Preamp Do?

An audio signal needs plenty of attention before it’s ready to be amplified—so ultimately the question “what does a preamp do?” broadly contains its own answer. A preamplifier takes care of everything that needs to be done before the audio signal (sent from the music source) is amplified and sent onwards to the system’s speakers.

In a self-contained audio system like the Sonos speaker, the preamplifier and the amplifier are in the same enclosure, along with the speaker drivers that actually deliver the sound. Even in a more sophisticated hi-fi separates setup, the preamplifier part of proceedings is still often handled out of sight, within the amplifier. These types of amps are known as “integrated amplifiers” and contain both preamp and amplifier functionality.

However, some people prefer to separate out this functionality, which is when you may come across a preamplifier as its own piece of equipment, paired with a power amplifier. In these cases, the preamplifier allows you to select the source of music you’d like to hear (the majority have a selection of input options in order to support a system with multiple sources), and also set and adjust the volume.

The preamp also ensures the audio signal is at “line level”—that is, the standard voltage strength of an audio signal transmitted between components—and sends it on to be amplified, ready to be moved onwards, finally, to the speakers.

Does an External Preamp Improve Sound Quality?

Hi-fi orthodoxy says that individual functions in any system should be kept as separate as possible if the best results are to be achieved. The thinking goes that, by keeping electrical activity as shielded and self-contained as possible, the audio signal has the best shot at remaining as pure and uncolored as possible.

By dividing the preamplifier and the amplifier functions into separate boxes, there should be a reduction in electrical noise and interference around the signal compared to having it all crammed into a single box.

Keeping a daily diary doesn’t come easily to most people, but it takes less effort than you might imagine. It could also become a meaningful way to reflect and grow as a person.

For more than 10 years, I’ve written a few words every morning, and what I’ve learned from this practice has changed my life. My only regret is not starting sooner.

If you’re interested in adding a daily journaling practice to your life, these tips and tools can help you not only get started, but also stick with it.

Why Keep a Journal or Diary?

My diary is a tool for clearing out my thoughts, recording details of my life that are sometimes useful to know later, and reflecting. The value in reflecting, however, only became apparent after I’d been writing for several years and could look back on my life to see it from a different perspective.

I’ve always been very hard on myself. I don’t make excuses, and I look upon my failures with consternation. Whenever I’ve gone back and read a series of diary entries from low points in my life, I’ve been able to view them with an outsider’s perspective. I can see more clearly just how tough things were, or how many things went wrong at once, or the gravity of a single event that I might have downplayed in the moment. This reflection has led me to be more compassionate toward myself—and toward others. I have learned to cut myself some slack.

You might discover something else, whether a pattern of behavior or something you want to change. Or maybe with hindsight you realize the things you thought you wanted to change don’t need changing at all. Journaling sheds light on all these things.

Memory is fickle. The personal self-reflection that we do entirely in our heads differs wildly from what we can do with notes. In short, that’s why I’ve kept up my daily writing for more than 10 years.

What Should You Write in Your Journal?

Start every diary entry with the date and your location. Why bother if your computer or phone can add them automatically? A few reasons. First, you will never stare at a blank page, and you will always know how to start. Second, metadata can get bungled over time or during file transfers, so it’s more reliable to add them manually. Third, typing the date and location into the diary entry itself ensures that those very important pieces of information are searchable.

What else should you write? A diary entry can be a simple brain dump. That’s what I do. Other things worth mentioning are major events, strong emotions, and hopes and dreams.

If following a method helps, you could try gratitude journaling. Some parents I know ask their kids at the end of the day to reflect on their “rose, thorn, bud“—one highlight from the day, one difficulty, and something they’re looking forward to—which is an equally good diary formula.

How to Make It a Habit

The best trick I have for forming a new habit is to tie it to an existing one. Find a habit that you already have and combine it with a few minutes of daily writing.

I journal every morning as soon as I have coffee in front of me. My coffee-making routine is non-negotiable, immovable, set in stone, seven days a week. Even when I stay in a hotel, I bring a travel coffee maker with me, and I write in my diary while drinking the coffee.