Introduction

From: Sam Ismail <dastar_at_crl.com>
Date: Sun Jun 8 23:34:36 1997

On Sun, 8 Jun 1997, Andy Brobston wrote:

> tape recorder to work once in a while for storage. I remember writing
> programs for it. I remember also typing in that what-seemed-so-long
> "Digital Clock" program from the manual. I left out all the REM
> statements because they were "optional," I thought from my programming

Oh yeah, I vaguely remember typing that in as well.

> age seven. When my parents' friends came over, their two kids and I
> had Utopia tournaments. Often, they got very mean, and we'd end up
> fighting because "you broke the agreement about not sinking my fishing
> boat," and one of us would retaliate by putting rebels on the other's
> island with all our money until the game got pointless because no one
> had anything left.

Heh. I loved that game. Hopefully I'll find it at a thrift store or
flea market someday. I alwso had Snafu, but it wasn't nearly as cool as
Utopia.

> I may still have the price list around somewhere - I know I had it a
> long time after buying anything would have been an option, but I don't
> know if it got thrown out or not. I bugged my parents about getting me
> a printer for it, but they never did, and I didn't have any money of
> my own (I was only between about six and eight).

The only reason I ended up with all the peripherals is because this kid
around the corner from me had one with ALL the peripherals (his parents were
pretty well off and he was spoiled) and I offered to buy it all off of
him for all the money I had in my pocket ($36). It was a score. I got
the actual computer and datasette from one of those timeshare dealies
where they used to offer a free computer or free video game if you would
just come down and look at their lovely timeshare villas. I managed to
convince my parents it was a sweet deal for them to blow an hour of their
time so that I could get a free computer. I wasn't joking, since with
the money I make today from a career that had its roots in my Aquarius, I
shower them with nice gifts once and a while. So parents, take heed! It
WILL be worth it someday!

> In my original list of computers, I forgot my Atari 2600, possibly
> because I didn't consider it a computer, but rather a video game
> machine. (Wasn't there a keyboard setup of some sort that you could
> get for it? I could be wrong about that.) I still have that at home,

Yes there was.

Sam
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Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
Received on Sun Jun 08 1997 - 23:34:36 BST