>>You old pros probably have been here but word of this site just reached
>>Grapeland via Hong Kong.
>
> Though I really do have to wonder how many people would actually fall for
>the idea that their monitor can go both ways...
On the old "Beagle Bag" collection for the Apple ][, there were some
impressively done programs in "Magic Pack". In one of them, you
are directed to hold a playing card up to the screen, type "RUN", and
the computer scanned the card and told you what type it was. In another,
called "Plenty Questions" (like 20 Questions), the computer asks a bunch
of Yes/No questions which you answer and are typed in. And the computer
could guess it right 100% of the time.
All **assuming** that a sufficiently trained person was sitting at the
computer keyboard. For the card scanner, you would type "3CN" (as
the letters "RUN" appeared on the screen) to indicate that, say, a
3 of Clubs was being held up to the screen. For "Plenty Questions",
you get to type one letter of the object in response to each Y/N
question.
Of course, "Magic Pack" depended on a good amount of showmanship on
the part of the computer's owner as he dupes his friends into believing
the mystical powers that his lowly Apple ][ has acquired. And not
doing the tricks so often that the audience figures out what's going
on!
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa_at_trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
Received on Sat Aug 14 1999 - 10:03:33 BST