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technolog's tales of domestic bliss, DIY & other nonsense
technolog:
A very evocative item on the BBC New Magazine website at the moment, reminiscing about the ZX81. Ahhh, good times!
It was my first computer. I still remember excitedly going to WH Smiths in Leicester to buy it - November 1981!
That got me hooked on computers and a few months later I was buying its big brother, the ZX Spectrum. This was announced, if memory serves, around April 1982 but didn"t actually start shipping in significant numbers until a couple of months later. I remember pawing over the glossy, embossed brochure longingly, almost salivating at the prospect! Sad but true!
By now I was really into computers and avidly consumed information on their workings. I had a book which disassembled the Spectrum"s ROM and I studied it until I knew how it worked in a lot of areas like getting keyboard input and outputting characters to the screen.
I bought loads and loads of games for it. I had a draw almost full of them. I also bought loads of add-ons for it - "proper" keyboard, sound generator, speech synthesiser etc. I also had a modem and subscribed to Micronet with access to Prestel - an early forerunner of the internet I suppose. This would have been around "85/"86. Being single, living at home with lots of disposable income ftw!
By now I was a confirmed Sinclair fan and got my mitts on the Spectrum"s successor, the Sinclair QL.
This was (laughably) described as a business computer. I was very "into" this for a start but my interest started to wane a little as it coincided with me discovering the pleasures of beer drinking. Well, I"d already discovered that, perhaps excess beer drinking would be more accurate :)
My love affair with computers continued but my initial ardent fervour and passion :) had subsided and was now more of a workaday, utilitarian relationship. Beer was now my first love.
To fill in the blanks, after the QL I got an Amiga which I didn"t really ever get into.
I then got an Amstrad PCW which got a fair bit of use. I believe this ran the CP/M operating system and was getting close to the realms of today"s PCs.
After this I bought my first PC at the end of "91. I went for future-proofing (lol) with a massive 4MB of RAM and an 80MB hard disk!
I"ve lost track now of my various PC puchases and upgrades but there"s probably been about half a dozen different desktops pass through the lounge. I resisted getting a laptop for ages but eventually succumbed about 3 years or so ago. I can"t imagine being without one now.
technolog:
So, Season 5 is announced and nearly upon us. Very good it looks too. It"s a shame to see Betfair go as, I think it"s fair to say, they were the best sponsor we"ve had. 888 Poker have got their work cut out to match them.
Really looking forward to the battle for the Division 1 title in the National Online League. We (APAT Notts) have a tough job ahead if we"re going to best the likes of Walsall, Solent and the Luton masses. I"m up for a challenge though and will be giving it my all!
Honeybadg:
Quite enjoyed your pictures of spectrums ... the rubber keys ideal for sticking needles into and through ... L
Mikeyboy9361:
--- Quote from: technolog on March 12, 2011, 11:12:18 AM ---
So, Season 5 is announced and nearly upon us. Very good it looks too. It"s a shame to see Betfair go as, I think it"s fair to say, they were the best sponsor we"ve had. 888 Poker have got their work cut out to match them.
Really looking forward to the battle for the Division 1 title in the National Online League. We (APAT Notts) have a tough job ahead if we"re going to best the likes of Walsall, Solent and the Luton masses. I"m up for a challenge though and will be giving it my all!
--- End quote ---
I agree Betfair were excellent sponsors, and I even grew to like their software! Trying hard to like 888s now!
technolog:
Been busy this weekend getting accommodation booked up for September"s Coast to Coast walk.
I knew that September was the peak time for walkers doing the Coast to Coast but I thought 6 months prior would be sufficient to get our pick of digs.
We"re all sorted but I was amazed to find quite a few places already full. At Robin Hood"s Bay, the conclusion of our walk, we were down to about 5th choice before I found somewhere. I"m glad I took the time to look and didn"t leave it any longer.
Really looking forward to this now. We"ve still got lots to do, maps, route planning, equipment to get/buy. I"ve got a feeling September"s gonna be here before we know it.
As Ger would say: great company, great food, great scenery, great craic - priceless!
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