ScuzzBlog: 9th May 2007

Subject 01: Web Update: Far too many Amigas
Subject 02: Does it Matter: Losing the intellectual know-how
Subject 03: Today's Perspective: Never been further away

Entry 0738: Blogs: 3


Web Update: May 2007

Entry 0738: Blog: 1


Web Update: Far too many Amigas
I couldn't end this day, the 9th May 2007, the very day
of my birth without celebrating in some small way the 
latest additions to the collection. This has been a truly
magical session for me, with such wonderful acquisitions,
that have knocked each previous session into a cocked
hat. One guy summed it all up today when he queried
whether my list was truly the new arrivals, or in fact
the whole collection. So massive is the intake. The list
represents all that I have collected over the last three
months... trust me. And as The Average White Band once sang..
' Lets go round again '... The list has been all over
the place today.....

AMIGA KIT -------------------------------------

Video Toasters - 3 boxed mint
NewTek Tapeless Video Toaster Boxed Mint
Video Toaster 4000
Toaster 4.2 boxed mint
NewTek Video Toaster 4.0
A500Plus' computers two number
A500 computers four number with RAM cards and switchers
Amiga 2000 computer
Amiga Magic Pack with A1200 computer boxed
Amiga standard A1200 boxed Amiga
2 times A500 workstations
Amiga A4000/040 desktop mint computer with HD and OS3.9
A1500 Checkmate computer boxed
Ateo Concepts A4000 tower with:
Picasso IV Graphics Card
Concierto Sound Card
Pablo and Poloma cards
Buddha Interface
Hypercom card
Tower comes complete with feet.
5 ( five ) Amiga A1200s and 1 bare case.
A1200s generally have RAM cards and clocks.
A570 CD-Rom drive sidecar
GVP HD+ sidecar with 2.04 installed
Nine number external floppy drives
Amiga Hyperpad - Interact
L2000 Lola genlock
Power Computing CD-Rom Drive
Power Computing Buffered Interface
CDTV Computer with remote control and keyboard
CDTV - CD1301 Genlock Module
Blizzard 1230-IV Boxed
RCA120 Ramboard and clock
Ellbox Fast ATA -2 EIDE and Allegro CDFS
ProMidi Interface - MicroDeal
VidiAmiga - Video Frame Grabber
Fusion Video Genlock - Amitek
Pablo Video Encoder
Commodore 68020/030 Board 
IOBlix Interface and software
Amiga Master Sound Sampler - Microdeal
GVP A3000 PVA/FYE Rev IV Graphics Card
CSA Mega Midget Racer Mc68030 accelerator
KCS PowerPC Board V4.5
A4000 Floppy Drive NewTronics
Sample Studio 8 Bit Sound Sampler - Datel
Boot Blocker - Datel Electronics
Commodore 1942 Monitor
2 x A4000 power supplies

AMIGA SOFTWARE------------------------------------------

Turbo Challenge 2 - Gremlin
Pagesetter II - Gold Disk
Amax II Macintosh Emulator - Ready Soft
Digi-Paint 3 - New Tek
Music-X - Micro Illusions
Inter Office - Interactivision
Hanna Barbera - Animation Workshop
HighSoft - Sqirrel Software
Buddha Software Disk
Catweasel Controller Disk
Turbo Print 6
VillageTronic - Install Picasso IV V.1.33
VillageTronic - PabloIV - Install
VillageTronic - PalomaIV - Installer 1.3
VillageTronic - Concierto Installer 1.1
Amiga DevPac - HiSoft
Dr T's Music Software and Binder

AMIGA CDs--------------------------------------------

Amiga OS3.5 Developer CD V2.1
17 Bit Collection for the CDTV
17 Bit The Continuation Disk
17 Bit The Fifth Dimension
17 Bit Phase Four
LSD and 17 Bit Presents Compendium Deluxe Vol 1
LSD and 17 Bit Presents Compendium Deluxe Vol 2
Amiga CD Rom Collection - WOD's 94
Amiga Tools 7 - TGV Haupt
Assassins CD - Weird Science
BCI Net
CD Animations - Weird Science
CD Exchange Vol 1
CDPD - Almathera
CDPD II - Almathera
CDPD III - Almathera
CDPD IV - Almathera
CDTV Demo 2 - Almathera
CDTV - Pandoras CD
The Demo Collection for the CDTV
Demomania 1
Euroscene 1
Frozen Fish - Amiga Library Services
Gigapd 
GoldFish Vol 2 - Amiga Library Services
Hottest 4 -
Hottest 6 - CD Rom Software
Lock n Load Northwest
Meeting Pearls - Vol 1
Net Connect - Active
NetConnect II Lite
NFA AGA Experience
Octamed V6
SAAR AMOK II
The Second AMUG CD
STFax
Ultimate Amiga PD Demo Collection
Ultimedia II - 
Welcome to CDTV Multimedia
Zoom - Active Software

AMIGA GAMES---------------------------------------------

Noddy's Playtime - Jumping Bean
Mega Traveller 1 - Empire Strategy
Ishar 2 - Silmarils
Carvup - Core
Sim City Architecture 2 - Action
War in Middle Earth - Mellbourne House
Sensible Soccer - Mindscape
Archipelagos - Logotron
Targhan - Action Sixteen
Microprose Soccer
Rick Dangerous - Firebird
Fantastic Worlds - Ubi Soft
Microprose Golf
Falcon Mission Disk Vol 1 - MirrorSoft
Subbuteo - Electronic Zoo
Sports Spectacular - Elite
Eye - Enducame
Dungeon Master - FTL
Dark Seed - Cyberdreams

AMIGA BOOKS- GUIDES----------------------------------

The Amiga Shopper PD Directory
Quick Installation Guide - Buffered Interface
Buddha IDE Controller Instructions
Pablo IV - Village Tronic
Concierto - Village Tronic
Paloma IV - Village Tronic
Picasso IV - Village Tronic
Get the Most out of your Amiga 1994
Octamed SoundStudio - Manual
A2000 A500 Amiga Basic
XTRA Drive Integrated Information Technology
Turbo Print6 Manual
Workbench 3 Manual
Catweasel Mk 2 Controller Manual
Main Actor Software and Manual
Pablo Manual
A1200 Floppy Only System Addendum

AMIGA - COMMODORE MAGAZINES ---------------------------

Amiga Buyers Guide Winter 1991
Commodore World - Issue 9 Vol 2 No 4
Amiga World - Aug 1991
Amiga Power - Dec 94
Amiga Format - Issue 93 Jan 97
Amiga Format Special - The Good Hardware Guide
C64 White Lightning
C64 Important ' Please Readme ' Leaflet
A number of Amiga Format Backstage issues

COMMODORE KIT -----------------------------------------

C64GS Boxed Games System
Boxed Commodore Communications Modem
Speech64 - Currah
1530 Datassette Unit - Model C2N Book
1764 Ram Expansion
C64 Sound Studio - Music Sales Limited
1531 Datassette boxed
1530 Datassette boxed
C64C three number computers
1541 Floppy Drive 
2 x 1541-II drives
Commodore 64 Quick Data Drive
MPS801 Matrix Printer
C64 computer Light fantastic boxed
C64 computer Night Moves boxed

C64 SOFTWARE ------------------------------------------

The Expert Cartridge and Manual
Power Cartridge and Manual
3 boxes 5.25" disks including Commodore Disk User
1541 Test Demo Disk
C64 Easy Spell User Guide
C64 Simons BASIC - Commodore
Best of PCW Software for the C64
Machine Code Tutor - New Generation Software
The Filer - Long Marketing
SuperBASIC - Interceptor Software
The Graphic Adventure Creator - Incentive Software
The Image System - CRL
The Real You - Apllied Systems
BusiCALC - Supersoft
White Lighning Software - Oasis Software
The Artist - ValueWare
TurboDisk - Supersoft
SupaBASIC - Interceptor Software
Laser Compiler - Ocean
C64 - BASIC Programming Course - Dr Watson
C64 Assembly Language Course - Dr Watson

COMMODORE BOOKS-----------------------------------------

MPS-801 User Guide
1541 User Guide
2 x C64 User Manuals
Easy Script - Commodore
Easy File - Commodore
Future Finance - Commodore
Easy Calc - Commodore
The Commodore 64 Disk Book - Tony Hetherington
VicSoft for the C64

C64 GAMES-BOXED --------------------------------------

Monopoly - Leisure Genius
WEC Lemans - Coreland
Colossus Chess 2.0 - CDS Micro Systems
After Burner - Sega
Ikari Warriors - Elite
Lord of the Rings - 2 copies - Melbourne House
Football Manager - Addictive
Ghost Busters II - Activision
Trivial Pursuit - Horn Abbot
Power Drift - Activision
Gazza Super Soccer - Empire
Dynamite Dux - Activision
Combat Lynx - Durrell Software
World Cup Soccer - Italia 90 Virgin
Terminator 2 Judgement Day - Cartridge
Live Ammo - Ocean
World Cup Carnival - Pique
Daley Thompsons Olympic Challenge
Taito Coinup - Imagine
Tolkien Trilogy - Beau Jolly
Wargame Construction Set - Strategic Simulations
The Armageddon Man - Martech
Vlahalla - Legend
Shadows of Mordor - Mellbourne House
Rockford the Arcade Game - Melbourne House
Power CD-Rom User Manual
Shuttle - Virgin

C64 CASSETTES----------------------------------------

3D Snooker -Zeppelin
1943 - CapCom
720 -Kixx
6 Pak - Hit Pak
ACOS - Melbourne House
Action Fighter - MicroProse
Action Force - Mad Mad Mad
Airwolf - Encore
Alien - Mind Games
Army Days - Light Fantastic
Asterix - Melbourne House
Atom Ant - HiTec
Barbarian - Kixx
Basil the Great Mouse Detective - Gremlin
Batman - Ocean
Battle Ships - Encore
Battle Valley - Hewson
Best of Elite - Hit Pak
Beyond Spy vs Spy
Blaze Out - Ocean
Blinkys Scary School - Zeppelin
Blue Barron - Zeppelin
Bouder Dash II - First Star
BMX Racers - Mastertronic
Buggy Boy - Encore
Bulldog - Scumball
Burger Chase - Supersoft
Chiller - Mastertronic
Combat School - Ocean
Cosmic Cruiser - Imagine
Crazy Cars - Hit Squad
Crazy Kong - Interceptor
Cybernoid II - Hewson
Devastating Blow - Beyond Belief
The Double - Summit
Double Dragon - Tronix
Dragons Lair - Encore
Dragon Ninja - Data East
Eliminator - Players Premier
Emilyn Hughes - Touchdown
Encounter - Atlantis
FA Cup - Mastertronic
Fantasy World - Dizzy
Flight Path - Anirog Software
Gangsters - Light Fantastic
Garfield - Edge
Ghostbusters - Ricochet
Ghost 'n' Goblins - Encore
Giana Sisters - Go
Goblin Towers - Supersoft
GunBoat - Piranha
Hektik - Mastertronic
Hellfire Attack - Martech
Hollywood and Platoon - Ocean
Huxley Pig - Alternative
Hyper Sports - Hit Squad
Ikari - Elite
International Soccer - AudiGenic
Jocky Wilson Darts Challenge - Zeppelin
Joe Blade II - Players
Kane 2 - Matertronic
Kwik Snax - Codemasters
Last Ninja - System Three Software
Legend of Knucker Hole - Americana
Mad Games
Magic Carpet - Mastertronic
Match Day II - Hit Squad
Mind Control - Mastertronic
Mini Golf - Magic Bytes
Mini Office - Summit
Music Maker Play Along Album
The New Zealand Story - Ocean
Nightbreed - Ocean
Ninja Rabbits - Value
Outrun - Sega
Paper Boy - Encore
Panic - Interceptor
Peter Beardsley International Football - Premier
Pop Quiz - Elite
Pitstop II - Kixx
Professional BMX Simulation - Codemasters
Pulsoids - Mastertronic
Quattro Cartoon
Rabbit Pie - Illusion
The Race - Players Premier
Raging Beast - Firebird
Rallycross - Codemasters
Rambo III - Ocean
Road Blasters - US Gold
RoboCop - HitSquad
Run the Gauntlet - Hit Squad
Scamble64 - Interceptor
Schwartzenegger - Total Recall - Hit Squad
Scout - Matertronic
SideArms - Capcom
Sigma 7 - Encore
Silkworm - Virgin
Six Shooter - Ocean
Sly Spy Secret Agent - Ocean
Snowman - Commodore
SpaceWalk - MasterTronic
Stallone Cobra - Hit Squad
Star Command - Supersoft
Strike Force Harrier - Alternative
Super Hang On - Hit Squad
SuperSprint - Hit Squad
Super Stock Car - M Plus
Talladega - Top 10
The Thinker - Atlantis
Thrust - Silver199 Ranger
Thunder Blade - Sega
Time Traveller - Light Fantastic
Tomcat - Players
Toolbox - Audio Tape
Toolbox - Music System
Toolbox - Shoot em up Construction Kit
Toolbox - The Image System
Toolbox - Typing Tutor
Transformers - Ocean
Turbo Outrun - US Gold
Vegas Jackpot - Mastertronic
Vindicator - Imagine
Wanderer 3D - Encore
Wildfire -Supersoft
World Class Leader Board - Kixx
Yie Ar Kung Fu - Hit Squad
Your Commodore - ExBASIC
Zoids - Alternative

POWERPACKS - 17,21,22,25,28,30,37,38,44,48,49,50

RELATED -----------------------------------------------

9GB Server Hard Drive - Seagate STA10800WD
4GB Server Hard Drive - Barracuda 9A8001-130
4GB Fujitsu 3.5" Hard Drive
1GB 2.5" Seagate ST91350AG Hard Drive
LS120 Drive by Fujitsu
Floptical Drive by Mitsubishi
LS120 and Floptical Discs - 2 x MO 230 Optical Disks
Maxell - LS120 Super Disk - 120 MB
Iomega SCSI ZIP Drive
SyQuest EZ-Drive EZ-135
PhotoCD CD-ROM SCSI drive plus robbons and termination
5.25" to 3.5" drive converter
Power Computing external hard drive
External double floppy drive bay
External 5.25" floppy drive

ACORN SOFTWARE-------------------------------------

NOOT - Demo disk by 4Mation
Acorn JP150 support disk
My Town/ Village - Northwest
Simple Stuff - Skeletons
Ethnic Poster - 4Mation
Poster - Borders, fonts - 4 Mation
My World
Artisan
RISC User Movie Maker
Presenter GT - Ligenuity
Junior Database
Vision Digitiser - Mono
RISC OS - Smart Demo Disk
Chameleon - Use Udit
Snippet - 4Mation
Modern Languages - 4Mation
Granny's Garden - 4Mation
Killer 2.204 Virus Protection
Arthur - Cambridge Software House
Screenplay - Widget
Poster - 4Mation
Quest in the Curriculum
Craftshop 1-2 - 4Mation
Artisan - Edition
Genesis II - Oak Solutions
300 blank Acorn disks - Abandonware
Grid Processor - 4Mation
RISC OS Support Disk
RISC OS Application Disk 1
RISC OS Application Disk 2
RISC OS3 Application Disk
In all 8 copies of the RISC OS Software
Enter the Realm - Fourth Dimension
Dorway - Christmas Disk 1993
Dorway - Killer Disk 1995
Dorway - Christmas Disk 1996
Junior Insight
Six French Games - AVP Computing
Talking Pendium
Archimedes Logo
Exploration and Encounters Pt1 and Pt2
Archimedes Log Logotron
Maths Circus 4Mation
Archimedes PenDown

AMSTRAD------------------------------------------------

CPC664 computer, monitor and manual
Amstrad CTM-644 Monitor
GX4000 boxed

ATARI---------------------------------------------------

Atari ' Woody ' Boxed
Atari 65XE Computer
Atari XC12 Datassette
Atari Cartridges:
Centipede - Atari
Pheonix - Atari
Jr PacMan - Atari
PacMan - Atari
Kung Fu Master - Activision
Road Runner - Atari
Defender II - Atari

COMPAQ--------------------------------------------------

Compaq Portable.. original computer luggable

IBM-----------------------------------------------------

Another IBM Luggable PS2 computer.

MACINTOSH-----------------------------------------------

Macintosh G4 Computer
Macintosh Performa 6320 computer with mouse and keyboard
MacWorld April 2007
MacWorld May 2007
Mac Format - Future March 2007
Mac Format - Future May 2007
Tomb Raider - Last Revelation
Mac OSX Illustrated 10.3

EXTRAS: Samsung flat screen monitor
Belkin hub controller
White Macintosh keyboard

NINTENDO----------------------------------------------

SuperFamicom Junior Console plus controller
plus two games... including StreetFighter II

PHILIPS-----------------------------------------------

Philips CDi 450 console and controller

SEGA--------------------------------------------------

Dreamcast console and game controller
Dreamcast VMU 
Sonic Adventure
Dreamcast Dreamkey

SINCLAIR----------------------------------------------

Sinclair ZX BASIC Programming
Spectrum+ User Guide
Spectrum +3 Power Supply
Sinclair Spectrum+2 computer

TANDY-------------------------------------------------

Tandy Radio Shack Model 100 plus manual
TRS-80 Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 4 computer

GAMING------------------------------------------------

Final Fantasy XII The Game
Final Fantasy Limited Edition Hardback Guide
Final Fantasy Softback Guide

GENERAL-----------------------------------------------

CBS Coleco Vision Cartridges
GORF - Bally Midway
Donkey Kong Junior - Nintendo
Smurf - Ideal
Zaxxon - Sega
Cosmic Avenger - Universal
Turbo - Sega
Ladybug - Universal
MouseTrap - Exidy

MAGAZINES BOOKS---------------------------------------

NewType Moving Picture Magazine - March 2007
Retro Gamer - Load 34
Retro Gamer - Load 36
Retro Gamer - Load 37
ImageFX - April 2007
Interfacing to the IBM Personal Computer 
TRS-80 Assembly Language Programming - William Borden
JSP A Practical Method of Program Design - Chartwell
Pascal - W Findley
Cobol Programming - NCC

COMIX--------------------------------------------------

TAO - Spirit of TAO 3,4,6,8,10,12
Witchblade - 67, 101, 102, 103
Elektra 28, 29

And that was that for 9th MAY 2007

Time for a cuppa tea me thinks

scuzz

Toaster Checkmate MegaMidget GS

Toaster - Checkmate - Mega Midget Racer - C64GS

A2000 Compaq Model 4 CPC664

A2000 - Compaq Portable - TRS-80 Model 4 - Amstrad CPC664

G4 A1200s A4000d 450

Macintosh G4 - Amiga 1200's - Amiga 4000d - Philips CDi 450


Does it Matter: May 2007

Entry 0738: Blog: 2


Does it Matter: Losing the intellectual know-how

Hi

I often trouble myself over the emulator, which as much as I try
just doesn't feel right. Its like entering that code in Manic Miner
that gives you infinite lives. When you finish the game you always
have the nagging doubt that you didn't actually successfully play
and win the game. Thing is, we all know that to get an Amiga
working with CDs and the like you have to get your hands dirty.
Same goes for the BBC, Acorn, Atari etc etc. To get modems
working and networks you have to bend the rules. I mean, just
consider the various file systems that supported disk formats
on the C64. The given applications not only needed the software
but often the hardware hacks also. .... Thinks.

Anyway, to the point ' Does it Matter ' . This really relates to losing
the intellectual and technical know how that was propagated in
the early years of computing. Many of us lived through this, and
still get a warm glow from the memory of those days setting up 
hard drives on systems that really never seriously were intended 
to have such. Or working a computer with various interfaces to 
achieve the otherwise impossible. The old grey matter was truly
tested by OSs that gave the basics but little else, and which could
never have imagined the dizzy heights to which they were augmented.
And yet, I am still troubled. Does it matter that GEOS fades into the
dull and distant past. Does it matter that four way buffered interfaces
and power flyers are just not necessary any more. Do I care that to
play a video on a PC you just have to click an icon and that's that.
I dunno... Its not about challenges anymore, its about letting go
the past. And in letting go do we forget all that went before. As
I say I dunno... I have a weekend like this where I escape the
ravages of MS and I just joy in the past and always feel kinda
sad that it all ended... 

That's all.

scuzz

PS: What's the difference between classic hardware and an 
emulator ? .... You can't download hardware. ;-)


Today's Perspective: May 2007

Entry 0738: Blog: 3


Today's Perspective: Never been further away

Hi

I reflected today on my first experience of my very own computer
and that being of the ZX81. There was a moment some 25
years ago when I was probably more close to computers
than I have ever been. I could never have foreseen the wild
adventures that were to follow from this humble beginning.
For as I sat watching that flashing cursor for the very first
time I realised then that I had the power to model and control
responses from an intelligent machine. I saw the computer
as a very very clever child that with time could become a 
friend and a helper... Obedient yet capable of surprise. Those
early days were very very magical, there was nothing to confuse.
No Microsoft, PCWorld, Vista, Internet, etc etc just me and the
ZX81... And I felt very close to the world of computing cus although
it was a vast expanse, it held no boundaries at that time, and
me and computing were at its birth for the home user. We were
as one and for that reason I guess I felt very very close to what
was happening, and believed this to be a magical time. 

Not so today.... The mist of time has faded and we are left with
the super highway of modern machines, cheap as you like and
as disposable as any other household appliance. Fortunately
I can remember my days with the ZX81, and BASIC, and Manic
Miner and nothing but nothing other than my very own home
computer... Sadly I think we lost something on the journey.

Dunno..... 

scuzz

I just listed my favourite computer moments....

1: Building my very first data base on the ZX81
[ Travelling all the way to Glasgow for a keyboard for my ZX81 ]
2: Creating an adventure game on the Spectrum
[ Staying up all night, trying to get the code right.. 
and falling asleep at work ]
3: Spending nights inputting BASIC from magazines
[ pages and pages of code and for what... ?  For fun ]
4: Drawing with Logo on the Amstrad
[ Not only drawing but understanding program basics 
to get that turtle to move ]
5: Using CPM to create a data base
[ Launching CPM was a great distraction from working on 
the word processor it was like the sweet in the jar that 
I raided when I felt like fun. No games on the PCW, and 
so CPM and Mallard BASIC were the only way to getting
something else from the computer. Great fun ]
6: Writing my first book on the PCW
[ Living , breathing, eating, sleeping with your words, 
you need a good machine to assist. The PCW was a dedicated 
brute of a computer and I even had the protective mesh 
screen over the monitor. I can still hear the noise of 
the disk drive as it chunked away. Wet cold winters the 
beginning of the nineties. Hard times, but with my
imagination and the PCW I was happy ]
7: Creating my first animation on the Amiga
[ Morphing... slicing and creating animation frames from video
was ( is ) so easy on the Miggy. Again... just loads and loads
of nights without sleep.... ]
8: Ishar 2 on the Amiga...
[ Even with the walkthrough, I found this game very very hard.
And yet a great joy and so deep. I just loved sitting here in the
otherwise dark, sinking into the world of Silmarils. No other
game has ever come close... And that music so haunting. Just
pure fantasy in computer land ]
9: Mucking around with AMOS... magical times
[ When ever I am on the road and feeling a touch low, I reflect
on AMOS Professional, dunno why. Just makes me happy. When
I discovered AMOS, I just couldn't wait to get home. It was so
much fun. There just wasn't anything I couldn't do with it. ]
10: Doing it all over again...
[ I am so lucky. I can live out my computer fantasy all over again.
And I mean this most sincerely... Modern computing sucks .. cus
it really isn`t computing... It's click and go ]

... The comments on this page are my own views of computing
and should be treated as such. 

scuzz



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Last updated 9th May 2007

Chandraise Kingdom