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Showing posts from February, 2016

A brave new world: the 1980s home computer boom

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From iPads to wafer-thin laptops, home computers (in one form or another) are today commonplace. But when did we first embrace this technology? Tom Lean, the author of Electronic Dreams: How 1980s Britain Learned to Love the Computer , investigates… In the early 1980s computers invaded British homes for the first time, a wave of cheap and futuristic devices that allowed millions of people to discover for themselves what a computer was. These fantastic machines, like the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Acorn Electron and Commodore 64, promised to make computing user-friendly for the first time. They were expected to reveal the wonders of information technology to the masses, and bring about a revolution in homes, schools, and workplaces. But to what extent did the electronic dreams these machines were sold on actually come true? What impact did home computers have on our lives in the 1980s? Read the full article here: http://www.historyextra.com/article/history-1980s-home-computer-boom-b...

Dave Needle, Original Amiga Engineer and Creator of the Atari Lynx and 3DO, Dies

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Dave Needle, an important figure in the computer and video game industries who designed three different hardware releases, has died. Needle died last Friday of natural causes  according to   RJ Mical, a longtime friend and former business partner. Needle was instrumental in creating the first Amiga personal computer, known as the Amiga 1000. The Amiga first released in July 1985. While Microsoft was developing its new Windows operating system for PCs and Apple was further establishing itself with the first “Macintosh,” Commodore’s original Amiga was considered ahead of its time because of its almost unrivaled and ground-breaking multitasking abilities along with advanced sound, video graphics and multimedia features. Read more here: http://quarterdisorder.com/2016/02/23/dave-needle-original-amiga-engineer-and-creator-of-the-atari-lynx-and-3do-dies/

Ground Zero Amstrad CPC

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Ground Zero is a game that has kept me captivated since its release, it's taken me years to complete, of which I am highly embarrassed. So, after decades of trying, I've finally beaten it. It wasn't easy either, take too much time and you die of radiation poising, go too quickly, and you run out of energy. Everything is against you, and you only have thirty minutes to diffuse a nuclear bomb! One of Tynesoft's finest games, shame more didn't exist like this. Video available here, just click play...

C4CPC 3D Cartridge Quick Guide

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My #‎C4CPC Blank Cartridge cover arrived today, on my Birthday. Total cost £10, but that's because postage is really high. I had to file a few things down to get it to fit, but on the whole, it's a worthwhile project, and to say I'm happy with it, is an understatement. None of this would have been possible, without the help of the guys from the CPC Community.  So, you want a 3D Cartridge to house your C4CPC, well, the best place to get started, is head over to CPCwiki, there you will find a page with a complete list of games and applications that are available, and any new developments in the design, or update for the C4CPC cart.  Games available, can be found at:  http://cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Converted_GX4000_games   Information on the 3D Design of the cart can be found here: http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/c4c4c-3d-printed-cartridge/msg120726/#msg120726 The above links will help to get you started, and the second link, ...