ST Report: 04-Sep-98 #1428
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 09/07/98-09:48:47 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 04-Sep-98 #1428
Date: Mon Sep 7 21:48:47 1998
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September 04, 1998 No.1428
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"Often Imitated, Never Surpassed!"
- Maptech Chartware - Earthlink SUED - Redneck Rampage II
- Adobe Rejects Quark's Try - The Lonely Net - DaVinci Handheld
- Mad Katz Panther XL - COOL Chips - Northstar DGPS
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Microsoft Subpoenas Netscape Messages
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From the Editor's Desk...
Well now... as the saying goes.... "all good things must come to an
end"... Beginning with this issue, we go back on our regular, weekly
schedule. Maybe next year we'll go to three summer monthly issues
instead of two like this year. In any case, as most of you are aware,
lately we've been enjoying rapid air changes here in Florida. Better
known as Hurricanes and Tropical Storms. So far, thankfully, it hasn't
amounted to much in North Florida. It does however, hamper the outdoor
activities. In our new Bits & Bytes column, this is discussed
further.
It'll be interesting to watch Senator Orrin Hatch's actions over the
next few months. In all probabilities, he'll ranting over Clinton and
Gates... trying to keep the pot stirred as best he can. We shall see.
Hatch... a virtual unknown before the "Republican Revolution" has, in
recent months proven himself to be "just another politician". While he
appears to be "squeaky clean" by his dress and mannerisms one has to
wonder. This guy has been in the Senate for how many years? Where was
his BIG MOUTH during the Iran/Contra Hearings? The Panamanian Debacle
and of course the Bank Failure Investigations??? Obvious by his lack
of presence and silence?? This is one politico who needs to be booted
by the TERM Limits law that's proposed. Hatch plays favorites like
John Q. Public plays his TV. I simply cannot wait to hear Hatch's new
tirades about Bill Gates and Bill Clinton. I need a good laugh. And
the politicians wonder why there is LOW Voter Turnout? Hatch and his
cronies are good examples of some of the causes.
It is sad to see low turn out but its a sign of the times. Maybe the
sleaze ball politicians we have in Washington want it that way so its
easier to get "their" people out voting and thus fairly push the vote
whichever way they wish. Maybe just maybe.... the masses ought to get
out and vote. It would be nice to see the thieves, liars and backroom
wheeler/dealers we now call politicians blown right out of office and
Washington D.C. in one fell swoop. This year and the year 2000 are
deciding factors. Please get out and vote; locally, Statewide and
Federally.
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STReport Headline News
LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Microsoft Asks Court To Limit Gates Deposition
Microsoft lawyers asked a federal judge on Tuesday to limit the U.S.
government to no more than eight hours of deposition with its chairman
and chief executive, Bill Gates. In response to the Justice Department's
request last week that Gates be made available for two consecutive days
of testimony, Microsoft accused the government of "gamesmanship" aimed at
disrupting the company's efforts to prepare for a landmark antitrust
trial, set to begin Sept. 8. In its 25-page filing, the world's leading
software company said the government "inexplicably" waited two months
after filing its lawsuit to seek depositions from 17 Microsoft executives
including Gates. The federal government and 20 states filed a broad
antitrust suit against Microsoft on May 18, accusing the company of
illegally using a monopoly in personal computer operating systems to gain
control of the Internet software market. "Plaintiffs' decision to wait 60
days to serve their first deposition notice is inexplicable and ...
appears timed to interfere with Microsoft's trial preparation," the
Redmond, Wash.-based company said in its filing.
"The court should not countenance such gamesmanship." Microsoft said it
offered to make available Gates, Microsoft President Steve Ballmer and
seven other executives of the government's choosing. U.S. District Judge
Thomas Penfield Jackson has set a hearing for Thursday to hear arguments
on the pretrial maneuvering, which threatens to delay the start of the
trial. Microsoft also argued in the filing that the government
consultants should not be allowed access to closely guarded source code
to its Windows 98 operating system unless they sign agreements that would
limit their ability to work for Microsoft rivals for up to 18 months. The
source code, which includes notes on how Windows 98 works, is among
Microsoft's "most valuable and closely guarded assets," the company said.
"That source code, for a currently shipping product responsible for
generating billions of dollars of revenue for Microsoft, should not be
treated cavalierly," it said.
Gates Questioned in Antitrust Case
Government lawyers on Friday spent a second day questioning Microsoft
chairman Bill Gates in preparation for a trial next month of their
antitrust suit against the software giant. One attorney, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said Gates was "more responsive" during 81/2
hours of questioning Friday after being "evasive and non-responsive"
during a similar session Thursday. A third round of questioning will be
held next Wednesday, the attorney said. Gates, the world's richest man
with more than an estimated $50 billion in assets, was questioned in a
conference room at Microsoft's headquarters near Seattle. A Microsoft
spokesman, Mark Murray, said of earlier complaints that Gates wasn't
being responsive: ``The facts don't support the government's case, so
it's not surprising that the government doesn't want to hear the facts.''
U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who will preside over the
trial, previously told government lawyers they can interview Gates "as
long as it takes." The government planned to interview 15 Microsoft
executives, including Gates, as it prepares for the Sept. 23 trial. The
Justice Department and 20 states allege that Microsoft used its market
influence as the dominant producer of operating software for personal
computers to stifle competition in the high-tech industry.
Attorney Sam Miller of San Francisco, who deposed Gates in 1994 for the
Justice Department during its last investigation of Microsoft, cautioned
that pre-trial depositions often can seem ponderous. "Unlike in a trial,
the lawyer can ask questions over and over again, until they get an
answer they're happy with or until the defending lawyer tells the witness
not to answer any further," said Miller, now with the law firm Folger,
Levin and Kahn. "It's a difficult situation for any witness, not a
natural conversation."
Steve Houck of the New York attorney general's office, representing the
20 states suing Microsoft, questioned Gates for roughly six hours
Thursday, then the Justice Department's David Boies took his turn. Boies
also will handle the interview with Gates next Wednesday. In addition to
Gates in the conference room, there were three lawyers each for the 20
states, the Justice Department and Microsoft, for a total of 10 people.
"Bill Gates will be very well prepared," said Miller, who isn't connected
with the current case. "He's the son of a lawyer; he's been deposed
several times, so he's well aware of the legal process. He is, by
personality and background, very smart and generally can be combative."
Miller said the government also likely is considering whether Gates will
make an effective witness during the upcoming trial. Gates has testified
publicly in at least two previous lawsuits, once in 1986 and again in
1994.
"It gives you a very good opportunity to make a judgment about a witness,
to size up a witness about how he will perform before a judge or jury,"
Miller said. "That would be one of the objectives of the government's
lawyer." The Seattle Times reported that Gates told the government during
Thursday's deposition that he knew nothing about a reported attempt to
persuade rival Netscape Communications Corp. to divide the market for
Internet browsers.
The Justice Department and 20 state attorneys general contend that
Microsoft met with Netscape in May 1995 and offered to divide the market
for Internet browsers. Citing a deposition with Netscape co-founder Marc
Andreessen, the government alleged that Microsoft offered not to make
browsers except for Windows 95 if Netscape agreed not to make browsers
for Windows or to help design rival operating systems.
Gates previously called the allegation about collusion "an outrageous
lie." He said the 1995 meeting ``was to discuss various technologies
Microsoft proposed sharing with Netscape, so that Netscape's browser
could take advantage of the cool new features we were developing for
Windows 95.''
Microsoft Subpoenas Netscape Messages
Microsoft Corp. has demanded ``flame mail'' messages from Netscape
Communications Corp. in a bid to scorch its competitor in next month's
antitrust trial. Hinting at one strategy it may use at the Sept. 23
trial, the Redmond, Wash., software company has subpoenaed internal
electronic forums run by Netscape employees, the Journal reported. One
forum, known as "bad attitude," is used to vent about everything from
competitors to cafeteria food, and a second, "really bad attitude," is
where a small circle of young engineers posted barbed messages, known as
flame mail, about their workplace and products. Microsoft may plan to use
some of the more embarrassing of these electronic messages to show that
it was management errors or weak products that led to a decline in
Netscape's share of the Internet-browser market -- not the predatory
practices of a monopolist, as the government charges, the Journal said.
The subpoena surprised the engineering ranks at Netscape, where frank and
often deeply cutting criticism was common on electronic "bulletin boards"
that were never intended to be seen by outsiders, especially the
arch-enemy Microsoft. Bad attitude was intended as "an anything-goes
forum for venting in as inappropriate and vitriolic a way as you felt
like" without fear of management reprisal, one engineer wrote, the
Journal reported. The second, private bulletin board was open by
invitation only. "You could be on RBA only if you first flamed so hard
that bile flowed from your eye sockets," the forum's creator, Jamie
Zawinski, wrote on his personal Web site. He says that he has
discontinued the forum. The Journal said Zawinski could not be reached
for comment.
Microsoft's internal e-mail: More ammo for the DOJ
Microsoft's internal e-mails are starting to look like the high-tech
industry's version of the Nixon tapes. The words of Microsoft's own
executives and other employees ultimately could do more damage to the
software giant than any other evidence that the Justice Department is
gathering as it prepares for its Sept. 23 showdown in court. At first
glance, the evidence appears damning in terms of how Microsoft tried to
bully friends and foes alike to cave in to its demands. This will likely
be a key piece of the government's strategy to convince U.S. District
Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson that Microsoft abused its monopoly power.
If Justice wins that major battle, it will have a much easier time asking
for harsh remedies to rein in Microsoft's dominance.
But what do we learn from reading these memos? Here are a few takeaways
that should come as no surprise to anyone who's done business with
Microsoft or bought its products:
* MICROSOFT IS A BULLY. Microsoft and its employees have become more
arrogant as the company has become more successful, and it takes
advantage of every opportunity to leverage that success to win sales
and force concessions regarding technology.
* BIG BUSINESS IS TOUGH. I'd be willing to bet Bill Gates and Andy
Grove had many more knock-down, drag-out fights than the one
chronicled in memos leaked to the press last week regarding Intel's
planned support of native signal processing technology. That's what
business is all about, isn't it? Put two powerful CEOs in a room to
talk about future plans, and it's guaranteed that each one will try
to browbeat the other into submission.
* MICROSOFT CHEATS. Inserting code in a product to intentionally break
another company's product, as Microsoft allegedly did with Windows
3.1 and DR-DOS, is just plain dumb. Documenting the strategy in
e-mail is even dumber. Saving the e-mail completes the dumbness
troika.
The first two items beg the question, So what? Bullheadedness, arrogance
and hardball tactics, like it or not, are accepted practices in the
business world. In these areas, Microsoft execs are not much different
from their peers--despite what competitors want you to think. And
internal e-mails alone don't give a fair picture of a company's strategy.
The third item is more disturbing, since it potentially shows that
Microsoft plotted to intentionally subvert a competitor by technical, not
marketing, means. Originally gathered under subpoena in Caldera's
antitrust suit against Microsoft, the evidence could become a key part of
the federal antitrust case.
As these and other internal memos continue to swirl around Microsoft with
the force of Hurricane Bonnie, the company seems more vulnerable now than
at any other time in the past decade. While it laughed off the consent
decree handed down in 1995 after the first government investigation into
its business practices, things are different now. The government seems
much more prepared this time, and every step Microsoft has taken lately
to sway opinion its way has been a misstep. Granted, it won a key battle
in June when a U.S. Appeals Court overturned a preliminary injunction
against bundling Internet Explorer with Windows 95. But it has yet to win
the war. Who knows what additional damage lurks inside the internal memos
the Justice Department has gathered during its investigation? Right now,
Bill Gates is probably wishing he had the e-mail equivalent of Richard
Nixon's 18-minute gap.
U.S. Asks Judge Not To Throw Out Microsoft Case
The U.S. government urged a federal judge not to dismiss its antitrust
case against Microsoft Corp., and accused Bill Gates and other executives
of an "astonishing lack of recall" when questioned under oath. In an
89-page filing made late on Monday in U.S. District Court here, the
Justice Department and 20 states said they had substantial evidence that
Microsoft had abused its dominant position to thwart rival Netscape
Communications Corp. (NSCP - news) and take control of the market for
Internet browsers. The filing was in reply to Microsoft's Aug. 10 request
to have the government's landmark antitrust suit against the software
giant dismissed. "Because Microsoft believed that it could not win what
it repeatedly described as 'the browser war' legitimately and on the
merits, it resorted to the predatory and anti-competitive agreements and
conduct described," the government said.
The company's executives, when interviewed under oath by government
lawyers, ``claim an astonishing lack of recall,'' the brief said.
"Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, who is placed at the center of key events by
numerous documents, displayed a particular failure of recollection at his
deposition," the government said. "Mr. Gates' testimony appears to be
part of a pattern of Microsoft attempting to rewrite history." Microsoft
has repeatedly denied the government's charges and earlier this month
asked that the case be dismissed for failing to meet basic legal
standards.
Filmmaker Sues Internet Provider Over "Spam" Label
New York filmmaker Peter Hall says he dislikes spammers as much as
anyone. "They're idiots," he says. But he dislikes being accused of being
a spammer even more. So last Thursday, the former journalist and his
independent filmmaking company, Big Bad Productions Inc., filed a lawsuit
against Earthlink, the California-based Internet service provider, for
falsely identifying him as a spammer.
Among the seven counts is the charge of libel, stemming from a list of
terminated Earthlink accounts that was posted to Internet newsgroups. "We
are taking the position that 'spammer' is a pejorative term," says Hall's
lawyer, Andrew Grosso, who is seeking damages in excess of $1 million.
"Spammers are disliked. There is even legislation before Congress that
would prohibit spamming."
The suit stems from a case of mistaken identity. It's nearly a year to
the day from the morning Hall awoke to find himself starring in a
real-life Kafka-esque drama. Hall was preparing for the theatrical
release of his first full-length feature film, "Delinquent," when he was
suddenly cut off from all electronic communications by his then-ISP,
Earthlink. The reason? Earthlink had received information from UUNet, its
backbone Internet traffic carrier, that Hall's account had been used for
spamming AOL members.
Unfortunately, the information was wrong. Apparently, the confusion arose
because of a numerical identification system used to track users' online
activity. The ID numbers are reassigned each day, but when the initial
spam complaint -- which originated from an AOL user in Japan-was received
by UUNet, a clerk neglected to factor in the international dateline
difference to determine the proper user identification number. The
confusion resulted in Hall being mistakenly ID'd as the culprit.
UUNet then passed on the wrong information to Earthlink and the ISP took
immediate action: Earthlink "toasted" Hall's account. Hall tried
frantically to contact Earthlink personnel to get to the bottom of the
problem, but claims he was rebuffed by the company's abuse department,
which refused to listen to Hall's protestations of innocence. After UUNet
admitted its mistake, Hall claims that Earthlink promised to immediately
reactivate his prepaid account but inexplicably did not.
Furthermore, Hall says that six days after his account was terminated and
more than 24 hours after being promised that his account would be
reopened he received a phone call from Earthlink's VP of Communications
with an offer for six months of free service-less than what he'd spent on
long-distance phone calls trying to remedy the situation. "I went
ballistic," he admits.
"I'd been up all night waiting for them to turn on my account. I'd just
spent five years working on this film and I was desperate to get my
email. If you want to systematically drive someone mad, this is how you'd
do it." The next day, Hall signed up with an alternate ISP and soon found
some emails had been forwarded from his Earthlink account. But from that
day until the day that the lawsuit was filed, Hall says, Earthlink has
been accepting Hall's e-mails, refusing to either forward them to him or
bounce the messages back to the senders to alert them that the emails
were not being received by Hall.
According to Hall, there are at least 591 messages to him at his old
Earthlink account which he cannot access. Grosso alleges that, under the
Electronic Communications Privacy Act, "ISPs have a duty to either
deliver the mail or inform the sender that it cannot be delivered."
Hall is claiming that he suffered financially from the inability to
promote the film's commercial debut and is seeking damages, as well as
compensation for his mental anguish and humiliation. Earthlink had no
comment on the lawsuit. Despite UUNet's role in the fiasco, Hall has not
pursued legal action against the backbone.
"UUNet asserts that its reports are not intended to be construed as
concrete evidence of wrongdoing," explains Hall. "They were responsive
and treated me courteously. They never treated me like a criminal. And
they apologized."
Microsoft Blamed in Software Glitch
Mark Alberding, a college student in San Francisco, was perplexed: His
computer running Windows 95 was working fine until he installed some
popular multimedia software called QuickTime. Suddenly, whenever he
double-clicked to look at any of the hundreds of digital photographs on
his hard-drive, his machine launched the new QuickTime software from
Apple Computer instead of a rival Microsoft program he had been using to
view pictures.
This sometimes happens with personal computers. Ill-mannered new programs
clash with old ones. The software ``victims'' can be programs from any
vendor, even Microsoft. But what had been a common and fairly esoteric
technical annoyance is a new focus in the landmark debate over whether
Microsoft unfairly uses its enormous influence to stifle competition in
the high-tech industry.
In Alberding's case, Microsoft's program stopped working. But the
company's toughest critics say that Microsoft's own software too often is
the victor not the victim in battles with rival programs. They want the
Justice Department - already suing Microsoft in a broad antitrust lawsuit
- also to investigate whether the software maker is deliberately trying
to stamp out rivals using a sort of software sabotage.
Alberding suspects that in his case, Apple's QuickTime established itself
as the default software to view his pictures, supplanting the viewer
programs from Microsoft and other companies. "It basically set itself up
as the default," Alberding said. "Sometimes when you install the most
innocent-looking applications, all kinds of silly stuff happens," said
Mark Stotzer, a support engineer for about 200 computer users at a
California textbook publishing company. "I don't know how normal users
can get anything to work after installing this stuff. In Washington,
executive Rob Glaser of Seattle-based RealNetworks Inc. fueled the debate
when he accused rival Microsoft of deliberately designing some of its
newest software to ``break'' his own popular product, which lets people
hear audio and watch video over the Internet.
In a dramatic demonstration during a Senate hearing last month, Glaser
showed his own Real Player G2 software working perfectly on a computer.
But it failed with an error message after he installed Microsoft's new
Media Player. In that case, Microsoft's player not only tried to take
over the duties of playing audio and video files, it went belly-up
because, unlike the G2 player, it's designed to recognize only the
earliest types of RealNetworks audio and video data. It was as if your
stereo's CD player suddenly decided it would try to play all your
eight-track tapes. The largely sympathetic Senate panel appeared
indignant. "I would think that a responsible corporation would know
better than to deliberately disable a competitor's product,'' said
Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, calling it "something the Justice
Department has to take seriously."
Microsoft's engineers blamed a mistake in Glaser's own software. They
detailed what they called a faulty entry that RealNetworks makes in the
Windows Registry, a repository of system settings, and they've since
noted that RealNetworks quietly fixed the problem in software it released
last week. Mike Elgan, the editor for Windows Magazine, complains the
whole incident showed that Washington doesn't understand technology
issues: "Hatch wouldn't know a registry key if it bit him in the gavel,''
Elgan said.
Glaser stands his ground, although his company's stock has lost one-fifth
its value since his testimony. And one company that complained with
Glaser about Microsoft's new Media Player, Xing Technologies, has
retracted its statements. Meanwhile, Glaser and some of Microsoft's
biggest rivals - including Netscape Communications and Sun Microsystems -
want new industry-wide principles to let computer users decide which
programs as they're installed will take control of common data files.
Alberding, the college student, never got his problem completely solved
espite his tinkering and a request for help on the Internet. He's all for
the new industry plan. ``That certainly makes sense, doesn't it?'' he
says.
"Internet Virgin" Site Sparks Lawsuit and Bickering
Ken Tipton, the mastermind behind the Our First Time Web site, where two
teenagers were supposed to lose their virginity online, says the fiasco
has become a professional and personal nightmare. The event, which was
conceived as a theatrical hoax a la Orson Welles' fake radio broadcast
War of the Worlds, is now the subject of a bitter legal battle.
Tipton filed a lawsuit for defamation and breach of contract this week
against the Internet Entertainment Group, his former Internet service
provider in the virgin venture. IEG is the company behind one of the most
profitable porn sites in the world and owns the rights to the infamous
Pamela Anderson-Tommy Lee video. Tipton wants $3 million to $5 million in
contract damages and another $10 million for defamation.
"My client has lost millions of dollars in potential ad revenues,''
claimed Los Angeles attorney Stan Lieber, who has advised Tipton against
speaking directly to the press. ``Not to mention the permanent damage to
his reputation as a filmmaker and an actor." Lieber said that Seth
Warshavsky, IEG's president, pulled the plug on the site in mid-July when
he learned that the teenagers were not really going to consummate their
rosy, weeks-long online romance with sex, but were instead going to opt
for abstinence -- the message being that safe sex, and especially
abstinence -- are best.
Warshavsky says that was just part of the problem. "At first, we thought
Tipton, who was calling himself 'Oscar Welles' at that point, was being
straight with us, that these 'teenagers' were really who they said they
were, and that they were really going to lose their virginity online.
After we had signed a contract with Tipton, we started to get suspicious
about the whole arrangement.
When Tipton was pressed to have the teenagers -- actually actors in their
20s -- sign model releases, Warshavsky said he refused. Then, he said,
Tipton admitted to the whole event being a sham set up to promote
publicity for a movie he was trying to make. "He was a little tipsy when
he confessed, and he tried to persuade us that we were all going to make
lots of money by charging $5 a pop to viewers on the day that the two
were supposed to lose their virginity online," Warchavsky said.
IEG pulled out of the project a few days later, and posted an angry
disclaimer at their club.love site, said Tipton and his company were
simply out to rip off the public. The ourfirsttime domain name was sold
to another company, according to a press release from Lieber, which did
not name the buyer. The new site uses the space to hawk skin flicks and
sexual paraphernalia. "These people have made a mockery of the Internet
media," proclaimed Warshavsky.
Of course, Lieber and his client tell a different story. "Tipton was
never going to charge for the site," Lieber said. "It was going to be a
public service announcement about safe sex. It was only after the threat
of legal action from religious right groups that he came up with the
safety net plan of charging people a dollar on their credit cards, to
prove that they weren't minors."
Tipton is no stranger to pressure from the religious right. He says they
were responsible for shutting down his chain of lucrative video stores in
St. Louis, because he was distributing X-rated movies. The movie idea
that Tipton hoped to promote with the "Internet Virgins" idea is actually
an autobiographical story about his personal and professional struggles
after tangling with the religious right. Tipton calls it "In the Eye of
the Beholder."
Any damage done to the credibility of the medium by the hoax should be
minimal, says the Electronic Freedom Foundation's Stanton McCandlish.
"People believe in moderated media, be it print or online or broadcast,"
he said. "This stunt was unmoderated, so regular users of theInternet
were probably skeptical from the beginning." "The only people who seemed
to buy it was not the public, but newspaper editors, who are always
scrounging around for dirt about the Internet." Warshavsky, who was only
made aware of the lawsuit against him when a Wired News reporter told him
about it on Thursday, said that he and IEG will fight, and may even take
counter action against Tipton.
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EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
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Contents
Panel Recommends Increased IBM Tightens Computer Security
Spending On High-Tech R&D
P&G Seeks To Set Standards For Online Banking Growth Is Slower
Web Advertising Than Expected
StampMaster Granted Permission To Developers Flocking To Macintosh
Begin Testing Fold
CyberGold Claims Patent On Stoll Prepares New Critique Of
"Attention Brokerage" Computers In Schools
Justice Dept. Asking Whether DARPA Leads Fight Against
Gates Pressured Groves Domain-Name Hackers
Adobe Rejects Quark's Overture Canadian Internet Infrastructure
Closing Europe's Technology Gap L&H Thrives On Multilingual Roots
New Handheld Device For Half The The Lonely Net
Price
Patent Law In The Information Age Lucent Serves Up New Perspective On
Tennis
New Developments In Holographic Cool Chips
Storage
Depositions Continue In Microsoft AOL Just Grows And Grows
Trial
Listening To E-Mail
PANEL RECOMMENDS INCREASED SPENDING ON HIGH-TECH R&D
The President's Information Technology Advisory Committee, a 26-member
panel of prominent computer scientists and industry executives, has
recommended that the U.S. government boost spending on information
technology research by $1 billion over five years, for a total of $2.5
billion. The committee also suggested reviving the large, long-term
projects that proved so productive in the 1970s and '80s. "The future
great ideas that are not going to pan out for 15 years aren't getting
enough support now," says the panel's co-chair. In its report, the panel
warned against the tendency among federal agencies to focus on small,
short-term projects to the detriment of larger, more basic science
studies. In particular, the panel recommended additional funding for
research into robust software, faster supercomputers and "scaleable"
communications networks capable of handling a billion users -- the number
of estimated Internet users in 2005. The next step for the panel is to
conduct a series of meetings with community and federal leaders to
develop specific funding proposals with a goal of being included in the
FY 2000 budget. (Science 21 Aug 98)
IBM TIGHTENS COMPUTER SECURITY
Working with colleagues at a Swiss university, IBM researchers have
developed a new security scheme that effectively closes off back-door
attempts to overwhelm computer security systems using so-called "active"
attacks. Such attacks, which analyze the electronic responses to messages
from Web sites to derive information that can then be used to decode an
intercepted session, are considered to be the most dangerous hacking
attempts that most encryption systems face. The Cramer-Shoup method,
named for researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and
IBM Research respectively, thwarts active attacks by preventing such
eavesdropping. "The game is over as far as cryptography systems being
subject to these nasty kinds of attacks," says IBM's manager of network
security and cryptography, who notes IBM plans to disseminate its
findings to other researchers. "This is not the sort of stuff you hold
tight and patent. This is the sort of stuff you publish and hope everyone
adopts it quickly." (Reuters 24 Aug 98)
P&G SEEKS TO SET STANDARDS FOR WEB ADVERTISING
Procter & Gamble held a summit last week, inviting rival firms such as
Unilever, Chlorox, and Nestle to join P&G in a unified effort to draft
standards for measuring online audiences and establish a set of ad types
that Web sites will accept. The company has set November as the deadline
for accomplishing these tasks, and by April hopes to develop a way to
reconcile contradictory data supplied by various online services. "Let's
face it," says the P&G VP in charge of worldwide advertising. "There's a
massive revolution in consumer habits. No one organization, or even a
handful of organizations, can be the driver. No one is in control, and
that's really disrupting the marketing landscape -- in a really positive
way." The company says that in five years as much as 80% of its
$3-billion advertising budget could be spent on "interactive digital
media," including the Internet, cable, interactive television and
high-definition TV. (Wall Street Journal 24 Aug 98)
ONLINE BANKING GROWTH IS SLOWER THAN EXPECTED
Although the number of financial institutions offering online banking has
grown rapidly (54% in 1998 compared to 38% in 1997), consumers are taking
their time changing their habits, and only about 6% of customers
nationwide use electronic banking. Use of the World Wide Web is what may
make the difference, because it offers a universal interface to almost
any computer system. An executive of Integrion, a consortium of 17 banks,
IBM, and Visa USA, says: "In the last six months, the Web has become more
important, and banks that might not have focused on a transactional Web
site are now doing that." (New York Times 24 Aug 98)
STAMPMASTER GRANTED PERMISSION TO BEGIN TESTING
StampMaster Inc., says it has received permission from the U.S. Postal
Service to begin testing its PC postage-metering technology, using a base
of 21 individuals and small businesses in the Washington, D.C. area. Last
March, E-Stamp was granted similar approval, becoming the first company
to receive such approval since postage meters were first introduced in
1920. Unlike E-Stamp, which requires users to purchase a small hardware
device that attaches to their PC printer port, StampMaster requires no
additional hardware. Users set up accounts with the company and then
download postage from the StampMaster Web site. Software on users' PCs
then prints out the stamps as each transaction is verified. Both
StampMaster and E-Stamp are talking to Pitney Bowes, which claims it
holds the patents on PC postage-metering, but neither company thinks its
technology infringes on the Pitney Bowes patents. (Wall Street Journal 25
Aug 98)
DEVELOPERS FLOCKING TO MACINTOSH FOLD
Software developers are turning their eyes back to the Apple Macintosh
platform, and liking what they see. Apple has committed $100 million to
marketing its new iMac machine, and the company is providing more free
developer tools and working with key partners to bring more titles to
market. Apple's strategy to stabilize its operating system has also
contributed to the renewed confidence that many software developers have
in the platform. "We're definitely seeing more Mac titles," says one
computer store manager. Sales of Mac-only titles rose 12% to $21.4
million in the first half of this year, according to PC Data. (Computer
Retail Week 22 Aug 98)
CYBERGOLD CLAIMS PATENT ON "ATTENTION BROKERAGE"
CyberGold says it now holds a patent that covers "attention brokerage,"
the business of buying and selling the attention of Internet users. "We
tried to make the patent application as broad as we possibly can," says
CyberGold's CEO. "This new way of brokering the attention of people
offering their attention to other people who want their attention -- is
pretty much covered." The company says it will license its method to
rivals in the online incentives market, possibly for a per-transaction
fee. (Wall Street Journal 25 Aug 98)
STOLL PREPARES NEW CRITIQUE OF COMPUTERS IN SCHOOLS
Iconoclastic computer security expert, astronomer, and fierce Internet
critic Clifford Stoll, who authored the best-selling book "Silicon Snake
Oil," is working on a new book critical of the use of computers in
primary and secondary education. Stoll told the Dallas Morning News: "I
became a computer expert in my freshman year in high school, writing
Fortran, Assembler, machine language and developing programs. Along the
way, I've discovered that using computers . . . was a great way to make
it look like I was doing wonderful academics when, in fact, I'm just
screwing around. And for all the many, many hours that I've spent online
and on computers, seems to me that most of the important work that I've
done has happened independent of the hours that I've spent online. When I
think of the skills that I need as an astronomer, they're skills like
knowing mathematics, understanding physics, being able to manipulate a
telescope, being able to write a paper, being able to read analytically
and understand what someone else has written. Being able to poke holes in
arguments. To be able to stand up in front of a meeting and present my
ideas. These days, the computers are loaded with programs to guide the
kids through things. Do they spend more time playing and learning . . .
rather than just doing the rote work as you were doing? The main thing
the computer is teaching . . . is that if you want to learn, you sit
behind a screen for hours on end, that you'll accept what a machine says
without arguing, that relationships that develop over e-mail, Web pages
and chat rooms are transitory and shallow. That if you're ever
frustrated, all you have to do is pull the plug and reboot the machine."
(Dallas Morning News 24 Aug 98)
JUSTICE DEPT. ASKING WHETHER GATES PRESSURED GROVES
As part of its antitrust suit against Microsoft, the U.S. Justice
Department is trying to determine whether Microsoft chief executive Bill
Gates made "vague threats" in 1995 to Intel chief Andy Grove about
development of "native signal processing" (NSP) technology and about
Intel's evolving Internet strategy. Intel wanted to develop a
microprocessor that supported Java, which would have threatened the
dominance of Microsoft's Windows operating systems, because programs
written in Java could be run on any operating system. Attorney Charles F.
Rule, an advisor to Microsoft, says: "Business partners like Intel and
Microsoft occasionally have minor disputes, and the fact that the Justice
Department and the states are apparently trying to shoehorn this into
their case at the last minute shows how desperate they are." (New York
Times 26 Aug 98)
DARPA LEADS FIGHT AGAINST DOMAIN-NAME HACKERS
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded a $1.4
million contract to Network Associates to develop a cryptographic
authentication system for the Internet's domain-address system. The new
system will enable the Net's routing points to verify the origin of any
given Web page, preventing hackers from corrupting Web page caches or
rerouting domain traffic altogether. It will not, however, prevent
hackers from breaking into individual Web servers and changing pages.
"That's not part of this particular approach," says the director of
Network Associates' TIS Labs. The company is working with the Internet
Software Consortium, which will distribute the security system to Unix
vendors when it becomes commercially available. Beta versions are
expected to be ready in about six months, with a final product on the
market in about 18 months. (TechWeb 26 Aug 98)
ADOBE REJECTS QUARK'S OVERTURE
Quark Inc., maker of publishing and graphics software, says its offer to
purchase rival Adobe Systems Inc. has been rejected. "Adobe has advised
Quark that it is not interested in pursuing discussions with Quark and
that Adobe is focused on the exciting opportunities available to the
company, its stockholders, employees and customers," says an Adobe
spokesman, who said the offer from Quark "failed to state any material
terms that could constitute a firm and bona fide offer, including price."
(Los Angeles Times 26 Aug 98) What's behind Quark's sudden offer for its
much-larger competitor? The company says the timing is related to a
sudden dip in Adobe's stock price: "This is not based on anything else
but our evaluation of the company's stock," says Quark CEO F. Fred
Ebrahimi. "Is there something wrong with being a capitalist? Well if so,
that's too bad." (Investor's Business Daily 27 Aug 98)
CANADIAN INTERNET INFRASTRUCTURE
Canadian Industry Minister John Manley has unveiled plans for a
high-speed Internet backbone, capable of moving data at speeds 1.5
million times faster than is possible using an ordinary 28.8 Kbps modem.
Dubbed CA*net3, the $120-million project is being touted as a showcase
for domestic technology firms, as well as companies following Canada's
lead in building third-generation Internet infrastructure. CANARIE, a
Canadian research consortium, and a group led by Bell Canada will build
the system, which could be fully operational by October. Initially, only
the most advanced computers will be capable of handling the network's
speed and capacity, restricting its use to university researchers and
certain government laboratories that currently use another CANARIE
research network. (Toronto Star 26 Aug 98)
CLOSING EUROPE'S TECHNOLOGY GAP
Analysts are predicting that by 2005, Europe may have significantly
narrowed its technology gap with the U.S., thanks to the unifying
influence of the euro currency, which will draw in new investment, and
deregulated telecommunications markets, which will attract innovation and
reduce prices overall. Currently, low PC prices (even lower than U.S.
prices in many cases) are making Europe the world's fastest-growing major
PC market, with sales up 17.8% for the first half of the year. Meanwhile
Europe is pouring money into high-speed data networks, augmented by the
estimated $125 billion that European companies are spending to prepare
their computers for the coming euro. "Market liberalization is going to
free up investment in Europe, and the money's going to go into high
tech," says the president of Cisco Systems' European operations. "A new
economy is going to be built as a result." (Business Week 31 Aug 98)
L&H THRIVES ON MULTILINGUAL ROOTS
Leading speech recognition software maker Lernout & Hauspie Speech
Products NV is located in the heart of a region known as "Language
Valley," aptly named for an area in Belgium, which is surrounded by
France, the Netherlands and German. The country has three official
languages -- French, Dutch and German -- and English is also widely
spoken. "They have a much more global outlook than their competitors,"
says the head of a software consulting firm. "The world doesn't speak
just one language." L&H, which focuses on both speech and language
translation businesses, is releasing its Voice Express Pro next month --a
product that enables users to give verbal commands and dictate documents
to a computer -- and another product, code-named Popeye, will let
software developers add voice recognition to e-mail programs. L&H is also
working on a product called iTranslator, which will translate Web pages
from one language to another and allow users to do multilingual Web
searches. Initially, the intended market will be non-English speakers,
but that's going to change. "...In four to six years, there will be more
Web sites in Chinese than in English," says the company's CEO.
(Investor's Business Daily 26 Aug 98)
NEW HANDHELD DEVICE FOR HALF THE PRICE
The daVinci handheld device, introduced Monday by Royal Consumer Business
Products, looks and functions like 3Com's popular PalmPilot but, at
suggested prices of $99 and $150, costs only about half as much as the
PalmPilot's $250-and-up pricetag. The basic daVinci model includes a
256-kilobyte memory, writing recognition software, a docking station, PC
synchronization and an optional keyboard, and the high-end daVinci Pro
boasts a 1 megabyte memory, built-in e-mail and fax software, and a
dockingstation with a PCMCIA card modem slot. The basic version is
expected to hit the shelves in October, and the Pro in November. "We want
to hit the high-volume price points," says Royal's executive director of
marketing. The daVinci uses a proprietary script and its own operating
system. (Computer Retail Week 26 Aug 98)
THE LONELY NET
A two-year, $1.5-million study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon
University, funded by the National Science Foundation and major
technology companies, has concluded that Internet use appears to cause a
decline in psychological well-being. A director of the study says, "We
are not talking here about the extremes. These were normal adults and
their families, and on average, for those who used the Internet most,
things got worse." One hour a week of Internet use led on average to an
increase of 1% on the depression scale, an increase of 0.04% on the
loneliness scale, and a loss of 2.7 members of the subject's social
circle (which averaged 66 people). Although the study participants used
e-mail, chat rooms, and other social features of the Internet to interact
with others, they reported a decline in interaction with their own family
members and a reduction in their circles of friends. "Our hypothesis is,
there are more cases where you're building shallow relationships [on the
Internet], leading to an overall decline in feeling of connection to
other people." Since the 169 study participants, all from the Pittsburgh
area, were not chosen in a random selection process, it is not clear how
the findings apply to the general population, but a RAND Corporation
senior scientist says, "They did an extremely careful scientific study,
and it's not a result that's easily ignored." (New York Times 30 Aug 98)
PATENT LAW IN THE INFORMATION AGE
The U.S. Patent and Trademark has in recent months offered patents to at
least five online business models, including an award last week to
CyberGold Inc. for creating a system that lets Web users earn money by
clicking on banner ads and corporate Web sites (a business model
described in the patent as online "attention brokerage"). University of
Texas at Austin law professor Mark Lemley fears that this trend could
stifle competition by granting overly broad patents, whereas University
of California at Berkeley law professor Pamela Samuelson thinks it's
reasonable to recognize that business models can be in and of themselves
technological advances. Samuelson says, "If patents worked for
manufacturers, surely they will work for the information economy." (New
York Times Cybertimes 28 Aug 98)
LUCENT SERVES UP NEW PERSPECTIVE ON TENNIS
Lucent Technologies has debuted a new TV camera that gives tennis match
viewers the ability to see the whole court from the side, thereby making
it easier to follow the game as the ball is lobbed from one end to the
other. It has also tested a system that shows all of the movements made
by a player during a match, using a technology similar to that used for
the Doppler Weather map. The technology uses computers and video to track
information and display it, says a Lucent researcher. Meanwhile, IBM will
be covering the U.S. Open, which begins Monday, on its Web site, which
will feature an interactive camera that allows users to aim it and zoom
in and out of their views of the action. The site will also have
real-time scores and statistics, and live chat sessions hosted by special
guests. (Wall Street Journal 28 Aug 98)
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN HOLOGRAPHIC STORAGE
Academic and industrial scientists have been researching ways to use
holograms in information storage devices, but one key disadvantage has
been the tendency of holograms to be very "volatile" -- reading them
tends to degrade their content. Now a group at the California Institute
of Technology has discovered that by using special, thin crystals of
lithium niobate that incorporate traces of iron and manganese atoms, the
resulting holograms were much more stable. The researchers found that
they could record data durably in the crystals using ultraviolet light,
while at the same making a hologram using two red laser beams. The UV
light stimulated the iron and manganese atoms to liberate the electrons,
ensuring that the hologram created by the lasers was stored by both types
of atoms. The resulting hologram could be read by illuminating it with
red laser light alone, which did not excite the UV-triggered manganese
atoms, so they retained the imprinted data without loss (there was some
degradation in the iron atom version). The work "is a step toward a
practical holographic storage device," says Hans Coufal of the IBM
Almaden Research Center, but says the technique will need to be modified
to bring it to the mass market. (Scientific American Sep 98)
COOL CHIPS
Using technology developed by Intel and NCR, Columbia, S.C.-based
KryoTech is selling PCs that use chip-cooling technology similar to that
in your household refrigerator. Cooling chips down speeds up performance
because the reduced thermonuclear resistance in transistors and
interconnects means bits of data can move faster. The company's
"thermally accelerated" systems replace the traditional cooling fan with
a design that places the computer atop an environmentally friendly fridge
-- cold air is pumped up from below to the processor, which is encased in
an insulated "kryo cavity" that keeps the cold inside, protecting other
parts of the machine from the ice and condensation. (Popular Science Sep
98)
DEPOSITIONS CONTINUE IN MICROSOFT TRIAL
In preparations for the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust suit against
Microsoft, government lawyers questioned Microsoft chief Bill Gates for
two days last week and the federal judge who will preside over the
September 23 trial has indicated that the government can question Gates
for "as long as it takes." Microsoft officials are accused of meeting
with Netscape in 1995 and illegally offering to split the market for Web
browsers. Gates has called the allegation "an outrageous lie." (AP 29 Aug
98)
AOL JUST GROWS AND GROWS
Without even counting its CompuServe members or its membership beyond the
U.S., the America Online membership figure now surpasses 13 million
subscribers. Peak usage now is 750,000 users at a time (compared to
400,000 a year ago) and the current number of modems available is 800,000
(compared to 447,000 last year). Modem growth rate is 34% higher than the
rate of membership increase. (Investor's Business Daily 28 Aug 98)
LISTENING TO E-MAIL
A new service called CoolMail http://www.planetarymotion.com/ allows
e-mail users to call from any phone and hear their e-mail read to them
via automated voice after they listen to a 10-second advertisement. The
call is free from a local access number and costs 10 cents a minute
otherwise. A reply feature is also available. (USA Today 28 Aug 98)
NEW!
[BITSBYTES.GIF (64527 bytes)]
by R. F. Mariano
Between Bonnie, Danielle and Earl.... Florida has done rather well in not
facing the brunt of the ever fearsome Hurricane. We've had plenty of
rain, less than gale force winds and rough seas but all in all, the only
thing hampered was working on the boat outdoors and unfortunately,
fishing. In this issue, we're going to begin the before and after with
the development of the 30' Imperial Cruiser. This is the vessel that's
getting the Furuno Radar, Northstar DGPS and Garmin 235 GPS/Depthsounder.
But these goodies are secondary to the actual "labors of love" being
enjoyed in getting this vessel ready for the superb Florida Fishing
Season and of course, our detailing of our visits to various marinas,
participating in fishing tournaments and giving seminars about the
electronics on our boats and the interfacing of a laptop.
To begin at the right point, I'd like to show you a before and after of
the boat's hull. My son Vincent worked his tail off getting the hull to
look brand spanking new. He first washed the hull then he wet sanded it
to his satisfaction. Then came the compounding with an electric buffer
and finally, the application of the wax and a final buffing. But all that
came after he and his brother Victor rebuilt the V6 4.3 litre engines.
This boat is, for all intents and purposes almost brand new at this
point.
[imp.gif (116862 bytes)]
[imp_bow.gif (144225 bytes)]
Once we begin the installation of the electronics, which is covered
elsewhere in this column, you'll understand why I said that. Personally,
I can't wait to get going on our "jaunts" to various marinas, fishing
clubs and yacht clubs. Doing computer related seminars will be "old hat"
to me but doing them for the marine community will be new and I might
add, a highly anticipated joy. After all, I do believe that if I had the
equipment and knowledge I have today thirty years ago, I would've never
left the Party/Charter Boat business. Being able to do things one can do
with a laptop interfaced with the Radar, DGPS and Sonar is true
navigational power and then some.
[northstar1.gif (8273 bytes)]
About the Installation of the Northstar 951XD;
Northstar supplied everything for the installation of the 951XD but the
antenna mounting hardware. That's understandable since the variations
involved with each installation are virtually unlimited. I obtained a
Shakespear 173 compact fibreglas whip and installed that in the
Differential Antenna's tip top. The actual installation went so easily
that there is very little to write about. The main item was connection
the patch cable to interface the laptop with the DGPS. That was also
easy. In reality, a serial mouse cord will do the job nicely. Once all
the electronics are installed... and the decals are placed on the hull,
we go in the water. Then we fiorst get the opportunity to tell you abuot
how the Northstar performs. I must admit... I used a Northstar on a
friend's boat and we so impressed with it that I decided months ago I'd
fight for the opportunity to tell you all about such a wonderful
navigational aid. Coupled with the Navionics Chart Chips... this baby
is hard to beat. Navionics... they make just about the very best in
"Charts on a Chip".
When we decided to go in this direction, we also wanted to tell you about
some of the finest software packages available for the both the boater
and avid fisherman. We have them and will tell you all about them.
Software packages like Maptech, Chart View Pro, Florida Fish & Tide
Guide, Fishnet and of course, Thumbs Plus with our own compiled library
of east coast fish.
[nstar_951.GIF (48085 bytes)]
In addition to the northstar, we'll be installing a Furuno Radar 1621mk2
and a Garmin 235 Depth Sounder. Of course we'll show the before and the
after in regard to the installations. At about the same time we will be
placing the Decals on the boat. You gotta see these to believe 'em.
They're done by Graphitek in Vermont and will be installed by Jean Schemp
of Jacksonville... perhaps the finest Specialty Marine Lettering and Sign
Company in Jacksonville. More about that later.
[Casts.GIF (10988 bytes)]
Got a question relative to something....
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[Image]
Jason's Jive
[Image]
Jason Sereno, STR Staff
jsereno@streport.com
Hello everyone,
We've got a lot of catching up to do. In this installment of Jason's Jive
we'll take a look at a couple of great games, Red Baron II from Sierra
and Interplay's Redneck Rampage Rides Again. But first I'll tell you what
I think about Mad Catz' Panther XL.
Panther XL
[Panther.jpg (21439 bytes)]
a complete 3D combat controller
$79.95
Mad Catz
http://www.madcatz.com
All right, so John Romero seems to love this controller. He was quoted as
saying, "If you wanna deathmatch with the big boys The Panther XL is
your weapon of choice!". So I should be saying something similar to that
right about now. However, there are a few drawbacks to this controller
that keep me from giving it the title of "PC Controller of the
Millennium".
The Panther XL is supposed to be the last controller you ever buy. It
contains a total of seventeen programmable buttons, a tracking ball,
flight stick, throttle, and a port for a connecting rudder. This is a
heavy duty combat controller and great for avid gamers.
However, there has been a lot of complaints concerning the flightstick.
You'd think with two 4-way point-of-view hatches, two thumb buttons, one
for the index finger, and even an extra for the pinky, every gamer would
love this stick. Despite all of this, users with larger hands have found
the pinky button basically unusable and the stick as a whole hard to
operate. I didn't find these problems myself, but the Panther XL digital
stick was a little stiffer to maneuver opposed to other flight sticks.
Those of you who don't appreciate touchy controls could benefit from this
controller.
The tracking ball is the second half of this unit. It is designed to be
operated with your left hand while playing a game such as Quake or Duke
Nukem. (I'm neutral). This tracking ball can also be used to replace your
mouse with a special program that can be run in Windows. I tried it and
the performance on my computer was a little slower than using the mouse
and the tracking ball was awkward to control. I also enjoy eating things
like chips or other greasy food when I play games, if I were to do that
with the Panther XL I would surely damage the tracking ball.
Surrounding the tracking ball are five rather large buttons. Three are on
the top and two are on the right side. Laying between the joystick and
tracking ball is a throttle control. On the topside of the controller is
a port for a rudder. All of the buttons on the Panther XL are user
programmable. There is a front end program you can run in Windows before
you start a game with the Panther XL to configure the controller. Most
popular games are supported such as: Unreal, Jedi Knight, Redneck
Rampage, Turok, Airwarrior II, and over 25 others.
So this is a very good controller, but it does have some drawbacks. Snack
eating gamers and users with large hands may find some minor problems
with it. the Panther XL is a very good deal at $79.99 however, and I
found it pretty enjoyable. Look for it in stores now.
Red Baron II
Windows 95 CD-ROM
$49.95
[Redbar~1.jpg (14258 bytes)]
Sierra On-Line
http://www.sierra.com
All right, so you think flight sims these days are all starting to look
alike? Me too. All of them have user definable difficulty settings,
extensive network support, amazing polygon graphics, and of course a
groundbreaking artificial intelligence system. So why should you go out
and buy a new one?
Well, Red Baron II from Sierra does have all of these accessories and a
few added bonuses that others on the market do not. The first is a custom
paint shop that is reminiscent of Sierra's Nascar and IndyCar series.
Graphics can be imported or you can also alter the planes paint scheme
like you would in Sierra's Front Page Sports football or baseball series.
It also has a very extensive mission generator. It is very simple and
allows you to create your own waypoints on a historically correct WWI
map. You can also use it to control squadrons and the types of aircraft
that fly in each battle. The truly groundbreaking feature is Dynamix's
new 3Space 2.0 Engine. This engine's performance was superb. Gameplay was
not effected at all when large amounts of planes entered my vicinity.
Something else you can look forward to is the WWI booklet that comes with
the game. It has a lot of interesting information about the first world
war. It also contains diagrams and flight maneuvers of each plane which
could be used to your advantage in multiplayer dogfights. Of course Red
Baron II is also the really only World War I flight simulation on the
market right now. Although this a quality simulation, to be honest, the
looks aren't all that different from other sims. The speed, on the other
hand, is very noticeable.
So, until there comes a truly groundbreaking step in the evolution of
flight sims, this game filled with polygons and textured mapping is going
to probably stay king. It doesn't have the complicated computer systems
of the modern flight sims, where you lock on and kill someone that is
forty meters behind you. It just stays with the simple yet aged old
concept of, "catch me if you can!"
Redneck Rampage Rides Again
PC-CDROM
$39.95
[Rednec~1.gif (22237 bytes)]
Interplay Incorporated
http://www.interplay.com
The original was, and still is, one of my favorite games of all time. So
I was very excited to hear of the release of Redneck Rampage Rides Again.
14 new action packed levels which include new weapons and enemies fill
this game up to the teeth with mayhem and laughter. Also included is a
new soundtrack that really makes you feel like killing some alien
hillbilly clones.
The opening sequence of Redneck Rampage Rides Again shows Leonard and
Bubba trying to navigate home in an alien space ship. After crashing
through a cosmonauts' space station, the duo finally arrive on earth.
However, they are a long ways from home. So of course the goal of the
game is to reach your hometown of Hickston, alive.
Along the way you may find it useful if you destroy some of the Alien
clones that seem to possess a need to make your trip as difficult as
possible. Some of the new characters in the game include the dynamite
wielding cheerleader, Daisy Mae, and the King of Rock n' Roll himself!
Dogs and a special hybrid of jack o' lopes also tend to be very
discouraging at times.
But don't sweat it, this sequel has a few new weapons you can use at your
disposal too. (Don't worry, the alien pectoral shooter is still there.)
Instead of shooting just normal dynamite with your crossbow, now you can
shoot dynamite-loaded chickens. I'm sure you can imagine where the
dynamite is lodged in. If you want to get up close and personal with the
aliens, you can use the always exciting slingblade. And whenever you use
it you hear a voice very reminiscent of Billy Bob Thorton, "Mmmm-Hmmm".
It's very humorous.
What really adds dimension to this game is the use of automobiles.
Leonard is able to drive not only a motorcycle in this sequel, but also a
hydroplane. They are both loaded with their own special kind of artillery
too. In case your run out of ammo for either vehicle, you can just run
over any alien that comes your way. But don't get too reckless because if
you crash your vehicle, you crash yourself. What is really cool about
these two accessories is you can use them for pretty much a whole level
if you want to.
With levels like a brothel, riverboat, chicken killing factory, and many
others, it may not be a bad idea. Each level is very immense and contains
at least three of four secrets. Just when you think you've covered a
whole level, you'll open a door and find an underground well that leads
you to a whole new section. In one level the current from a river takes
you on a wild ride through some kind of a water purification plant. From
there you have to climb up about four stories on a ladder and enter a
maze of caves to find Bubba and end the level. The developers of this
game really made each level and adventure.
To help you obtain the true hillbilly experience, Mojo Nixon has returned
to put yet another soundtrack together for this game. It's great because
it truly capture the spirit of being a redneck. (Take it from me, someone
that has bailed hay, detassled corn, and used to live on a pig farm!)
Song lyrics reiterate the life of rednecks and their guns, overweight
women, and farm animals. This really makes the game complete.
I was very satisfied with Redneck Rampage Rides Again. It's not a whole
lot different from the first game, as far as graphics and sounds are
concerned. However it has gone up a level in excitement, action, and of
course stupidity. If you're looking for a 3D action game with large
amounts of humor and outrageousness, definitely pick up Interplay's
Redneck Rampage Rides Again.
Until next time,
Jason
[Image]
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STReport International Online Magazine
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Classics & Gaming Section
Editor Dana P. Jacobson
dpj@streport.com
From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
I can't believe that this is Labor Day weekend already! It seems like
yesterday that we opened our pool and had our first barbecue. Those three
months just blew right by!
I really shouldn't complain [too] much, however. I had a total of five
weeks vacation - spent a lot of time in the pool, working in the yard,
spending time with family and friends, countless barbecues, and numerous
times just relaxing on the deck with various cold beverages. It's been
our first summer here at the house and an enjoyable one. It was
satisfying to see the good results of our labors to the yard and exterior
of the house. Flower and vegetable gardens flourished, grass actually
grew, and the pool was clean. Still some work to do but I'm waiting for
some cooler weather for that. It's been great so far; it's time for the
next season to move in. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the last [unofficial]
weekend of the summer.
It's a long holiday weekend, so take it easy on the roads. Remember,
schools are opening so be extra careful out there. If you're going to
drink, stay off the roads; the life you save could very well be mine!
Until next time...
Croft Soft Software Press Release
3 August 1998
Atari Times Special Edition...
We are pleased to announce the first 'special edition' of the Atari
Times. This is the first (and hopefully not the last) ever paper based
issue of the Atari Times. It runs to 44 A5 pages.
Special Edition 1 is centered on tutorials and contains some from
previous issues of AT in a the more convenient paper format, as well as
some which haven't appeared in the disk magazine at all... The first 50
copies of the special edition are in color on high quality paper, however
due to the high cost after these are sold further copies will be in black
and white - make sure you get your order in quick to get this rare,
limited, once-in-a-lifetime color edition!
If this first special edition is a success, we will consider further,
more generic, special editions to supplement the on-going HTML magazine
Prices including postage and packing are shown below. Unfortunately, we
do not currently have any distributors so all orders must be sent to the
UK. Please note, we are only just about covering our costs (ie printing,
copying, envelopes and postage), and we are not making any profit from
this venture.
Special Edition 1 is available NOW!
Prices (inc. P&P)
* UK:
* #2.00 (2 UK Pounds)
* Europe:
* #2.50 (2 UK Pounds and 50 pence)
* Rest of World:
* #3.50 (3 UK Pounds and 50 pence)
* All payments should be made in Sterling and are payable to 'Colin
Polonowski'
* Payment Methods:
* UK:
* Cheque
* Postal Order
* Cash (NOT RECOMMENDED)
* Rest of World:
* Cheque drawn on UK bank
* Sterling Eurocheque
* Post Office payment (GIRO)
* International Money Order
* All orders should be sent to:
* AT Special Edition,
* c/o Colin Polonowski,
* The Croft,
* Hope Rd,
* Nibley,
* Nr Yate,
* Bristol,
* BS37 5JH,
* ENGLAND
Please allow 14 days for delivery...
DISTRIBUTORS
If you don't live in the UK, and would like to help spread the Atari
Times Special Edition around the globe, we need your help! We're looking
for distributors in as many countries as possible. We'll send you a FREE
color copy of the Atari Times Special Edition, all you need to do is copy
it (in color or black and white) and sell it!
You don't need to send us any money, all we ask is that you only charge
what it costs you to print/copy and send. If you are interested in
helping to distribute the Atari Times Special Edition(s) then please get
in touch at the address above or e-ma polonowski@zetnet.co.uk
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Any further information regarding the Atari Times Special Editions will
be available from the Atari Times Homepage at
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/polonowski/atimes/
Or, e-mail polonowski@zetnet.co.uk
Unfortunately, we cannot supply further details via post due to time
constraints...
AtariNews: On The Prowl
09/02/98
LATEST HEADLINES:
A LOOK BACK AT THE WORLD OF ATARI '98
Were you unable to go to the World of Atari '98? AtariNews: On The Prowl
has some links to places to find out more about what happened there and
see pictures of what you missed:
Next Generation Online's World of Atari Report:
http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/news/4268.html
WIRED: Something Old, Something New:
http://www.wired.com/news/news/culture/story/14613.html
IC WHEN: Don Thomas looks back at the show
http://www.icwhen.com
NEW SOUND TOOL FOR THE LYNX COMING SOON
Carl Forhan is pleased to announce the soon release of SFX for the Atari
ynx. This exciting new audio tool should appeal to developers and
tinkerers alike. Carl is currently accepting pre-orders for the SFX
package (no money is required at this time). For more information and to
place a pre-order, visit the SFX web pages linked to The Lynx Domain.
http://www.millcomm.com/~forhan/lynx.html
PRICE IS RISING FOR LYNX VISION
Wizztronics recently demoed their "Lynx Vision" Lynx-TV adapter at World
of Atari '98 in Las Vegas. The current estimated price is $199, and
according to their web page, Wizztronics is now accepting orders for this
device.
http://www.wizztronics.com/lynx.htm
HAVE YOU SIGNED THE PETITION TO HASBRO YET? WANT MORE LYNX GAMES?
There are currently only 116 names on the petition to Hasbro. Would you
like to see more games on your Atari systems? Systems like the Jaguar, or
more realistically the Lynx? There is a chance that if Hasbro knows
people will buy games for the Lynx, that they may just release more, or
even better, re-release it. But we need a lot more names on this
petition! We need your help! Sign it today!
http://www.geocities.com/timessquare/arcade/8063
Send any comments or submissions for "AtariNews: On The Prowl" to:
Brian Gudzevich (Editor) at: Brionhold@aol.com
Sponsoring web sites:
-The Atarian Atmosphere: http://atmosphere.atari.org
-The Jaguar's Domain: http://www.millcomm.com/~forhan/jaguar.html
Gaming Section
* PSX and N64 Price Reductions!
* Microprose!
* "Xena"!
* Nyko News!
* "World of Atari" Reports!
* "Danger Girl"!!
* And MUCH more!
From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
I have to tell you that I'm really jealous of those of you who were able
to attend the World of Atari show a couple of weeks ago!! It sounded like
it was an incredible time. Congrats to Keita Iida, John Hardie, and Rich
Tsukiji for their enthusiasm and diligence in making it possible. All of
that Atari nostalgia in one place at one time! And the many people from
our past. I had to order the video to see what I missed; but reading the
various reports, I realize just how much. The time was right as I was on
vacation, but the money just wasn't there. As you can imagine, being a
"new" homeowner can be a financial strain the first couple of years. I
hope it may be worthwhile for them to have another show in a year or so.
Anyway, we've got some coverage of the show this week, as well as tons of
other gaming news and information. So let's get to it, shall we!!
Until next time...
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
Sony Computer Entertainment America Lowers Price
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (Aug. 25) BUSINESS WIRE - August 25, 1998 - Lower
Prices on Hardware, Software and Peripherals Make PlayStation the System
to Beat this Holiday Season
Continuing its role as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer
Entertainment America announced today that effective August 30, its
best-selling PlayStation game console will be available to consumers for
$129, a more than 10 percent reduction from its current manufacturers
suggested retail price. As an additional benefit to consumers, the
company also announced lower prices on several PlayStation-branded
peripherals and the addition of more than a dozen best-selling games to
the "Greatest Hits" collection, a series of the most popular PlayStation
games available for as low as $19.99.
In June 1998, Sony Computer Entertainment America introduced a new
PlayStation hardware offering packaged with the Dual Shock(TM) Analog
Controller and since its market introduction, this model has been widely
embraced by consumers and retailers. Because the PlayStation business is
experiencing a 60 percent increase in sales from this time last year, the
company expects sales of the already popular console to increase
following its price reduction to $129, especially among first-time
videogame consumers.
"With a PlayStation now in approximately one in every 10 U.S. households,
consumers have already demonstrated their overwhelming support and
loyalty for our products," said Kaz Hirai, executive vice president and
chief operating officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "As a
result of the popularity of the PlayStation worldwide, Sony Computer
Entertainment has been able to grow the gaming category as a whole
representing tremendous opportunities for our partners and ultimately,
for the consumer. With today's announcement, the PlayStation experience
becomes attractive to an even greater audience."
In just three years, PlayStation has become the dominant leader in
videogame entertainment, with a North American installed base of more
than 11.5 million consoles, and life-to-date software sales exceeding 85
million units. According to the life-to-date figures in the June report
from the NPD Group, a leading source of information on the videogame
industry, PlayStation currently enjoys an impressive 56.5 percent market
share for next generation hardware and 64.2 percent market share for next
generation software.
The pricing announcement is accompanied by the addition of several game
titles to PlayStation's "Greatest Hits" series. The new "Greatest Hits"
inductees include the following: Cool Boarders(TM) 2; Crash Bandicoot 2:
Cortex Strikes Back(TM); 1Extreme, formerly known as ESPN(r) Extreme
Games; Jet Moto(TM) 2; and Twisted Metal(r) 2. With the new inductees,
the "Greatest Hits" collection now includes more than 45 of the
top-selling and most popular PlayStation games of all time. Consumers can
find "Greatest Hits" titles for an MSRP of $24.99, with many retailers
advertising game titles for as low as $19.99.
"With the announcement of our new pricing structure, the PlayStation
business is poised to dominate the holiday selling season," said Jack
Tretton, vice president, sales, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "It
is clear to us that consumers are drawn to the PlayStation because of the
ongoing entertainment value of our videogames titles. The 'Greatest Hits'
series is an excellent opportunity for new PlayStation purchasers to get
the very best of PlayStation and for core gamers to add classic titles to
their existing libraries."
Also announced today, Sony Computer Entertainment America will lower the
price on several PlayStation-branded peripherals. On August 30, consumers
will be able to find PlayStation memory cards retailing at a low price of
$14.99 and in a variety of new colors, including: black, clear, gray,
emerald and blue. In addition, consumers will be able to find lower
prices on other peripheral units, including the Digital Controller for
$14.99; the Multi-tap for $29.99; and the RFU Adapter for $14.99.
Sony Slashes PSX Again; Nintendo Follows Suit
Aug. 26, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WIRE, Vol. 5, No. 165 via COMTEX) -- The latest
skirmishes in the next-generation console war began yesterday as Sony
Computer Entertainment America and Nintendo locked horns in the run-up to
Christmas.
Instead of taking the price of its PlayStation below the magic $100
price-point, Sony yesterday opted to throw its Dual Shock Controller,
currently valued at $32.99 at Best Buy [BBY], into the $129 package.
However, with Sony's PSX-only unit currently shipping for $129, Sony may
offer rebates to retailers to allow them to offload unsold inventory,
making a $99 PlayStation a likely outcome for at least a couple of weeks.
Nintendo responded immediately with a tit-for-tat N64 price cut to
$129.95 with a $10 instant coupon, redeemable on any of 23 N64 games, a
controller or a Rumble Pak. However, consumers had been paying this price
anyway, as Nintendo was offering retailers a rebate to cover the
$149-$129 price differential.
Sony also announced lower prices on several PlayStation-branded
peripherals and the addition of more than a dozen best-selling games to
its "Greatest Hits" collection, with an MSRP of $24.99.
Sony and Nintendo: Chronology of a Price War:
* Sept 5, 1995: PlayStation launches in US at $299.
* May 16, 1996: Sony drops PSX to $199 in US, claiming worldwide sales
of 5m units, of which 1.2m were in N. America and 700k in Europe.
More than 7m PlayStation games shipped in North America, Sony
claims.
* September 30, 1996: Nintendo launches N64 at $199.95.
* March 3, 1997: Sony drops PSX to $149. Meanwhile, Nintendo has "no
immediate plans" to drop prices on hardware or software.
* March 17, 1997: Nintendo drops N64 from $199 to $149.95, matching
Sony. Nintendo hopes to sell 5m more N64 units by this time next
year to add to the existing 2m US installed base.
* June 2, 1998: Sony cuts PSX price to $129.99. Nintendo follows suit
with an identical price cut.
* August 25: Sony cuts PSX price to $129.99, including Dual Shock
Controller. Nintendo responds with identical price cut.
Source: MMWire
Sega Releases 1st Software for New Game Machine
TOKYO, Aug. 22 (Kyodo) -- Sega Enterprises Ltd. made a bid to regain its
lost market share Saturday with the unveiling of "Sonic Adventure," the
first game software for its new 128-bit Dreamcast home video game system
set to hit stores in November. Sega said it hopes to win back customers
it lost to Sony Corp.'s PlayStation.
The company spent four years and hundreds of millions of yen to develop
Sonic Adventure, the latest version of Sega's popular "Sonic the
Hedgehog" video game series, which has been a big hit with sales of 20
million copies worldwide. Sega plans to release the game by the end of
this year, a Sega official said.
The Dreamcast system -- equipped with a 128-bit processor produced by
Hitachi Ltd., a customized Windows CE operating system developed by
Microsoft Corp., and a 64-channel sound system made by Yamaha Corp.
will be put on the market Nov. 20 with a price tag of 20,000 yen to
30,000 yen.
At the end of March this year, Sony's 32-bit PlayStation was the
best-selling video game machine in the world with a 32.82 million units
shipped.
Nintendo Co.'s 64-bit NINTENDO 64 ranked second with 16.14 million units
shipped, and Sega's 32-bit Saturn lagged behind in third place with 8.86
million units shipped.
"Colony Wars: Vengeance" Blasts the Competition
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (July 20) BUSINESS WIRE - July 20, 1998 - How exactly
perfection can be expanded on is simply an issue of time and space. The
time is 100 years after the League's victory in the original "Colony
Wars," and the space you'll have to work with is seemingly infinite, from
the distances between stars, to a planet's war-torn surface. "Colony
Wars(tm): Vengeance," Psygnosis' 3D space combat epic exclusively on
PlayStation(R) game console delivers space fury home to Earth.
Tides turn, as do allegiances, and this time you take on the persona of
Mertens, an aspiring pilot bred on a distaste for the oppressive League
of Free Nations' criminal treatment of the weakened Navy. The game
launches you into a war waged in the name of justice, but justice is
merely a thinly disguised way of saying "vengeance." "Colony Wars:
Vengeance" is planned for release in November 1998.
"Colony Wars: Vengeance" features, then builds upon the qualities enjoyed
in the original "Colony Wars"(tm). Complex, multiple-objective missions
are action-packed with more fighters, and the game's engine, AI, graphics
and physics models all are significantly upgraded. The gaming environment
is richer with more animated and detailed objects, and the characters
have distinguishable personalities and their callous nuances pack some
memorable emotional punches.
In this living universe of deception, subterfuge and revenge, there are
numerous plot twists and multiple endings sure to keep you on the edge of
your seat. Overall, "Colony Wars: Vengeance" is a more involving gaming
experience, going beyond the original from every angle.
In-depth storylines, tight gameplay control responses, and futuristic
graphics that go beyond the realms of the sci-fi genre are all
implemented into "Colony Wars: Vengeance" to redefine the way that
space-shooters are perceived.
This highly anticipated sequel not only picks up the ever-evolving saga
of the conflict between the League and the Navy, but it also starts all
over at the beginning to a new adventure. A "promise and deliver" feature
game that dwarfs a perfect predecessor. "Colony Wars: Vengeance" stands
alone as the premier space epic and then leapfrogs over the horizon by
introducing all-new, planet-based missions.
Hit The Ground Running: The League has shut down the Navy's resources
with the closure of the warp hole in one of the endings from the original
"Colony Wars." This is where "Vengeance" picks up. In closing the Navy's
supply channel, the League doomed the populace to a slow and painful
demise.
The war that was initially limited to space is now thrown "surface side,"
as you'll be expected to traverse varied landscape areas in accordance
with the protection of any Naval installations and/or strategic points.
Five planetary missions await you as you pilot your vessel deep into the
inner-atmosphere of surface warfare.
You'll captain an all-new "non-space" ship as you attempt to intercept
and destroy all Navy opposition present on these varying planetary
fronts. You'll remain committed to the seemingly impossible task of
defending Navy outposts against all low altitude League assault vessels.
Re-invent your previously learned outer space flying virtuosity just
inches from a planet's surface in these five varying planetary
atmospheric environments present under the vast blanket of space.
Technological Advancements: Virtually every technological element of
"Colony Wars: Vengeance" is new or significantly enhanced, making the
game faster, darker, more intense and even more realistic. An updated and
extremely optimized space combat engine increases mission populations
significantly.
Big ships, too, are improved with weak spots and animating sections that
you must seek out and fire upon in order to destroy the enemy vessel. An
enhanced physics model for objects allows fighters to realistically spin
out of control when hit by missiles until you make the proper
corrections.
There are 24 total weapons, almost 50 percent more than in the original
game. The game will also feature about 90 individual models and ships,
all of which are new to "Vengeance." All of the models feature animating
sections and textures. Additionally, collision is extremely accurate and
runs four times faster than in the original "Colony Wars."
A new graphics engine supports a more detailed and captivating space
environment that is loaded with nebulae, asteroid belts, space ship
graveyards (see some of the relics from Colony Wars past), black and
white holes, and mine fields. The game's overall look is darkened,
hardened and realistic with a focus towards industrial techno-gothic,
though glowing neon weapon effects, suns and other objects provide a
startling contrast to this futuristic nightmare.
Planets appear spherical and have atmospheres, crafts and installations
that appear distinctively advanced from their predecessors. Fighters
don't just look better, they also fly better. There's also enhanced AI
for wingmen and enemy aces alike. This allows for the implementation of
realistic characteristics like inertia and gives you the ability to use
objects within the nearby environment for distinct tactical advantages.
Climactic orchestral themes, from famous composers such as Beethoven and
Dvorak will add a tried and true classical (pardon the pun) depth to the
involved atmospheres. Dolby surround sound is used for the bold sound
effects like explosions, roaring engines and weapon firing.
Speech samples also convey messages and feedback from other pilots.
Ethan Hunt, 'Mission: Impossible' Drop in on Espionage
SAN JOSE, CALIF. (July 20) BUSINESS WIRE - July 20, 1998 - Infogrames
Entertainment, Inc. announced today that "Mission: Impossible," the
eagerly-awaited action, adventure title for the Nintendo 64(TM), is now
shipping to major retail outlets nationwide. Based on the Paramount
Pictures feature film, the highly-charged, spy thriller engages players
in a daring set of clandestine missions and covert operations in an
espionage-filled world as secret-agent Ethan Hunt.
"Mission: Impossible" is sold out through Sept. 1. High consumer demand
for the game has forced Infogrames to allocate product shipments to its
national retail partners. "Demand at both the consumer and retail levels
for 'Mission: Impossible' has exceeded our wildest expectations," Mike
Markey, vice president sales and marketing, Infogrames Entertainment,
Inc., said.
Developed in-house by Infogrames, "Mission: Impossible" takes players on
a whirlwind adventure from the Russian Embassy in Prague to CIA
headquarters in Langley, Va., to the climax at Waterloo Station in
London. Through each top-secret encounter, players must be cunning.
Strategy, rather than mindless shooting rampages, is required to succeed.
"'Mission' jumps players directly into a fantasy world where they really
feel like a top-secret agent in a dark world of counter-intelligence,"
Markey said. "This game delivers a heart-pounding adventure at a
suspenseful pace, ensuring fans, from video game die-hards to casual
players, endless hours of enjoyment."
Infogrames' title, published under the company's Ocean brand, revives the
classic Mission: Impossible gadgets and weaponry, as players utilize
tools including blow darts, exploding chewing gum, laser deflectors,
night-vision goggles and face makers. "Mission: Impossible" also
incorporates the traditional teamwork and camaraderie of the original
series, allowing players to interact with fellow Impossible Mission Force
(IMF) members Jim Phelps, Sarah Davies, Andrew Dowey and Jack Keifer.
Befitting a summer blockbuster, Infogrames is supporting "Mission:
Impossible" with a $2 million marketing campaign. This summer, movie
trailers are playing in more than 7,000 theater screens nationwide. The
company also plans a series of television and radio spots this fall. The
one-player adventure for the Nintendo 64 is now shipping to retail
outlets including, but not limited to, Toys 'R' Us, Electronics Boutique,
Babbages, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, Sears and Montgomery Wards
at an estimated retail price of $59.95.
Accolade's New Big Air Snowboarding Game
to Feature 10 Bands, and More
SAN JOSE, CALIF. (July 29) BUSINESS WIRE - July 29, 1998 - Game to
Feature Five Professional Snowboarders and Hot Soundtrack Including Songs
From Blink 182 and Nine Other Bands. Accolade, a leading publisher and
developer of video game software, announced today that 10 bands, nine
licensed snowboarding companies, seven clothing manufacturers and five
professional snowboarders will appear in the company's upcoming
snowboarding game, Big Air(TM).
The game will be available for the PlayStation(R) game console in the
fall of this year. We are really trying to capture the authentic look and
feel of snowboarding," said Monte Singman, senior producer of Big Air.
"Big Air's exciting gameplay and inclusion of licensed music, pro
snowboarders, official snowboards and gear lets gamers partake in a true
snowboarding experience."
Gold-selling MCA recording artist, Blink 182, will have two songs on the
game's soundtrack, "Dammit" and "Untitled." In addition to Blink 182,
nine other bands will appear on the Big Air soundtrack: punk bands Diesel
Boy, Limp, Leatherface and Snuff, ska bands Gangster Fun and Monkey, rock
bands Caustic Notions and The Odd Numbers, as well as alternative club
band Andalusia. Users will have the ability to customize the soundtrack
by selecting the songs and play order during the game. The Big Air
soundtrack will include more than 25 songs.
Five professional snowboarders in Big Air appear as "boss" characters and
include Nike Big Air champion Mike Beallo as well as Burton team rider
and this year's Playboy Halfpipe champion Ian Spiro. Three additional
snowboarders will also appear in the game. Big Air will feature more than
80 real snowboards from such manufactures as Palmer, Ride, Morrow,
Joyride, Arbor, Maui and Sons International, Burton, K2, and Nitro.
Authentic clothing from such manufactures as Wave Rave, Westbeach,
Quiksilver and Sessions will also be included in the game. Snowboarding
companies K2, Ride, Maui and Sons International and Burton will
contribute clothing as well.
Big Air allows players to choose from 30 courses including five unique
Halfpipe, Big Air, Boardercross, Slalom or Freeride competitions in any
of six countries. Courses are featured in Canada, Japan, Scotland,
Switzerland, United States, and Germany. As players win competitions,
they gain points and are awarded the opportunity to "travel" to other
countries and compete in advanced snowboarding contests. Big Air offers
intense multiplayer action via horizontal or vertical split screen and
supports PlayStation analog and Dual Shock(R) controllers.
989 Studios Unleashes an All New Concept in Racing
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (July 30) BUSINESS WIRE - July 30, 1998 - 989
Studios, formerly known as Sony Interactive Studios America, announced
today that it is publishing the upcoming title Running Wild(TM) --
available late October, exclusively for the PlayStation(R) game console.
Created by Universal Interactive Studios Inc., the producers of the
top-selling PlayStation game Crash Bandicoot(TM), Running Wild fuses the
high-speed action of traditional racing-style games with whimsical animal
characters who compete entirely on foot.
"We are pleased to add Running Wild to the stable of great titles 989
Studios is releasing for the PlayStation," said Jeffery Fox, vice
president, marketing, 989 Studios. "Running Wild combines cartoon-style
animal characters into a compelling racing environment. The result is a
videogame experience which is perfect for gameplayers of all ages and
skill levels; this is a family game."
A departure from traditional racing games, Running Wild features a cast
of six zany, fast-running characters. Each character has a signature
racing style and special attributes that add to their superior animal
athleticism. Running Wild challenges gameplayers to rocket through six
courses of rigorous terrain, including hot lava fields, frozen rivers,
drainage tunnels and winding city streets. In addition to the high-speed
race, obstacle ridden game environments provide a challenging element to
the gameplay.
"Running Wild is one of the first combination racing and character action
games, which are the number one and number three most popular console
video game genres," said Mark Cerny, president of Universal Interactive
Studios. "The title offers a stunning 60 frames per second to support
intense speed and action, and boasts excellent depth of play with mighty
power-ups that let players really 'run wild'."
Adding to Running Wild's appeal to gameplayers of all ages and skill
levels is the option that allows gameplayers to decrease the game's level
of difficulty. Difficulty levels can be adjusted by accessing the "Auto
Run" option which automatically operates the accelerator button on the
game pad, allowing gameplayers to focus on maneuvering the characters --
a helpful feature for younger gameplayers. Featuring adjustable game
modes, Running Wild roars at 60 frames per second in single player mode.
Running Wild also features a multi-player mode that allows up to four
players to compete simultaneously on a four-way split screen.
Key Features
* Auto Run: lowers difficulty settings and allows gameplayers of all
ages to compete in the fast action race
* Richly textured environments with crisp graphics and 3-D polygons
creates an immersive game-playing experience
* Viewing Modes: split-screen racing action in vertical, horizontal or
letterbox
* Control up to six fast and furious characters, including Brazz the
zebra, Gwynne the rabbit, Boris the elephant, General the ram,
Coronado the bull and Mei Ling the panda
* Varying Racing Modes: challenge, circuit, time trials, practice race
and power-ups
* Six detailed worlds loaded with power-ups, hidden areas and menacing
level bosses
* Adding to the blistering racing action is the precision control
feature which allows game characters to increase momentum and
experience friction based on the terrain they are racing on
* Supports analog and dual shock controllers
THQ, B.A.S.S. to Debut First 3-D Fishing Game for PC
GREENSBORO, N.C. (Aug. 5) ENTERTAINMENT WIRE - Aug. 5, 1998 - Game
publisher THQ Inc. and the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society Inc. (B.A.S.S.)
have teamed to debut the first 3-D PC fishing game, "BASS Masters
Classic: Tournament Edition," at the 1998 BASS Masters Classic
Tournament, Aug. 6-8, in Greensboro.
The official game of B.A.S.S., "BASS Masters Classic: Tournament Edition"
is scheduled to ship to retailers across North America Sept. 8. A limited
number of copies of the game will be on sale at the B.A.S.S. and THQ
booths during the Classic Outdoor Show, inside the Greensboro Coliseum
Special Events Center.
The first and only 3-D fishing game available for the PC, "BASS Masters
Classic: Tournament Edition" is the most realistic fishing simulation on
the market. The game features 3-D lakes and environments, amazing
underwater views and the world's best-known fishing license: the Bass
Anglers Sportsman Society.
"We couldn't be happier to be participating with B.A.S.S. on a game that
not only provides a true fishing simulation but also is fun to play,"
said Germaine Gioia, vice president, marketing, THQ. "The Classic -- the
Super Bowl of bass fishing -- is a great opportunity to introduce this
ultimate fishing game to all of the BASS fishing enthusiasts."
"BASS Masters Classic: Tournament Edition" features tips on casting and
lure selection from bass-fishing legends Roland Martin, Shaw Grigsby, Ken
Cook and Paul Elias. Based on the most prestigious bass-fishing
tournament in the world, "BASS Masters Classic: Tournament Edition"
challenges players to test their skills against those of real-life
tournament pros on actual competition lakes like Lake Fork, Lake Mead,
Lake Minnetonka and Lake Logan-Martin.
"'BASS Masters Classic: Tournament Edition' really captures the
intricacies and the excitement of competitive bass fishing on the
BASSMASTER Tournament Trail," said Charlie Shamburger, director of
licensing, B.A.S.S. "We couldn't be more pleased with the job THQ has
done in creating this game, and we are thrilled to be able to feature it
here in Greensboro during the Classic." In addition to the single-player
format, "BASS Masters Classic: Tournament Edition" supports free
multiplayer tournament competition for up to eight cyber-anglers over
LAN, modem or Internet.
Berkeley Systems Launches YOU DON'T KNOW JACK for PSX
BERKELEY, CALIF. (Aug. 6) BUSINESS WIRE - Aug. 6, 1998 - Berkeley Systems
Inc., a division of Sierra, today announced its award winning game YOU
DON'T KNOW JACK(R) will soon be available for the PlayStation(R) game
console. This edition of YOU DON'T KNOW JACK will turn any PlayStation
into a party with more than 1,400 hilarious questions, multi-player
action, and features specifically for the PlayStation. Created in
partnership with Jellyvision Inc., of Chicago, the title will fall under
the Sierra Attractions brand of games when it ships this November with an
estimated street price of $39.95.
"YOU DON'T KNOW JACK for PlayStation is the most fun you can have in your
living room with your clothes on," stated Kory Stradinger, general
manager of Berkeley Systems. "Viewing YOU DON'T KNOW JACK game play on
television will enhance the irreverent quiz show party game experience by
bringing the TV metaphor full circle." Recreating the swift pace of a TV
game show and the sarcastic musings of a game show host, YOU DON'T KNOW
JACK takes players on a wild ride from the green room all the way to
prime time. YOU DON'T KNOW JACK for the PlayStation game console combines
classic trivia with pop-culture references in a witty, brain-twisting
mixture that is as challenging as it is entertaining.
The game features original music, sound effects and hilarious dialogue as
well as supporting new PlayStation peripherals such as the Dual Shock(TM)
analog controller. In addition to its fast pace and hilarious content,
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK for the PlayStation game console takes the tradition
of social gaming to a new level by letting up to three players compete
while lounging in the comfort of their own living room. YOU DON'T KNOW
JACK for PlayStation contains favorite question types from past JACKs
such as the DisOrDat(TM), ThreeWay(TM), Shortie, Impossible Question, and
the Jack Attack(R). High culture and pop culture collide in all of the
questions found in this irreverent quiz show party game.
The original YOU DON'T KNOW JACK, created by Jellyvision and Berkeley
Systems, became an instant classic when it was launched in 1995. The
series has garnered more than 35 awards and includes YOU DON'T KNOW JACK
Volume 2, YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Volume 3, and the all new YOU DON'T KNOW
JACK The Ride shipping in November. YOU DON'T KNOW JACK The Irreverent
Collection combines the entire JACK series and will also be released this
fall. YOU DON'T KNOW JACK The Ride has an estimated street price of
$29.95 and YOU DON'T KNOW JACK The Irreverent Collection has an estimated
retail price of $49.95. Both will be available for Windows 95, Windows
3.1, and Macintosh.
Konami of America: Swing Into the Gameplay
With 'Bottom of the 9TH'
AUG 11, 1998, M2 Communications - Konami of America, Inc., leading
developer of electronic entertainment for the home video game and PC game
markets, is now shipping its newest addition to the Konami Sports Series,
Bottom Of The 9TH '99 for Sony PlayStation.
Bottom Of The 9TH '99 features improved 3D texture-mapped players; faster
gameplay, smooth, arcade-style batter/pitcher interface; nine polygon
body types; six playing modes; 16 beautifully rendered stadiums; multiple
camera angles; and a real-time "play-by-play" announcer. In addition, the
game includes the 1998 season-opening team rosters, incorporating all of
the off-season trades and free agent signings.
"Konami has taken the best features of last year's edition and
dramatically improved the overall graphics and sound, taking gameplay to
another level with Bottom Of The 9TH '99 for the Sony PlayStation,"
states Jon Sloan, Konami's director of Marketing. "With the addition this
year of texture-mapped players, new motion-captured animations, the
exciting play-by-play announcer and the new scenario mode, it compares
favorably to any baseball game on the market."
The six modes, which include Training, Exhibition, Full Season, Scenario,
Playoff and All-star modes, provide a wide variety of game play options.
For instance, in the Scenario mode, the user can play a specific part of
a dramatic game the score is tied, two outs, the bases are loaded and
you're up with a full count in the bottom of the ninth inning. The
Training mode allows gamers to hone pitching, fielding, batting and
base-running skills.
With more than 750 Major League Baseball Players Association players'
career statistics and photos, gamers have the option to play as general
managermaking their own trades and putting together a dream team that
will take them to the Fall Classic.
BTI Signs "Genesis" as U.S. Sales Agent
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Canadian Corp News, AUGUST 19, 1998)--Battery
Technologies Inc., today announced that it has entered into an exclusive
sales agreement with Genesis Sales and Marketing of St. Louis, Missouri
to introduce and sell its new Game Buddy(TM) Power pack. The unit is a
portable plug-in rechargeable RAM(TM) battery pack for Nintendo's(R) Game
Boy(R) pocket, that triples the use time of Game Boy to 22 hours of
non-stop use. Total available hours of use with the pack exceeds 300,
replacing at least 75 disposable batteries for significant cost savings
to the consumer. As well, the unit has a luminescent glowing charge light
that functions as a night-light when plugged-in. Product will be in
stores for Christmas.
"Nintendo has sold in excess of 30 million Game Boy pocket units, and
there has been a resurgence of late with the introduction of the Digital
Camera software and printer. "We are very confident that the Game
Buddy(TM) Power pack will be a great success, given the increasing need
for economical portable energy in the fast growing video game market"
said J. Bruce Pope, President and CEO of BTI. The portable video game
market is a multi-billion dollar global industry and Nintendo, Sony and
Sega are all competing aggressively for market share with new innovative
applications.
"Genesis" is an electronic and game manufacturers' agent with an
infrastructure and network of sales managers across the US. The
principals at Genesis have been instrumental in the introduction of
numerous Video game and Consumer electronics lines, such as Atari, Sega,
Acclaim, EIDOS, T HQ, NAMCO, Sanyo, Toshiba and Yes Entertainment. Mr.
Mike Lee, President of "Genesis" said, "The Game Buddy(TM) Power pack is
a super unit that not only looks great, but satisfies a real need for
more play time at reduced cost. The Game Buddy(TM) Power pack gives you
hours of use; you can drive from Chicago to Florida without changing
batteries, then, just plug it in to recharge, it's that simple."
Hasbro Buys PC Game Publisher MicroProse
Pawtucket, R.I.-Aug. 12-FWN/UPI--HASBRO INC. SAID TODAY it has entered
into a definitive agreement to acquire MicroProse Inc., a publisher of
popular simulation, 3-D action and strategy games for the personal
computer (PC), in a deal valued at approximately $70 million, including
assumed debt and redeemable preferred stock. Hasbro said its wholly owned
subsidiary will begin a tender offer no later than Aug. 18 for all of
MicroProse's outstanding common shares.
The offer will be conditioned upon, among other things, the expiration or
earlier termination of the applicable waiting period under the
Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act of 1976 and the tender of a
majority of the common shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis of
MicroProse. Following completion of the offer, Hasbro's subsidiary will
be merged with MicroProse and any remaining MicroProse common shares will
be converted into the right to receive $6 a share in cash. Hasbro will
combine the activities of MicroProse with Hasbro Interactive, its
entertainment software publishing arm.
GT Invests in Blizzard Fugitives
Aug. 21, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WIRE, Vol. 5, No. 162 via COMTEX) -- Recently
departed development talent from Blizzard Entertainment and a former GT
Interactive [GTIS] staffer formed a new development house, Fugitive
Studios, which turned down an offer from Sega and signed with GT. GT said
yesterday it obtains exclusive worldwide publishing rights to Fugitive's
PC and console titles in addition to print and merchandising rights.
Blizzard is not likely to be badly hurt by the defections since its
developer ranks remain robust. While the vast majority of Fugitive's
development talent had their hands in Starcraft, Warcraft II and Diablo -
PC titles - Fugitive co-founder/CEO Greg Williams says "we will
definitely" develop console titles. In talking to Sega, Fugitive learned
a lot about Dreamcast technology. And depending on the timing of
PlayStation II's release, both PSX and PSXII are also attractive
platforms, he adds, citing PSX's large installed base.
Fugitive's first title, a 3D action game with RPG elements, is expected
late next year for PC. The studio may port it to Dreamcast or PSX.
Meanwhile, Williams -- a former director of product development at GT
plans to add a few staffers before the game is complete and expects to
take on a second development project within six or seven months. Quelling
speculation to the contrary, Williams says the guys from Blizzard left on
good terms and simply pursued an opportunity.
NYKO Technologies Launches Classic Game ...
LAS VEGAS (Aug. 19) ENTERTAINMENT WIRE - NYKO Technologies Inc., a
leading video accessories company based in Los Angeles, came to Las Vegas
recently to pay homage to the classic games that built the foundation for
today's gaming industry, as well as to launch its newest products for
demanding video game players. n the eve of the Classic Video Game &
Computer Show in Las Vegas, the company launched what it calls "Today's
Technology for Yesterday's Classics," exciting new additions to its
well-known line of controllers and other peripherals designed for avid
gamers.
NYKO recently announced that it has been licensed by Sony Computer
Entertainment to produce gamepads, joysticks and other popular items for
its PlayStation game console. Since the Sony PlayStation platform will be
supporting the introduction of new versions of the old classic games this
fall, such as Hasbro's Centipede and Westwood's Command & Conquer, NYKO
selected the Expo to debut its new Classic TrackBall, as well as the
Scorpion Dual Shock Controller, to honor these titles.
The oversized, high-density Classic TrackBall brings back that classic,
smooth arcade quality and feel to gameplay, explained Robert Rienick,
newly-appointed vice president, sales & marketing, for NYKO. Designed for
all Mouse-compatible games, the NYKO Classic TrackBall offers a Turbo
Fire feature. The debut marks the launch of the first official accessory
designed specifically for these new classic game titles. To add to the
TrackBall's authenticity, the design is formed from the original molds of
the first Atari TrackBall, which NYKO has obtained for its use in the
product's manufacture.
Confirmed Games Compatible with NYKO
Classic TrackBall for Sony PlayStation
TITLE BY
Broken Sword THQ
Command & Conquer Westwood Studios
Retaliation Westwood Studios
Red Alert Westwood Studios
Centipede Hasbro
Monopoly Hasbro
Atari's Greatest Hits Midway
DiscWorld II Psygnosis
Elemental Gear Bolt Working Designs
Clock Tower II ASCII Entertainment
While taking care of the classics with the Classic TrackBall, NYKO is
ffering its new Scorpion controller to address a much newer trend, "Force
Feedback." With a high-tech, ergonomic shape, the Scorpion features a
built-in Force Feedback (dual shock adapter) and Dual Analog controls for
use with compatible software. The controller may be switched to analog or
digital play mode, and features Independent Turbo button functions as
well as allowing game play in slow motion.
Last, the company showed its SuperCobra advanced dual-system Light Gun,
compatible with all light gun games including Namco's Gun Con mode. It
features Force Feedback, Auto Bullet Reload and Adjustable Auto Fire. The
SuperCobra gun is compatible with Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn
consoles.
"It is exciting to note that today we may be creating tomorrow's classics
in our industry," Rienick added. "New trends like Force Feedback will be
part of a gamer's repertoire for years to come."
For further information, contact David Naghi, NYKO Technologies,
888/444-NYKO or go to the NYKO Web site directly, at http://www.nyko.com
Xena: Warrior Princess Makes Her Polygonal Debut
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (Aug. 21) ENTERTAINMENT WIRE - Aug. 21, 1998 - 89
Studios, a Sony Computer Entertainment Group Company, announced today
that it is publishing the upcoming title Xena: Warrior Princess(TM). The
millions of fans of the hit TV series "Xena: Warrior Princess" will now
have a chance to enjoy the hard-hitting action only Xena can deliver,
exclusively on the PlayStation(R) game console. Available in March 1999,
Xena: Warrior Princess couples the intrigue of an adventure game with the
non-stop action of a fighting game.
Bringing to life the humorous and entertaining storyline of the
television series, the videogame version of Xena: Warrior Princess
features characters and locations taken directly from the TV show, as
well as an ensemble of newly created villains and dynamic new worlds to
explore. "We're very excited to be a part of the worldwide phenomenon of
Xena," said Jeffrey Fox, vice president, marketing, 989 Studios. "By
creating a compelling videogame based on the characters and storyline
from the number-one internationally syndicated television show, we're
confident we'll deliver a game that will appeal to millions of Xena
fans."
Gamers will enjoy the dramatic ancient adventure as Xena fights her way
through immersive 3D game environments including Valarian's Castle,
Hades' Underworld and the Temple of the Pinnacles. On the treacherous
quest, gameplayers will confront vicious villains, gorgons, cyclops and
Dyzan the fire-breathing gatekeeper of Hades. In the game, Xena embarks
on an epic adventure to stop the Minotaur King and Amazon Queen's
diabolical plot to kidnap Xena's friend Gabrielle and deliver her for
sacrifice to an evil sorceress. Xena must defeat monsters, ogres and the
minions of Hades before confronting the ultimate master of black magic.
Xena: Warrior Princess features unparalleled 3D technology that provides
advanced light sourcing and textured polygons that render at 30 frames
per second. Dynamic gameplay, fluid animation and vivid graphic realism
also heightens the intensity of the fast-playing action.
Xena: Warrior Princess Key Features
* Characters and locations taken directly from the top rated,
internationally syndicated TV show
* Arsenal of weapons: swords, staffs, hidden weapons and the Chakram
-- Xena's trademark weapon
* Fast-action gameplay that runs at 30 frames per second
* Multiple dynamic light sources
* Eight game environments each with multiple missions
THQ To Publish PlayStation Game Based On Hit Comic, 'Danger Girl'
CALABASAS, CALIF. (Aug. 25) BUSINESS WIRE - Aug. 25, 1998 - THQ Inc.
Tuesday announced that it will publish and distribute a PlayStation
adventure game based on characters from the new hit comic, "Danger Girl,"
created by J. Scott Campbell and published monthly under Image Comics'
Cliffhanger label.
Interactive game developer n-Space will design and develop the game,
scheduled for worldwide release by THQ in the fourth quarter of 1999.
Demonstrating the comic book's popularity, New Line Cinema recently
optioned live-action film rights. The third-person action adventure game
will revolve around the bold exploits of an elite team of sexy, smart and
sassy women recruited by the top-secret Danger Girl spy agency and
charged with fighting evil. Featuring multiple characters, each with
unique skills, "Danger Girl" imperils its beautiful and curvaceous
heroines in seemingly hopeless situations against menacing villains as
they use their wit and charm to fight for the forces of good.
"'Danger Girl' is a fantastic opportunity to leverage a hot comic book
property, a talented developer like n-Space, and THQ's strength as a
worldwide publisher," said Steve Ryno, vice president of development,
THQ. "THQ continually seeks out original, cutting-edge material to
further expand our product line and 'Danger Girl' certainly fits that
bill." "We are thrilled to be joining with THQ in this unique venture,"
said Erick Dyke, president, n-Space Inc. "Because of our relationship
with J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell, who are participating as team
members on the project, and THQ's proven expertise, we are confident that
we can provide a gaming experience to rival all other action adventures
-- and give J. Scott Campbell's women the curves they deserve!"
"Andy and I are both quite eager to get this project underway," said
Campbell, co-creator of "Danger Girl." "When we entered into this
arrangement with n-Space, we knew we'd get a team that would create the
definitive 'Danger Girl' experience. When they signed with THQ, we knew
the product would go to market in style." Based in Orlando, Fla., n-Space
is a leading developer of entertainment software for Windows 95 and
console systems such as Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64. Established in
1994, n-Space creates compelling, state-of-the-art games with
cutting-edge 3-D technology and vivid, inspiring imagery. n-Space is
represented by Interactive Studio Management LLC.
Midway Ships GEX64: Enter the Gecko for Nintendo-R 64
CORSICANA, TEXAS (Aug. 27) BUSINESS WIRE - August 27, 1998 - Hot on the
Tail of the Successful PlayStation(R) Game Console Version GEX, the
TV-addicted, wise-cracking gecko that has been entertaining PlayStation
gamers nationwide with his irreverent personality,
sarcastic wit and natural wall-climbing ability, leaps for the first time
onto Nintendo(R) 64. Midway Home Entertainment, publisher of several of
the video game market's most innovative titles, today announced that
GEX64: Enter the Gecko for the Nintendo 64 is shipping to retail outlets
nationwide. Midway has reported that initial shipments are greater than
originally projected.
Players take on the role of GEX, a TV-addicted gecko recruited by secret
government agents to rid the world of Rez, GEX's arch enemy who is
attempting to take over the country's television broadcasts. The journey
leads players through 24 beautifully textured 3D worlds, each designed as
sarcastic parodies of movies and TV. Comedian Dana Gould provides the
voice of GEX with tons of wise cracks, sarcastic one-liners and celebrity
impressions.
"We are pleased to expand the GEX audience to Nintendo 64 gamers and take
full advantage of its outstanding graphic capabilities," said Paula Cook,
director of marketing at Midway Home Entertainment. "GEX64: Enter the
Gecko is a great game for the whole family because it taps into America's
fascination with movie and TV nostalgia and packs in outrageous
adventures with a great sense of humor."
GEX lampoons pop culture and the American media in such graphically
superior worlds as the Pre-History Channel, where GEX encounters
dinosaurs and reptiles; Scream TV, paying homage to all of GEX's favorite
slasher TV shows and movies and The Rocket Channel, a tribute to the
sci-fi shows that abducted countless hours of his childhood. Other areas
include Toon TV, Kung-Fu Theater, and Rezopolis.
In addition to stunning new graphics, the Nintendo 64 version of GEX
features an all-new exclusive water-based level. In this waterlogged
level, GEX can swim around and explore famous sunken ships of the past
while avoiding killer sharks and other dangers of the sea. GEX must
maneuver his way through a famous overturned ship, making his way to the
mast's crow's nest to escape.
GEX has the ability to scale walls and ceilings as well as battle his
enemies with special moves including tail whips, flying karate kicks, and
grabbing items with his tongue. As a secret agent and master of disguise,
GEX dons disguises and transforms himself into a caveman, karate fighter,
astronaut and even a duck.
Gaming Online STR InfoFile - Online Users Growl & Purr!
- Keynote -
c 1998 - Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
all rights reserved - http://www.icwhen.com
(Revised 08/26/98)
Always Check the Mirror Before You Start the Car
Keynote speech by Donald A. Thomas Jr.
August 22, 1998 - 10:30 a.m.
World of Atari '98 - Las Vegas, Nevada
)1998 may be reprinted in entirety and with byline
It was about six weeks ago or so that my family hopped a plane from the
Sacramento to San Diego for a couple of days. It was a trip we had
promised our son for years. -- Actually for about three years now. At
twelve, Kyle, was very much into skateboarding and inline skating. When
we finally connected cable television to the house, it seemed whenever
Kyle was not outside our house devising new tricks with his skateboard,
he was inside watching the pro-skaters compete in ESPN2 X-treme game
competitions.
I don't know if you have watched a lot of the X-treme games like my son
has, but Kyle has learned two major lessons in life by watching
professional skateboard competitions. First, there are desirable careers
to be had in that sport. Secondly, all the nation's skateboard pros live
in San Diego, California. Hence, he has had an eager desire to visit that
city. Kyle just knew that professional skaters were all over the streets
in San Diego and he just had to see and mingle with them.
So now Kyle is fifteen. He is in his early years of high school and a
trip to San Diego is an opportunity to tour San Diego State University, a
renowned venue for a respectable college education. Of course, now, Kyle
isn't into skateboarding any more; it's definitely BMX trick cycling.
We hit San Diego during a very warm, but still pleasant weekend. We
visited the Zoo on a Sunday and toured the SDSU campus on the Monday
before flying back home. On the evening of that Sunday, we were touring
the area in our rental car and comparing differences between San Diego
and the San Francisco Bay Area. At some point, Kyle told Lynn and me,
"One thing is for sure; There aren't all the professional skaters on
every street corner like I thought there would be!"
How nice it was to see my son mature and get a better grasp of what the
world is really like. Just as I was about to congratulate him on his
astute observation, he added, "They must all be on tour."
I guess he still has a little more maturing yet. <g>
Good morning. My name is Don Thomas. I worked at Tramiel's Atari between
November 1989 through August 1996. Many Atari users once knew me as a
spokesperson for Atari offering feedback and support on CompuServe and
the Genie online services. I have been an Atari computer user and game
player since the early eighties and founded a small software publishing
company I called Artisan Software in the late eighties. I have been
profiled in publications such as Start Magazine and have had my articles
printed in many prominent trade journals and throughout the Internet over
the years. I currently work in the video game industry and am responsible
for the Web Domain of "I.C.When.COM". "I.C. When" is a comprehensive
chronological history of video games and home computers.
In a few minutes I will offer an opportunity to answer questions you may
have about me, my experiences at Atari or in the industry. But first, I'd
like to share some thoughts I have with regard to the impact classic
gaming and computing SHOULD have on us all . . . particularly the
decision makers and the trend setters.
So, my son, Kyle, is convinced that he understands the skateboard
industry. He'll be the first to admit that he doesn't know everything,
but that is not really the point. The point is more related to the
integrity of the information he does know. For instance, he is convinced
that skateboarders and BMX riders and inline skaters can earn a
respectable living by touring the country and winning competitions. "All
it takes is finding the right sponsors," he says.
In most respects, Kyle is simply wrong and he is in for an awakening when
he learns that life is most probably going to be made up of flipping
hamburgers, going to school and landing a series of traditional jobs
throughout his career. On the other hand, Kyle may very well become the
Ralph Baer or Nolan Bushnell in some aspect of the X-Games industry. His
determination may well persevere and he could be in the right place at
the right time as the world adopts a new billion-dollar devotion to world
league network of skateboard teams and competitions. If Nolan had
listened to his critics, then he may well be an unknown engineer at
Lockheed and the world may have never known the same "Pong" that we now
know.
But, while we popularize the stories that beat the odds, we often forget
to check the mirror in life and see all the mistakes to avoid new
failures. The gambles that lost. The bets that may have won if the
gamblers looked at all the angles and examined all the risks before
starting the machine that failed so unceremoniously.
Now, let's fast-forward away from Baer's Odyssey and Bushnell's "Pong" to
a world of PlayStation, Dreamcast, N64 and Color Game Boy. Dare I forget
to mention Project X? I think we can all agree that the video game
industry has changed in a quarter century. Companies make systems that
are MIPS ahead of a time that power was evaluated by how many sprites and
colors could be on a screen simultaneously. Technology includes terms
related to texture mapping and full motion video instead of bank
switching and vertical blanks. Gaming magazines tend to allocate more
space to well endowed polygons named Lara. Publishers select games that
spatter oceans of blood-red pixels across the screen and replay digitized
screams of real-time animated monsters being ripped apart to terrorize
more than just our imaginations.
This weekend's World of Atari '98 show is indicative of an old trend that
is re-emerging. It is one that explores the value of updating and
republishing classic video games. Most recent examples include
Activision's libraries of Atari 2600 and Commodore 64 compilations for
the PC, Hasbro's release of "Frogger", Namco's series of "Namco Museum"
titles for PlayStation, other releases such as "Centipede", "Asteroids"
and so many more. I think it is exciting that companies are putting back
in to my hands easy access to the games we loved playing so fondly in
years gone by.
In my opinion, this trend is not a step backward by any stretch of the
imagination and I feel it has been way too slow in coming. I believe that
the video game industry has successfully established a new market of game
players in the last decade. By doing so, they have abandoned the original
phenomenon that built the industry twenty years ago and, thus they have
abandoned those who loved it so. I guess it could be similar as if the
music industry gave up on classical, swing, blues or jazz just because
most of the world seems to appreciate some form of rock.
So what is it exactly that built the industry? What is this phenomenon
that differentiates the games of the nineties from those introduced in
the seventies and eighties?
Many of us at Atari had a name for the formula that makes classic games
so great. I don't know if anyone else ever tried to define it like I
have, but it is three simple words: "The. Fun. Factor.".
I define the fun factor as a phenomenon that includes five primary
components: I can remember them more easily because the parts spell out
the word PRESS as in "Press the Fire Button".
1. high score Potential
2. Repetition
3. Ease of learning
4. Strategy
5. Secrets
All games, past and present, have to have some mixture of these
components to survive very long on the marketplace. But only the original
classic games consistently maintain a balance of all of them.
Let's look at them quickly. First, I mentioned "high score Potential". (I
am cheating a little bit to steal the P from potential to make the
anagram, but it is a very serious component.)
You might remember "Pong" had scoring. It had to. It was the only measure
of how one did when playing the game. A higher score than your opponent
meant that you won the game. A higher score than the computer player
meant that you beat the game. But, by today's standard, the scores were
awfully unimpressive. A good game might conclude with a score of 11,
maybe 15 depending on the version of "Pong" being played.
Then there were games like "Warlords", "Breakout" and "Missile Command".
Suddenly games allowed players to score as high into the hundreds, maybe
thousands. Then along came "Galaxian" and "Phoenix" which doused players
with scores in the tens and hundreds of thousands.
Eventually, next generation games took over and high scores have been
fading fast. Games are too complicated to score anymore. Racing games
give lap times. R.P.G.'s reward players with new levels and fulfilled
objectives. Arcades no longer publish player high scores over each
machine and we never hear about a game that revealed something unusual
simply because a determined player hit a new high score.
There is an article I found in the most recent September 1998 issue of
Next Generation magazine. The article starts on page 10 and is titled:
"When was the last time you scored?" The piece concludes and I quote,
"Will score ever come back? Probably not. As technology evolves, games
will become even more complex, and current titles that still employ a
high score, such as 'N20', 'Einhander', and 'Incoming', are in an
ever-smaller minority."
The article sheds some rays of hope however and I quote further, "But
classic games are making something of a comeback; titles like 'Centipede'
and 'Asteroids' are being retrofitted for the 90's, with score intact."
Sadly the author concludes, "Still, it's safe to say that score will
never play the pivotal role it once did in gaming history."
If nothing else, I am not the only one that believes that high score
potential is an elementary difference between games of today and
yesterday.
Let's look at the second element of the fun factor: Repetition.
When I say Repetition, I am describing the ability to identify a way that
a game is played within the first few seconds of pressing the start
button and depend on that overall premise to stay the same throughout the
game. "Pitfall" is a game that includes climbing, swinging and jumping in
a horizontal scrolling format. The obstacles may change their positions,
the ladders may not always be on the left or on the right, but the game
never ends up being different than how it started. Each new wave, each
new level predictably resembles the one prior.
Someone might say, ah, but "Gorf" deviated fom thart formula and "Donkey
Kong" had a series of different virtual game venues that had a lot of
changes from one level to the next. Well, not really. It may have taken
more than a few seconds to learn the new looks of each level, but they
eventually recycled and the series of levels fit the definition of
repetition that I am describing here.
Okay, let's look at ease of learning; the E in the anagram that defines
the fun factor.
Many people tell me that ease of learning is not at all missing from
games today. They bring up games like "Unreal", "Gran Turismo" or "Crash
Bandicoot". Yes, those are relatively easy games to learn, but are still
far more complex than walking up to a machine, dropping a quarter and
driving a circle through a maze to eat dots and avoid ghosts. I've played
"Unreal". It's fun, but there are a lot complexities too. A lot of
passages to discover. A lot of items to recover. A very difficult game to
sit down and compete against your previous high score.
I have played "Gran Turismo". It is undeniably a phenomenal racing game.
Of course I have to be concerned with a lot more than I did when I played
"Night Driver" or even "Pole Position". There's tire tread, engine
capabilities, car handling. Not much instant plug-and-play here.
I have enjoyed many hours of "Crash Bandicoot" and "Crash Bandicoot 2". I
know I will rush out and buy "Crash Bandicoot 3". But it is more complex
of a game to learn and accomplish than "Space Invaders" or "Missile
Command".
Games from yesteryear, games that were filled with the fun factor, were
never hard to learn. Often hard to master, but never hard to learn.
All games require the gamer to learn and apply a strategy to master the
gameplay. Whether it is "Checkers" or "Othello", "Boxing" or "Street
Fighter", there are one or more strategic moves that enable competitors
to score better with experience.
Finally, the fun factor is unleashed in any specific game when there are
Secrets in or about the game to be discovered. A secret may be a hidden
level or character. Maybe it is a code to add lives or weapons. Maybe it
is a way to see the programmer's initials such in Atari's "Adventure" or
"Yar's Revenge". Or, perhaps it is a fascinating story on how the game
was developed or marketed.
So why does an understanding of the fun factor and the appealing aspects
of video games from yesterday have significance to you and me today?
Because we are approaching a new fork in the road. An opportunity to go
in new directions. New generations of video game systems such as
Dreamcast and Project X as well as whatever competing products designed
to knock the socks off of the mass market. And before we embark on a
journey to new next-next-generation technology, let's check the rear view
mirror. Let us begin to recognize the market that wants to play classic
favorites or new games that instill the fun factor into them. Let's put
high score back into the game.
I applaud what companies such as Hasbro for what they appear to be doing.
Their focus on reintroducing some of the world's greatest software titles
on up-to-date platforms is cutting edge. Hasbro has tasted the success
with "Frogger" selling over a million copies in less than six months
since its launch last November. "Centipede" will undoubtedly do similarly
as well. I believe that they will do equally as well with each new title
as long as they look back and enhance them using the same formula that
made them great in the first place.
Thankfully, companies like Hasbro and Activision and Namco and Nyko are
beginning to adjust the mirror before moving forward on new projects.
They may not always make the greatest decisions based on what they have
seen behind them, but they are pulling out into the proverbial traffic of
progress while being more informed.
I'd like to suggest to forward thinking companies in this business two
things: It's wise to check the mirror and apply the good things from the
past into the things they do in our future. And, secondly, it would be
smart to look for more ways to work together; to solidify a plan to help
legitimize the gaming industry completely. Let's find more opportunities
to recognize all the better games and to put the people who create them
in the spotlight.
END
- The AfterMath -
by Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
)1997-1998 - Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
all rights reserved - http://www.icwhen.com
May be reprinted in entirety with byline.
(Revised 08/26/98)
(WINDOW DRESSING: Mr. Mark Santora is producing a quality video
documentary of WOA '98. For information and ordering, visit, Mark's
homepage at: http://home.earthlink.net/~santora.)
Suddenly, a Vegas weekend has passed me by and I find myself on a plane
chasing a Sunday sunset toward the western horizon. The first annual
Classic Video Game and Home Computer Show, otherwise touted as World of
Atari '98, had come to a close. The people and the memories have bid me a
fond farewell. While mere hours before I was saturated in a sea of
camaraderie I now find myself heading home in an airship of anonymity. I
did not win the "Asteroids" cocktail table raffled by Mr. Tim Arnold to
benefit the Las Vegas Salvation Army, but I did carry with me a few small
boxes of memorabilia that I considern just as priceless. And I carry a
camcorder crammed with a few hours of video. And I carry a few chocolates
for my wife and son as they stay up at home to ask me if I had a nice
time.
I now feel inspired to share, with those who honored us by attending and
for those who so desperately wanted to go, a report of the show from my
unique perspective. It was an interesting change of pace for me. After so
many years of attending Comdex, CES, E3 and a number of Atari-specific
shows over the years as one of the crew, I am suddenly bestowed the title
of Distinguished Guest. This time, I am not responsible to help set up
walls of a booth, components of a kiosk or crates of literature. Instead,
I am invited to verbalize my experiences at Atari, shake friends of old
and new and sign an occasional request for an autograph.
Mr. Keita Iida and Mr. Don Rogers greeted me at McCarran International
Airport around noon on Friday, August 21, 1998. Both gentlemen were
anxious to help carry my bags. In spite of my insistence to carry them
myself, Keita managed to grab one away as I put one down to switch hands.
They took me to the Holiday Inn Boardwalk Hotel and Casino
(http://www.hiboardwalk.com) located right on the world famous Vegas
strip. The hotel required me to wait a couple hours to register so we
checked my bags and a group of us drove over to TGI Friday's
(http://www.tgifridays.com) for lunch.
In the earliest hours of my arrival I met all the core promoters. Mr.
Rich Tsukiji has one of those last names that I can spell, but just
cannot learn to pronounce. I feel redeemed, however, since I later
learned he once misspelled my last name in the official program. Payback
maybe? <g> In reality I have always known Rich as Rich and he has always
known me as Don. We have always been on a first name basis from the first
time we met. In fact, those years go back almost a decade when World of
Atari was held at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. It was at
that show that Rich helped me to introduce Artisan Software in its first
ever public exhibition. Rich filled the role of producer at WOA '98. The
event is ultimately to his credit just like we owe him for the
experiences at so many Atari-specific events over the years. It was good
to see Rich again and to meet Rich Tsukiji II, the proud offspring of his
father.
Mr. John Hardie was rubbing his tired eyes but still found plenty of
energy to smile and welcome the guests as they arrived. John and Keita
co-produce the Atari Headquarters web domain (http://www.atarihq.com).
The two gentlemen actually coordinated most of the events at the show,
helped solicit sponsors and arrange keynotes. By this time on Friday they
have already spent a great deal of time keeping promises and schedules on
track. Before it would be over, they would see it get much worse before
it would get better.
Mr. Brad Kota, was an inspiration for this year's show. As a long time
friend and colleague of Mr. Tsukiji, Brad helped to persuade him that
there would be interest in a classic video game show. Brad's Best
Electronics has always been a formidable icon in the industry with the
world's most unique selection of hard-to-find components and parts for
Atari video games and computers.
I soon caught up with Mr. Randy Stoller, a memorable young man who has a
rare collection of classic game and computer products. Mr. Jerry Jessop
worked at Atari in the late seventies and early eighties. Jerry did a
variety of engineering projects at Atari. Mr. Dan Kramer is renowned for
his work on the track ball at Atari in the early years. Mr. Leonard
Herman, author of "Pheonix: The Fall and Rise of Videogames" and the "ABC
to the VCS" (Rolenta Press,
http://www.atarihq.com/features/phoenix.html), was setting up to offer
autographed copies of his books. Mr. Sean Kelly, of Digital Press, set up
next to Leonard to offer his Classic Videogame Commercial Archive on VHS
tapes (http://www.xnet.com/~skelly/video.htm). Amidst all the hustle and
bustle, mammoth crates were moved carefully into the vender area. Each
one was marked "Atari Historical Society" ( and followed closely by a Mr.
Curt Vendel.
By 3 p.m. on Friday, the show appeared to be coming together quite well.
(I was happy. I finally eceived my key to room number 463.) Anyone in the
know, however, knew things were not going as well as hoped.
There were problems. Throughout the afternoon, Rich Tsukiji had to run
around Las Vegas city offices to accommodate a variety of exhibition
permits that had previously not been required. WOA '98 was becoming a
much bigger show than some people had anticipated and an entirely new
plateau of permits and licenses were suddenly required. With a lot of hot
Vegas sweat and a heavy dose of Tsukiji finesse, Rich pulled everything
together just as the city was locking the business office doors closed
for the weekend.
Meanwhile, back at the not-so-okay coral, Keita sat next to a pair of
gold plated pay phones in the foyer of the convention floor. He had long
run out of quarters to feed the phones and was now typing out the same
numbers into his cellular phone that Don Rogers pointed out in a thick
edition of the Las Vegas yellow pages. The mission: get between six to
eight 19-inch color televisions to the show at a reasonable price before
the rental stores closed and WOA '98 commenced. The long awaited
"Battlesphere" tournaments must go on, but no televisions had shown up as
originally planned.
Ultimately, Keita and Rich resolved their emergencies to everyone's
satisfaction, but the energy was building and the pressure was mounting.
Mr. Bruce Carso and his wife and family arrived with their 15-foot box
truck direct from B&C ComputerVisions (http://www.myatari.com). Mr. Tim
Arnold had his classic coin-ops to unload. Mr. Jerry Jessop and Mr. Dan
Kramer had a large rental van full of artifacts for the Classic Game
Museum. Artifacts that included the very first "Computer Space" ever
manufactured and an original coin-op "Pong". Mr. Steve Kipker and his
crew from Steve's Software (http://www.atarionline.com) set up countless
boxes of computer and gaming software featuring notable mentions such as
"Air Cars" ($75) for the Atari Jaguar and "Visicalc" ($1) for Atari
computers. All new in originally shrink-wrapped packaging of course.
Keita and John would not get much sleep again this long and anxious day.
Even at late night hours, they had yet to set up their own contributions
to the museum that required a painstaking system to catalog and arrange
all of the displays and exhibits. Much of this time I didn't feel right
just standing around. Everyone was working so hard. I did my best to
document the course of events with my camcorder, but I did set it aside
for a while to help Bruce and Cathy unload their truck.
At 6:30 p.m., the doors opened across the hall of the main convention
hall to the formal reception area. Persons connected directly to the
production of the show took a well-deserved break and pre-ticketed
attendees were all invited. There were two cash bars, a great sound
system playingthe soundtrack from "Tempest 2000" and wall-to-wall people.
Rich asked me to make a few opening remarks. People who know me do not
think I am much capable of making just a few remarks, but I managed to
prove them wrong this time around. I thanked Rich, Brad, John and Keita.
I urged others to find them and thank them all as well. Rich asked me to
tell them how to get their programs for the show and I closed with a
formal welcome to each and everyone in attendance.
Not too long after the reception, activities began to settle down to a
realistic pace. Most of the venders had found time to sigh and only John
and Keita were still in a mode that some say resembles panic. In spite of
it all, Rich, John, Keita and a few others including myself broke awayto
get some dinner at Applebee's Neighborhood Grille and Bar
(http://www.applebees.com). I am familiar with the Applebee's chain, but
I have no idea where Keita took us that night to get there. The trip
allowed me to renew a friendship with Rich and we filled in a lot of
blanks for a number of old Atari anecdotes from days gone by.
Immediately after dinner, we returned to the Boardwalk and Rich, Keita
and John returned to work as if they had never yet started. The appeal of
the slot machines overcame me and I began to throw money away into as
many of them as I could. Ouch. By around 2:30 a.m. I returned to room 463
and reread my keynote speech one more time. Well, two more times. Hmmm, a
few typos. Maybe it turned out being several times before I actually
turned out the lights around 4 a.m.
Lynn, my wife, refused to bear the Las Vegas heat with me. She knew I
would be pre-occupied and decided playing mom was amost important role at
home. As always, she turned out being the wise woman I know and adore.
Saturday was hot long before anyone had a chance to complain about it.
Staying at the same hotel as the show was wonderful and the uncomfortable
heat was felt only near the windows. I arose at 8:40 a.m. By 10 o'clock I
walked past a long, long line of attendees who clearly wanted the doors
to open sooner rather than later. At approximately, 10:07 a.m. the doors
pushed back the crowd as they opened and the crowd calmly funneled
themselves into the exhibition floor.
I took a lot of videotape and will need to dedicate a day to review it
all. But from recollection, there were items for sale and items for
display. There were displays for display and displays for sale. There
were mint condition Ms. Pac-Man dolls offered by Jack Berg Sales Company,
a firm based in El Paso, Texas. There were hard-to-find coin-op art
panels available from the Atari Historical Society. There were mint
copies of "Metorite" ($75) for the Atari 5200 game system offered by
Atari Headquarters. Mr. David Naghi and Mr. Robert Rienick introduce Nyko
technologies' (http://www.nyko.com) new Classic Track Ball for the
PlayStatio (hnttp://www.playstation.com) game console.
In a center aisle, Tim Arnold kept track of the raffle total with a
makeshift tally redesigned from an old pinball game. Each of his targeted
$1,500 rung out with a loud bell and Tim would make hourly announcements
of small prize winners using a handheld megaphone.
At 10:30 a.m., I entered the keynote hall (a.k.a. the reception area from
the night before). There was a small number of people there awaiting my
arrival for my keynote. "Phew", I thought to myself as I knew speaking to
just a few people would be a stress-less task. At that moment, Keita Iida
saw I was ready and ran across the hall to announce my speech. In an
instant, the crowd from the venders area swarmed to the keynote area and
left only the rearmost group of chairs unclaimed.
I enjoy speaking. I have performed in some amateur theater in my younger
days and I know no shame to admit that I enjoy a little notoriety from
time to time. This was different. People were seated before me truly
interested in what I was about to say. Was my talk too short? Would it be
too long? Would it be meaningful or sound like rambling? I decided the
best thing to do was do it. I had 19 (very small) pages of script and I
tried hard to refer to it as little as possible while looking at my
audience as much as possible. It must have not been too bad. People asked
a number of great questions after the talk and followed me into the
corridor to ask more. One very attractive young lady wanted to know if I
was the founder of Atari. I said "no".
Now that my keynote was over, the pressure of the weekend had been lifted
from my shoulders and I was free to do nothing more except enjoy the
show. And I did. Big time. I met with Mr. Rob Fulop, designer of "Demon
Attack" for the Atari 2600. I saw the rare Cosmos, the holographic game
system, designed by Atari before Mr. Jack Tramiel sold holograph
technology to American Banknote (http://www.abnh.com). I saw rare
prototypes such as "Dukes of Hazard" for the Atari 2600. I saw an early
mold of the Atari Portfolio computer. I saw mint condition still-packaged
Colecovision carts. There were photocopies of rare internal Atari
documents. One collector showed me an entire box of badges for Atari
employees from many, many years ago. At 5 p.m., the exhibit hall for the
first day came to a close, but a swap meet commenced in the keynote area
that lasted a couple hours.
That evening, I met David Naghi and Robert Rienick in the hotel lobby at
7 p.m. Robert's wife, Betty, also caught up with us and the trio escorted
me to Gordon Biersch (http://www.gordonbiersch.com) for dinner. David and
Robert shared a number of great things they have planned for their
product lines. Meanwhile I enjoyed a tremendous garlic-rubbed hanger
steak and an unusually decadent slice of cheesecake.
There was no rush for me to get up terribly early on Sunday. I wanted to
be there when the doors opened at 10 a.m. and I was. My new camcorder
also takes digital stills and I exploited some of the pre-show inactivity
to take pictures of the coin-ops scattered throughout the hall. When the
doors opened, a steady stream of aficionados came and left throughout the
day.
On this day, I had a greater opportunity to sit in on some of the other
keynotes. First, was a presentation from Dan Kramer and Jerry Jessop.
They told a number of stories from their days at Atari as renegade
engineers. If the audience was not spellbound, they were laughing at an
intentional quip or waving their hands to ask a new question. Also this
day, I sat in on a talk by Mr. Bill Kunkel, co-founder of Electronic
Games Magazine. Bill spoke of the early trade shows and the horrific
videogame industry crash that tore many of the companies apart. Dave
Staugas was WOA '98's surprise speaker during mid-afternoon. Dave spoke
how he survived the Tramiel takeover and created a number of games and
applications for Atari over the years. The keynotes, as well as the other
events at World of Atari '98 are being documented by Mr. Mark Santora's
video. For information on ordering this video visit
http://home.earthlink.net/~santora.
In late afternoon, I introduced myself to Mr. Derek Mihocka of Gemulators
Inc. (http://www.emulators.com) who was demonstrating Gemulator '98. This
incredible device allows Atari ST, STe and TT software or Apple
Macintosh, Mac SE or Mac II software to run at lightning speeds in a
Windows environment for prices way under $200.
Also intriguing at the show was the new Lynx TV converter by Wizztronics
(http://www.wizztronics.com) shown by founder, Mr. Steve Cohen. The
device enables users to play Atari handheld Lynx games directly on a
standard television; even a big screen! The resolution looked fantastic
and the picture was incredibly stable. For under $150 users can finally
see and play Lynx games on a full size screen.
Nearing the end of the day, the Auction was held and nearly one hundred
items were put up for bid. Mr. Alan Miller, certified, licensed and
bonded auctioneer, U.S.A. Auctions, conducted the auction. A number of
one-of-a-kind and unusual artifacts and products were shown and blocked.
Rich Tsukiji whispered to me that this was undoubtedly the world's first
professional auction of Atari products.
Around 4 p.m., Tim Arnold picked the last few winners of the raffle.
(Darn, I did not win the "Asteroids" game.) Activities in the main hall
had died down and vendors had already begun to pack things up. In the far
corner, Jerry Jessop and friends were doing their best to sell off items
still on the table. I wanted to spend some time filming the
"Battlesphere" tournament, but it was always so crowded in that corner of
the hall. Mr. Scott Le Grand and Ms. Stephanie Wukovitz of 4Play
(http://www.best.com/~sebab/dvidgames/dsphere/sphere.shtml) had the crowd
captive, but by the time I got back over to there following the auction,
the winner was declared and gone.
There is no way to explain the pleasures that come to us at events such
as these. Those of us in the industry love it. We remember unpacking
trainloads of boxes and crates for the Winter or Summer Consumer
Electronics Shows or a Comdex. We remember working late at night
wondering all the while if the booth would be completed by the time the
show started. We remember gathering late at night to fulfill traditions
at a local pub or restaurant. We remember new product launches and all
those times that something was supposed to work and didn't. World of
Atari '98 serves as a forum for us to recall those memories and to relive
them through the stories we tell.
For those who love the industry, but are not employed as a part of it, I
know it is equally fun to be a part of WOA '98. I know because I am
uniquely a part of that crowd too. I got into the business as a
happenstance and as an outsider who swore to myself that I would never
forget how it felt to press my nose against the glass looking in. I don't
believe I have ever failed that personal promise. Some said at WOA '98
that I started a trend to get the programs autographed. I managed to get
almost everyone although I missed a few. There was Rob Fulop who I did
miss in spite of intentions otherwise, but I did get Mr. Michael Mika of
Next Generation Magazine ( I missed Marshall Rosenthal of the LA Times (
but I did get Ms. Van Burnham of Wired Magazine ( I got most all of the
venders that I have known over the years to sign my programs and of
course the likes of Sean Kelly, Leonard Herman, Jerry Jessop, Arnie Katz,
David Staugas and the rest of the World of Atari '98.
I am not certain why I did not see representation from Hasbro InterActive
(http://www.hasbro-interactive.com) A lot of people would like to know
what their plans are with their new acquisition. A lot of people want to
know why ATARI.COM seems to have been abandoned since JTS
(http://www.jtscorp.com) shut it down (especially me since I produced the
original site for Atari). People like Mr. Nolan Bushnell would have been
nice to see one day. Other names that would have fit in well with the
atmosphere would have been Activision and Williams.
Just the same, I had one heck of a great time.
Do I have any regrets at all? Yup. I regret losing as much as I did in
the slots.
END
Next-Generation Online: World of Atari Report
World of Atari Report Who was there, what was shown, and is Jaguar
BattleSphere for real? These questions and more answered in Next
Generation Online's report on World of Atari '98.
August 24, 1998
It was an intriguing idea. To put on a show that centered around the
company that started the video game craze some twenty years after it
began. Set over three nights and two days, the World of Atari 1998 show
took place at the Holiday Inn Casino Boardwalk in Las Vegas. And the
gaming world may never be the same.
The show was primarily organized by three individuals, Richard Tsukiji,
Keita Iida, and John Hardie. These three gentlemen have been long time
Atari supporters. At the height of Atari popularity during the Tramiel
Era, Tsukiji organized several World of Atari shows which met with great
success. Iida published a newsletter called the Atari Zone and helped
launch the Atari Gaming Headquarters (www.atarihq.com) web site with John
Hardie. Hardie has been a staunch supporter of all things Atari for many
years including working on previous World of Atari Shows and serving as
Vice President of the Alamo Area Atari Users Association. But, even after
the demise of the Atari Corporation, they still saw the power that the
company had instilled throughout the world. Relying on this knowledge,
they decided to put together another show.
Even though the show was titled "World of Atari," there was a much larger
sense of community present at the show. Most of the classic gaming
systems were represented. The Intellivision, the Colecovision, and the
8-bit home computers stood aside the 2600, 5200,7800, and Atari XE/ST
computers. It was quite impressive to see such a strong showing from a
gaming era that has passed us by for perspective correcting texture
mapping and "well endowed polygons named Lara," according to Don Thomas,
who was [sic] worked for Atari during the Tramiel days.
On Friday night, an informal party was thrown to kick off the show. The
idea was simple, to get as many attendees, guests, and dealers together
to set the mood for the weekend. And it did a fabulous job. Food, drink,
and music kept the atmosphere light while everyone got to know one
another. The party was topped off with a set of quick opening comments
from Don Thomas.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, the doors opened and the crowd made its way into the
show. There were three different rooms for the showgoers to explore.
First was the dealer room which was sponsored by Nyko (www.nyko.com). At
the Nyko booth one could try it's new trackball controller for the
PlayStation. Running Missile Command through the Williams Arcade Classics
CD showed just how much thought the R&D department had put into the
trackball. They also displayed their remote RF signal adapters for the
Playstation and Nintendo 64. No more cables running from your system to
the tv. Just plug in one adapter to the TV and the other to your system
of choice.
Undeniably, the most anticipated developer at the show was 4Play.
(http://www.best.com/~sebab/dvidgames/dsphere/sphere.shtml) The company's
Scott LeGrand and Stephanie Wukovitz were in attendance to show off their
recently completed game, BattleSphere. In many circles, BattleSphere is
generally considered to be the best Atari Jaguar game. Developed over
four and a half years while additionally holding down steady jobs,
BattleSphere became the light at the end of the tunnel for the hardcore
Jaguar user - and it did not disappoint. The astounded crowd huddled
around the consoles as it booted up. Showgoer Doug Childs remarked, "It
was definitely worth the wait." World of Atari sponsored both a Networked
BattleSphere and a Warlords elimination contest. Winners were given
copies of Hasbro's Frogger, Star Wars Monopoly, and the Namco Museum
complilation for PlayStation.
Other developers at the show included Wizztronics, Inc.
(www.wiztronics.com) which had it's Lynx-to-TV adapter on display. This
small modification board will allow a Lynx player to use his television
as a display unit. The image was sharp and stable. Another developer was
Emulators, Inc.(www.emulators.com) which had it's Atari/Mac emulation
boards for the PC up and running. It was strange to see the Atari and Mac
Desktops running on the PC, but they were there and they were fast.
A multitude of exhibitors were strategically placed throughout the dealer
room. Companies including Best Electronics (best-electronics-ca.com), B&C
Computer Visions (myatari.com), and Steve's Computer
Technology(www.atarionline.com). These dealers featured any game or game
system that one wanted to add to their collection, and dealers kept their
prices to a very respectable level.
Also placed throughout the dealer room were some classic arcade machines
that were open for all to play. Star Wars, Asteroids, Wizard of War,
Gauntlet 2, Centipede, and several other classics made appearances. Even
with machines of this size, there were rare and prototypes available for
play. Jerry Jessop brought along the first Computer Space cabinet, the
fiberglass gaming console that started it all. Long before Pong, this was
the game of choice. And it was in mint condition using 95 of it's
original parts. Also included were a prototype Atari pinball machine
called Neutron Star from 1981, an Atari Games machine that never saw
release called Freeze from 1995, (which was excellent and should have
been released), and even the venerable old Pong itself.
Namco, creators of the classic games Pac-Man, Pole Position, and Dig Dug,
sponsored the museum Exhibit. The museum featured systems dating back as
far as 1972 with the Magnavox Odyssey. Notable items in the museum
included the Graduate Computer Keyboard adapter for the Atari 2600, the
prototype of the remote controlled Atari 2600 titled the 2700, the Atari
Mindlink Controller, the Atari Cosmos which was a holographic game
system, the Atari Mirai which is rumored to be the design for the game
system based on the Atari ST computer lines, and the original Virtual
Light Machine - the Atari Video Music (1976). Over sixty items were
present in the museum while even more rare items were found at the Atari
Historical Society (http://www.atari.nu/).
The third room at the show was designated for the Keynote Speakers and
the Sunday Evening auction. Speakers included Don Thomas, Rob Fulop (2600
Missile Command and co-founder of Imagic), Dan Kramer (5200 trackball),
Jerry Jessop (member of the Atari R&D team/Atari 2000 project), Scott
LeGrand and Stephanie Wukovitz (4Play), John Harris (designer of
Jawbreaker and Frogger for the Atari 8bit Computers), Dave Staugus
(Millipede and Krull for the Atari 2600), and Arnie Katz, Joyce Worley,
and Bill Kunkel (founders of the first videogame magazine, Electronic
Games).
Said Dan Kramer of his time at Atari: "I can tell you it was a fabulous
place to work. And it wasn't our imagination that we were doing some of
the coolest, funnest, neatest stuff we've ever encountered. It was a
circus all day long, but we did the work and turned out product." And
while most of the speakers used their time to discuss their experiences
with or involving Atari, Don Thomas struck a cord about the future of the
gaming, "This weekend's World of Atari 98 Show is indicative of an old
trend that is re-emerging. It is one that explores the value of updating
and republishing classic videogames."
But after each day ended, the group of show goers continued to enjoy
themselves in the Vegas nightlife. Either gambling, going across the
street to Sega Gameworks, or heading over to the Hilton to ride the Star
Trek Experience, there were more than enough activities to take up
whatever time was left over from the show.
Over all, the show seemed a resounding success. It took the remnants of
the first generation of video gaming and gave them a place to stand. The
speakers, the museum, and the dealer rooms provided some very interesting
sites and buys.
And while some players may look back and scoff at the 2600 or other
similar systems, there were more than enough people of all age groups
enjoying themselves and proving that there is life in any platform; even
after it has been discontinued.
And while this year's show may be over, there is still a way to
experience the event. A two-hour video is currently in production
detailing the events of the past weekend. Professionally shot, edited,
and duplicated, this tape will feature direct feeds from games at the
show, all the speakers, the dealer room, the Namco Museum, and much more.
For more information, go to this address -
http://home.earthlink.net/~santora/woav.htm
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
Compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@streport.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, it's back to our regular schedule I
guess. Just in time, as far as I'm concerned. There's lots of stuff that
I want to talk about and one column a month just doesn't give me the room
I need to vent it all. Anyone who knows me knows how I rant and rave, and
that I don't usually stop until I'm darned good and ready. So I hope
you're in the mood for a little good old fashioned ranting for the next
few weeks. We're going to start with CompuServe's decision to turn "The
Computer Club" Forum into an HMI-only place. If you're not familiar with
The Computer Club, I'll fill you in. It's a forum dedicated to 'orphan'
computers like our own ST line. There are users of the Texas Instruments
TI-994A, the Coleco Adam, Timex/Sinclair ZX81, and several others that
escape my memory at the moment. What gets my knickers in a twist is the
idea that anyone would be best served by making this forum HMI-only.
HMI is CompuServe's proprietary 32 bit software scheme for accessing
their online service. It does provide some nice features, but I find it
to be uniformly slow and cumbersome to use, RAM and hard drive intensive,
and generally more poorly thought out and implemented than any piece of
software I've seen on the Atari platform... ever.
All of these shortcomings could be overlooked (even if only with
practice) were it not for the fact that CompuServe holds the code to make
HMI work tighter than a miser holds a dollar. They have steadfastly
refused to release the code to those programmers who might have the time,
ingenuity, ability, or inclination to write an application for any of
these so-called orphan machines.
This brings me to my next point... How wise is it to force a forum (and
from the info I've been getting, they are FORCING forums to switch over)
to use a protocol which will, by their own policy, deny access to the
very users that the forum is there to help? You see, if you have an Atari
ST, the only place on CompuServe worth going to for software and
information is The Computer Club. The staff there is top notch without
exception, the users that frequent the forum are knowledgable, and the
software in the libraries, while a bit thin, is enough to keep a lot of
users going for a while. But after September 20th, you won't be able to
access the forum with an ST. Yes, there are a lot of ST users who also
have either a PC or a Mac, but lots of them don't. So they won't be able
to get to anything that the forum has to offer. Consequently, I expect
many of them to do what I'm going to do at the end of the month... CANCEL
MY SUBSCRIPTION TO COMPUSERVE. You probably have no idea of how much it
hurt to have to type that last line. You see, I've used CompuServe for
more than years now. It was my first online "home" and it's still where
I'm most comfortable. Not necessarily because it's any better than any
other service, but because it was my first online experience, and because
the Sysop and staff of the now defunct Atari Forum were the best in the
business... they spoiled me, I guess. Nonetheless, the bloom has been off
the rose for quite a while now and even a die-hard such as myself has to
face the fact that all good things must come to an end. The only things
I've been using CompuServe for lately were my visits to The Computer
Club, email, and as an ISP. With the loss of the forum, I simply cannot
justify paying CompuServe even their minimum charge. I have therefore
signed up with a local ISP who provides 56K v.90 access, email, web
space, and NewsGroups. For about half of what I have been paying
CompuServe, I've now got everything I need except for the forum. I will
miss it quite a bit, but the folks over at Delphi's Atari Advantage forum
are great people, the forum is more active than the Atari section within
The Computer Club, and I've been there almost as long as I've been with
CompuServe, so I feel almost as comfortable there.
Another nice thing about Delphi is that, while CompuServe has seen fit to
restrict access, Delphi has gone out of its way to expand the access
possibilities. You can now access almost every forum on Delphi in one of
two ways. You can use your internet connection to get there and cruise
along web page style, or you can dial in the way we've been doing it for
all these years and access using good old ASCII. And to add to the
coolness of their setup, if you only access Delphi via the web (you need
a browser that accepts and recognizes cookies, so I'll have to wait for
CAB 2.7 to hit shore on this side of the Atlantic), access is FREE. Yes,
that's right. It's free!
While I'm sad beyond belief that I won't be using CompuServe any more,
I'm glad that I've got a place like Delphi to go to. If you are a
CompuServe subscriber and don't like this change, by all means let them
know by sending email to FEEDBACK. I'm not saying that the only viable
move is to leave CompuServe. It's still a great service... if you can
access it. I guess I just don't like being told what type of computer I
have to use if I'm going to subscribe to their service. Something seems a
bit "back-asswards" there. It's like being told that you have to have
either a GM or Ford automobile to use the highway... an old Volkswagon
Beetle or Plymouth Fury just won't do.
Well, I think I'm about out of 'attitude' for the moment, so let's take a
look at what's going on in the NewsGroups.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
Alan Maydwell asks:
"Does anyone know if it is possible to get Ghostlink to work with MagiC
v5.11 ? I've got it to work with MagiC v2 in the past but it doesn't seem
to get on with MagiC v5.11."
Carsten Krumnow tells Alan:
"Try EASE from the MagiC 2 package (if you have that one). It works."
Alan tells Carsten:
"Thanks for the tip but I don't have EASE as it doesn't come with the UK
version of MagiC. I'm not sure if i'd like to use EASE anyway as I'm
happy with Magxdesk and would rather consider using Thing or Jinee as an
alternative."
Carsten tells Alan:
"Unfortunately all versions of MagiCDesk as well as jinnee and the newer
versions of the EASE have the problem with Ghostlink (as well as the
MagiC file select box...)."
Aaron Turner asks:
"...will cubase run in non monochrome res, or are there sequencers for
the atari that will? I don't have a colour monitor, so to run in colour I
need to run Atari->SCART into a TV, but it would be nice to be able to
avoid changing monitors all the time. Either that or a simulator I
suppose (but I have a very old 1040, and a lot of stuff seems not to run
on my old version of TOS)>."
Nicholas Bales tells Aaron:
Cubase, as well as most "serious" programs, requires a 640x400
resolution, so you need a hi res monitor. A hi-res emulator slows down
the machine a bit, so that can cause problems with timing-intensive
programs like Cubase. You sound a bit mixed up with resolutions/monitors,
so here is the run down:
monochrome=Hi-res (640x400/2 colours) => SM124/125/144... monitors only,
or an emulator such as Sebra.
colour=Low-res (320x200/16) or Mid-res (640x200/4) => TV or colour
monitor."
William Platt asks:
"Are the Mega and TT keyboards the same as the falcon's?"
Nicholas Bales tells William:
"Not exactly, but thay can be adapted. It's just a matter of rewiring the
connector. There are instructions for this around FTP sites, or in the
DOITF030 archive."
My old friend Sheldon Winick tells William:
"No. The Mega and TT030 keyboards are external -- the Falcon uses a
1040ST style integrated keyboard (unfortunately, with the same mushy feel
that the 1040 had)."
Karl Samyn posts this interesting little tidbit:
"For those of you that are interested in connecting your Atari Computers
to an Ethernet network, cable modem via Ethernet, or Digital Subscriber
Line via Ethernet, please read on. A lot of people want to connect their
Atari to an Ethernet network. It seems that with no ethernet adapters
currently in production for Atari compatible models, and with the
relative scarcity of previously manufactured boards, it would make sense
to find an existing adapter for use with Atari. The one port type that
all Atari computers can connect to is SCSI (older models require a SCSI
host adapter such as a Link). This is also one of the fastest ports on
the Atari computers. A few months ago, John Perez came up with the idea
to write drivers for the already existing SCSI -> Ethernet adaptor from
the Apple Macintosh platform. Since I couldn't contact John anymore, and
didn't know how far he got with this project, I decided to continue it.
The last couple of months I did some research by contacting some
companies and people who would be able to help us. All the info I
gathered will appear on this page :
http://193.190.205.13/Popo/148_pol/samyn/network/project/SCSI_A.htm The
purpose of this page is merely to consolidate (for public review) my
findings thus far on the various SCSI-to-Ethernet solutions that the
Atari community may have access to; and, to convince the right people
that supporting our platform is worthwhile.
Your support :
The Atari community definately has the resources to get a project like
this off the ground. So I need your support!! One little e-mail is
enough. I have also started a "Hardware Petition" that I will use to
leverage support. I would like to pool donations, purchase an adapter,
and ship it to the software developer that has agreed to look into the
project.
Up to now, there are _only_ 10 people interested in a project like this,
although I think _many_ more people want to connect their Atari to an
ethernet network. Already a few of these people want to make a donation.
The more people who support this project, the easier it will be to
convince the companies to give us the necessary information. If we can
get the help of a software or hardware company that still supports the
Atari, it might be even easier to convince them. Interestingly, there is
a similar project on the Amiga platform. If we cooperate with them to get
the information we need from the companies, we have more leverage.
Programmers wanted :
Once I have all the necessary technical specifications, we only need
programmers to write the drivers. A driver for MiNT and one for StiNG
would be necessary. Are there any programmers who would like to join this
project? Simply drop me a mail.
If you can see yourself wanting to buy and use such a device, then please
visit the page and fill out the petition! This will help our cause
greatly."
Mark at Particle Salad tells Karl:
"Fine and dandy.. I'd LOVE to be able to transfer files between my Falcon
and my Mac. However, I don't use Mint or Sting.. I assume they are
alternate OSs.. I mainly only use my Falcon for music, so running an alt
OS makes no sense, as CAF doesn't run under them. It would be a MUST to
write a driver that works with TOS.. at least to me."
Tony Cianfaglione asks for help:
"Where can I find STing? I have CAB and STiK but there is no local SLIP
connections so I would need STing."
Nick Bales tells Tony quite succinctly:
http://www.stud.uni-hannover.de/~perot/index-e.html
Dennis Bishop posts this about his problems with trying to start an email
list:
"OK, onelist.com is once more taking lists, I went in 3 times today, cab
2.7/ovl 3010. would get the main screen ok, would sign in, no troubles,
the next page would load in ... As the 'Start New List' page is
displayed, cab crashs with two bombs. If they are using javascript, then
i know why it crashs. otherwise i don't know."
Terry Ross tells Dennis:
"I've had similar 2 bomb problems, of varying intensity. Sometimes CAB
would bomb out as soon as I loaded it and entered a URL. I tried all
sorts of modifications with CAB and CAB.OVL and nothing worked. Then I
went to the STinG tools and tried to resolve the hosts. Guess what. 2
bombs. When I deleted the CACHE.DNS from inside the STinG folder and
started fresh, most of the sites that I was having problems with were
available to me. Unfortunately, I've had to do this about 3 times now.
This is using STinG 1.15 and the latest modules. I think I'm going to
look over my archives disk to see if I can find an earlier version of
RESOLVE.STX and see what happens."
Nelson Cook asks:
"Has anyone else had problems ordering stuff from ICD, of "link 2" fame?"
Jo Vandeweghe tells Nelson:
"They stopped business a few months ago if I remember correctly."
Steve Hammond tells Nelson:
"Tried ordering from them a few months ago and could never get anyone to
return my phone calls. I an not even sure if they are still in business."
Stephen Moss posts:
"Question 1)
Where can I get hold of a working Forget Me Clock cartridge and
associated software with in the UK either new or second hand?.
Question 2)
In the past some people have had a minor dig at my previous postings
because they were not word rapped, I assure you that this was down to the
software and nothing to do with me. I am now using new software which
should word wrap this posting. Can someone confirm this?
Question 3)
I have been sucessfully transfering files from a 486 PC running Windows
3.1 to my STfm (TOS 1.2). I now have a new pentium PC running Window 95
and since then every time I try to load a file from the floppy to my ST
it keeps flashing that alert box which says that the data on the disk is
damaged or the drive is not connected. Has anyone else had this problem
and if so do they know the solution?. I suspect Windows 95, or is it that
my TOS version is to old, I would be interseted to see if both 720k ST's
and 1.44MB TT's/Falcon's have the same problem as me, and before you
suggest it yes I am using a 720K MS DOS format Disk."
Chris Crosskey tells Stephen:
"I've not had problems with Win95 disks transfering to either my Falcon
or my STE under TOS2.06, it might be a problem with early TOS versions.
Also I've been able to easily transfer stuff burnt on PC CDR drives to
the Falc and STE and from CDR's off the Falc onto PC. Apparently the new
version of CD Recorder Pro will run on an ST so you could use CDR...."
Harvey Kennett asks for info about the Atari line:
"If you spare a few moments to answer any of my questions, I'd be Sooooo
grateful!
1. As far as I know, the ST machines that Atari made were
* 520STF
* 520STFM
* 1040STF
* 1040STFM
* Falcon
Is that correct ? I last used my Atari 1040STF some years ago and have no
idea on what's new.
2. Would the newest Atari (Is that the Falcon?) run my old 1040STF
software (STOS and Cubase) or would I need to buy them again for a newer
machine ?
3. Whilst I remember that the 1040ST was THE musicians tool, has it been
supplanted by a newer Atari ?"
Vidar Olavesen tells Harvey:
"The STe range, Mega ST range, since you have Falcon, the TT range. And
if you're talking STf then there's 520 ST, 1040 ST, I even believe some
were sold of 260ST too. STOS could be a problem, but maybe with pathces
or the Backward program.But, Cubase is better if you do buy the Falcon
version. It has direct to disk recording and such. I am not too sure
about the differences though! You answered it yourself, the Falcon is
newer and better music machine."
Chris Crosskey tells Harvey:
"If I recall correctly, there was a 260 ST, you've missed out the 520
STM, you've missed all the Mega's (Mega ST's 1, 2 and 4 and Mega STE),
you've missed the original (and rare 520 ST, there were the Stacy
portables in a variety of memory and hard-disk configurations, the
ST-Book laptop and the TT I guess would count too. Before anyone who
doesn't know asks, the Portfolio is not a TOS machine, I know, I've got
one. Although badges were made for 4160 STE's I don't think the machine
itself was ever officailly released, though lots of us now have STE's
that proudly proclaim their 4Mb status with the badge, thanks to Brad at
Best Electronics taking them to every show he goes to ...thanks Brad:-)))
The Falcon runs some versions of Cubase, one day I'll try it with Cubase
v2 if no-one else has, but AFAIK Cubase 3 and up will run OK on Falcons.
STOS....why bother? Even if it will run, most of the software it will
produce won't....well not without some patching anyway... Yeah, the 4160
spec STE is the baby to have, load of ACC's and still tons of space to
have a full Cubase installation and a huge area for the song..... NVDI
makes a big difference too, and apparently the Veloce 020 accelerator is
compatible so you should have a flying machine available if you have an
STE and about 120 UKP to spend on it, IIRC in mono mode it's damn near as
fast as a Falcon..."
Well folks, that's about it for this week. Since we're back to our normal
schedule, tune in again next week... same time, same station, and be
ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
EDITORIAL QUICKIES
If you think you have a problem with computer addiction you probably have.
Here are the warning signs:
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE HOOKED?
13 Symptoms of Computer Addiction
1. During a 2 a.m. call to the bathroom you check your e-mail.
2. When your neighbor mentions taking a drive, you think not miles but
megs.
3. When channel-surfing the infomercials, you grab the remote control
and double-click.
4. Down at the local computer store they know your name and favorite
chip.
5. Your favorite movies are Brainstorm, Tron, War Games, and, of course,
2001; your preferred Murder She Wrote episode is the one in which
Jessical solves the case of the fatal disk error.
6. So many relatives and friends call you when they need help with their
computers that you're considering installing a 900 number.
7. There's an ISDN line running into your home, and the notion of low
baud rates reminds you of nursery schools and training wheels.
8. You have chronic lower back pain, knots in your shoulders, and a
cramp in your mouse finger, and you can't see more than three feet in
front of your face.
9. Your penmanship looks worse than it did in the fourth grade.
10. You call your PC "Cousin 'Puter".
11. You call your computer chair "The Seat of Power."
12. Nevery mind those old 5.25-inch floppies, you still have those hoary
8.5 inchers!
13. For that matter, you don't throw out bad floppies, you decorate them
and use them as drink coasters.
Remember, denial is not a river in Egypt.
Best experienced with
[ie_animated.gif (7090 bytes)]
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