________________________________________________ / \ | _________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | DOS & Don'ts | | | | | | | | A Modern Newsletter | | | | for Vintage-minded Folks | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | C:\>Issue #4 February 2024)_ | | | |_________________________________________| | | | \_________________________________________________/ \___________________________________/ ___________________________________________ _-' .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. --- `-_ _-'.-.-. .---.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.--. .-.-.`-_ _-'.-.-.-. .---.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-`__`. .-.-.-.`-_ :---------------------------------------------------------------: `---._.---------------------------------------------------._.---' ------------------ In this Issue... ------------------ Your Letters! Features ---------- Carpet, Colored Toilet Paper and Other Oddities In Your Grandparent's Bathroom, Grizzly Adam Gameboy Game Review: Tobu Tobu Girl Deluxe, Braillynn Rocky Maivia: Fascinating Origins of The Rock, Yousef Prodigy: My First Online Experience, Joe Collett Behind the Paddle, The AY-3-8500 Pong on A Chip Series, BlueMSX Columns --------- The Latent Image, Jon Mullin Retro Living in a Modern World, Grizzly Adam Bits & Bytes -------------- Our Readers' Retro Memories Classifieds Ads ------------------------------------------------------------------------- __ __ __ __ __ \ \/ /___ __ _______ / / ___ / /_/ /____ __________ \ / __ \/ / / / ___/ / / / _ \/ __/ __/ _ \/ ___/ ___/ / / /_/ / /_/ / / / /___/ __/ /_/ /_/ __/ / (__ ) /_/\____/\__,_/_/ /_____/\___/\__/\__/\___/_/ /____/ Hey guys, Just finished reading Issue #3 and loved it! I especially enjoyed the article on the Tandy 1000/SL. While my first PC was also a Tandy, it was a 1000EX that my uncle purchased for me in 1987 when I was 18 and just starting college. I also have find memories of my Tandy PC. I'm gonna try my hand and write up my own Tandy memories into an article fo your use in a future use. Also, I really got a kick out of the Classifieds! Brought back lots of good memories and a smile to my face! :) Keep up the good work! Tony Jones Macon, GA In response to Yousef's Die Hard article (Issue #3): OH MY GOD! I was so freaked out when Bruce Willis had to walk across that glass barefoot! And I never realized that was Carl Winslow, but I just saw him again in Crocodile Dundee! I LOVED the artwork that went with the article too. Thankyou Yousef! Sadie Brooks Rochester, NY In response to Joe Collett's Tandy 1000 SL article (Issue #3): My first experience with a computer was with a Tandy 1000 at my uncle's house around 1987. My two cousins were quick to show off what the computer did, but all I remember of it was the Ford Test Drive program. The whole idea of actually being able to use a computer was fascinating to me, but it wouldn't be until 1995 that I would get my own. Phillip Whitehead Boise, ID ------------------------------------------------------------------------- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <> ___ <> <> |___| _ Carpet, Colored Toilet Paper <> <> | P| || and Other Oddities In (-) <> <> | | || Your Grandparent's Bathroom [-] .-'-'-. <> <> \___| ||______ .-'-'-. :-...-: <> <> | \_(-------) |-...-| |;: | <> <> \ | / by |;:.._| |;:.._| <> <> \_____..__| Grizzly Adam `-...-' `-...-' <> <> <> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Is it just me, or are Grandparents' houses always weird? Slip covers, kitschy signs, rotary phones, and so many photos of long lost family members. It's like this is where trends go to die. Plus the place just smelled weird. Nowhere was this more evident than in the sideshow they called the bathroom: pastel everything, "good" soap you aren't allowed to use, and carpet as far as the eye can see-- even creeping over the toilet seat and tank. Let's see if we can make some sense of this madness. To get straight to the point, why did people put carpet in bathrooms? Up until the second world war, carpet was considered a luxury item and carried the price tag to prove it. New production methods would soon drastically reduce manufacturing costs and finally make carpet affordable for the middle class without losing its luxury status. As the 1950s dawned, carpet began to appear in home bathrooms and transformed the most humble room of the house into a place of culture and comfort. Soon, it was all the rage to do a modern bathroom makeover. Pastel colors ruled the day-- walls, tile, and even porcelain fixtures were all available in soft shades of pink, blue, yellow, and green. Carpet was installed right up to the toilet and tub without any regard to the potential hygienic issues. Carpet-like toilet covers would soon pop up on the toilet's tank, lid, and even on some of the horseshoe shaped toilet seats. Frequent laundering was essential! The soft look was officially in and even toilet paper wasn't immune to the trend. What better accent for a pastel blue bathroom than a pastel blue bog roll? Of course, no one wanted their guests to think that they used too much toilet paper so it soon became customary to have a doll with a large crocheted dress to hide the on-deck roll of TP. The doll's legs would slip into the center hole of the toilet paper, and the crocheted dress would cover the entire roll. With this doll on duty, no one will ever suspect that their host has the occasional large BM. Another strange artifact, one that still seems to be hanging in there, is the concept of "good" soaps and towels. The soaps, available in the typical pastel colors and even a cream color, came almost exclusively in sea shell shapes. These soaps were not for actually using, just for looking at-- and dusting. The good towels weren't used either, they were hung simply to further the soft motif while the real hand towels were hidden away in a drawer. Sometimes the good soaps and the good towels would be placed into a wicker basket as a kitschy ornamental display. If left untouched, "good" soap and towels have been theorized to last over 50 years (depending on heat and humidity). For those brave enough to open their grandparents' medicine cabinet, there were some other curiosities to be found. Of all the iconic perfumes, colognes, and aftershaves, a few seem to stand out. White Shoulders was a lady's perfume described as a "refined, flowery fragrance made up of a blend of classic florals." In other words, it is that classic grandma smell. Grandpa, however, had some choices. Joe Namoth was telling American men how great Brut was while the brilliant blue Aqua Velva was inspiring its own cocktail. The king of all of these, though, was Old Spice, market- ed as, "The Mark of a Man." Old Spice, with its iconic blue sailing ship on the bottle, is probably what your Grandpa applied every day post-shave. These days there are few of these "soft" bathrooms left. The moldy, soiled carpets are being removed and are being replaced with sanitizable cover- ings. The "good" soaps are found almost exclusively at second-hand shops (they are still too good to actually use). As our grandparents leave us, so do the luxury bathrooms that have puzzled us since childhood. But, if you are lucky, you might still be able to find a yellow roll of Cottenelle hid- ing under the matching crochet doll. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Grizzly Adam: Grizz is one of those eccentrics that you read about. The type that people say marches to the beat of their own drum. His hobbies include writing, computers, electronics, telephone systems, pyromania, and lawn care. Grizz's Website: grizz.atwebpages.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tobu Tobu Girl Deluxe - Gameboy Homebrew Review by Braillynn ___________________ _ |_|_______________|_| <(.)__ __ | _______________ | (___/ ( )_ | | .---------. | | (o)> _( ( ) | | |Tobu Tobu| | | \\\_\ (____(___) | | | Girl Dx | | | <____) | | !_________! | | _ | `---------------' | >') | _ GAMEBOY | (O _/ <(_)> | _| |_ ,-. | _ /))_ ||_ O _| ,-. "._,"| __( ) / / | |_| "._," | _( ) ) / >\_/< | __ __ | (__)_)___) _\*v*/_ | | \\ // | \\\\\\ ! /^\ |________...______," --..,___.--,--'`,---..-.--+--.,,-,,. I love retro gaming, and I have for a long time. I've never been one who could invest any amount of time into a Xbox 360 or PS4 game, but a game on my Sega Dreamcast or my Sega Genesis? Those I could pour hours into! One thing I love about the retro gaming scene is when new games come out for these old systems. It's really interesting to see what a new creator can do with these ancient pieces of tech. That's exactly the case here with Tobu Tobu Girl Deluxe for the original Gameboy, and I love it! The Gameplay Tobu Tobu (Jump Jump in Japanese) is a deceptively simple, and agonizingly hard game (I've yet to beat the first level, but I've gotten close). Just jump upwards from one creature to the next, moving ever upward in pursuit of your cat. Each level of this arcade style platformer should only take about a minute or two to complete, but that's only if you have the skill. Bats, birds, spikes, and other obstacles await those up to the challenge. Pressing A lets you dash in any direction, but be wary of all the obstacles in your way. Touching the bottom or side of any creature (or anywhere on the spikes) brings you back to the beginning. You can jump in up to eight directions via the d-pad, and flap upwards with the B button (though only until your energy runs out). Reach the swirl at the top of the map and you've beaten the level. You can see how far along you are in the level with a helpful map on the side of the screen. The challenge in Tobu Tobu comes from the limitations of the number of dashes you can do and how long you can flap your arms. Three dashes are all you can do before Tobu becomes red from exhaustion and needs an enemy to jump on to refill her boost gauge. Pressing down on the d-pad while landing on an enemy refills your energy meter so you can flap some more (otherwise you'll fall to your doom). You'll need to master these two mechanics to do well at the game. The other challenge in the game comes from the enemies. While most stay in one place, others move around and this complicates things a great deal. Enemy placement is randomly generated each time you start a level and also each time you're brought back to the beginning of a level (which happened a lot to me). Sometimes due to the random enemy placement you can die as early as your first jump, so pay attention. You have unlimited lives, so the game is very forgiving in that way. The game offers multiple gameplay modes, including an endless climbing challenge after you beat the first three levels. Heaven is what they title it, but hell is what it is (a fun hell though). Thoughts Because Tobu Tobu is for the original Gameboy, it is compatible with a variety of systems under that umbrella. It even contains an enhanced color mode for devices that support it, making it like the black cartridge games that were compatible with the original Gameboys and Gameboy Color models alike. Everything from the original Gameboy to the Super Gameboy to the Gameboy Advance runs this gem, but you may want to be picky about what you play it on. The game moves quickly, and the blurry and ghost ridden screen of the original Gameboy won't do you any favors. You'll also want something with a good d-pad like the Gameboy Pocket or even a Super Nintendo gamepad if playing on the Super Gameboy. Same goes for if you are emulating the game, get a good d-pad or even a fight stick and give this game a go. I played this title emulated on the DS Lite and the RG 350, and the RG 350 was definitely the better experience due to its superior d-pad. This game is hellishly hard, but it's also quite addictive. Even though I ended up throwing my DS Lite across the room in frustration, I quickly picked it back up and began playing again. The music in Tobu Tobu is fantastic! The whimsical soundtrack immediately made a fan out of me (I ended up buying the OST on CD). The music doesn’t get in the way of the gameplay, nor does it get tiring. It's actually pretty catchy. If you love chip tunes, or if you just find yourself loving the soundtrack, you can purchase and download it from Bandcamp (link at end of article). Thank you potato-tan for such a great soundtrack! How To Get Your Hands on this Gem Tobu Tobu can be downloaded for free (or you can choose to make a small donation to the creators) from itch.io https://tangramgames.itch.io/tobu-tobu-girl-deluxe To buy a physical version of the game you can purchase one at this link (please leave a copy for me!) https://firstpressgames.com/collections/tobu-tobu-girl-deluxe/products/ tobu-tobu-girl-deluxe The full source code and assets for the game can be found on the project's Github https://github.com/SimonLarsen/tobutobugirl-dx The Soundtrack can be found on Bandcamp https://potatoteto.bandcamp.com/album/tobu-tobu-girl-deluxe ------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Braillynn: Braillynn is an author known for her work on her former blogs, 8 Bit Service Games, and librefree.me, as well as being the lead writer for the video-game Dungeons and Doggos, on the Playdate handheld. In her free time she enjoys playing video games, listening to and making music, getting familiar with tech old and new, and going on long walks when the weather is agreeable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- =================================================================== ||ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYSUCKS!|| ||OCKYSU ================================================= KYSUCKS!R|| ||CKYSUC|| Rocky Maivia: Fascinating Origins of The Rock ||YSUCKS!RO|| ||KYSUCK|| ||SUCKS!ROC|| ||YSUCKS|| by Yousef ||UCKS!ROCK|| ||SUCKS! ================================================= CKS!ROCKY|| ||UCKS!ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYS|| ||CKS!ROCKYSUCKS!SHUTYOURMOUTHANDKNOWYOURDAMNROLE!ROCKYSUCKS!ROCKYSU|| ==================================================================== Before his Hollywood extensive fame and prominent acting career, Dwayne Douglas Johnson-- better known as "The Rock"-- was a humble teenager who wanted nothing but to play sports. He grew up watching his dad Rocky Johnson during the height of his professional career. Dwayne really loved seeing his father's work during his prime. His father hoped his son would follow in the footsteps of himself and Dwayne's grandfather Peter Mavia to become a third generation wrestler. However, little Dewey had other plans. Despite enjoying his father's work, competitive sports was his passion and he was more interested in playing rugby and football. Freedom High School's football coaches saw his athletic ability and potential and recruited him as a defensive tackle. He played two years for Freedom and earned himself a football scholarship to the Uni- versity of Miami and eventually played some pro ball for Calgary in the Canadian Football League (CFL). This would be short lived, though, as he was cut from Calgary only two months into the season. Despite this, he would later go on to cite his time in football as an invaluable experience that taught him valuable lessons in both discipline and hard-work. With his football career officially over, Dewey would utilize his family's connections to get his foot in the door of the world's largest wrestling promotion, the WWF (renamed WWE in 2002). It is here where Dwayne Johnson would finally kickstart the career that would launch him into the strato- sphere and make him a household name. Of course, it didn't start that way. Dwayne was so inexperienced in the ring that the only thing he knew how to do was follow directions. Deciding that his ring name should honor both his father and his grandfather, Rocky Mavia made his in-ring debut at the 1996 Survivor series at Madison Square Garden. ______________________________ Understandably, Rocky was very ex- / \ \ cited. But "humble beginnings" does | | The DOS & Don'ts | not even begin to describe this \_ | Newsletter | iconic yet hilarious debut. His attire | is | wasn't even his choice, but rather an | Looking for Authors | elaborate prank by Triple H. And in his | to write articles on | own words, he wore a "f*cking chia pet | retro subjects that they | for a haircut." During this first match, | are passionate about. | Rocky was so nervous that he forgot to | | play to the hard cam (the fixed ringside | Sound like you? | camera that the interviews are given to | Contact Grizz at | and high-spots are designed around). It | grizzsoft@gmail.com | could be said that Rocky was so green | _________________________|___ that he could've starred in an eco- | / / friendly car ad. To put cherry on top, \_/____________________________/ this is the era where the now memed photo of Rocky wearing a fanny pack, chains, and black turtleneck sweater came from. Nothing could encapsulate that era of his quite like that image. He recently recreated the photo in a twitter post! Of course, even with Rocky's immense talent he couldn't be expected to set the world on fire upon his debut. However, this wasn't purely an awkward phase, as things would quickly turn sour for the future People's Champ. Make no mistake, Rocky did his part. He was a tremendous performer and even with odds stacked against him he did deliver solid performances in his early bouts. His timing on the other hand could not be any worse. He was debuting in the midst of a new wrestling boom that relied heavily on anti- hero characters. With WCW and ECW offering a cooler, edgier alternative to the Federation's white-meat babyface roster, fans welcoming new good guys with open arms was becoming a thing of the past. But even disregarding the competing promotions, fans were already exposed to the potential of an edgier product not five months prior, thanks to the infamous Austin 3:16 promo at King of the Ring. This signaled the start of the transition to the iconic Attitude Era. Suffice to say, fans were clamoring for a new age of wrestling and the roster needed to adapt (once they got the memo). With all this in mind, it is safe to say Rocky Maivia was not what wrestling fans wanted to see. Their distaste for the character manifested itself in the infamous "Die, Rocky, Die!" and "Rocky Sucks" chants that filled arenas during his matches. Fans realized that they could get a different product if their voices were heard and poor Rocky Maivia was their target. He was being booed out of the building at every show. A new fire was now burning within Rocky, and taking some advice to "make it or break it trying" led to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson turning heel and joining the Nation of Domination. A real life-changing night for the People's Champ, he finally made good on all of his potential. He took the chance to voice every complaint he had towards the crowd, all the times he was booed, all the times he gave everything despite all the "Rocky Sucks!" chants. Explaining why he turned his back on the fans was simple: "I've got three words for you, 'Die, Rocky, die!' That's the gratitude I get from you pieces of crap?! For all my blood, my sweat and my tears? You know hey, this isn't about the color of my skin, this is about respect." In a few powerful words, Rocky Maivia made the transformation of a lifetime and this moment was what many consider to be the real birth of the Attitude Era. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Yousef: Yousef is an avid game completionist, languages nerd, and an all-around cuisine-nut. He is passionate about cooking, traveling, languages, and learning about other cultures. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- _________________________________________ .'` `'. | _________________________________________ | | '\.---------------------------------------./' | | || || | | || PRODIGY: || | | || My First || | | || || | | || ============== || | | || || loading... || || | | || ============== || | | || || | | || Online Experience || | | || || | | || by Joe Collett || | | '/\_______________________________________/\' | ' `-----------------------------------------' ' \ .-. / '.__________________________________((_))__.' My first online experience by today's standards might be considered under- whelming, but at the time it was amazing, even if short lived. My first computer was a Tandy 1000 SL (editor’s note: See Joe's article on this computer in issue #3). Around 1989 or so I saved up some money by doing little jobs around the house for a few months and got myself a 9600 bps modem. I had my Tandy 1000 SL for a couple of years at this point. Included with the modem was a trial disk for Prodigy,an early online service where you could dial in and get online. The internet as we know it was not yet public, so companies like Prodigy, Compuserve, and Quantum Link (the company that would become America On-Line) were selling access to their systems, which were essentially like a BBS on steroids. Unlike Compuserve, Prodigy was a graphical online service. It had a GUI type interface and provided some simple services. like news, weather, reviews, sports, and messaging. To my young self this was amazing. I went to download a game, but it took forever and then it ran pretty slow on my computer too. Next, I decided to have a look at some chat rooms. Again, I had to download a client and then the response time was slow. I did manage to read some news and, of course, look up star trek stuff, but every little thing seemed to take forever! That was my biggest issue with this service-- it took forever to download anything with the modems of the time. My modem was running at 9600 bits per second. Today the average user runs anywhere from 500 megabits to 1 gigabit per second. Back then you didn't have a dedicated line for the internet like we do now, you would dial-in using your home phone line. Your speed was not only limited by your modem and computer, but also by the equipment your phone company used as well. To add insult to injury, there were no local numbers and unlike today we used to have something called long distance calling. If you were not making a local call you got charged per minute and at 9600 bps, the calls were not quick. I think if we had a local number I may have been able to talk my mom and dad into the monthly subscription fee for at least a few months. After using the trial and begging mom and dad to let me make the long distance calls, I realized I would not be able to keep using the Service. I loved it, but it was just too costly (and slow). What it did do was leave me wanting more. Fortunately, that little thing called the internet came out shortly after. Do you remember your first online experience? Tell us about it, we love hearing from you! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Joe Collett: Joe has been working with retro machines since he was a kid and the computers were new. He never lost his love of those early machines. His day job as a desktop support tech allows him to work with the newest machines, but he will always have a soft spot for the old machines and software that made the modern world possible. Joe's Website: comfortablynumb.atwebpages.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- | 06 | 09 || | | | || | | | || | | Behind the Paddle : The AY-3-8500 Series || | | || o | | | || | | | | by BlueMSX | ------------------------------------------------- At the dawn of video games, Pong was Atari's first runaway success. Atari would follow up this success with a home version in 1975. As the saying goes, where there is success there will be imitators. With Pong's massive success, other companies would try to find ways to cash in on the new industry of home video game consoles. In 1976 General Instrument, a chip manufacturer known for creating audio and video electronics, would create a new microchip. This chip was the AY-3-8500 which, like Atari's Pong on a chip used in their home Pong game, replicated the arcade experience while reducing the vast number of chips that were required to run the arcade version. Unlike Atari's offerings however, General Instrument would also include two light gun games. Having been a staple of arcades for years and being an optional accessory for the Magnavox Odyssey, it made sense for General Instrument to include. The mechanisms behind these light guns were similar to cameras. The light gun meant to be used with the chip contained a small photoconductive cell, similar to what were used in much older light gun games. These cells would produce a small amount of electricity when hit with light. This would in turn let the chip know you hit the target. Unlike more sophisticated light gun systems, such as the NES Zapper, this gun only looked for light without any further checks. The later NES Zapper would detect the absence of light followed by the flash of light where the target was to know you hit the target. With General Instrument’s chip you could aim at any source of light and the chip would think you hit the target. This issue plagued other light gun systems like the aforementioned Magnavox Odyssey. The chip itself only supported black and white, but it could be colorized with the addition of an AY-3-8515 color generator chip. Ralph Baer and Magnavox .-------------------------------------------. still held patents related | .---------------------------------------. | to pong style games for the | | | | Odyssey and Baer's prototype | | SEND US LETTERS | | Brown Box. General Instrument | | | | would soon broker a deal with | | We want your interactions! | | Magnavox, clearing the way | | Respond to any of our articles | | for the AY-3-8500 to be | | with your own thoughts and | | brought to market. After | | we will publish them in | | Coleco's President Arnold | | our next issue! | | Greenberg was introduced to | | | | the chip by Baer, the toy | | Letters can be submitted at | | company would base their new | | http://dosanddonts.mywebcommunity.org | | system, dubbed the Telstar, | |_______________________________________| | on the chip. The first |___________________________________________| Telstar systems were funct- ionally similar to Atari's home Pong system, including only three Pong games of varied difficulty. With the Telstar's incredible success, Coleco would release subsequent models adding the unused light gun games, color graphics, and new case designs. Soon other manufacturers would acquire General Instruments hot new chips and create Pong systems of their own such as Radio Shack's TV Scoreboard, Unisonic's Sportsman/Tournament Series, and APF's TV Fun Series. Magnavox would also use the chip in their later Magnavox Odyssey models such as the 300, 2000, and 3000. Its success would even cross the Iron Curtain with the Bildschirmspiel 01 being manufactured by Kombinat Mikroelektronik Erfurt in communist East Germany. With this success, General Instrument would release successor models such as the AY-3-8550 which would add support for compos- ite video and horizontal paddle movement while remaining pin compatible with the older AY-3-8500 series. The AY-3-8515 was still needed for color graphics. General Instrument would shake things up with the release of the AY-3-8610, codenamed "Superstar." Unlike prior models which only included 6 games, the Superstar would include 10-- adding additional light gun games and Pong variations. Like prior models, a second chip was still needed for color, this time using the AY-3-8615. However, the new base chip was not pin compatible with the previous versions. The Superstar would go on to find even greater usage than its predecessors with later models of the Telstar, Philips Tele-Game (not to be confused with Sears Telegames), and Magnavox Odyssey units making use of the chip. Additional variations of the chip would be produced by General Instrument after the Superstar. The AY-3-8510 and AY-3-8512 were functionally identical to the older AY-3-8500 but with color finally built in. While the 8510 would lack the light gun games, both the 8510 and 8512 would be used in the first color Telstar systems from Coleco. The next chips in the series would truly break the mold set by their pre- decessors. Rather than being variations of Pong, these later chips would instead attempt to replicate popular arcade games of the time, allowing consumers to bring the arcade experience home. The AY-3-8603 was a racing game with a top down view similar to Taito's Speed Race. The AY-3-8605 was similar to Gremlin and Taito's Depthcharge, putting you in control of a naval ship bombing submarines below. The AY-3-8606, played like Atari's Breakout, with multiple variations and difficulty levels. The AY-3-8607 would include only light gun games. The AY-3-8700 and AY-3-8710 were similar to Atari and Kee Games' popular Tank games. Coleco would release Telstar Combat which made use of the 8700 chip. Rumor has it that Atari had plans for the chip as well, but that's a story for another time. The AY-3-8760 emulated Atari's Stunt Cycle and would notably be used by Atari themselves in their home Stunt Cycle console. The final chip in the series was the mysterious AY-3-8750. As far as I'm aware this chip did not see any kind of official release, but through its data sheets and documentation we know a fair bit about it. Like its later siblings, it was meant to replicate a popular arcade game from the time. If its codename "Superspace" wasn't already a dead giveaway, the game being replicated was the famous Computer Space. The gameplay allowed for two player space combat not unlike the prior AY-3-8700 Tank Chip. It, of course, had several game modes and varying levels of difficulty. With the creation and popularization of cartridge based systems, starting with the Fairchild Channel F and popularized by the Atari 2600, systems that did not use swappable program cartridges began to fall out of style. This did not stop General Instrument from breathing new life into their aging chips. To this end they would release the Gemini 8600 standard in 1978. This standard allowed companies to make a low cost cartridge based system using a standardized architecture and parts from General Instrument. This is similar to how PC manufacturers design computers today. The PC-50X was a popular option for the standard. Its name was derived from its cartridge numbers (501, 502, 503, etc.) The system took aspects from both the older dedicated systems and the newer cartridge based systems by using AY-3-8500 series chips inside their cartridges. This approach was distinct from the later ROM based cartridges used by other systems. This allowed for the swapping of different games as the consoles themselves were essentially a backplane or generic control system, with the actual brains of the system being contained within the carts. The PC-50X series would primarily be released in Europe and Asia, whose video game industry lagged behind the United States and Japan. It would also be the platform in which many of the later chips by General Instrument would be released. The basic design of the PC-50X would be licensed out to different manufacturers, not unlike the older Pong systems. It would also end up being copied by other manufacturers in the years to follow. Takatoku Toys' Video Cassette Rock, the first cartridge based system to make it to Japan, is one notable example. It not only used the general instrument chips in cart form, but also used game chips produced by other manufactur- ers. This would allow the Video Cassette Rock to run games not unavailable on the other consoles that used the Gemini standard, such as a rhythm game and a sound effect creation game. However with the popularity of Nintendo's Color TV Game Series and Bandai's TV Jack consoles, Takatoku's offering would become a commercial failure. Other chip manufacturers would soon begin creating their own Pong chips to compete with General Instrument, such as the aforementioned Color TV Game consoles from Nintendo. They were powered by a Pong chip created by Mitsu- bishi Electronics for their early models. While largely forgotten and over- shadowed by the more famous Atari 2600 and later systems, the groundwork laid and trails blazed by these early systems should not be taken for granted. It was systems like these that helped to make video games more popular and mainstream, paving the way for the video game industry as we know it today. Happy Gaming! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- About BlueMSX: BlueMSX, Blue for short, enjoys retro technologies, history, and learning for the sake of learning. She has been interested in retro electronics and media for nearly as long as she can remember. This fascination means that she has a lot of great stories to recount. Blue's philosophy can be summed up by the quote, "History is like a puzzle-- the more pieces you have the more sense it makes." ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | The Latent Image - with Jon Mullin | | | | Olympus Pen EES-2 Review | | The Rise and Fall of Kodak | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "A Kodak Moment" was a phrase that used to be fairly common less than two decades ago. Digital cameras were still very expensive at the turn of the millennia and film was still the king of image quality. As time went on, this camera company saw less and less market share with more competing cameras on the market and the decline of film usage. When film started to see a rise again in the mid 2010s with the Lomography movement, it was too late for the Kodak of today. So what happened to this juggernaut of a photographic company, and what really went wrong? George Eastman was born in 1854 in Waterville, New York. George's youth was not without hardship. He lost his father when he was young and his sister when he was a teenager. The widowed Mrs. Eastman was left to raise George on her own for most of his childhood. But George's story isn't all doom. In the late 1870s George found a joyous new hobby known as photo- graphy. An art form still in its infancy, Eastman developed a machine that could dry coat glass plates in light sensitive silver compounds. He joined up with Henry Strong to create the Eastman Dry Plate Co. This company would produce photographic plates and send them to consumers, and the consumers would return the plates to Eastman to have them developed. Eastman's desire to make //\\ //\\ //\\ //\\ //\\ //\\ //\\ //\\ photography more acess- // \\// \\// \\// \\// \\// \\// \\// \\ ible didn't stop there. //\\ //\\ there. His next move was \\// LIKE WHAT YOU ARE READING? \\// to put this silver com- // \\ pound on a flexible sub- //\\ Let us know by submitting //\\ strate to make it easier \\// feedback to us at \\// to load and develop-- \\ // what we now call film. //\\ http://dosanddonts.mywebcommunity.org //\\ In 1888, Eastman re- \\// \\// leased his first camera: \\ //\\ //\\ //\\ //\\ //\\ //\\ //\\ // The Kodak Camera. This \\// \\// \\// \\// \\// \\// \\// \\// camera would be purchased with the film loaded into it, and the entire camera would be shipped back to the now Eastman Dry Plate and Film Co. for development and reloading. "You Press the Button, We Do the Rest" was their slogan. Photography was now made available to the masses. Eastman knew that other camera companies would need film for their cameras. Instead of just competing head on with cameras, he started working with these competing camera companies to supply them with film. The money wasn't made on the camera due to it being a one time purchase, but rather the recurring pur- chase of film! Kodak seemed unstoppable due to their ability to create relations and expand their market share even through other camera vendors. Come 1892 and the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Co. became the Eastman Kodak Co., more commonly referred to simply as Kodak. They were the exclusive supplier for many motion picture companies at this point, had a monopoly on the photographic film industry, and a successful camera business. This backfired in the 1920s when Kodak had to let go of some of their exclusiv- ity on pricing and contracts due to an antitrust dispute, but the public remained trusting of the Kodak brand. Even if Kodak lost their exclusivity, nobody in the industry wanted to use anything else. Eastman Kodak Co. would continue developing film stocks and cameras into the 1930s. The line up included Brownie cameras, color films like Koda- chrome, photo printing services, equipment for businesses, and even film emulsions and chemicals for other companies like Polaroid. With all this success came a big loss for Kodak. George Eastman, who had been sick and living in dire pain, took his life in 1932. He left a note that said: "To My Friends: My work is done. Why Wait?" Eastman's passing was far from the end of Kodak though. The company con- tinued to grow, even becoming the main supplier of optics, imaging equip- ment, and film for the US government and military sectors. In 1975, their employee Steve Sasson would develop the first digital camera. The camera recorded light via a CCD sensor and output the data to a digital cassette. Kodak was impressed, but felt that they had to keep it hidden away. If digital came to market, how would they sell film? Kodak feared this new camera, but another company was about to make them fear more. The 1980s saw the Japanese Fujifilm arrive on American soil with affordable film for all. This ate into Kodak's profits and, though it didn't kill Kodak, it definitely left a mark. Kodak got over its fear of digital photography in the 1990s and helped Apple release the Quick Take, a small digital camera that took photos for you to enjoy on your Macintosh. Embracing digital while still pushing film, the company began creating self service kiosks where customers could print out their digital photos on genuine Kodak paper. In the early 2000s, Kodak began releasing compact point-and-shoot cameras and became the number one digital camera manufacturer. However, digital photography comes with a low profit margin and many of these cameras had to be sold at losses to bolster their market share. The more digital took over, the less the film profits could cover these losses. Kodak had to react somehow to these losses, and react they did. Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2009. The company was able to survive this, pay off their debts, and return to solvency. Today, Kodak mostly does business printing, small consumer electronics, consumer home photo printing, photo paper, and photo chemicals. They also license out their name to other companies on things like storage, cameras, electronics and more. Notice I didn't say film. The film business that Kodak started was spun off into its own business: Kodak Alaris. The original Kodak still produces motion picture film while Kodak Alaris produces still film under the Kodak name. Kodak Alaris got to take advant- age of the rebirth of film through the Lomography movement, a low quality and vintage imaging trend in the early 2010s (a perfect fit for film). As the retro and digicam future advances, Kodak Alaris has even gone so far as to bring some older film stocks back, like Ektachrome. No company is safe from the future. Even if you adapt, it doesn't guaran- tee success. Kodak was one of those companies that was used to leading the pack. Even with being one of the first companies to embrace digital, the lower profit margins of digital cameras and the decline in film sales caused the company to hemorrhage money fast. Kodak is a name that will al- ways be close to my heart. My first camera was a cheap Kodak. I always shot Kodak Film. My first digital camera was a Kodak. Kodak film got me through my degree. I hope that I will still be enjoying Kodak film for years to come, but only time will tell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Jon Mullin: Jon has been photographing professionally since 2008, but has been surrounded all his life by the small and quirky point and shoot Kodaks that his father collected. Now he photographs pets and people in unique and interesting ways. Jon's Website: jonmullin.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,---. ,---. / /"`.\.--"""--./,'"\ \ \ \ _ _ / / `./ / __ __ \ \,' / /_O)_(_O\ \ | .-' ___ `-. | .--| \_/ |--. ,' \ \ | / / `. / `. `--^--' ,' \ .-"""""-. `--.___.--' .-"""""-. .-----/ \------------------/ \--------. | .---\ /----------------- \ /------. | | | `-`--`--' `--'--'-' | | | | Retro Living in a Modern World | | | | | | | | with Grizzly Adam | | | | | | | | This Installment: Reviving My Gameboy | | | |_________________________________________________| | |_____________________________________________________| The Nintendo Gameboy is 35 years old now and it is really showing its age. When it was first released, the handheld market was new and parts were expensive. Nintendo realized that for their handheld to be a success it would have to be affordable. The screen was the biggest sacrifice; instead of a crisp, colorful LCD screen, the Gameboy was issued with a green mono- tone dot matrix display that suffered from significant motion blur. What's more, a lack of backlighting meant that you needed ample ambient light to have an enjoyable experience. However, that doesn't have to hinder our gameplay experience. Fitting a Gameboy with one of the new LCD screen kits on the market today makes the handheld feel surprisingly modern. First, a little backstory. When I was 8 years old, my family bought a cabin down the street from the one that my uncle owned. Don't read too much into this, we are talking about a three room cabin on the small end of a lake that was at a record low during a historic flood. An expensive lake house this was not. Every other weekend between Memorial Day and Labor Day we would travel the 80 miles from home to the cabin and then back again. The cabin was great and I am so happy that I got to make so many memories there-- but the car rides were so boring! When I saw the first Gameboy commercial, I knew I had to have one. I soon had gotten not one but two jobs, delivering the local Hometowner newspaper and circulars for the town's grocery store. Five weeks later I got my Gameboy, which for the next three years would be my prized possession. I no longer have that Gameboy (it was stolen when I was in my 20s), but one fell back into my life a number of years ago. The screen had a number of black lines on it so I set it aside to be repaired in the future. Well, the future has finally come! After doing some research, I found that the lines are likely the result of glue on the display ribbon failing. While that would be a simple and free repair, I am no longer a mere game boy. I am a Game Man, if you will, and this Game Man's eyes are beginning to weaken. I decided to have a look online to see what there were for replacement screens available and I was pleasantly surprised with the wide variety of options. LCDs with backlights, LCD without backlights, new dot matrix screens, and even backlight panels for original screens. What I was not expecting was all the color screens, and even oversized ones! The screens were mounted on new daughterboards with some extra feature controllable through the contrast control. I added an oversized, back-lit, color LCD screen mod kit and a rechargeable battery to my cart and checked out. Less than a week later, my package arrived (shout out to Retro Game Repair Shop) and I got to work. Before I get too far into the procedure I just want to reassure you that although I have a background in electronics, this is an easy mod that any- one handy can complete. I used a tri-wing screwdriver to remove the outer shell of the Gameboy. (Note: Some models used phillips-head screws in- stead). Once inside, I was able to remove the daughterboard containing the screen. This board also secures all the buttons and d-pad in place, so I dumped them into a little bowl for safe-keeping while I removed a small amount of material from the shell to make way for the bigger screen. I then replaced the buttons and d-pad, and swapped-out the old daughter board with the one containing my new screen. Finally, I replaced the lens that covers the screen with the new one that came with my kit. Next I removed all the battery jumpers from the back half of the shell, leaving only the battery terminals which were connected to the motherboard. I rejoined the two halves of the shell at this point and tightened the tri- wing screws back down. I took the rechargeable battery and installed it into the battery compartment. Using a drill, knife and file. I shaped a small opening in the battery cover for the charge port to poke through. This is the only part of the mod that can be easily noticed while the de- vice is powered off. Just think of all the batteries I will save with a rechargeable battery now onboard! With the device fully reassembled, I powered it on and the scales fell from my eyes (as P.G. Wodehouse would say). The new screen was so crisp, clear, and bright-- and, although not really noticeable until gameplay, a good bit larger. And the colors! Using the contrast control I can actually bring up a new menu built into the mod. From this menu, I can choose and adjust different color pallets-- and it looks good in all the different pallets. This screen mod has really brought new life to my Gameboy! Even when I play the old games, they look almost modern on the brilliant, well- lit, and crisp screen. Couple this with a EZ-Flash Jr. cartridge that loads ROMs and I am in portable gaming bliss. Until next month! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Grizzly Adam: Grizz is one of those eccentrics that you read about. The type that people say marches to the beat of their own drum. His hobbies include writing, computers, electronics, telephone systems, pyromania, and lawn care. Grizz's Website: grizz.atwebpages.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,------------------. ( Our Readers' ) > Retro < ( Memories ) `-----------(_)----' 0 o Hashreet Singh from Malaysia writes: Hello, my name is Hashreet Singh. My childhood can be summed up in only 2 words: PS2. its actually 1 word but hahaha. I was 7 when my dad came back from New York to Malaysia and brought something special for me- a PS2 and a bag full of PS2 Games. Oh man I made memories playing with my old friends. Need For Speed Underground 2, Def Jam Fight For New York. So that's my short retro memory for you :D I actually have more to say, I'll write-in again about other stuff! .-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-. Our Own Grizzly Adam writes: With the release of the Iron Claw movie detailing the lives of wrestling's legendary Von Erich family, I considered doing a full article on the family but instead decided to just take a moment to speak on the subject. I have been a lifelong wrestling fan. I remember tuning in daily to ESPN to World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) from the Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas. This was, of course, the Von Erich owned promotion-- but I didn't know that at the time. I was a big Von Erich mark, and Kevin was my favourite. It seemed so cool to my young mind that he would wrestle barefoot. I was almost five years old when David died in Japan in 1984. From there, the trend would continue. Mike would overdose on tranquilizers in 1987. Chris, that brother that was left out of the Iron Claw film, would shoot himself in 1991. Kerry would do the same in 1993. Four years later in 1997, patriarch Fritz would die of cancer. It was amazing how close I felt to this family as they disappeared one by one, until only Kevin was left. He pain was so apparent when he said this now infamous quote (which the movie didn't quite get right): "I used to have four brothers, now I'm not even a brother." .-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-. Plendiful from Iowa writes: The first piece of real jewelry I had was a necklace. It was made of black large acrylic beads and a large black triangle in the middle with an orange and white ziggy strip across it. It was gaudy, and rather hideous. I think I was maybe 6 or 7 when I received it. A year or so later, I got my next piece of jewelry. It was also a necklace, but it was a silver chain with a pendant consisting of a small silver leaf and a blue pearl. It was not gaudy, or hideous, but small and tasteful. I received both of these necklaces from the inspiration for this retro memory, direct sales home parties. My mother, like so many other mothers from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, hosted multiple parties for different companies over the years. Neither my mother nor I could remember the name of the company my gaudy necklace came from, but the pearl necklace was the product of an oyster party. There was a local(ish) company that you could set parties up with called "Dojan Pearl Parties." The salesperson would bring a bunch of real oysters to the party location and the party-goers would purchase however many oysters they wanted. You would then open the oysters to see what pearls were inside. I remember pearls of white, pink, and blue, but most vividly - a gorgeous purplish black pearl that my mother found inside one of her oysters. She ended up having that one set into a ring. Such parties weren't only for jewelry, however. Another popular one that was hosted in my childhood home more than once was Pampered Chef. They primarily sold kitchen gadgets. The item I remember always being popular was a pizza stone, as well as other baking stones. My favorite part however was the snacks that were served. The salesperson would always have a couple recipes they would prepare during the party and hand out the samples after- wards. As a child of under 10, this was far more interesting than kitchen gadgets. There were other types of parties, including Partylite, which sold candles and sconces. I remember my mother buying variety packs of tea lights and my sister and I smelling them all to determine which one we liked best. There are still companies, many with dubious business models (I'm looking at you MLMs), that are in operation, but it’s more common to see the items for sale on Facebook live or Tik Tok. .-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-. To submit your own memory, visit our homepage (dosanddonts.mywebcommunity. org) and look for the link! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- =========================== | CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS | =========================== ######################################################### # Enter the WONDERFUL WORLD of AMAZING LIVE SEA-MONKEYS # ######################################################### Own a BOWLFULL of HAPPINESS--Instant PETS! You'll gasp with AMAZEMENT when you see adorable baby Sea-Monkeys INSTANTLY being born ALIVE before your eyes! Guaranteed to live and to grow, this MIRACLE OF SCIENCE has been granted Patent #3,673,986 by the United States Government for our astounding discovery of the formula for making INSTANT LIFE. MILLIONS THRILLED BEYOND WORDS! Sea-Monkeys, a laboratory developed variety of Artemia salina, are SO EASY to raise, even a six-year old child can do so without help. Millions of people around the world are now loyal Sea-Monkey "fans" RAISING AND BREADING their pets as a thrilling HOBBY! IN YOUR HOME--A LIVE SEA-CIRCUS! IMAGINE having a whole tumbling, happy circus of live, scampering Sea-Monkeys. Watching them "clown around" while they scoot and play provides an endless source of FUN and LAUGHS for you and your entire FAMILY! Best of ALL, we will show you how to utterly astonish your friends by making your Sea-Monkeys appear to do tricks and stunts at YOUR COMMAND! We ship your Sea-Monkeys with a No-Risk FULL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE that even includes your postage. Fill in the Coupon below and make room for a bowlfull of happiness in your own home--Amazing Live SEA-MONKEYS. FREE *A 1 YEAR SUPPLY of Sea Monkey FOOD *LIVING PLASMA *A fully-illustrated Manual of Sea Monkey Care, Raising, Training and Breeding *LIFE and GROWTH GUARANTEE CERTIFICATE ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | GUARANTEED TO LIVE AND GROW | | Nature House, Dept. SCG-1 | | 380 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017 | | | | I CAN HARDLY WAIT! Please send my Sea-Monkey kit(s) and my FREE | | supplies and GUARANTEE. I must be 100% satisfied or you will refund | | my money. I enclose $1.00 plus 30c for postage/handling for each kit. | | | | Send ___ kit(s) []cash []check []money order | | Total amount enclosed $............. (No C.O.D.'s please) | | Address....................................... Apt. no....... | | City....................... State............ Zip............ | | RUSH ORDERS (50c extra) | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** ========== ============= | SERVICES | | PERSONALS | ========== ============= _________________________________ | _____________________________ | Yes, I like piña coladas | | HARRY HOGGE | | And gettin' caught in the rain | | NASCAR DRIVING SCHOOL | | I'm not much into health food | | | | I am into champagne | | "You Can build a driver | | I've got to meet you by | | like you build a car" | | tomorrow noon | | | | And cut through all this red tape | |108 Morrison Plantation Pkwy,| | At a bar called O'Malley's | | Mooresville, NC | | Where we'll plan our escape | |_____________________________| | *********************************** |_________________________________| EMPEROR PALPATINE seeking NIGHTMARE ENTERPRISES BOUNTY HUNTERS Fine purveyors of monsters to locate the Han Solo of any occassion. Call Today! and the Millenium Falcon. _________________________________ Substancial Reward, Call to apply! | POUND FOR POUND BEST VALUE! | $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ |---------------------------------| $$ I am Duece Bigelow and women $$ | NEW from Cardiff | $$ pay me to give them pleasure. $$ | THE GIANT | $$ $$ | The World's Heaviest Luggable | $$ $10, price negotiable $$ | at a Whoping 102 LBs! | $$ $$ | __________________________ | $$ Ask for the Sushi Special!! $$ | / [=====] /| | $$ 555-3469 $$ | /_________________________/ | | $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ | | _________ __ | | | | Dear Princess, | | | | [|] |__| | | | | I was very upset when I got to | | | CARDIFF | [|] |__| | | | | your castle and you were not there, | | | GIANT | [|] |__| | | | | Please send me correct address! | | |_________| [|]o|__| | | | | -Mario | !_______________________!__!/\ | | ____________________________ )| ============= | | |/ | | MEMORIALS | | | [][][][][][][][][][][][][] | | ============= | |[][][][][][][][][][][][][][]| | --<>-=-[]-=-()-=-<>-=-()-=-[]-=-<>-- | | [][][][____________][][][] | | | Apollo Creed Memorial Service | | |____________________________| | + to be held this Sunday O | | | at Grand Park | | Why pay for one of our | O "Stand by my side + | competitors' dainty | | this one last time." | | 30 lb machines | --<>-=-[]-=-()-=-<>-=-()-=-[]-=-<>-- | when you can own | | THE CARDIFF GIANT? | * L O V E * * L O V E * * L O V E * | for $31,899 | * * |---------------------------------| L Li'l Sebastion left us left a L | That's only $312.74 per LB! | O giant hole in our hearts when O |_________________________________| V he passed away earlier this V E year. E Hello Friends, looking for hot * _,--._.-, * new deals on used parts? * /\_r-,\_ ) * Visit planet Junkion, L .-.) _;='_/ (.; L our new improved Junkion planet O \ \' \/S ) O is sleek and sexy import V L.'-. _.'|-' V with turbo handling! E <_`-'\'_.'/ E We'll have your parts good as new * `'-._( \ * with 90 day warranty. * ___ \\, ___ * Yes friends act now, L \ .'-. \\ .-'_. / L your satusfaction gaurenteed. O '._' '.\\/.-'_.' O Happy Motoring, Cockadoodledoo! V '--``\('--' V E \\ E Set a course for adventure * `\\, * and great deals at Gazpacho's! * \| * What goes better with adventure * * than barrels of sweet, sweet candy! L To honor Li'l Sebastion's mem- L Indivigual candies not for sale. O ory, we are holding a cele- O Ahoy, it's a pile of sardines! V bration of his life this Sat- V I have no idea what these are E urday afternoon at Ramsett E worth. Wash them fishies down with * Park. We invite anyone who * some smooth, delicious, Maple * knew and loved Li'l Sebastion * Syrup! For you beardless wonders, L to attend, celebrate his life L we've got Slippery Pete's Whisker O and join in singing "5000 Can- O Elixir half off! Need a hand? I'll V dles in the Wind". Ben Wyatt V give you one, that is I'll give you E has been asked not to attend. E two for one on our Realistic * * Adventure Hand! Cuz when it comes * L O V E * * L O V E * * L O V E * to deals you gotta hand it to _________________________________ Gazpacho! | New Coke on sale now! | --------------------------------- | So much better than old Coke! | Gazpacho's! For random stuff | We swear it doesn't | you can't find, anywhere else! | taste like Pepsi! | Look for our new Stormalong Harbor |_________________________________| location off Dock 5. =============== -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- | TRADING POST | | Have a lot of money and don't | =============== | know what to do with it? | Does ANYONE have Boardwalk for | Come on down to the KRUSTY KRAB | Mcdonald's Monopoly? | home of the world famous | I have like 15 parkplaces. | KRABBY PATTY! | Willing to pay 20 bucks. | Only the most mouthwatering, | Call me today. 555-420-2393 | appetizing food in the seven | ( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( ) | seas. We start with a fresh | ( ) STEP RIGHT UP! ( ) | patty, add some crisp undersea | ( ) ---------------------------- ( ) | veggies and cheese, topped off | ( ) See if you can out drive ( ) | with secret sauce, and some | ( ) the amazing Golf Ball, uh, ( ) | buns. Come on down and try a | ( ) Whacker Guy! ( ) | KRABBY PATTY today! | ( ) ---------------------------- ( ) | THE KRUSTY KRAB | ( ) Friday nights at the ( ) | Come spend your money here! | ( ) Waterbury Country Club ( ) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( ) ----------------------------(\/) (;,,;) (\/)----------------------------- (((_.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._.-=-._))) ))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(( (( > < )) )) EDITOR: Grizzly Adam (( (( > ASSISTANT EDITOR: Jon Mullin < )) )) CONSULTING EDITOR: Plendlful (( (( > PUBLISHER: Grizzly Adam < )) )) ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Joe Collett (( (( > < )) )) WRITERS (( (( > --------- < )) )) Grizzly Adam (( (( > Joe Collett < )) )) BlueMSX (( (( > Jon Mullin < )) )) Yousef (( (( > Braillyn < )) )) (( (( > < )) )) http://dosanddonts.mywebcommunity.org (( (( > http://www.youtube.com/@DOSandDontsNewsletter < )) ))...............................................................(( (( > SHARE ME! PUT ME ON YOUR SERVER, SEND ME TO YOUR FRIENDS! < )) ))...............................................................(( (((`-._.-'`-._.--._.-'`-._.--._.-'`-._.--._.-'`-._.--._.-'`-._.-)))