jinnantonnixx

Well I'll be damned. The first program I typed in was Space Roller (a Pacman clone), published in the December 1982 issue of C&VG, and through the powers of the internet an electronic copy is available. Here it is. It will probably mean nothing to you, but the pages of this magazine have become part of my DNA as I pored over every article and program listing in the palpable anticipation leading up to Christmas day and the ceremony of the "Great Unwrapping Of My New Spectrum." CVG Magazine Issue 014

I didn't see that, but I did happen upon a complete two-binder set of Home Computer Course in a charity shop which I simply had to buy. I still dip into it now again when a nostalgic mood takes me.

Very low brow, Matt. He must have been cycling to here.

You're not alone. I was going to get the kit version of the ZX81, but the Spectrum was announced and so I was one happy chappy Christmas day 1982. My tape recorder was broken, so rather than playing 'bat & ball' from the Psion tape over the Christmas period, I went through the manual teaching myself the rudiments of programming. Marvelous stuff. Of course, the tape recorder was soon fixed, my first game was 3D Monster Maze by New Generation Software, from WHSmiths. The excitement of it all. Manic Miner was released the next summer, so no tan for me that year.

Another vote for the Sansa Clip. The 'clip' part of the design an excellent feature, you don't have to be exercising to use it, clip it to your shirt collar or sleeve. Far better than any arm band or pouch. It's compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux, just drag and drop to/from the Sansa, no need for any software.

Clearly it uses wood magnets. If not, how on earth are the pencils sticking to it? Arthur C. Clarke's 3rd law.

True enough. Also DECT phones, which do not have the power adaptive technology of mobile phones. Of course, measuring the "power" of wireless devices (wifi, phone masts, laptops, phones) is meaningless unless you include the distance at which they're measured, and the distance at which you normally find yourself from these devices. The inverse square law applies to radio waves, meaning that a low power device (mobile phone for instance) held to your head causes an order of magnitude more absorption than a much more powerful phone mast a quarter of a mile away. I would wager that those "concerned" mentioned by the OP own and use mobiles. Wikipedia is normally reliable for non-contentious issues, but as always take what you read with a pinch of (low sodium) salt. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_electronic_devices_and_health#Wireless_LAN

Covered pretty well (and wryly, I should add) in an earlier thread on t'geek. http://www.edugeek.net/forums/behind-red-door/76298-email-recieved-about-proposed-complete-wireless-ban.html

Rewind to about 1983 or thereabouts, I'm in an arcade and I hear this tune..... http://youtu.be/2X9egyCAMZw Being rubbish at games, I spend all my money playing this game just to listen to the tune (the game wasn't that great, TBH) This earworm tune stays with me for almost three decades, so I decide to find out about the tune. It turns out that it's a track by the Japanese band Yellow Magic Orchestra called "Rydeen". This band influenced the sound of early video games. Sonic, anyone? All the more remarkable is that it's done in 1979, long before MIDI. http://youtu.be/sk6o4GWFIV8

This looks intriguing. If anyone has one, please post a quick review! 7dayshop.com - Online Store

Another vote for the Sansa Clip, cheap and cheerful and sounds pretty good. The way modern music is mastered, quality is a moot point. They may as well have recorded on an 8 bit system, for all the dynamic range they use. Just Google 'Loudness Wars' then you'll realise why buying the latest CDs are a waste of time and money. I had a CD for my birthday and while I liked the songs, it sounded like a cheap FM radio when played on my mid-range Marantz/Rotel/Mission separates system. It could have sounded so good, but it sounded like junk as it was mastered with ridiculous levels of dynamic compression. And all this is before we even consider MP3 compression. For expert discussion on this, head over to the Hydrogen Audio forums. Rant over. As you were.

No good for our hermits, but you could look at a clone of an MD80 camera sold by 7dayshop for about £18. Light(ish) and cheap enough not to be a calamity if/when they lose it.

Superstitious nonsense! You won't find me falling for such silliness, touch wood.

Here's the winner: JS1k, 1k demo submission [1243] Main page: js1k.com - A lovely js competition

Yes indeed, and about 1/3 of them are better than what I drive now. I didn't subscribe as I didn't see how spending thousands to save a few MPG could be financially sensible, especially on a brand-new car whose value would plummet like a meteorite. And meteors always fall, never rise - I've checked.

Quite. In fact, very quite. There's a guy near me who uses an electric bicycle and he flies along. A friend knows him, and he says that the owner told the bike's computer that he uses tiny wheels, which thanks to our friend PI means that the bike zooms along far faster than its restricted speed.

It was easily missed, especially after an exhausting week.

Which is why it's a load of 4rse. The taxation is not even based on usage. Let me give you a particular* example. I own a little diesel van which I only use occasionally, as I cycle to work every day. How can this tax be based on my van's emissions when I hardly use it? *see what I did there?

For car insurance, you MUST move every year. Forget the renewal price, you will always get ripped off if you stay with the same company.

A Facebook page?

I approve of your purchase. 1. Convert it to take money 2. Invite friends around for a cuppa 3 ???? 4. Profit.

Reel-y poor puns ahoy.

I found this little gem; a 28 minute video from the East Anglian Film Archive (where else) from their 'Pace Setters' series. This one's all about Clive Sinclair. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be, so enjoy! East Anglian Film Archive: The Pace-Setters: Clive Sinclair, 1981

It didn't mention anything about licence endorsements in that text, but again, I'm not a law guy. AFAIK, the only thing that can affect your licence that doesn't actually involve a car is going equipped to steal.

You can set them off, sometimes. There's a video on Youtube of a guy setting them off on a bike whilst wearing a paragliding motor! I suspect the legality of this may fall on the side of 'not'. Nothing you do on a bike can affect your driving licence, but you could get done for 'cycling furiously'.