vivdunstan

Dad introducing computers in 1980/1

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 22:36:52 GMT

I’ve been thinking of Dad today unsurprisingly. And just found a new to me 1981 Southern Reporter newspaper reference to him. He was very actively involved with introducing computers to Scottish Borders schools. Christmas 1980 he borrowed an Apple II to try at home in Melrose, and that was my first go with a computer. This newspaper article was the following summer, 2 July 1981.

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My favourite Blake's 7 characters

Wed, 29 May 2024 19:50:22 GMT

Was just musing over this. I think I have 3. Servalan isn't in the list. Though she's deliciously evil. And for the record I vastly prefer Travis I to Travis II.

First up has to be Avon. An anti-hero in every sense, and also a computer/hacking expert, which young me who was rapidly falling in love with computers could relate to. I'm not convinced by his depiction in the later series, though he's well acted. But yup, best one.

Next for me Cally, though she's frustratingly underwritten for, along with Jenna. But among the female characters she was easily my favourite. Even if we didn't always know too much about her. Brill in Sarcophagus of course. I loved both Tanith Lee episodes.

Then although young me really liked the attitude of Soolin I'm going to go with Vila. Always funny, consistent in everything he did. And a great foil for Avon. Under appreciated by his crew mates.

Pondering all this reminds me of last year when I was playing a text adventure / parser interactive fiction game version of Blake's 7. That did an *excellent* job of capturing some of the characters' personalities. Not least Avon and Vila. Though Cally was barely represented. Pretty much like in much of the TV show sadly! To read more about my playing experience with this game see my writeup on the intfiction forum.

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Electronic Superhighway

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 15:53:32 GMT

This old comic came up on my Facebook today. Wow.

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Computer icon

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 22:44:59 GMT

Picked one, though I initially considered all of an Apple II (first computer I ever used), Commodore 64 (my favourite childhood computer), Apple Mac and a Sun workstation. Went off piste in the end, with a still from a 1967 muppets TV skit.

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