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Table of contents: |
| COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE Issue #39 | Home | Index | Magazine | ||||||
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| Articles in section: ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE |
| "ABOUT
CFDM" ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE |
| Back to top |
"ABOUT CFDM" COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE is dedicated to those who still enjoy running under RS DOS. It will deal with that format exclusively. A primary goal is to keep the COCO community strong. By providing a unique means of communication, maybe old fires will be rekindled as you and I share our knowledge and experiences! The success of this effort depends on each one who becomes a subscriber. Everyone must contribute his/ her two cents in the form of articles, programs, opinions, experiences, etc. If this happens we will all look forward to the next issue. (Check out the manual with your starter kit for details on how to submit material.) Now let's have some fun!!! =* |
ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE is the creation and property of Rick Cooper. It is distributed solely by RICK'S COMPUTER ENTERPRISE. The material which makes up each issue remains the property of the author(s) or contributor(s) unless an agreement has been made otherwise. COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE is dedicated exclusively to those who enjoy the COCO3 operating under RS DOS. It is hoped that this publication will encourage the continued usage of our favorite computer. Neither CFDM nor RICK'S COMPUTER ENTERPRISE will be responsible for the submission or publication of any material that does not belong to the submitter. WE DO NOT ADVOCATE OR SUPPORT PIRACY! =* |
| Articles in section: ABOUT THIS ISSUE |
| BONUS
DISK DIRECTORY <i39> CONTENTS...PART I (i39) CONTENTS...PART II (i39) PROGRAM DIRECTORY (i39) THIS MONTH'S COVER |
| Back to top |
Here's a description of the files on the BONUS DISK. File names preceded by an asterisk are data files or program files used by other programs. Do not RUN or EXEC files preceded by an asterisk! ------------------ SIDE 1 ------------------------ NAME.........COMMAND..SECTION OR DESCRIPTION * BIRTHDAY.NIB........FROM THE EDITOR BOOT .BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH BURMA .BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH * CDM31 .SYS........DATA FILE FOR BOOT.BAS CM3MENU .BAS..RUN...ART GALLERY CONFIG .BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH GEO1 .BAS..RUN...ARTICLES OF THE MONTH * GE16 .BIN........DATA FILE FOR GEO1.BAS * INSPACE .CM3........ART GALLERY => ____________________________________________________ * METEOR .NIB........ART GALLERY * N4-116 .NIB........ART GALLERY * NIBLOADR.BIN........PIX LOADER UTILITY NIBSHOW2.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH ORDER .BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH * README .TXT........DATA FILE FOR BOOT.BAS * SPASTA1 .NIB........ART GALLERY * SPASTA2 .NIB........ART GALLERY * TRANQUIL.NIB........ART GALLERY CONFIG.CDM, DISK.CDM, HELP.CDM, INFO.CDM, NOUSERS. CDM, TITLE1.CDM, and TITLE2.CDM...DATA FILES FOR BOOT.BAS --------------------- SIDE 2 ----------------------- * -6MANDEL.SQS........ART GALLERY * 1040FORM.NIB........ART GALLERY * 2010 .NIB........ART GALLERY => ____________________________________________________ * BEETLE .NIB........ART GALLERY * CARD .NIB........ART GALLERY * DAG-SNUF.NIB........ART GALLERY * MANJUL .BIN........DATA FILE FOR SF12.BAS * MUSIC .NIB........ART GALLERY * NIBLOADR.BIN........PIX LOADER UTILITY NIBSHOW2.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH * PLANETS .NIB........ART GALLERY * REDBARN .NIB........ART GALLERY * SARGE .NIB........ART GALLERY * SATURN .NIB........ART GALLERY SF12 .BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH * SILAS .NIB........ART GALLERY * SQSMAKER.BIN........DATA FILE FOR SQSSHOW.BAS * SQSREADR.BIN........DATA FILE FOR SQSSHOW.BAS SQSSHOW .BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH =* |
ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE (2) 1 "ABOUT CFDM" 2 ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE ABOUT THIS ISSUE (5) 1 BONUS DISK DIRECTORY <i39> 2 CONTENTS...PART 1 (i39) 3 CONTENTS...PART 2 (i39) 4 PROGRAM DIRECTORY (i39) 5 THIS MONTH'S COVER ACTIVE COCO (4) 1 CFDM TRIVIA CONTEST WINNERS! 2 PHONE FEST V RESULTS!! 3 RICK'S PICNIC ACCOMMADATIONS 4 Thaediak Project Update => ____________________________________________________ ADVERTISEMENTS (7) 1 BACKUP COCO STUFF FOR SALE 2 Bob van der Poel Software 3 CFDM SUBSCRIPTION 4 CLEANING HOUSE 5 FLIPPIE DISKS 6 PAGE DESIGNER COLLECTION 7 USED COCO AND PC HARDWARE SALE ARTICLES (4) 1 GrafExpress Tutorial Series 2 GrafExpress Tutorial Series #01 3 Graphic Format Interchanging 4 Nebula Award Nominees COCO FRIENDS ART GALLERY (12) => ____________________________________________________ 1 ** CFDM INSPACE ** 2 DELPHI SCI-FI PICTURES 3 FIRST MOON LANDING 4 Fractals of Sorts 5 GODFREY'S COMIC ADAPTATIONS! 6 LOOKING AT SPACE 7 PUZZLED 8 Ray Berney's Plight! 9 S/F GRAPHICS FOR YOU 10 SCI-FI GRAPHICS FOR YOU 11 The Society has been busy..... 12 VIEWING THE CFDM ART GALLERY FAMILY TREE (3) 1 A MAXWELL MOUSE WINNER <g> 2 WHERE'S BUCK RODGERS <g> =* |
3 What's new!
FORUM (5)
1 Our Space Program
2 Space Program, Part 2
3 WHAT IS SCIENCE FICTION? PART 1
4 WHAT IS SCIENCE FICTION? PART 2
5 What is Sci-Fi?
FROM THE EDITOR (2)
1 HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY
2 LETTER FROM RICK & KUDOS
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (4)
1 CFDM IS GOOD!
2 ENJOYED THE COLORING CONTEST!! =>
____________________________________________________
3 STILL ENJOYS CFDM!!
4 When Worlds Collide
POTPOURRI (4)
1 Heinlein Predicts, Part 1
2 Heinlein Predicts, Part 2
3 Science News Briefs
4 Science News, Part 2
PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH (8)
1 ** BURMA-SHAVE **
2 A SQS Viewer
3 A Trip To Mars
4 COCO DIRECTORY MANAGER
5 CoCo 3 Meteor Shower
6 Fractals Update =>
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7 HOLMES - A CoCo Mystery
8 TREKKIE; TREKI; TREK1; TREK2; TK
REVIEWS (3)
1 TREKKIE Revisited
2 TREKKIE Tips
3 TREKKIE Tips, Part 2
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (3)
1 NEED A REGISTRATION NUMBER?
2 THANK YOU, DAN
3 To Bob Nicholson: 1411-1 Beddis?
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Here's a description of the files on the PROGRAM/
SIDE. File names preceded by an asterisk are data
files and not to be RUN or EXECed!
..NAME.........COMMAND..SECTION OR DESCRIPTION.....
* ATAT .NIB........ART GALLERY
COCO3MET.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* ENTRPRYZ.NIB........ART GALLERY
HOLMES .BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* HOLMES .COM........DATA FILE FOR HOLMES.BAS
MARSTRIP.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* MOONLAND.NIB........ART GALLERY
* NEMESIS .NIB........ART GALLERY
* NIBLOADR.BIN........PIX LOADER UTILITY
NIBSHOW2.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* PARALLEL.NIB........ART GALLERY =>
____________________________________________________
* PLIGHT .NIB........ART GALLERY
* PUZZLED .NIB........ART GALLERY
* ROM CMDR.NIB........ART GALLERY
* SI-FI .NIB........ART GALLERY
* SSWRINGS.NIB........ART GALLERY
TREKI .BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
TREKKIE .BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* WORMHOLE.NIB........ART GALLERY
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CFDM TREK (STAR TREK) I put this picture together for an assignment
for the upcoming Sci-Fi issue. I thought it would
be nice to base it on the series "Star Trek". I
changed the name and called it CFDM TREK CoCo 3's
Final Frontier. I also made it appear that someone
or something is being beamed down in the area of
Kentucky - of course - the home of the maker of
CFDM Magazine. Thanks, Rick, for your hard,
demanding work, issue after issue.
.......... Jim Gibbons
=*
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| Articles in section: ACTIVE COCO |
| CFDM
TRIVIA CONTEST WINNERS! PHONE FEST V RESULTS!! RICK'S PICNIC ACCOMMADATIONS Thaediak Project Update |
| Back to top |
CFDM TRIVIA CONTEST WINNERS! In issue #36 we introduced the CFDM Trivia Contest.
Last issue the correct answers were given (issue
#38). I received six GREAT entries from the follow-
ing Friends: Herb Forger, Ben Walker, Kenny Trevino,
Mario Lecours, J. R. Waggoner, and Garry Spencer. I
wish we had room to print each of their entry forms
because there were some interesting comments to many
of their answers. For instance J. R. Waggoner noted
that although issue #17 was the first official issue
of HARDCOPY, the first "real" Hardcopy was the one
he had sent in. That was a colored hardcopy of issue
#2. (And I still have it J. R., Thanks!)
As I mentioned, all the entries were great and each
reflected a lot of work by their authors..but only
one entry had ALL of the correct answers. =>
____________________________________________________
And even that one had a little trouble with the last
question! Our first place winner is Herb Forger, and
here's how he managed to answer the question, "Name
three Friends who also produce 'disk magazines'?"
22 Terry Simons, Ray Smith (But see note below)
NOTE: MI&CC and UP-2-DATE are DISK magazines, as
is CFDM. Other "magazines" include Glenside CoCo
Club, and COCO-LINK, but nowhere in CFDM issues
does it state that they are "DISK" magazines.
CLIPBOARD was mentioned as a "DISK" magazine BUT
NO author was named and so he/she cannot be named
as a CFDM friend as stated in the question.
Therefore I cannot come up with three CFDM
friends who produce "DISK" magazines. The =>
____________________________________________________
closest porduct the MIGHT fit that area is Jim
Bennet's "Jumpin' Jim's Art Disks" which include
narrative sections on each disk issue, but that
does not make them a "DISK MAGAZINE" in my mind.
Well you raise a point Herb...but Jim's disk was the
intended answer, so we'll not argue the point since
your entry included that answer! Here's more from
Herb: "I found this trivia game to be a great
addition...a GREAT reason to go back and review.. I
am seriously thinking of making up another edition"
Ok Herb, we'll be looking for it. Thanks to all who
entered and congratulations on your fine work!!
=*
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PHONE FEST V RESULTS!! On March 4, 1995, we conducted our fifth phone fest.
It was a very successful event with 29 callers. And
that's a new record!! The first call came from Garry
Spencer at 8 minutes after 8 a.m. The last call came
at 5:45 p.m. We received two calls from Canada and
one from Puerto Rico!
It was great talking to the Friends again! You'd be
surprised at some of the little things I learn from
the phone fest. Garry Spencer reported joining the
Atlanta Computer Society, CoCo Trader, and Glenside.
Gonzola Rivera is retired and enjoys all kinds of
music. (Some classical music from Puerto Rico could
be heard in the background!) Ron McCauley knew Jim
Sternett when Jim was living in Michigan. Ron also
hopes to see Jim at Rick's Picnic! =>
____________________________________________________
Joe Pellettiere found out about the Phone Fest from
a BBS, but didn't have a brochure so he didn't know
much about the auction packages. Jim Bennett advises
plugging in both joysticks when playing PAC DUDE.
Mrs. Arnold Garlic asked prayer for her mother who
had just suffered a heart attack. (Please remember
this request.) Larry Heiderscheidt said, "I'm coming
to the Picnic." Later that day I found out that he
had just made reservations at Brown's Motel!! Jim
Gibbons just had a new son, James Joseph Gibbons!!
Congratulations Jim and family! Jim Sternett told
me he was planning a fabulous doorprize at his booth
at the Picnic!! A. G. Boos offers schematics for
converting a PC Flight Stick for CoCo use. There's
no charge! (Write A. G. Boos at 49 Spring Creek,
Mansfield, TX 76063.) A. G. also asks that we =>
____________________________________________________
support the CoCo Trader by sending in our For Sale
and Want ads. Jim Sternett (CoCo Trader) places
your ads for FREE!! (Send your ad to Jim at,
2759 Easy St., Sevierville, TN 37862.)
AND FINALLY: THE WINNER OF THE $100 BONUS COUPON IS
--------------
BARRY MILLER
--------------
Congratulations Barry! And thanks to all who made my
day at Phone Fest V!!!!!
=*
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RICK'S PICNIC ACCOMMADATIONS For those planning on attending Rick's Picnic on July 15, 1995, you will be interested in the choice of lodging available in the area. Below I will list three motels that I recommend. Keep in mind that Liberty is a small town with only one motel, the Brown Motel. About 20 miles south is Russell Springs with abundant motels and about 30 miles north is Danville with abundant motels. You probably won't mind staying in either Russell Springs or Danville, both are nice towns on Highway 127, straight shots to Liberty, also located on Highway 127. If you need more choices, please let me know. In Liberty: The Brown Motel....606-787-6224 In Russell Springs: Cumberland Lodge..502-866-4208 In Danville: Days Inn...606-236-8601 =* |
Thaediak Project Update The project goes well. The rugged group of volun- teers continues to submit new material. For the benefit of new subscribers, the Thaediak project centers around a sci-fi story-- Thaediak of Ishdor. We are attempting to create graphics to illustrate the story, as well as some background music to help set the mood. Our intent is to scroll the text of the story and display the graphics on the screen at the same time. Thanks to the talents of Stuart Wyss- Gallifent, not the least of which is his talent for programming the CoCo, we now have the means to do so. Norm Barson has done a yeoman's job of drawing the majority of the fine graphics. You may recall his submission called SHARK, an excellent example of Norm's artistic talent. The story will require about 50 illustrations, so you can see the volunteers => ____________________________________________________ had their work cut out for them. Stuart has helped out in this area as has John Clemons, Dottie Funk, and myself, although my artistic talent is painfully lacking and I resort to cheating by digitizing shots from videotape. All in all though, I believe we are very close to completing this venture. As it looks now, the final version will consist of two flippies. This will give us enough disk space to provide 4 to 6 illustrations for each of the twelve chapters of this first episode. In the area of background music, we have only one individual transcribing music-- Harry Stern; but, I have recently been able to enlist the help of Quinn Granfor to download some music files from Delphi. I intend to record the soundtrack separately on audio tape, mixed with the spoken narrative of the => ____________________________________________________ story. The audio tape could be played either through a home audio system or a CoCo system; and Stuart has offered to put the commands to start the tape within the programming to synchronize it with the display. Our intent is to make the story and pictures avail- able to kids; but of course we would also like to share it with CFDM subscribers. The final version will be submitted to Rick for consideration as a Bonus Disk(s). And the project will not end there, as there are two more episodes of this story completed; and in fact, several of the volunteers have already started work on pictures for those (Stuart's Indian picture on a recent issue of CFDM illustrates the theme of the third episode). So, here's my thanks to Rick's CFDM and some NICE people for all their help. =* |
BACKUP COCO STUFF FOR SALE I wish to dispose of backup CoCo hardware which I
don't think I need. I sold my house and live in an
apartment and don't have room for it all.
2 - 512k CoCo 3s
2 - CM8-RGB Monitors
2 - Tandy Multi-Pak Interfaces (Lt. Grey)
2 - Tandy mice (#26-3025)
1 - Tandy Dual Floppy Drive with controller
2 switches with ADOS & RS Dos chips
1 - DMP 105 Printer with cable
1 - DMP 133 Printer with cable
4 - Radio Shack Joy Sticks #26-3008
3 - High-Res Joystick interfaces
1 - Printer Variable Baud Rate #101 Metric Industry
Interface =>
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1 - Radio Shack Tape Recorder - CCR-82 with cable
1 - RS-232 Super Power Pack
1 - Tandy Speech/Sound cartridge
1 - OS-9 Level II and manuals
1 - Multi-Vue Interface and manuals
1 - Avatex 1200 baud Modem
Also 8 ROM PAKS including Bridge Tutor, Backgammon,
etc.
Also Color Max & Design Graphics software
In addition, oceans of software. All T & D from
the beginning.
=>
____________________________________________________
I want $700 for the whole kaboodle plus prepaid
freight but I am receptive to a counter-offer. Will
sell selected items if you don't want it all.
William Rosenfeld
Apartment 2Ee
300 Edwards Street
Roslyn Heights, NY 11577-1136
Telephone: 516-621-2292
=*
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Bob van der Poel Software GREAT STUFF FOR OS9 LEVEL II
----------------------------
Ved Text Editor.........The Best OS9 Editor! $24.95
Vprint Text Formatter.......Dynamite Outputs $29.95
OS-9 Character Set Editor..Change the Screen $19.95
OS-9 Disk Mailing List (DML9)...............
Unlimited Capacity $24.95
Basic09 Subroutine Pack.....................
24 Useful ML Routines $24.95
Cribbage.The Classic Card Game with Graphics $19.95
Ultra Label Maker..........Make Nifty Labels $19.95
Magazine Index System.Complete Rainbow Dbase $19.95
RMA Assembler Library...Complete with Source $19.95
Stock Manager..Your Accountant will love you $24.95
OS-9 Public Domain Disk.Programs with source $ 9.95
=>
____________________________________________________
GREAT STUFF FOR DISK BASIC
--------------------------
*Disk Utility Pack...16 Programs/1 low price $14.95
+Disk Mailing List.....Keeps up to 200 names $16.45
-Ultra Telepatch........THE Telewriter64 Fix $19.95
+CoCo 3 Cribbage....In Fully Commented BASIC $13.95
*Disk Programming Package...................
4 Hard-to-Find Programs $14.95
*Ultra Label Maker...Create Beautiful Labels $14.95
*Magazine Index System..W/Lots of Data Files $14.95
*Basic Program Lister..Easy to Read Listings $14.95
*Mapper...Detailed BASIC Program x-reference $14.95
*Packer..............Compress BASIC Programs $14.95
*Stocks & Bonds Manager...Not Only For Taxes $19.95
(+ = CoCo 3 - = CoCo 1 or 2 * = CoCo 1,2,3) =>
____________________________________________________
For a free, descriptive catalogue please send a
postcard, call or send us email.
All programs are in stock for immediate shipping.
Please include check or money order with your order.
Sorry, no credit cards; but we will ship COD to US
and Canadian addresses (we add a small additional
charge to cover the post office COD fee). Mention
"CFDM" in your order and shipping is FREE! All
orders are shipped via first class mail, usually on
the same day they are received.
P.O. Box 355 P.O. Box 57
Porthill, ID or Wynndel, B.C.
USA 83853-0355 Canada V0B 2N0
Tel: 604-866-5772 EMAIL: Compuserve 76510,2203 =*
|
CFDM SUBSCRIPTION Is your subscription running out? Here's how to check: On your mailing label next to your name is a number. The number after the last dash (-) is the last issue on your present subscription. Please don't let your subscription expire. WHEN YOU RESUBSCRIBE PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR ENTIRE SUBSCRIPTION NUMBER. THIS HELPS ME LOCATE YOU IN MY DATABASE! A single issue of CFDM is $6. Or get 3 issues for only $16. A 6 issue subscription is only $30 (a savings of 6$). Back issues are available at the same rates. COCOs FOREVER!! =* |
CLEANING HOUSE Stuff FOR SALE:(all prices include shipping)
Multi-Pak Interface w/Book (RS 26-3024) $60
DISK DRIVE FD-502 2 drives w/ Controller $125
Star NX1000 Color Printer w/ Book and Blue Streak
Ultima Interface + 1500 unused mail labels $120
Hi-Res Joystick Interface (RS 26-3028) $4
BOOKS: (buy all 6 for $16)
COCO Graphics by Barden (RS 62-2076) $3
101 COCO Tips & Tricks by Ron Clark $3
Assbly Lang Prog by Barden (RS 62-2077) $4
RAINBOW Guide to OS-9 by Puckett (26-3190) $4
RAINBOW Guide to OS-9 Lev 2 w/ Disk $4
BASIC09 TOUR Guide by Puckett (26-3189) $4
PROGRAM PAKS w/ books all 4 for $6...EDTASM+,
SPECTACULATOR, SHANGHAI, BRIDGE TUTOR.
=>
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DISK SOFTWARE:(all original Disks)
QUIKPRO+II w/ Book $3
ULTRABAS data base, ULTRAMERGE file merger, ULTRA-
CAT catalloger w/ instructions-the set $3
TELEWRITER 128 w/ Book $15
PHANTOMGRAPH w/ Book (need OS9) (26-3276) $4
SUB BATTLE w/ Book (need OS9) $4
MULTI-VUE w/ Book (need OS9)(26-3035) $12
OS-9 (26-3031) w/ Book and DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM w/Book
(26-3032) $27
DYNACALC Spreadsheet w/Book (need OS9) $12
RAINBOW Guide to STATISTICS w/Book $3
FLIGHT SIMULATOR II w/Books $7
WHERE IN WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO w/Book $5
DESKMATE 3 Apps package w/Book (need OS9) $7
Herb Schuler (609) 848-2121 =*
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FLIPPIE DISKS Due to the rise in manufactor's prices it has been
necessary to raise the price of our popular flippie
diskettes. As of April 1, 1995, the following prices
are in effect.
------------------------------------------------
* 25 flippies with sleeves........$17.00 *
* (US residents add $2 s/h..others add $4 s/h) *
* *
* 100 flippies with sleeves........$55.00 *
* (US residents add $4 s/h..others add $9 s/h) *
------------------------------------------------
Colored flippies are available..please mention
it if you want colored flippies. I will mix
the colors if they are available.
P.O. Box 276 Liberty, KY 42539 =*
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PAGE DESIGNER COLLECTION This is a set of 6 disks which support Max-10 and
provide you with the means to create truly impres-
sive documents. The Page Designer Collection gives
you borders for the page, boxes & frames for enclos-
ing portions of text, bold capital letters, heading
designs, greeting cards, and a variety of graphics
you can use to create signs, posters, awards, news-
letters, etc. The 20 page instruction manual makes
using the Page Designer a real snap!
Disk #1 - 7 page borders, 2 boxes, and a line.
Disk #2 - 30 frames, scrolls, boxes, ribbons, and
designs for enhancing the text.
(CTRL + 2)=>
____________________________________________________
Disk #3 - 26 bold capital letters, a newsletter de-
sign, and an award design.
Disk #4 - 26 large script capital letters, stars,
U.S. flag, and an eagle.
Disk #5 - 7 greeting card designs, 12 headings (one
for each month), 4 boxes, and clip art.
Disk #6 - a program which you can use to create
special titles to use with Max-10.
The entire set of 6 disks is only $30.
Send your check or M.O. to:
Jim Bennett; 118 Corlies Ave; Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
=*
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USED COCO AND PC HARDWARE SALE I have the following for sale.
1 386-SX-16 PC (Magnavox) with 42 meg hard drive
internal modem
5 1/4 drive
3 1/2 drive
keyboard
mouse
Will handle color VGA!
PLEASE NOTE ->>> No monitor or docs!
Excellent condition!
---- Only $300 + $10 s/h ----
Call first...606 787-5783
=>
____________________________________________________
128k CoCo 3 ...... $70.00 + $5 s/h
CM8 RGB Monitor.... $70.00 + $5 s/h
Disk Drive with FD-502 controller
..... $70.00 + $5 s/h
(all 3 above for only $180 + $10 s/h)
Blue Streak Ultima serial to parallel
printer interface .. $25 + $2 s/h
ALL THE ABOVE ITEMS ARE USED BUT IN EXCELLENT
CONDITION!
DON'T SEND YOUR MONEY UNTIL YOU CALL ME.
606-787-5783
=*
|
| Articles in section: ARTICLES OF THE MONTH |
| GrafExpress
Tutorial Series GrafExpress Tutorial Series #01 Graphic Format Interchanging Nebula Award Nominees |
| Back to top |
GrafExpress Tutorial Series GrafExpress (GE) is a programming enviroment written
especially for the CoCo 3. GE v2.0 contains two
systems, GrafExpress 16 (GE16) and GrafExpress 256
(GE256). GE16 is a 16 color system for RGB and com-
posite monitors where as GE256 is a 256 color system
which will work only on composite monitors. This
series will begin with the GE16 system.
What can GE do for you?
If you are a Disk Basic programmer and would like to
take advantage of the speed and features only avail-
able to machine langauge programmers then look no
further. GE is comprehensive yet easy to under-
stand. If your interests lie in graphics program-
ming, GE should certainly fill the bill.
=>
____________________________________________________
How do you use GE?
GE is used within Disk Basic. Instead of adding new
commands directly, you simply enclose GE commands
in a string variable and then call the GE m/l pro-
gram with basic's EXEC command. Example: C$="COLOR3
":EXEC
Since this tutorial will focus on the GE system
prior knowledge in programming with Disk Basic will
be assumed. The route this tutorial will take will
be to give information on certain features of GE in
the ARTICLES OF THE MONTH column and then give an
example of it's use on the program side of CFDM.
Although I am only a self taught "trial and error"
programmer, I'll give this tutorial a shot =>
____________________________________________________
because I believe GrafExpress is one of the CoCo
world's best kept secrets. Any corrections or sug-
gestions will be greatly appreciated and can be
forwarded to QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS or to my address
below.
I will close with a quote from the GE manual; "It is
our hope that GrafExpress will help stimulate sweep-
ing beneficial changes to this, our computer commun-
ity, which will help it to grow and mature into the
future."
Perry Friesen
50 Eggleton St
Red Deer, AB T4R 2L2
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GrafExpress Tutorial Series #01 In the following discussion, please refer to the
program GE01.BAS on the program side of this disk.
In order to run this program you will need the the
file GE16.BIN which can be found on issue #33 or the
complete package is available through Rick's.
This months coverage will begin with the GE command
INIT. INIT must be called before any other commands
are used. The purpose of the INIT command is to set
up the way GE will use the CoCo's memory and also to
define the screens resolution. I will try to keep
the example programs setup for 128K machines. Here
is the syntax for the INIT command:
INIT mem,xres,yres,#pics,#scrns,#sprts,#wnds,music-
mem,#waves
=>
____________________________________________________
In order to not get over our heads we'll look and
the first three parameters this month.
"mem" is simply setting up GE for either 128K or
512K of memory.
"xres,yres" are the graphics resolution in which GE
will run.
The horizontal (xres) choices are measured in pixels
and are: 128,160,256 or 320. The vertical (yres)
choices are: 192,200 or 225. One note here: my CoCo
will not show the last line in either 200 or 225.
GE always runs on a graphics screen and uses the 40
and 80 column text screen memory for the GE system.
One great feature of GE is it's consistency. =>
____________________________________________________
As the program GE01.BAS will demonstrate, all res-
olutions in GE are in sixteen colors. More on
colors later. Run GE01.BAS and press any key to
cycle through the resolutions under GE.
* Perry Friesen *
Note: GE01.BAS and GE16.BIN are located on Side 1 of
the Bonus Disk.
=*
|
Graphic Format Interchanging With the advent of HOW many different graphic formats for the CoCo III (TNY, NIB, SQS, GIF, CM3, MGE, VEF, HRS, RLE, SPR, ULT, ETC.) the need for an interchanging program is obvious. In the DOS world, programs like HIJAAK Pro freely take a picture in one format, and save it in a new format. We need a HIJAAK for the CoCo III. The problems in writing one are becoming obvious to me, because I recenlty tried. I haven't given up YET, but I have found that the biggest hinderance is the memory. All the common formats that I would put in my converter all use different memory blocks, and many times loading a picture in one format messes up the memory so that another format cannot save it properly. => ____________________________________________________ For example, if I load a picture file using MINILOAD which loads a CM3 picture, then I try to run the NIBSAVER program, sometimes it doesn't work. NIB needs a certain amount of free memory to work well, and MINILOAD takes some of it up. I cannot count the number of times that NIB didn't work, and I cannot figure out how to free up the memory, without destroying all my strings and variables! Ideally, a converter would run on a 512k machine.. Several blocks of memory could be given to each format, allowing plenty of room for all of them. I will keep trying to write a NIB/CM3/GIF/SQS/MGE converter, but unless I learn a lot of tricks, I don't know how successful my efforts will be. Ideas and tricks are welcomed! =* |
Nebula Award Nominees The members of the Science Fiction Writers of
America read and recommend stories and novels for
the annual Nebula Awards. Here's the 1988 list:
For Novel (40,000 words or more)
Deserted ities of the Heart by Lewis Shiner
Drowning Towers by George Turner
Falling Free by Lois McMaster (1988 winner)
Great Sky River by Gregory Benford
Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson
Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card
The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
For Novella (17,500-39,999 words)
The Calvin Coolidge Home for Dead Comedians by
Bradley Denton
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Journals of the Plague Years by Norman Spinrad =>
____________________________________________________
The Last of the Winnebagos by Connie Willis (winner
The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter by L. Shepard
Surfacing by Walter Jon Williams
For Novelette (7,500-17,499 words)
Do Ya, Do Ya Wanna Dance by Howard Waldrop
Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus by Neal Barrett, Jr.
The Hob by Judith Moffett
Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick
Peaches for Mad Molly by Steven Gould
Schrodinger's Kitten by George A. Effinger (winner)
Unfinished Portrait of the King of Pain by Van Gogh
by Ian Mc Donald
For Short Story (fewer than 7,500 words)
Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge by
James Morrow (winner)
The Color Winter by Steven Popkes =>
____________________________________________________
The Fort Moxie Branch by Jack McDevitt
Mrs. Shummel Exits a Winner by John Kessel
Voices of the Kill by Thomas M. Disch
And here's a list of past winners (my favorite
reading is when I can find an anthology of short
stories by some of these writers): Brian W. Aldiss,
Roger Zelanzy, Harlan Ellison, Samuel R. Delany,
Fritz Leiber, Anne McCaffery, Ursula K. Le Guin,
Robert Silverberg, Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Isaac
Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, James Tiptree, Jr., Robert
Heinlein, Fredrik Pohl, L. Sprague de Camp, George
R.R. Martin, David Brin, Greg Bear, Andre Norton,
Kate Wilhelm, Pat Murphy, Kim Stanley, Alfred Bester
and Ray Bradbury
=*
|
** CFDM INSPACE ** This Picture called INSPACE was created for the
SCI-FI BONUS DISK.
The CM3 version has animation, but I was unable
to convert it to the NIB format with animation.
I hope that RICK can either convert it or use
it in the CM3 format.
ENJOY ---------------> GODFREY
-----
RICK: I've included the CM3 version and the CM3
loader on side 1 of the Bonus Disk. RUN "CM3MENU"
and load "INSPACE.CM3". =*
|
DELPHI SCI-FI PICTURES
Here are five great Sci-Fi pictures down-loaded from
Delphi. I've scattered them on the three program
sides with this issue. Use "NIBSHOW2" to view them.
ATAT.........THIS DISK, SIDE 2
TRANQUIL.....BONUS DISK, SIDE 1
SATURN.......BONUS DISK, SIDE 2
PLANETS......BONUS DISK, SIDE 2
2010.........BONUS DISK, SIDE 2
=*
|
FIRST MOON LANDING
Yesterday's Science Fiction is today's Science.
One of the best illustrations of this is the first
landing of a man on the moon, accomplished by the
U.S. on July 20, 1969 -- something which could only
have been imagined some ten or even five years
before.
This year, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of that
event, the U.S. Postal Service issued two stamps to
commemmorate it. I have done my best to reproduce
one of these.
Fortunately, I did not have to work from the stamp
itself. I receive a monthly catalog from the U.S.
=>
____________________________________________________
Postal Service. The latest issue featured a large
full color blowup of the stamp on the cover. It
turned out that it was almost the exact size of the
CoCoMax screen. I did have to do a little scaling in
the vertical direction. Working from the stamp it-
self would have been very difficult considering the
complexity of the design. As it was, I nearly went
blind trying to duplicate the details of the space
suit.
Select MOONLAND in NIBSHOW.
Norm Barson
7 Ridge Court
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
=*
|
Fractals of Sorts
From Stuart's fractal collection of last issue, we
had to save this one for now. It requires the
SQSSHOW to view. This program is described in the
PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH.
The picture is -6MANDEL.SQS and is found on the back
of BONUS DISK 11.
THIS IS THE MOST FASCINATING PICTURE I HAVE
EVER SEEN ON THE COCO3 SCREEN!!
-Rick Cooper
=*
|
GODFREY'S COMIC ADAPTATIONS!
Here's a fun series of Godfrey Moll's use of comic
strip characters to refer to CFDM Friends and their
talents! See the following on side 2 of the Bonus
Disk.
BEETLE.NIB
DAG-SNUF.NIB
MUSIC.NIB
SARGE.NIB
SILAS.NIB
=*
|
LOOKING AT SPACE
I believe I have been thinking about space all of
my life. As a boy, "How far is up?", "Where is the
end?". God certainly did leave us with a lot of
questions! Why, Who, When, and Where? Those W's
sure can get you going! SCI-FI forever and here are
three CM3 pictures I dreamed up. (These appear in
NIB format. Use NIBSHOW2 on side 1 of the Bonus
Disk.) Since I can't program, the least I can do is
to help out a little by trying to add to Rick's
wonderful disks he labors so hard each month to give
us. THANKS RICK, COCO FOREVER.
------ SPASTA1.NIB SPASTA2.NIB METEOR.NIB ------
HAROLD J. MOENICH
=*
|
PUZZLED
Here is the first thing that came to mind on the
theme of "Science Fiction". I had a lot of fun
drawing this one -- with tongue in cheek all the
way!
Select PUZZLED in NIBSHOW.
Norm Barson
7 Ridge Court
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
=*
|
Ray Berney's Plight!
I would like to share this cartoon with you and
show you Ray Berney's only worry! I went to the
local grocery store a few weeks ago and the bread
shelf was bare! I asked the store keep what was the
problem. He said some rich, Baron of Wheat and Beef
in Washington had stock piled all the grain and was
starting in on beef! So if this dilemma gets to you
guys in the East, you know who to blame!! SHAME ON
YOU RAY! You know I can't eat beef so it doesn't
worry me! BUT TAKE MY BREAD AWAY! How dare you!!
chuckle!! Look for the NIB on the reverse side it is
labeled as PLIGHT.NIB.
***MAC***
=>
____________________________________________________
I got my 1040 tax form in the mail the other day and
that was depressing! So I decided to draw the tax
form the way the LIBERAL spend-a-holic Federal
Government thinks the taxes should be collected. I
bet Ray Berney can't think of stuff like this!
(Chuckle!)
(See 1040FORM.NIB on side 2 of the Bonus Disk.)
Here's my business card. No explanation needed or
given.
(See CARD.NIB on side 2 of the Bonus Disk.)
=*
|
S/F GRAPHICS FROM GARRY SPENCER
I was thinking about the Science Fiction issue while
I was fixing a leaking inner tube on a friends's
bike. (Every one calls me "Mr. Garry" & I try to
keep the "hoods" bikes in repair.) Thinking back to
when I first discovered Sci Fi in the form of Buck
Rogers. I looked at my young friend and said, "I'll
bet you don't remember back, at the dawn of time,
before television, when space ships looked like
vacume tubes." He looked at me kind of funny and
answered, "What's a vacume tube?" That inspired me
to do the cartoon, "Where is Buck Rogers?"
(See BUCK-?.NIB.)
The Entrpryz graphic was inspired by a thirty year
old T.V. series, which was supposed to run five
years, but was canceled after three because =>
____________________________________________________
"It only appealed to a limited group of viewers."
The last program of the original series was aired
June 6, '69. Maybe some die hard sci-fi old timers
will remember "Star Treck"? (chuckle-chuckle)
The "SCI-FI" cover is what I could remember of a
science fiction book on tape a friend had shown me.
I never got to hear the tape and don't even remember
the name of the book, but the picture on the box
sure impressed me.
"NEMESIS" is a S/F novel by my favorite author,
Issac Asimov. A hardcover first addition published
in 1989, the dust cover painting is by David Gatti.
This was one of Mr. Asimov's last books before his
death. I have tried to capture the feeling of =>
____________________________________________________
Mr. Gatti's painting.
Garry Spencer
909 East 26th Ave
Tampa, FL 33605-1749
=*
|
SCI-FI GRAPHICS FOR YOU
Please forgive me (Rick), I've lost the entry that
goes with these four great pictures of Jim Mills!
You'll find these works on the back of this disk.
PARALLEL.NIB
ROM CMDR.NIB
SSWRINGS.NIB
WORMHOLE.NIB
=*
|
The Society has been busy.....
The graphics department of the Brain Donors Society
has been busy lately. Contributor 1 has given me
great ideas. Here's a couple:
N4-116.NIB Not much in the title, the picture is
about a skier that takes a wrong turn. And where
this poor hapless souls ends up is one terrible
place. Oh, how to get out!
See side one of the Bonus Disk.
REDBARN.NIB See side two of the Bonus Disk.
=*
|
VIEWING THE CFDM ART GALLERY Please use NIBSHOW to view the .NIB pictures on this
month's disk. As you recall, NIBSHOW was featured
in issue #18 and a more complete documentation can
be found there. NIBSHOW is the contribution of our
Friend Stuart Wyss-Gallifent. Thanks Stuart!
After RUNning NIBSHOW, press D for a directory of
the NIB pictures on the disk. Use the arrow keys to
choose a picture and press the spacebar to view it.
Press BREAK to leave the picture. Press X at the
MAIN MENU to exit NIBSHOW.
=*
|
| Articles in section: FAMILY TREE |
| A
MAXWELL MOUSE WINNER <g> WHERE'S BUCK RODGERS? <g> What's new! |
| Back to top |
What's new! At the relatively young age of 25, I am now a full-
time teacher in the local school district. I have
25 fourth-graders (9 and 10 year olds) to teach
this year! I am VERY EXCITED about this! All my
life I have always wanted to be a teacher, and now
that I am, I do NOT regret the decision at all.
Being my first year in this district, I do have to
work ever so hard to make a good impression, and
just to get all the material taught. This leaves
me with very little time for fun and games. I have
had to temporarily step down from my Youth Group,
because I find myself staying at the school until
7 or 8 at night. I know the first couple years are
always the hardest, so I am not bitter about it.
There is just some school work that you cannot =>
____________________________________________________
bring home, because you need to do it in your room.
I will try to get a GIF/NIB made of my students
for you all to see!
However, it has only been over Christmas that I
have been able to use the CoCo for more than just
checking out the latest issue of CFDM.
This vacation I patched Fractals, added features to
NIBSHOW, and wrote a simple SQS viewing program.
Not bad for a few days off. I plan to do more CoCo
stuff before I get back to school on January 3rd.
I apologize for not contributing too much to CFDM
recently, and for not working on several projects =>
____________________________________________________
that I had started or been a part of. I am not sure
when this will change. Next summer, maybe!
I wish you all a great new year, and we have a lot
to look forward to with the CoCo 3 Emulator. Our
favorite machine lives on, and who knows, may even
improve in the future. I love the speed of the
CoCo 3 on my 486DX-40. Can you imagine the CoCo 3
running on a Pentium? or under OS 2 Warp? or with
Windows NT (95)? You could SEVERAL CoCos running
at the same time!!
Take care, everyone!
Your Friend,
Stuart Wyss-Gallifent
=*
|
| Articles in section: FORUM |
| Our
Space Program Space Progam, Part 2 WHAT IS SCIENCE FICTION? PART 1 WHAT IS SCIENCE FICTION? PART 2 What Is Sci-Fi? |
| Back to top |
Our Space Program Is it worth the cost? Of course we cannot place a value on the loss of the three Apollo astronauts or the crew of the Challenger; but can we, in the same way, place a value on the benefits to mankind that have come from technology developed for the space program? I think not, because there are countless numbers of our citizens who are alive today thanks to this technology. Ironically, some of these people and even sometimes their doctors who use the tools made possible by this technology do not realize it has all been made possible due to research for the space program. Think about this: Anything that is microminiaturized, whether you find it at a hospital or a hardware store or your local Radio Shack, had its initial development as part of our space program before it made its way into public use. Examples: => ____________________________________________________ minicomputers, miniaturized long-life power sources, highly reliable microswitches, remotely-controlled manipulators, image enhancers, plus robotics and cy- bernetics. There are hundreds of spinoffs from space program technology, and many times there are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations of spinoffs off of the ori- ginal spinoffs-- it branches out like a tree. Here are a few examples NOT listed in the original bro- chure put out by NASA (circa 1979): Image enhancer- This device runs an x-ray or fluor- oscope picture through a special computer and puts the image on a screen. It can sharpen the image, take out the 'noise,' remove part of the picture that gets in the way, and much more. This is the same tool that took the weak digital code signals and turned them into those beautiful, sharp, => ____________________________________________________ true-color photographs from the surface of Mars in the Viking program and also brought us the Voyager photographs of Jupiter and its moons. Portable kidney machines- Before miniaturization al- lowed the development of these machines, the suicide rate for victims of kidney failure was very high. The prospect of having to 'go on the machine' every three days or so or die from the toxins produced by their own bodies was a grim fate. Now patients are able to live fairly normal lives, even travel, while their blood is steadily cleaned. The suicide rate has dropped as life is again worth living. CAT scan (computerized-axial topography)- An image of the brain made from many x-rays of 'slices' of the brain. It can show physicians a 3-dimensional view in fine detail, a layer at a time. See Part 2=* |
Space Progam, Part 2 Spinoff technology from the space program:
Doppler Ultrasound Stethoscope- This device is enor-
mously more sensitive than an acoustic stethoscope.
I think we have all seen the pictures of unborn
babies-- a noninvasive way for physicians to moni-
tor and make sure mother and child are both well.
And since it uses ultrasound rather than x-rays to
provide the image, there is no risk to the patients.
Telemetered Remote Monitoring- This device can give
physicians and nurses readings of EKG, blood pres-
sure, respiration, temperature, brain waves, and
much more. Because of microminiaturized sensors de-
veloped to monitor astronauts in space, the patients
are not wired to the machine; and these readings can
be transmitted to more than one terminal for display
and monitoring. =>
____________________________________________________
The above text and examples are a synopsis of the
testimony given by Robert Heinlein at a July 19,1979
joint session of the House Select Committee on Aging
and the House Committee on Science and Technology--
subject: Applications of Space Technology for the
Elderly and the Handicapped. Here are some direct
quotes from his later comments on the subject:
"No, to most citizens of the United States the
entire space program plus all its spinoffs is not
worth even 5 cents per day..." (Mr. Heilein is re-
ferring to the entire cost of the Apollo program. It
works out to 5 cents per day per citizen for the
entire 10 year program.) "They will still think of
it as 'all that money' being 'wasted' on a 'few
rocks.' It is easy to prove that the space program
paid for itself many times over in terms of =>
____________________________________________________
increased gross national product... and in new tech-
nology... and in saved lives. But they won't believe
any of that, either."
Concerning the elderly, shut-ins, and disabled:
"For many of them, the television screen is their
only window on the world; something great and shin-
ing and wonderful went out of their lives when the
Apollo Moon program ended. Even if a space program
had no other spinoff, isn't that sort worth 5 cents
a day?"
A more complete, although abridged, version of Rob-
ert Heinlein's congressional testimony and more of
his comments concerning space program technology can
be found in his book, Expanded Universe.
=*
|
WHAT IS SCIENCE FICTION? I have been reading Science Fiction since I was a kid of about 9 or 10. My brother and I would lug our family magazines (Life, Literary Digest, etc.) to the used-book store and trade them for science fic- tion "pulp" magazines. These were printed on cheap paper and had garish colorful covers, but contained fascinating stories. Many of the now-well-known authors started writing in the 1930's and 1940's: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Lester del Ray, and Frederich Pohl, to name a few. I have never lost my interest in this form of literature and currently have a library of several hundred science fiction books. Fortunately, many of the classic stories of the early days have been collected, anthologized and reprinted, so they are still available. => ____________________________________________________ Before I attempt to define Science Fiction, let me first say what it it NOT. It is NOT stories of the supernatural (devils, demons, etc.). It is NOT fantasy fiction (unicorns, magic swords, etc.). And it is especially NOT "space opera", so-called because it transports "horse-opera" Western shoot- em-ups into a futuristic space environment. The best description of true science fiction I have read goes something like this: The author starts with an imaginative premise. This may be unscientific or impossible as far as present science knows. But everything in the story follows from, and is logically consistent with, that premise. As an example, many stories start with the acceptance of time travel. They go in different directions from here. Some tell of how the => ____________________________________________________ traveler can change an event in the past and, there- fore alter the present. The "grandfather paradox" asks, "If you go back in time and kill your grand- father, will you cease to exist?" Others say time consists of an infinity of parallel streams. Any event which has multiple possibilities initiates new paths. And, still others say the present is fixed regardless of what changes are made by a traveler to the past. There are lots of good stories on this one theme of time travel. Science fiction writing is not new. A Greek philosopher by the name of Lucian of Somasata amused himself by creating fictional trips to the moon. Then, there were early writers like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, and even Mark Twain (Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court among others).(See Part 2) =* |
WHAT IS SCIENCE FICTION PART 2 While originally read by only a relatively-small
number of fans, science fiction is now accepted as a
legitimate literary form. Many true science fiction
books wind up on the Best Seller lists. My local
library has some 30 feet of shelving, each about six
feet high, devoted to science fiction. My own
opinion is that those authors in the "Golden Age of
Science Fiction" (through the 1950's) were more
imaginative and far better story-tellers than most
later writers -- with exceptions, of course. As a
matter of fact, before I got my first CoCo, I
started reading my way through that 30 feet of
shelves. I soon got bored with the more current
authors, and went back to rereading my own books by
the older writers.
=>
____________________________________________________
I could fill Rick's entire Science Fiction issue
with my opinions and recollections on this subject.
If anyone is interested in recommended reading in
this area, drop me a line, and I'll be happy to
give more of my thoughts.
And, finally, my personal peeve is the reference
to "sci-fi". I suspect this stems from Hollywood
which has, in most instances, no idea of what
constitutes GOOD science fiction. If you must use an
abbreviation, s.f. is accepted by most knowledgeable
writers and editors.
I'll get off my soapbox now!
Norm Barson
7 Ridge Court
East Brunswick, NJ 08816 =*
|
What Is Sci-Fi? According to Webster's, science fiction is defined
as "fiction dealing principally with the impact of
actual or imagined science upon society or individ-
uals; broadly: literary fantasy including a scien-
tific factor as an essential orienting component".
Well, I'm sure that could be interpretted in many
different ways. Let me talk about what sci-fi means
to me, and why I feel it is important.
I see sci-fi as a means for writers to predict or
foresee what the future might hold for mankind. This
usually involves projecting upon the development of
technology. We've all seen this before in the area
of computers. Articles have been written describing
the advancements for both current technology and
that which has yet to be developed. A sci-fi writer
would try to take this to the limit and write a =>
____________________________________________________
story about the ultimate computer of the future. The
story might pertain to the benefits this would reap,
or it might go the other way and describe how people
became too dependent upon such technology. There are
numerous possibilities, as I'm sure you can see. The
point being that to write a sci-fi story, one only
needs to ask "What if..." In this case, it is: "What
if mankind was able to build the ultimate computer?"
From this point, the writer's imagination is given
free rein, and hopefully, an entertaining story will
ensue. For my tastes, a good story can do much more
than hold a reader's interest and provide entertain-
ment. I know I'm hooked when I pause from reading to
say to myself, "Yes, I see the possibilities."
From its humble beginnings in the pulp magazines of
the 1930s, science fiction has been driven by the =>
____________________________________________________
imaginations of writers asking themselves the "What
if..." question. Those who have researched this
field of literature have found writers who seemed to
be able to predict the future of mankind fairly ac-
curately. Some would say lucky guesses, while others
might be inclined to say good insight. For myself,
the thought has occurred that perhaps some youngster
read the story and the idea stuck, incubating, until
as an adult, that individual decided to devote his
life's work into making that idea become a reality.
I wonder how many of the people working on the pro-
ject to send a man to the moon had been intrigued as
youngsters by a story of similar nature in one of
those old pulp magazines?
=*
|
| Articles in section: FROM THE EDITOR |
| HAPPY
3RD BIRTHDAY LETTER FROM RICK & KUDOS |
| Back to top |
HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY
One of our very talented CoCo artists is Ben Walker.
Ben really makes some Great cartoons for the mag
side of CFDM. Back in August I received six more
neat drawings and one was particularly appropriate
for our anniversary issue...But..I used three of
Ben's pictures and completely let the anniversay
issue come and go without remembering his neat
birthday cartoon!
My deepest apologies to Ben and the Friends for
missing this one. But now if it's not too late to
celebrate, check out BIRTHDAY.NIB on the front side
of the Bonus Disk.
Thanks Ben! It's another good one!
=*
|
LETTER FROM RICK & KUDOS You wouldn't believe how little space is left in
this disk! I'm typing this entry and hope I have
enough room left for the Contents entries!! Thus I
must squeeze in KUDOS, ESCROW FUND UPDATE, and the
monthly scripture in this entry. But first let me
say that some exciting news is that I will soon be
offering Zebra Systems software thru Rick's Computer
Enterprise...more next issue.
Our Escrow Fund/Rick's Picnic Fund now stands at
$425.75. Recent donors are Herb Forger $20, Charles
Boulanger $25, Richard Taylor $5, Don Good $10, and
Godfrey Moll $54. Thanks to all for your generosity!
Also, we add Larry Heiderscheidt and Godfrey Moll to
Ray Berney and Ben Walker as Picnic attenders! There
are a number of others also planning to attend. =>
____________________________________________________
KUDOS <issue 39>
Norm Barson John Saya Ben Walker
Jim Bennett Herb Schuler Amanda Wolf
Ray Berney Garry Spencer Stu Wyss-G.
Pete Blackwell Bob van der Poel
Marie Boudet
Charles Boulanger
Perry Friesen And a special Thanks to:
Dale Heglin
Thomas Huber Jim Mills for coming up with
James McCarthy the theme for this special
Dann McConnell issue of CFDM...and for all
Harold Moenich his great contributions!!
Godfrey Moll
William Rosenfeld =>
____________________________________________________
This month's scripture.
The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory
above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our
God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to
behold the things that are in heaven, and in the
earth!
PSALMS 113, 4-6
=*
|
| Articles in section: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
| CFDM
IS GOOD! ENJOYED THE COLORING CONTEST!! STILL ENJOYS CFDM!! When Worlds Collide |
| Back to top |
CFDM IS GOOD! Rick,
I did not realize that #36 was my last disk. I am
sorry...I try to watch for this.
CFDM is very good and I have learned a lot and hope
to improve.
Please renew my subscription.
- Thomas Huber
867 No. Lamb Blvd SP. 48
Las Vegas, NV 89110
=>
____________________________________________________
-----
RICK: Thanks Thomas...many let that renewal slip up
on them. I try to place a red circle around the
last number in your subscription address and write
"Please renew CFDM" and also inclose a renewal form
when a Friend reaches their last issue.
=*
|
ENJOYED THE COLORING CONTEST!! Dear Rick,
I want to let you know that I received the DMP-105
printer that you sent as my prize for the 3rd place
in the Coloring Contest.
When you called the other night, I was not expect-
ing a call and I didn't catch your name at the
beginning. So until you started to explain why you
had called I didn't realize that I was talking to
you.
That was a nice prize for such a fun contest. I
hope Godfrey Moll will draw some other outline
pictures for us. Not as a contest, but just for the
fun of coloring them. For people like me who =>
____________________________________________________
cannot draw, it's a big help for him to do the
drawing.
I really do enjoy the hardcopy and CFDM disks. I
thank you and your family for all the work you put
into keeping the shrinking CoCo community together.
- Marie Boudet
63 Telbar Street
Springfield, MA 01128
-----
RICK: Thanks for your kind words and enthusiasm! And
who knows? maybe Godfrey will make more pictures
available in the future. Thanks for participating
Marie!! =*
|
STILL ENJOYS CFDM!! Dear Rick,
Just a short note to let you know that I still
enjoy CFDM very much and hope you are able to keep
it up. Can't imagine how you are able to do it.
Included here is my belated CoCo Registry form.
Hope it's not too late. Also in this same envelope
is my contribution to the Emulator Bounty Escrow for
Jeff Vavasour.
- Charles Boulanger
62 Springvale Ave.
Lynn, MA 01904
=>
____________________________________________________
-----
RICK: Thanks for your nice words Charles and for
your participation in the Registry and Emulator
Escrow Fund!!!
=*
|
When Worlds Collide Dear Rick, When I first read your announcement for an issue of CFDM with a sci-fi theme, I immediately began run- ning all the possibilities for submissions through my head and promptly overwhelmed myself. To cele- brate and regroup, I decided to go rent a videotape of a sci-fi movie that I had not seen-- not an easy task in itself, as I've pretty much gone through all of their sci-fi stuff. The title of this article is the motion picture I found. Here's my mini-review: When Worlds Collide was released in 1951 and was produced by George Pal, one of the pioneers in de- veloping special effects for movies. And although the effects in this picture are pretty good, => ____________________________________________________ considering the time period, that isn't what I want to talk about. What I liked about this picture was the obvious intent to keep everything as realistic as possible. The plot, for those who haven't seen this classic picture, revolves around a rogue star hurtling through the galaxy and on a direct colli- sion course with Earth. (The recent comet fragments slamming into Jupiter heightened this.) Of course it was the job of the scientific community to preserve humanity. But how do you stop a star? Even throwing atomic bombs at it would be useless. So the only al- ternative was to build a space ship to carry the seeds of mankind to a new world. This is the part I liked. They didn't attempt any tom foolery with technology that hadn't been => ____________________________________________________ developed. They used what was available for that time period (circa 1951) and kept everything plaus- ible. The payload of forty passengers, livestock, food, water, and everything else to go on the ship was weighed precisely to ensure the ship would have enough fuel to escape the gravitational pull. Of special note here, since this was even before the period of 'electronic brains,' is the fact that all of the calculations for trajectory and such were figured out long-hand and then checked by the D.A. The D.A. turned out to be a differential analyzer, a mechanical device that evidently was able to calcu- late or analyze the calculus differential equations involved. I would have liked to have had a closer look at this device. Well, that's it. I will close by saying thanks for this opportunity, Rick. =* |
| Articles in section: POTPOURRI |
| Heinlein
Predicts, Part 1 Heinlein Predicts, Part 2 Science News Briefs Science News, Part 2 |
| Back to top |
The Prophesy of Robert Heinlein In 1950, Robert Heinlein published 19 predictions. Not timid predictions, as he explained, but rather extravagant predictions that he felt were well with- in the grasp of mankind before the beginning of the new millenium. 1) Interplanetary travel is waiting at your front door-- C.O.D. It's yours when you pay for it. 2) Contraception and control of disease is revising relations between the sexes to an extent that will change our entire social and economic structure. 3) The most important military fact of this century is that there is no way to repel an attack from out- er space. 4) It is utterly impossible that the United States will start a "preventative war." We will fight when attacked, either directly or in a territory we => ____________________________________________________ have guaranteed to defend. 5) In fifteen years the housing shortage will be solved by a "breakthrough" into new technology which will make every house now standing as obsolete as privies. 6) We'll all be getting a little hungry by and by. 7) The cult of the phony in art will disappear. So- called "modern art" will be discussed only by psy- chiatrists. 8) Freud will be classed as a pre-scientific, intu- itive pioneer and psychoanalysis will be replaced by a growing, changing "operational psychology" based on measurement and prediction. 9) Cancer, the common cold, and tooth decay will all be conquered; the revolutionary new problem in medi- cal research will be to accomplish "regeneration,"=> ____________________________________________________ i.e., to enable a man to grow a new leg, rather than to fit him with an artificial limb. 10) By the end of this century mankind will have ex- plored this solar system, and the first ship intend- ed to reach the nearest star will be a building. 11) Your personal telephone will be small enough to carry in your handbag. Your house telephone will re- cord messages, answer simple inquiries, and transmit vision. 12) Intelligent life will be found on Mars. 13) A thousand miles an hour at a cent a mile will be commonplace; short hauls will be made in evacu- ated subways at extreme speed. 14) A major objective of applied physics will be to control gravity. Continued in Heinlein Predicts, Part 2 =* |
Heinlein Predicts, Part 2 15) We will not achieve a "World State" in the pre-
dictable future. Nevertheless, Communism will van-
ish from this planet.
16) Increasing mobility will disenfranchise a maj-
ority of the population. About 1990 a constitutional
amendment will do away with state lines while re-
taining the semblance.
17) All aircraft will be controlled by a giant radar
net run on a continent-wide basis by a multiple
electronic "brain."
18) Fish and yeast will become our principal sources
of proteins. Beef will be a luxury; lamb and mutton
will disappear.
19) Mankind will not destroy itself, nor will
"Civilization" be destroyed.
=>
____________________________________________________
As you can see, not all of Robert Heinlein's pre-
dictions appear to have a chance of coming to pass
before the year 2000. Robert has addressed each of
these 1950 predictions at fifteen year intervals, in
1965 and again in 1980. These 19 predictions were
extracted from his book entitled Expanded Universe,
which also contains his commentary as to where he
stood on each of them in 1965 and 1980. For me, this
was simply riveting reading. Plus, it was a chance
to get an overview of forty years of Robert Heinlein
writings, as the book contains much much more than
just these few prognostications. Here are a few ex-
cerpts regarding Robert Heinlein's view of mankind's
future:
"I am an optimist. I have great confidence in Homo
sapiens. We have rough times ahead-- =>
____________________________________________________
but when didn't we? We have three basic and continu-
ing problems: The problem of population explosion;
the problem of data explosion; and the problem of
government."
"The gathering wind will not destroy everything,
nor will the Age of Science change everything. Long
after the first star ship leaves for parts unknown,
there will still be outhouses in upstate New York,
there will still be steers in Texas, and -no doubt-
the English will still stop for tea."
"Last to come out of Pandora's Box was a gleaming,
beautiful thing-- eternal Hope."
Extracted from Robert A. Heinlein's Expanded
Universe, pages 323 through 353 (paperback).
=*
|
Science News Briefs The following are excerpts from the magazine called Science News. The dates indicate when the article was published in this magazine and not necessarily when the findings were first made public. Consider this part of the data explosion Robert Heinlein has warned us about. How do we catalog all of the data and make it easily accessible for anyone who wishes to research a certain subject? I will try to limit this to computer-related subjects. 9/12/92-The technology used in perfecting a powerful optical microscope has been used as the basis for storing vast amounts of digital data-- successfully, 100 times more than compact disks and 300 times more than conventional magnetic storage in the same given space. 5/1/93-To avoid the wait to use a supercom- puter (incidently, the price of such a computer => ____________________________________________________ ranges from $15 million to $30 million apiece) some innovative researchers have taken to linking desktop computers into coordinated clusters to perform cer- tain kinds of computations. One elaborate arrange- ment they tested combined 48 IBM RS/6000 computers, 80 Sun Sparc workstations, and two Intel 1860 hyper- cube computers. In 10 minutes, this configuration did computations that would take three hours on a Cray Y-MP. Of course, one must take into account the time to link up such a system, not to mention the software needed to coordinate the whole thing. 4/17/93-Colored glass, made by imbedding nanometer- sized metal clusters in glass as the glass is being produced, promises to be a good material for use in optical computers and light-based electronics. The technique used is called ion implantation, which => ____________________________________________________ is the same process used in the semiconductor indus- try to etch silicon chips. Using the colored glass, some of the light is temporarily captured by the metal clusters and then reradiated. The next chal- lenge will be to design a composite that can split a light beam for use in a wave-guide device. 8/29/92- Yet another computer simulation has proven useful to researchers. In this case the simulator shows how small molecules worm their way into and out of larg- er ones. In the study of leghemoglobin, a plant pro- tein that resembles human hemoglobin, the simulation uses techniques that simplify the task of tracking the movements of the thousands of atoms that make up proteins. This preview, combined with genetic engin- eering techniques, can guide researchers in attain- ing proteins for specific uses. See Part 2 =* |
Science News, Part 2 5/22/93-A new laser has been developed called a
VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser). Most
semiconductor lasers used today emit their light
from the cleaved edges of a crystal. The much small-
er VCSELs, however, emit a more focused swath of
light from the top surface. Laser-based systems for
storing, presenting, and moving data may benefit
from the VCSELs with potential uses in optical in-
formation processing, laser printers, and displays.
5/22/93-A supercomputer designed and built at IBM,
known as the GF11, specifically for calculating the
mass ratios of certain subatomic particles, has,
after a year of computing, completed its task. The
GF11 fills a large room and has 566 processors--
each a powerful computer in its own right-- that op-
erate together in various combinations. =>
____________________________________________________
Physicists had extracted theoretical predictions for
the GF11 to use in the calculations and the results
differed from experimentally observed values by less
than six percent. 1/23/93-Researchers have now dem-
onstrated the first general-purpose optical computer
that can store programs. The program and data are on
the fly within the computer. This mode of operation
is compared to a square dance, in which everyone is
moving and partners must wait until they're next to
each other to do the required figure. In this case,
however, the program and the data are doing their
dosie-dos at the speed of light. This prototype has
roughly the power of a mid-60s minicomputer, but it
demonstrates the principle that all of the compo-
nents of a general-purpose machine can be done in
optics. The computer, about the size of a desk, =>
____________________________________________________
has nearly 5 kilometers of optical fiber serving as
its main memory. It also has 66 optical switches.
During processing, infrared laser beams route light
pulses from memory through the switches.
And there was one more article I wanted to share,
but I can't put my hands on it-- data explosion I
guess is to blame. Anyway, it described a new type
of material being developed for Random Access Mem-
ory chips. These new chips were being developed to
be able to retain their memory even if the power to
the computer was shut off, either due to a brown out
or the user accidentally switching off the power.
Yes, a good idea. I'm for that one.
=*
|
** BURMA-SHAVE ** While in Florida this winter I had to buy a new
shaving mug -- Got one by BURMA-SHAVE with a nice
stiff brush! In the box was 'The Legend of BURMA-
SHAVE', or a story about the signs that were along
the highway. The six sign series were placed along
many highways starting back in 1920. Sunday after
noons were often spent driving along at 25 miles per
hour reading the clever jingles.
I decided that I ought to try my hand at BASIC
programming to recreate some of the signs. Just type
RUN"BURMA/BAS" to see the results of my efforts. I
did the first two sets and then put the program into
my WORD POWER 3.3 wordprocessor and used the block
copy function to add each additional set. Only had
to write in the new messages. (Side 1 Bonus Disk)
HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM. GODFREY =*
|
A SQS Viewer After throwing YET ANOTHER file compression system
into the CoCo arena (how many are there now?), I was
asked by some people to write a NIBSHOW program for
my SQS files. SQS, as you may know, is the system
for saving pictures in my later Fractals programs.
The advantage of SQS was that the files can be any
size, the disadvantage was that NIB compressed a
little better. The request for a SQS viewing
program has now been answered with SQSSHOW.BAS.
To run the program, you also need SQSREADR.BIN.
The program is a very simplified version of NIBSHOW.
You cannot change borders, HSCREEN modes, or lines.
I don't think these features are necessary for SQS
files.
=>
____________________________________________________
When you run the program, you'll see a menu screen.
Press 0, 1, 2, or 3 to select the drive to use, then
press D for a directory. The SQS files will be
listed along with numbers. To see a file, press L
for Load, then enter the number of the file and hit
Enter. The file will load. Press any key, or BREAK
to return to the menu. If you have a picture in
memory already, press V to View that picture. Press
E to Exit the program. If you change drives, you
will need to do a new directory.
Of course, the Slide Show option (S) has been kept!
Press S, and enter the number of seconds between
each picture. The Show will keep on cycling until
you press BREAK. =>
As with the NEW NIBSHOW, you can now animate those
____________________________________________________
fractals, and also select Red, Green, or Blue colors
for the displayed fractal.
To use this feature, make the first character of the
filename a hyphen, or dash. The next character can
be a number from 1 to 9 for cycling speeds of fast
to slow, or a letter R, G, B, or S, for Red, Green,
Blue, or Standard. The rest of the filename can be
up to you. This dash system works in both regular
viewing and the slide-show modes. EXAMPLES:
-4CIRCLE.SQS color-cycle CIRCLE.SQS at speed 4
-7SPIKE.SQS color-cycle SPIKE.SQS at speed 7
-BSWIRL.SQS show SWIRL.SQS with Blue coloring
-RSTORM.SQS show STORM.SQS with Red coloring
Now show all your friends what the CoCo can do! =*
|
A Trip To Mars This is one from the early 90's, when the Soviet
Union was still a Union. Anyways, it's a graphic
program written in BASIC. The idea is to display
the only way we could make a manned flight to Mars
.........RUN "MARSTRIP" and check it out!
=*
|
COCO DIRECTORY MANAGER View text file associated with this article This is a shareware version of the CoCo Directory
Manager Version 3.1. This means that the program is
fully functional with the exception of the full
configuration editor, help editor, and user editor.
To order the registered version, RUN "ORDER.BAS".
You will be able to read what registering will get
you, and you will also be able to fill out the order
form and print it. Remember that the CoCo Directory
Manager 3.1 will only run on a CoCo 3. Any damage
by the use of this program, I will not be held
responsible for.
John Saya
206 Driscoll Ave.
Syracuse, NY 13204
=>
____________________________________________________
NOTE: Use your favorite wordprocessor to load
"HELP.CDM" for more complete instructions on
using this program.
The CoCo Directory Manager is made up of these
files:
BOOT.BAS INFO.CDM
CDM31.SYS NOUSERS.CDM
CONFIG.BAS ORDER.BAS
CONFIG.CDM README.TXT
DISK.CDM TITLE1.CDM
HELP.CDM TITLE2.CDM
=*
|
CoCo 3 Meteor Shower This is a fun little program I wrote a few years
back. It shows what a few lines of code can
produce on a CoCo 3. Using the HSCREEN, and some
RND functions, it simulates a meteor shower on
your monitor. Just RUN"COCO3MET" and sit back
and enjoy.
=*
|
Fractals Update As many of you know, my Fractals program has under-
gone several changes and updates since its creation.
I recently received a letter from someone who had
found a mistake in the Fractals program. At some
zooms, the program would leave small black squares
in the fractal. The problem is only with the
Fractal program that uses SQS compression. If you
are using the older NIB Fractal program, this is
NOT a problem. I recommend you switch to using
this newer Fractal program because it runs quicker.
The new Fractal program is on this disk, along with
the three files needed: MANJUL.BIN, SQSREADR.BIN,
and SQSMAKER.BIN. (SF12.BAS is the Fractal program.)
(These programs are on the Bonus Disk side 2) =>
____________________________________________________
Technical: What went wrong!
The Fractal program tries to guess parts of the
fractal. If the guess is accurate, the fractal
looks like it would if the program wasn't guessing,
but if the guess is wrong, the fractal is inaccurate
and this is what happened.
The program checks 5 points in an 8 x 8 area, and
if all 5 are black, the program assumes the entire
8 x 8 area is black. The program sometimes checks
4 x 4 blocks, and makes assumptions. There are
times when the 5 points are all black, but the
entire area actually contains important details.
This causes 8 x 8 and 4 x 4 blocks to be "missing".
=>
____________________________________________________
The fix had two-parts:
1. Make 6 x 6 blocks and 3 x 3 blocks
2. If the first 5 points are all black,
check 5 more, and if they are all black,
assume the whole 6 x 6 block is.
This has effectively fixed the problem, without
slowing the computation down much.
I apologize to anyone who saw blocks and didn't
know why, and to anyone else that this caused an
inconvenience to.
=*
|
HOLMES - A CoCo Mystery Having a little time to be creative, I decided
to try to write a Sherlock Holmes short mystery.
As with all Holmes mysteries, it is told from the
viewpoint of Dr. Watson, and ends with Holmes
solving the case in the nick of time.
Just RUN"HOLMES" to read the HOLMES text file.
=*
|
TREKKIE; TREKI; TREK1; TREK2; TK TREKKIE; TREKI; TREK1; TREK2; TREK3;TREK4 and
TREK5/BAS are all progressions of the same program.
Basically it shows the Enterprise 'flying' in
front of, behind, then in front of 3 suns (moons,
planets?).
As you go from one program to the other, you can
see how I built it up to the final (?) program,
TREK5.
Though they are not very well commented, they
are pretty straight forward. You are encouraged to
'take them apart', add to, subtract or whatever
suits you.
Hope you enjoy.
These were, incidentally, submitted to Jim Mills
for inclusion in THAEDIAK, should he find a place
for it. =>
____________________________________________________
Pete Blackwell
1408 1/2 McFadden
Paris TN 38242-3225
(901) 644-2635
------
We've included only TREKKIE and TREK1 in this issue.
See the back of this disk for these neat animations!
=*
|
| Articles in section: REVIEWS |
| TREKKIE
Revisited TREKKIE Tips TREKKIE Tips, Part 2 |
| Back to top |
TREKKIE Revisited Way back in issue #2 of CFDM, Robert Allen Turner submitted a program called TREKKIE. He painstakingly converted it for use with a CoCo3 from a GW BASIC listing for IBM and compatibles; and thanks to the programming prowess of Robert, this version works flawlessly. In the BASIC listing of the converted program, Robert kept a log of sorts, tracking his progress. For those of us aspiring to be programmers these comments will give a good indication of the patience and perseverance needed to be a good pro- grammer. Thank you again Robert, for a great game. TREKKIE is not an arcade-type shoot 'em up. You will not have your thumb disjointed trying to make a joystick go in directions it was not meant to go, as all commands for this game come from keyboard entry. To start, a convenient instruction program can be => ____________________________________________________ run, which will print two pages that contain all of the information necessary to play. This printout, and in fact the game itself, makes use of what I be- lieve is called "ASCII art"-- using the keyboard characters to draw a picture or diagram, like the sidewise smiley face [:-)]. A clever picture of the U.S.S. Enterprise is drawn, but more importantly for the game, a navigational compass and a galactic map are also depicted. Once the game starts, you will be given your assignment as Captain of the star ship. The game follows the original TV series, in that the enemy trying to invade and conquer is the Klingon Empire. The commands available to you need to be entered as 3 key codes. To issue a navigational com- mand, for example, you would enter NAV, and then an- swer the prompts for direction and speed. In the => ____________________________________________________ game, the ASCII art is used for scanner displays, both long range (LRS) and short range (SRS). Some of the characters used are: K = Klingon battle cruiser, * = a solar system (a star), and ]S[ = a star base. Your orders for the mission simulation will include the number of invading Klingon battle cruisers, the number of star bases available for refueling and re- arming (very important to locate these), and the star date (amount of time) in which the mission must be completed. If you successfully complete a mission, you will be given an efficiency rating. The rating of course, will indicate how quickly you were able to complete the mission, as well as how efficiently you made use of your available fuel and armaments. For some hints and tips, please see TREKKIE Tips =* |
TREKKIE Tips TREKKIE does not start out at easy levels, pro- gressing to harder levels. Instead, the program as- sumes you are qualified as a star ship captain and assigns your simulated mission in a randomized man- ner. For the novice, it may be disheartening to be given an assignment to locate and destroy a large fleet (20 to 30) of Klingon battle cruisers. This can be avoided, thanks to the clean way you are al- lowed to exit the program. On BREAK, you will see a nice sign-off message, followed by the OK prompt. The program is still intact in memory and may be in- itiated again by simply entering RUN. You may repeat this procedure until you receive an assignment you believe gives you a reasonable chance of succeeding. For a novice, a fleet of 8 to 10 battle cruisers might seem less intimidating. => ____________________________________________________ Once you accept your assignment, you and your ship and crew will be randomly placed inside the bound- aries of the known galaxy (check the printout of the galactic map). Your ship will be fully fueled and armed, but your shields will be down. This is also the case after you dock at a star base to refuel and rearm. So, high on your list of things to do, should be power up the shields. To locate the Klingons, use your scanners. Your long range scanner gives a dis- play of 9 sectors, with the one you are occuppying in the center. All data from the scans are recorded and may be referenced using the ship's computer. The ship's computer is also useful for calculating the distance and direction to a star base in your sector or a Klingon ship. In the latter case, the data for direction may be used to launch a photon torpedo. => ____________________________________________________ A hit with a photon torpedo always destroys a Kling- on vessel. This is not the case with phaser fire. If you do not hit a Klingon ship with a phaser blast sufficient enough to deplete his shields, you will be certain to receive return fire. Also, the inten- sity of a phaser blast decreases with distance; and neither of your weapons can shoot through a star. Be forewarned though, if you try to maneuver on him to get a clear shot, the Klingon vessel will move as well and fire upon your ship. In this case, it may be best to warp out of this sector and reenter it for a different angle. For example, if you leave using a warp factor of 1, try reentering the sector at warp 1.25 for a new position. Likewise, slightly lower warp factors like .75 may give you a better angle for a clear shot. Continued in Part 2 =* |
TREKKIE Tips, Part 2 There may be times when you will encounter more than one Klingon ship in a given sector. You will want to be fully armed and fueled for these encount- ers. If your current status (given with a short range scan) shows your fuel and arms to be diminish- ed, it might be wise to warp out of this sector and make for the nearest star base. After resupply, you can quickly return by checking the location of the enemy ships via the ship's computer. To attack mul- tiple Klingon cruisers, start out with a H E A V Y phaser blast (phaser targetting is taken care of automatically by the ship's computer-- you will not have to calculate the direction). This should dis- able one or more of the Klingon ships. Stragglers can be handled using photon torpedos, generally. Note that the use of photon torpedos does not => ____________________________________________________ diminish the energy supply of your ship, unlike the use of phaser fire. This could be crucial if you are not near a star base to resupply. Your ship carries a maximum of ten photon torpedos at any given time. Make 'em count. Also, try to navigate "cleanly." Your warp engines will shut down automatically if you try to maneuver your ship through a star, a star base, a Klingon ship, or try to leave the galaxy. It will make life a little less hectic for Scotty as he tries to keep your ship in good repair. If you should make such a navigational error or some such other mistake, you will receive advice from your seniors officers-- Science Officer Spock, Helmsman Sulu, Navigator Chekov, Communications Officer Uhura, and Chief Engineer Scott (a nice touch to the game). => ____________________________________________________ Always be aware of your ship's status: star date (time remaining), energy level (fuel supply), and number of photon torpedos remaining. When attempting to dock at a star base, get the direction from the ship's computer and proceed carefully. It would not do your efficiency rating any good if it appeared you tried to ram a star base. Use small warp speed factors-- .25 or so and approach slowly. The shields will drop automatically and the status report will tell you when docking is completed. Resupply of fuel and armaments is automatic. Obviously time is of the essence, so base your de- cisions with that in mind and season them with your good judgement. Once you get your "space legs" and learn how to get around in the galaxy, I'm sure you will do well. Good luck to you, Captain! =* |
| Articles in section: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS |
| NEED
A REGISTRATION NUMBER? THANK YOU, DAN To Bob Nicholson: 1411-1 Beddis? |
| Back to top |
NEED A REGISTRATION NUMBER? Thanks for the CoCo 2 Emulator. I tried to load it
on the IBM at work but it would not take. I got a
directory containing COCO2-14.ZIP and PKUNZIP.EXE,
but nothing would load. I'm not sure if I can order
a CoCo 3 Emulator from Jeff without first getting
information from this disk. I saw something in the
Upgrade about needing a registration number before
ordering. I would like to have the CoCo 3 Emulator
on hand in case I came across a good deal on a PC.
Could you please straighten me out on this as I have
no immediate access to another PC.
Dale Heglin
1224 Edderton Ave.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R3T 0X6 =>
____________________________________________________
------
RICK: Dale, actually you don't need anything but a
check for $25 in order to get the CoCo 3 Emulator
from Jeff! The purpose for asking people to get a
copy of the latest CoCo 2 Emulator disk was so they
could use the enclosed video check program to make
sure their video card would support the CoCo 3
Emulator. That way one wouldn't have to take a
chance on buying something that wouldn't work on
their PC.
It sounds like your disk is okay. Just copy the
files to your PC's hard drive. Then type:
PKUNZIP COCO2-14
This will decompress all the files which are inside
the zipped file, COCO2-14.ZIP. =*
|
THANK YOU, DAN I just want to thank Dan Williamson for responding
to my plea for help in locating a CBASIC3 compiler.
I really wasn't jumping at all because I had missed
getting this compiler when it was offered during the
last phone fest. But now I'm "in the pink" again
and jumping sky high!
Thanks, Dan, and thanks to Rick and CFDM for making
it possible for CoCo friends to help one another.
=*
|
To Bob Nicholson: 1411-1 Beddis? Bob, where is 1411-1 Beddis Road? Is it near Lake
Maxwell, Lake Weston, Cusheon Lake, Ford Lake,
Bullocks Lake or St. Mary Lake? Does it run along
McFadden Creek or Maxwell Creek or Cusheon Creek?
Does you house overlook Vesuvius Bay, Booth Bay,
Burgoyne Bay, Fulford Harbour, Ganges Horbour,
Welby Bay, Long Harbour or Captain Passage? Are you
near Musgrave, Mt. Maxwell Park, Mt. Belcher, Mt.
Erskine, Vesuvius, Ganges, Long Harbour, Beaver
Point, Bruce Peak or Mt. Tuam? When you talked about
the ferry, do you use the one going to Osborn Bay to
the town of Crofton or do you use the one out of
Fulford Harbour, past Isabella Point to Highway 17
in the North Saanich Land District?
Ray =*
|
