›               o=o=o=o=o=››   THE Ol' Hackers Atari User Group   ›          Meeting of 9/21/96›› CORRESPONDENCE:   RON  FETZER  read a› letter   from   club   member   David› Oldfield who sent a check for $24 for› next year. Another  letter  was  from› club  member   LARRY   TISCHBEIN   in› Pennsylvania  who  thanks   Ron   for› helping  him  with  his wordfind game› and for sending him Dotmagic to  make› labels.   We  got  a  letter from the› Plainview/Old Bethpage Public Library› asking who the club president is, the› secretary and our address.  Ron  sent› them  this information. We have a new› member from  Covetry,  England  named› RUTINA.   Ron  sent  all  of them the› newsletter, library and Welcome Disks› and   everything   else   that   they› needed.›› ALAN   SHARKIS   read   a  letter  he› received from JOHN POWELL  of  Texas,› who  got  his  mail  very  late   and› expressed  his  sorrow  about  Alex. › John  wants  to  write an article for› the   Newsletter    about    adapting› Nintendo  joysticks  for  use  on the› Atari 8-bit and he wants to know  how› he  can  put  a  diagram   into   the› newsletter.   Alan sent him some info› about this.›› Another letter ALAN read was from our› friend MR. STUART MURRAY of NOSAUG.  › He's in the  process  of  moving  and› that's  why  we  haven't received any› disks from him recently, but Alan has› a  couple  here  to  show you later. › Also, there's a  personal  letter  to› Alex  in  it  with some references to› JOHN HARDIE.›› NEW MEMBER:  B. RUTYNA from Coventry,› England  who  will  be a member until› December 1996.›› REPORTS:›› TREASURER'S REPORT:  JACK  reiterated› our  policy  that  anyone  who  joins› after  June  pays  for  the following› year plus the number of  months  left› of  the  current  year.  We're in the› black.  JACK noticed there has been a› decline  in library disk sales and he› suggests we keep publicizing our  big› library.  HAROLD PEGLER is working on› Library Index Disk #4 and we'll  have› it by the next meeting.›› PAT  MULVEY,  President  of LIAUG and› now a member of Ol' Hackers,  was  at› this  meeting  and welcomed by Jack. › JACK states that we're also having  a› problem  getting the plaque to Alex's› family and he suggests mailing it and› the dinner tape to them.›› AL  SHARKIS  showed The October issue› of   WIRED  Magazine,  popular  among› people on Internet's World  Wide  Web› but not popular among Atari people --›   yet.  Wired  just  ran  an  article› called The Spawn of Atari, about  all› of  the  personalities  who  were  at› Atari  during its formative years and› who have now gone on to do bigger and› better  things.   This was a two-page› wide foldout, and  the  members  here› today  could see that these two pages› are full  of  text  on  a  number  of› personalities  with  diagrams showing› their histories.   For  example,  the› article  explains  how in 1996, Nolan› Bushnell   joined   a   venture  with› Aritsoft International to  develop  a› series of coin-operated video games. › WOW!!›› An article from  Newsday  prompted  a› discusson about how your skin changes› resistance  while  thinking  about  a› video game with directional control. › A  new  product  to  be  marketed  as› something  called Mind Drive will use› a device that fits around your finger› and  detects  these  changes  in skin› resistance to control the game.  Some› games  out  of  the  ten  they   will› produce   are:   Mind   Steer,   Mind› Bowling,   Pinball  Mind,  FIB  Party› Game,   Mind   Flight.   The  company› involved is called, "The Other Ninety› Percent  Technology,  Inc.," and it's› headed   by   another   former  Atari› executive.›› ALAN SHARKIS AND PAT MULVEY  went  on› to   discuss   touchscreens.    These› devices are very  expensive  to  buy,› but  they're  very  useful  if you're› disabled or can't use a  mouse  or  a› keyboard -- you just touch the screen› to   make  a  selection  or  move  an› object.  PAT  MULVEY  explained  that› one technique they use in touchscreen› technology is that around the edge of› a  tv set there'll be a plastic frame› with     photo     receptors      and› photoemittors  which create a grid of› 8000 points on the  screen  that  you› can  touch  and  activate.  Move your› fingers close to the screen but don't› touch it to activate it.  It's like a› key press.  Other touchscreens use an› actual    touch-sensitive    surface,› similar  to  a  Koala pad in concept,› but transparent.›› JACK spoke about when  he  was  in  a› hospital  they  made  menu selections› from a computer screen with  a  light› pen  similar  to  the one which we've› used on Atari for a long  time.   PAT› explained  that  the  light pen looks› for light on the screen  and  gets  a› pulse  from the screen then creates a› matching   electrical   pulse.    The› program  doesn't  alwayS  Work well. › Turn   the   brightness  up  on  your› monitor when you use a light pen  for› best results.›› AL  SHARKIS,  RON  FETZER  and  HARRY› TUTHILL  worked on discs and we thank› them for creating the discs.›› DEMONSTRATIONS:      DC.COM    (Drunk› Chessboard) Library  Disc  #652  from› the  INTERNET,  and  included in the › newsletter was demonstrated  by  Alan› Sharkis.   It looks like 3-D, and has› good color.  There are 20-30 programs› of  this caliber in the set that Alan› downloaded from Poland.  Part One  of› the  series  on  Emulators (side 1 of› disk), along with Socoban  and  other› games,  are  featured in this month's› newsletter.  On the other side of the› newsletter,  an  explanation of Drunk› Chessboard's origins  can  be  found,› etc.  Alan  also   demonstrated   the› DOGBITE game.›› RON  demonstrated  a  disc  from SLCC› July '96  disc  (their  #1407).   Our› number  will  be  Library Disc #653. › The  disk  containts  a  game  called› Submission among other programs, such› as  a  VCR  Label  Program (different› from    another    they    previously› included)   and  other  games  called› "Doomed","Gauntlet",  "Spelling  Bee"› and "Thief" on side  one.   Side  two› includes  movie  maker   files   from› Bellcom  discs.   He   went   on   to› demonstrate  the  VCR  Label Program,› explaining  that  it  prints  out  on› paper.  The program was made by Frank› Walters who must have joined SLCC  as› a  corresonding  member  or  released› this program into the public domain.›› RON then went on to demonstrate #1408› from August 1996 (our Library #654). › There's a  mailing  list  program  on› side  1, a game called "Crossfire", a› home loan program, a poker  program; › on  side  2 is the new "Dragon Lord",› an "In Memory" text file on Alex, and› files  to  accompany  "Dragon Lord". › Ron demonstrated  the  poker  program› which  he thought was the best on the› disk.›› RON FETZER then ran  a  program  from› Germany   called   ABBUC   disc   #19› (Library #655) which includes a  game› called  "Cultivation"  on  side  2, a› building list of  parts  for  various› computers  and  disc  drive  numbers,› etc. for the SLT which can be ordered› from Germany, floppy docs,  and  info› about  the clubs in Germany.  Then he› ran a program called "A Color Picture› From   Poland",   a   Harley-Davidson› motorcycle picture with great detail.› Then  they  looked  up the prices for› several items and decided to buy from› California rather than Germany.  Next› they looked at pictures of dogs,  and› then  other  pictures  of Poland with› good detail.  Then they looked at the› DOS  for  the  sector  count of these› pictures --  the counts were not  the› standard  62 sectors, but varied with› each picture file.  Next we played  a› game called "Cultivation" which is on› side 2 which uses gems also and  that› was the German ABBUC disc.›› BELCOM 231 and 378 (Library #656) was› demonstrated next:  side 1 was  KOALA› pictures  and   we   viewed   several› pictures which were excellent and can› be printed out.  Side 2 only 1 out of› 12  programs  work.   These  are high› tech  demos  from Germany.  Next  RON› tried Demo Stock Photo Object program› - same three guys as before who wrote› the  routine.  Next we  tried Chaotic› Object     program    unsuccessfully.› Answer  Object  program  unsuccessful› also.›› AL  SHARKIS has  a Disk   from NOSAUG› (Disk #17 replacement)(Library #657).› They  now  have  2 disks per quarter.› NOSAUG reviewed the  Merry Xmas/Happy› New  Year  disk   Turbo  Basic  Flyer› program.›› Next  we  cancelled Library  #657 and› replaced  it  with Library  #635  for› NOSAUG Disk #17.›› NOSAUG  Disk   #19  consists  of  two› disks:   disk   one    side   A   has› instructions  to   boot  with  BASIC,› side B  to boot  without Basic (these› become  library   #657   and   #658).› There are articles on adding a mouse,› DTP Atari 8 (2-part article), a short› and story, VCS, etc.  We read "Adding› a Mouse," a text  file that described› the  multimouse   program.   Then  we› tried the flip  side of disc #1,which› contained  pictures.  Disc #2  side A› contained Font Master, Label 720, and› a financial  calculator  program.  We› tried the Font  Master program, which› could load a text file with up to 120› characters per  line, load and change› a character  set, margins, etc.  Disk› #2  side  B  has   three  "Saddleman"› programs, a lot  of "Levis" programs,› and we tried a few of them.›› No door  prizes were awarded  at this› meeting.›› The  next  meeting  will be  held  on› October 19,1996.››               o=o=o=o=o=››