EDIT on Paul Hill
PAUL HILL has been the main force that has kept SINCUS going through it’s first two plus years. Many will remember Paul started collecting names of people interested in that “ZX-81” at UNICORN ELECTRONICS. How long has Paul been actively promoting SINCUS? Well UNICORN was in the small mall in those days and most of you, if you had a ZX-81, were wondering how to get a 16K RAM! There were rumors you might be able to get a 64K RAM next year. The new TIMEX-Sinclair 1000 computer, selling for $99, was a hot seller. 16K RAMS were hard to come by [TIMEX reportedly built one RAM for every four computers!] and the rumor mill said you might be able to get one of those Sinclair thermal printers in a few months. It was in this atmosphere that Paul Hill led the drive to organize a local users group. His tenure as President has been very productive and today’s lively group is due largely to Paul’s commitment to the club. So Paul, on behalf of the entire membership of SINCUS, I would like to publicly thank you for the effort and devotion that you have made on behalf of the club. And now that you are just Recording Secretary [and take care of meeting minutes, arrange for the meeting room, write a monthly column, and maintain the club correspondence] – your wife has a question about the hot water heater!!!!
GOTO The next two meetings!
At the June meeting we will have:
1] Attaching a keyboard to a ZX-81
2] ZX-81 HI RES software
3] TEXTWRITER 2000
A word processor for the 2068
4] MODEM demonstration using COMPUSERV
SAVE Sunday, July 22
July 22 is the date of the first SINCUS picnic!! Pavilion #3, Glendale Park, Glendale Road, Endicott. [see map in this newsletter]. Club is providing charcoal, paper plates, napkins. You bring a dish to pass, silverware, beverage [we have a beer permit], your main meat, and a small donation to defer expenses. In exchange for your donnation [in increments of $.25] a copy of your membership will be placed in a box, from which names will be drawn for door prizes-namely software for both the ZX-81 and 2068!! BEST OF ALL – your entire family is welcome. We are not sure if we will be playing softball, but we will have two 2068’s there running a variety of entertaining programs. Yes, we will have electricity!
FOR the Chess Players
Saturday, June 2, was a fun time. Several members showed up a Star Dry Cleaners in Owego where we had set up 2 ZX-81’s and two 2068s. ZX-81 #2 [running Master Chess] defeated ZX-81 #1 [running TIMEX Chess] in, I believe 57 moves. 2068 #1 [running SOFT SYNC’s Voice Chess] defeated 2068 #2 [running TIMEX Chess-actually PSION’s Master Chess] in 27 moves. Much thanks to Ted Koranye who dreamed up this idea and coordinated this day’s activities. We are now going to plan a “CHESS CHALLENGE” in the fall to promote the visibility of the club. All computer clubs and chess clubs will be invited to participate. BUT, it is machine vs. machine [more correctly software vs. software!], no humans are allowed to play the computers. You can bring a computer or a “computerized chess game”. Watch for more details in the months ahead. OF COURSE, I accept volunteers to help put it on.
USR Group Exchanges
We received a tape from Cincinnati with a data file of the user groups in the US, that runs on VU-FILE. We owe them a response, and yes, Rick Johnson, it is in the works. I will have it to you by July 1.
Another response to my article about a network to distribute information to users came from the Boston Computer Society where a list of user groups is being kept. Thanks to SYNTAX for a personal response. A special thanks to KNIGHTED COMPUTERS, who in addition to their advertising have donated two pieces of 2068 software [win one at the picnic “GIFT TABLE”]. Also got a personal answer from Tom Woods and DATACOM. My thanks to these companies. You can see this correspondence on the club bulletin board [another of PaulHill’s jobs now that he is retired]
If any user group wants to try the chess challenge idea, we strongly urge you to have a trial run-some very confusing things can come up. We finally decided that the two computers would be back to back. The operator would announce the move his/her computer was making. The other operator would then enter that move in his computer. A third person would make the appropriate move on a chess board that was set up between the computers-so the kibitzers could see what was going on. Games could be saved and then [from a printout of the moves] a midgame situation could be entered to the computers to let them play out the game [to the same result?]. Challenge all those guys-see who will haul their PC down and take the chance of being humiliated by the “black box”!!
NEW in Club Communications:COMPUSERV
I have a 2050 modem [and enthusiastically endorse its purchase] and subscribe to COMPUSERV. This means for SINCUS members and other groups around the country you can reach me using E-MAIL. You can find my personal information listed in the Subscriber’s Directory [LOGON and GO PCS-8 [I think, I am separated from my COMPUSERV manual right now!]. You may use MOM-4 also, I think. Well veteran COMPUSERVers will know how and for you new guys, why do you think you get 5 free hours – it’s to figure stuff like this out’ Can you see the day when all you authors can file your newsletter articles with the Editor using E-MAIL!
REM The Hardware Subgroup
A subgroup of people interested in building hardware is being formed. It will have a definite meeting schedule and place, once a project is scheduled. There will be more on this at the meeting.
RETURN All Library Materials
Please return all library materials so we can figure out what we have and what we need.
NEW -TELECOMMUNICATIONS Subgroup
I will asking those people with modems to form a subgroup and develop a club communications network. Personally, I will, if the hardware hackers can teach me to solder, be building [?] a modem. This will permit me to maintain a twenty-four hour a day bulleting board – one on at home when I’m at work, then on the work phone when I am home. But we are going to need software, etc. so we can easily get printouts, make saves & loads, and etc.
PLOTting A Course for SINCUS
Looking ahead to this summer and next fall, SINCUS is alive and well and moving. As the new President I would like to publicly acknowledge the immediate past board of directors for their active leadership and commitment to SINCUS. I welcome John Sims and Gerry Knickerbocker to our board and look forward to working with them in the months ahead. For the membership, look forward to more produtive time at the meetings. The meetings are getting so full of activities that we will be consciously structuring them so everyone gets a fair chance. We do ask your participation in ASKING QUESTIONS. Often in small group “bull sessions” questions are raised that the entire group would benefit from hearing. With this in mind, we will be providing a QUESTION/ANSWER PERIOD. Please fire away. Also, we are looking for ZX-81 demos. I know the 2068 is exciting, but the ZX-81 [this newsletter is still produced using WORD SYNC II on a ZX-81!] is still a very viable computer. Its only drawback is color. Well who needs to see their checkbook in color, plus when you only have one color TV what color does your computer compute in when the kids want to see “THE “A” TEAM”? See you there’