SINCLAIR INVADES EGYPTIAN HIGH SCHOOLS
Submitted by subscriber Faisal El-Shoufy
Egyptian high schools have begun to use the ZX Spectrum computers in its classes nationwide.
It all began when Egyptian scientists living in the USA recognized the importance of using computers in Egyptian schools in order to give the new generation a chance to benefit from modern technology. So, the Egyptian scientific society in the USA whose chairman is Dr. M. Al-Wakeel (a professor at Wisconsin University) presented fifty ZX Spectrum computers as a gift to the Egyptian ministry of education.
Sixty-six teachers were selected from 25 high schools by the ministry of education to begin their training on Sinclair ZX computers.
Dr. Maustafa K. Helmi, the Vice Prime Minister in the Egyptian government, was in the opening ceremony of the first computer training course ever held in Egypt for its high school teachers.
Many Egyptian high schools have started teaching computer courses. The teachers at these schools noticed that the students’ grasp of chemistry, math, and physics has dramatically increased due to the use of the computers in their classes.
The ministry of education has plans to utilize Sinclair computers in most Egyptian high schools. TSH
U.S. FEDERAL COURT USING ZX-81,TS
Debra Ruth Wolin, a staff attorney for the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, informs us that she has successfully used her 64K expanded Timex-Sinclair 1000 to solve an administration problem of the court’s pro bono panel. She had to assign the right lawyer to the right case from a panel of volunteer lawyers willing to represent poor people in court without charge. She was assisted by Erica Jean Wolin, a systems analyst for NYNEX Service Co., who wrote a program which is basically search and sort with additional features built-in. The program stores various data about the panel members such as, type of case the member will take, date of last assignment, language ability and location (NY City or White Plains). To operate the program, Debra punches in the type of case, the location and any necessary language ability. The T/S computer returns a list of members in reverse chronological order of most recent assignment. Debra then assisgns the case to the appropriate member.
Debra tells us she would be happy to share the program with any non-commercial user. If interested, please send a SASE to our club. She is our member for two years.
FROM ZX WORLD NEWS BULLETIN Sept/Oct ’85 Box 560 Wall St., New York NY 10005.
A TRIP TO SINCLAIRLAND
Tony Brooks of the Capitol Area T/S User Group was in the United Kingdom recently and reported on his observations of the computer market there in the CATS newletter (Oct. 85). Here is a small portion of that report:
“This summer I spent three weeks in Europe, two of them in England. While in England I took the opportunity to purchase some Spectrum software and hardware and look at the home computer market in Britain…On the basis of what I saw Sinclair computers are by far the most popular. All stores boasting any sort of computer department carry Spectrums and usually QLs…Based on what I saw the Amstrad CPC464 and 664 are second to the Spectrum…All the remaining home computers offered in Britain seemed to be way behind these two.
“If you are looking for Spectrum software in British stores, you will probably at first be delighted to see lots of Spectrum software at low prices. Then you may be disappointed when you can’t find any item on your list. Basically two kinds of sofware are usually available: the very latest top ten most popular games and ‘old’ softwarew from last year or before. By the time we hear about Spectrum software in the U.S.A., it’s out of the top ten but not yet on the discount shelves.
“The home computer market in Britain is almost totally games oriented, and most British computer magazines seem aimed at games players under 20. Nevertheless, this has led to a high rate of computer ownership, considerably higher than in the U.S.A. and second only to Japan.” TSH